[three]

REALLLY need help on this one. First time posting on this forum but I plan to stick around!

I've been working with paracord for over ten years and I've gone through over ten thousands feet of the stuff. I once got a 3000 foot spool that worked best for my application and now I can't find the same quality cord after searching everywhere and buying lots of unsuitable cord. I would prefer to find an EXACT match to this manufactured cord and find out where to purchase. If not exact, then a close match to the qualities that I describe below.

First photo: label says "650 SPECIAL" and "Mfg 3/09" however it may have been sold to me labeled as 550 cord. John Howard Co. was the distributor and has since switched manufacturers. Despite my pleas they won't tell me the original manufacturer.

Second photo: there are 7 or 8 or 7.3 inner strands depending on how you want to count them. The black and white tracer strand is about one third the width of the other strands. 4 of the strands are two-ply and look like typical nylon strands. 2 of the strands are also two-ply but are a softer fluffier material.

Third photo: when I remove the inner strands and use my finger to spread out the sleeve the cord that I like (on the right) is harder to unravel and feels tighter. Other sleeves usually unravel faster and seem more loosely woven like the sleeve on the left. This make a big difference when I'm cutting the cord on an angle to prep for a lacing needle.

Forth photo: there is a little more thickness and a hefty feel to the cord. It feels a little more sturdy, straight, and consistent than other cords that feel more loosely woven, twisted, and inconsistent. I'm pretty sure that it is a nylon sleeve and not polyester, but it feels like the quality of the nylon is different.

Also, I have not had success buying the more expensive "real" military paracords, or the higher rated 750 cords. This isn't necessarily the "best" quality paracord on the market, it just happens to be the best that I've found for my particular application. Thanks for reading through all this and any help that you experts can provide! Please let me know what you think!

 

[MrParacord]

Welcome to the forum!

Have you tried Atwood paracord? I always read good reviews from people when it comes to Atwood paracord.

 

[three]

Thanks MrParacord!

Yes, Atwood is one of the brands that I've tried. I also talked to them. They told me that their sleeves are polyester and the inner strands are nylon. Their sleeves are too stiff and rigid for what I want, although they do cut cleanly. I'm mostly sure that the sleeve that I liked before is a nylon material.

Any other ideas?

 

[MrParacord]

Have you tried searching eBay for that brand of paracord?

 

[MrParacord]

Have you tried a sample from their new manufacturer?

 

[three]

Oh yeah. I've tried all these things and much more which is why I've turned to this forum. There's gotta be some experienced knowledge out there that either knows the described paracord above or knows a good match, right?!

I have tried eBay searches and internet searches. I've gotten samples or purchased paracord from Rothco, Tough-Grid, Army Universe, Atwood, Best Glide, High Value Tactical, Daybreak Enterprises, Paracord Store, The Paracord Store, The Supply Captain, and John Howard Co. I've talked to many suppliers.

I actually thought I found a replacement paracord with a 100' length of Rothco 550 that I bought from a retailer on eBay. It wasn't as good as the paracord above but it was suitable. So, I then purchased 2000 feet directly from Rothco and they send me this very different inferior cord with the exact same 550 paracord label:

The strands and sleeve on the left is the new inferior Rothco 550. The strands and sleeve on the right is the suitable older stock of Rothco 550 that I bought on eBay. I talked to a Rothco sales rep and, just like with John Howard Co., they say that they can't tell me any information about the previous manufacturer.

There are lot of different manufacturers and many more retailers. Hopefully I don't have to purchase from every retailer to find suitable paracord. I could really be helped by someone that knows a suitable paracord source. What other suppliers do you guys recommend that I try?