Cisco Passive Copper Cable - 25GBase-CR1 direct attach cable - SFP28 to SFP28 - 5 m - twinaxial - SFF-8402/IEEE 802.3by - black - for P/N: C9300-NM-2Y-RF, C9500-48Y4C-E-RF, N9K-C93180YC-FX-H, NCS-55A1-48Q6H, NCS-55A1-48Q6H=

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

For £129.40 ex-VAT, this is a pretty normal price point for a short 25G copper direct-attach lead that’s meant to keep rack-to-rack links clean without the faff (or cost) of optics. If you’ve already got compatible Cisco switch line cards/ports (your listed part numbers are a big clue here), this is the kind of “it just works” cable that’s easy to deploy, service, and replace. In practice, twinax at this length tends to be reliable for lab/POC and a lot of datacentre top-of-rack patching where runs are controlled, and SFP28-to-SFP28 DAC-style links usually save money versus optics + transceivers.

That said, I’d only buy it if you’re confident on two things: (1) port compatibility with the exact Cisco platforms you’re wiring, and (2) that 5 m really is the distance (don’t stretch these “just in case”—copper DACs are less forgiving than optics). Also consider that if you need flexibility across different gear, optics can be a better long-term investment; cables like this are more “pair it to the right port” than “standardise once.” If those constraints fit your use case, it’s good value. If not, you’ll end up paying for something you can’t reuse.