Do I Need An Anti-Static Wrist Strap?

Newbie computer builders agonize about whether they should or should not wear anti-static wrist straps to prevent ESD (electrostatic discharge). The opinion varies across the board and the answer will depend on who you ask and their personal experience building a personal computer. Let us know ‘Do I Need An Anti-Static Wrist Strap?’.

Experienced personal computer builders sometimes talk about wearing socks, rubbing your feet on the rug or carpet, and touching the case of the computer you are working on before touching any sensitive material. This has worked for them over time. Here though, our opinion is that you should just get an anti-static wrist strap for your peace of mind. Even if you may not have an issue without it, it is better to be safe than sorry.

If you care to read further in this article, you will learn about what electrostatic discharge is and how it can affect you or the computer you are building. You will also understand why simply purchasing a gadget worth less than $10 can save you a lot of money. Try to read to the end.

Electrostatic discharge and how it affects you and your gadget

Not to bore you with all the science-y jargon, it is safe to say that electrostatic discharge is the spark of electricity that occurs when two charged bodies of opposite electrical charge come into contact. If you have ever been in a place where the weather is dry, electrostatic discharges could happen when combing your hair, rubbing cloth on your body, etc. Those small cracking sounds you hear are examples of electrostatic discharge.

You may not know this but the human body is full of electrical charges and those electrical charges determine the functionality of your neurons and synaptic regions. Simply put, the human body can carry electric charges that react with the charge on sensitive devices like metals to create an electrostatic discharge.

Interestingly, the ultimate form of electrostatic discharge is what causes lightning and thunder. Most often, the electrostatic discharges that occur when your body comes into contact with solid-state gadgets like integrated circuits may not be felt by you. But it could as well damage the circuit if it were high enough, costing you hundreds of dollars. 

Also, health professionals have found that electrostatic discharges in medical equipment could inadvertently harm patients or even cause equipment failure. Sometimes these discharges could be high enough to shock people, cause involuntary movement, and end up in health problems. Because these discharges are not often high enough to be measured, they are usually classified as an unknown electrical failure. 

Because most electrostatic discharge issues are often not detected until they have caused damage, professionals have proffered different solutions to help protect against it. The next subheading talks more about one of these solutions.

Anti-static wrist strap and how it functions

An anti-static or electrostatic discharge wrist strap is a piece of gadget that has been designed to protect anybody wearing it from damages caused by electrostatic discharge as well as any sensitive electronics they might be working on. This gadget often needs to be used with an anti-static mat or rug.

The anti-static wrist strap got its name from the fact that it is worn on the wrist. It contains strips of wires that direct any static electricity away from the body and sensitive electronics. Anti-static wrist strap works like an anti-surge protector except that it directs away static electricity instead of high voltages.

Incidentally, depending on the type of anti-static wrist strap you have purchased, it could protect the wearer from high voltages too. Some of these straps have been made specifically for particular industries and projects although it is more often worn by people who work with highly sensitive equipment like integrated circuit or computer motherboard.

There are different types of wrist straps and you can purchase any depending on the size of your budget. The types are economy, disposable, snap, crocheted, and premium high comfort.

Benefits of using an anti-static wrist strap

There are more benefits to using an anti-static wrist strap than not using one. Sometimes it may feel as if manufacturers or vendors just want to get people to buy their products but when you weigh the benefits vis-a-vis the cons, you realize that you are better off with one.

Here are a few benefits that you get from using an anti-static wrist strap.

1. It helps to ground you and your project against static electricity – This has been mentioned earlier but is reiterated here for emphasis. While many online sites will tell you not to bother about using one, the fact remains that you can never be able to measure the amount of static electricity around you to know how much it will affect the intrinsic components of the computer you are working on. For this reason, you must buy and wear one every time you want to work on your project.
2. There is no expiry date for anti-static wrist straps – You can use one as long as you want without having to change it. So, you don’t have to keep buying new ones each time you want to work. That is except you went for the disposable kind.
3. It is inexpensive – Once you buy one, you can use it for years. But when you damage an important component in the personal computer you are building, you stand to lose hundreds of dollars. Using an antistatic wrist strap is a good precaution against such occurrences.
4. It can protect you against energy surges – much like the surge protector you use with important electronics in your home, the anti-static wrist strap can also protect you against excess voltages. Some of the anti-static wrist straps come with an indication of the number of voltages they can direct away from your body. These are the ones that have that functionality built into them. If you are wondering why you will need this additional protection when you already have a surge protector, it is important to note that each surge protector has its limits and voltages can still escape them if it is high enough. Though rare, they do occur. Wearing an anti-static wrist strap is a good way to protect against such incidences.

Alternatives to the anti-static wrist strap

Of course, you can choose to use other means of grounding yourself and your gadgets against electrostatic discharge. These are – 

1. Grounding your building – whether you are working in the main building, the shed, or an office building, the first step in protection against static electricity is grounding. You can do it yourself by finding online do-it-yourself guides or employing a professional’s help.
2. Never work bear footed or your feet directly on the floor – the ground is also an electrical conductor and serves as a conduit for electricity. When your feet are in direct contact with the floor, you are inadvertently creating a direct link for electrical flow and that is bad if there is electrostatic energy around.
3. Use other anti-static gadgets – the anti-static wrist strap is not the only type of gadget that protects against electrostatic discharges. Other types are anti-static shoes, mats, bags, garments, and ionizing bars. You can use an anti-static bag to protect a sensitive gadget during storage or shipping. The other gadgets have different functionality and it depends on what you intend to use them for. The anti-static wrist strap or shoe works when you want to build a computer though.

The best anti-static wrist strap on the market

If you are confused about the anti-static wrist strap to buy, we have suggestions here based on the bestsellers on Amazon.

1. Amazon’s choice in the category of antistatic gadgets is BERTECH’s ESD High-Temperature Mat Kit, which Includes a Wrist Strap and Grounding Cord and is RoHS and REACH Compliant. It costs only $46.01 and is applicable for soldering in high-temperature settings, aviation, space technology, electronic assembly, defense, aerospace, and data industries.
2. ARCTIC EARGLE’s Antistatic Wrist Strap, Antistatic Wristband Grounding Bracelet with Alligator Clip, and Extendable Long Cable. This is Amazon’s number one bestseller in its category and it only costs $6.99. The brand offers a 60-day money-back guarantee as well as up to 2 years of product service warranty.
3. BERTECH’s ESD Anti-Static Fabric or Metal Adjustable Wrist Strap with 12 inches Cord. This is number 2 on the Amazon bestseller list and it costs $8.99 for the fabric product and $12.99 for the metal product.
4. VASTAR’s ESD Anti-Static Wrist Strap Components. This costs $5.22 for the blue and $5.55 for the black. 
5. The STATIC CARE’s ESD Mat Workstation Ground Kit is another Amazon choice antistatic gadget. It costs only $19.25 and includes a common point banana plug, a snap kit, a fabric wristband, and an alligator clip.

Conclusion

Protection against stray energy charges in the surrounding air of your workspace is as much important to your health as it is to the component you are working on. Combining an anti-static wristband or strap with other anti-static gadgets may seem like overkill but it is better not to know the cost of not using one when necessary.

FAQ

1. Can I ground myself without an anti-static wristband?

Yes. Many operators have testified to simply working on a carpet or rug and making sure to touch the metal or plastic casing of the computer they are working on before proceeding to work on the more delicate components. 

1. What is the proper way to wear an anti-static wrist strap?

You must make sure that the anti-static wrist strap metal is always connected to your skin while working or building the computer.

1. How can you know if the anti-static wrist strap is functional?

Simply use a multimeter to verify that the metal on the wrist strap is constantly resisting the ground connector. If the resistance measured on the multimeter is too high, the strap is probably broken.