WireTracks Cable Management System Review

[gene]

<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arial"><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/WireTracksWTRF01.htm"><IMG style="WIDTH: 125px; HEIGHT: 93px" alt=[wiretracks_base_borad] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/wiretracks_base_borad_th.jpg" align=left border=0></A>Over the past few years, we have received numerous inquiries and questions about how to install and run wiring for home theaters in pre-existing homes. Most often this can be a difficult and daunting task, especially if you have a two-story home with no attic crawl space or a home that has tile or wood floors. </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arial">Now a recent upstart company, Wire Tracks, located in the great </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arial">Pacific Northwest</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arial"> has introduced a unique product that can help the average home theater DIY’er pre-wire their home theater easily and cost effectively. The Wire Tracks kit can be installed behind existing baseboard or surface mounted. There is also a kit for crown molding installation. The wires are neatly hidden within the plastic molding in a large chamber.</SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arial"></SPAN></SPAN>&nbsp;</P>
<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: arial">[Read the Review]</SPAN></SPAN></P>

 

[Sheep]

Cool! That might actually be handy when I redo my room. I know my parents was to hid the wires for the sound system going in their room.

Thanks!
SheepStar

 

[gcmarshall]

Another, easier, option

This stuff is even easier than WireTracks (see link below to Wiremold Corp.). Wiremold's "Cordmate" products use self-adhesive backing to stick to walls and they are paintable. They have several other equally easy products, larger, smaller, etc. I ran mine right along the top of my baseboard so it looks like it's part of the baseboard. All you need is a saw to cut pieces to length. It snaps shut, with a little effort.

http://www.wiremold.com/www/consumer/products/overview/index.asp

Can be found at Lowes.

 

[RLA]

Hello
The corduit does not have the storage capacity nor does it have wire management. I have used it in the past and the Wire Track is a much better product. The 2-way self adhesive tape used with the corduit will fall off after a few months in hot or humid climates when heavy wire is inserted in the channel. It will work in limited applications and the use of screws with corduit is recommended.

 

[gcmarshall]

upon cursory review of the www.wiremold.com web site (with 2 kids climbing on my lap, it's a VERY cursory review), Wiremold has larger capacity cable tracks. also, i live in a very hot, humid summertime climate and have not had an issue with any of the adhesive coming loose. i checked it in multiple places just a few weeks ago and it is solid as a rock....more solidly attached than the heat panels on the bottom of the space shuttle. in total, i probably have 55-65 feet of it installed. i have some run along the top corner of my ceiling as well as along my baseboard. all are solid as a rock. no need to remove baseboard, no drilling, etc.

 

[HookedOnSound]

Hello
The corduit does not have the storage capacity nor does it have wire management. I have used it in the past and the Wire Track is a much better product. The 2-way self adhesive tape used with the corduit will fall off after a few months in hot or humid climates when heavy wire is inserted in the channel. It will work in limited applications and the use of screws with corduit is recommended.

Good advice RLA,

we use Wiremold products where we can't fish walls in our buildings at work and adhesive tape is not very reliable in my experience. We specify that our contractors always double up with screws every 4-6 feet because relying on tape alone usually ends up a repeat service call to reattach the molding.

The Wire Tracks looks like a competent solution, especially at the price point.

gcmarshall: You mentioned installing about 60 ft. of wiremold. Would you mind saying how much it cost?

Thanks,

 

[gcmarshall]

HookedOnSound,

I don't recall how much it cost. I bought all material at Lowes (or Home Depot, can't recall which). I ended up with only about 1 foot of unused racetrack. I used Wiremold's CordMate, plus the related elbows, interconnects, etc. If one were to go to Lowes and see how much about 60' total of the "Cord Channel" cost (they sell it in 3 or 4 foot sections, or thereabouts), plus a few bucks for the elbows, etc., one could deduce about how much I spent. It was user-friendly to install for someone like me, who is the complete opposite of Bob Vila.

I can see how installing a product more securely with screws and in place of a baseboard would be more secure and eye-appealing. However, for its ultra-simplicity, and if it has enough space for the wire you need to hide, the Wiremold products work well. Again, I've had zero issues with the adhesive coming loose. When I installed it, I pushed very hard and HELD it in place for a few seconds to ensure a good attachment.