Stop using Velcro on your SSDs!

YouTube is filled with suggestions on how to mount external hard drives to a laptop for video editing. The popular options are pouches like these, re-usable adhesives, but ultimately the most functional always turned out to be velcro. Velcro was pretty low profile, it didn’t stretch out like a pouch, and it didn’t wear out as fast as reusable adhesives. As a result, Velcro was my choice for 5+ years.

Then one day I stumbled across this YouTube video talking about how Velcro sucks and that there is a better option on the market. The alternative is called Dual Lock Reclosable Fastener, and today I’ll spell out all the different ways in which it’s better than Velcro for tech storage purposes.

Benefits of Dual Lock

So if you can get past the terrible name, Dual Lock is a low profile fastener that uses only one type of tap. Velcro uses a hook side and a loop side, and you need both kinds for it to be able to fasten correctly. Dual Lock you just have one role of tape, and it sticks to itself.

The next characteristic of Dual Lock is that when you are connecting the two halves, you get a noticeable tactile click. It’s not audible, but it’s clear feedback that the two sides of the tape have engaged and stuck together. This increases your peace of mind that your two objects have been successfully stuck together.

Once the two sides are fastened, the connection is much stronger than Velcro, and it doesn’t have any play in that connection. With Velcro you’d get a bit of wobble between the hard drive and the laptop. Last but not least, it’s clear, so it's a bit less ugly than the black or white Velcro options out there.

So there you have it, Dual Lock Low Profile Fastener for the win. Personally, I've found it invaluable for mounting my laptop and iPad, as well as organizing my camera gear, such as SD card cases. I've even used it to attach networking equipment and chargers to my charging station wall. The possibilities are really endless.