As someone who works with zip ties everyday I can tell you quite a bit about them. There are several different kinds. The plastic ones vary quite a bit in strength and strangely enough, where I work, the smaller/thinner ones actually hold better than the medium size. Anyway, all the plastic ones have a low melt point - a MacGyver episode actually used this technique where MacGyver just rubbed the zip ties against a hot object as the building he was in was on fire. This would really work. Plastic zip ties will also break from the cold. You can just bang them and pop there they go. The butterfly type zip ties can be broken easily enough by twisting hard enough so if you can get a pliers or leatherman tool you can break them where they loop back. I also believe there are some massive inconsistencies in the strength of the plastic. Sometimes you will get one that will hold stronger than you would think, other times they break just from tightening alone. A plastic one could be cut through with even the ‘right size’ fingernail clipper or the file on it could be used (if it fits in the locking mech) to lift the tab and slid them off.
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