# Extension Cord Selections- What's up?



## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

Hey guys, new to the site, just recently discovered it and man is it great :thumbsup:

Anyways, quick question on extension cords. I ran a search and did what I could to find any forum repeats and I found one topic a few pages long but it was kind of unhelpful to me and I found it to be outdated. So rather than resurrect something old, figured I would get some fresh opinions.

What brand of extension cords do you guys generally use/favor? I've used a handful of the 14 gauge brands and Bosch and Yellow Jackets for 12 gauge-15 amps uses, however I'm pretty much favoring the Bosch.. and almost heart broken they stopped manufacturing their extension cords. Last Bosch cord bit the dust a few days ago and I'm in the market to get some new cords and needed some recommendations on generally supple, durable (the two terms which I know don't generally go well together) 12 gauge cords. 

Probably aiming for the 25, 50 or 75 foot range. 100 is just way too crazy long for me though, and if I need the length, would rather connect a couple because they get to be beasts to coil and deal with the weight. 

Any recommendations? Thanks in advance guys, looking forward to getting more into these forums and stuff.


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

I guess I don't look at brands when it comes to extension cords. Maybe I should but.........

I try to never get anything over 12ga. I do have a couple 16ga 25' but those are for the smaller tools. My 10ga 50' is for my compressor or when I will be running a bunch of tools off one cord (mitersaw + table saw + whatever)

If I were able to buy just one it *would*be a 100 footer 12ga. That way you could daisy chain it and only unravel what you need when you need it.

P.S. Do an intro in the intro section for us. Thanks


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

I'm with CF I have 1 12g 100'er and a 50' 12g and a 50' 10g lead and some little ones to run the radio ect. off of:blink:


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## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

CrpntrFrk said:


> P.S. Do an intro in the intro section for us. Thanks


Thanks for the quick responses- I guess when it comes to what I work with, I get too OCD, haha. Btw, I looked around but I'm unsure/confused if what you mean by the intro in intro? (Intro of me or the topic maybe...?)


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Post a thread about yourself.

http://www.contractortalk.com/f44/


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> I'm with CF I have 1 12g 100'er and a 50' 12g and a 50' 10g lead and some little ones to run the radio ect. off of:blink:


If you were not thousands of miles away I would go check my truck right now to make sure you didn't take all my cords. You and I share the same cord setup.:thumbup:


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Oh forgot about the 100' 10g lead for the big ones:laughing: It's heavy:blink:


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## HandyHails (Feb 28, 2009)

I've got all Rigid 12 gauge. 

(1)-100'
(2)- 50'
(3)- 25'
(1)-15' (repaired cord)


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## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

I guess I forgot to mention, I do have a 50' and 25' Yellow Jacket (previously mfg'd by Woods, now Coleman Cables) which are pretty great until the day cools down to night. Still miss the Bosch as mentioned though. 

On a side note, my 50 just developed a kink somehow (no idea how it happened) and I'm open for ideas anyone may have to fix it. Just one kink where the wire is visibly twisted out of place and it's overcast today so I can't lay the cord out on the driveway to get adequate heat to try and maneuver it back into place


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## txgencon (Jan 4, 2011)

I have a friend who works for the local electric utility. They load test their cords periodically and I get of some of the ones that fail their stringent test. They aren't allowed to replace the plugs on either end. I don't like the flat ones as they get twisted really bad. Seems like most of them are made by some outfit named Carol.


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## Framer53 (Feb 23, 2008)

I have never been married to one brand.

I have 12 guage in 50 and 100 footers' Several of each. I have 14 guage in 25'ers. And several 14 guage 15'ers.

I buy all of my leads at HF now when they have sales on them.

Wire is wire. I can cut the ends off any of them by mistake and really hate when I do so.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

I like rigid cords. The rest are ok too. The important thing is that they have your own marks on them so they do not end up in someone else's truck.


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## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

Framer53 said:


> I have never been married to one brand.
> 
> I have 12 guage in 50 and 100 footers' Several of each. I have 14 guage in 25'ers. And several 14 guage 15'ers.
> 
> ...


:thumbup: What's HF? Maybe an East Coast store? Or something online?


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

sy85 said:


> :thumbup: What's HF? Maybe an East Coast store? Or something online?


Harbor Freight:blinknline


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## GettingBy (Aug 19, 2010)

Don't cascade cords because the unpredictable contact resistance between plug and socket adds to the total wire resistance.

The Grainger rules for cords seem to be 13A max for #16 and 15A max for #14 or #12 but no more than 5% voltage drop for any cord, typically 3%.

Per 1000' for copper,
#12 is 1.6 ohms, #14 is 2.6 and #16 is 4.0, 
so 100' of #16 is 200' loop distance 
is 0.2 x 4 = 0.8 ohms. 
5% of 120v is 6v. 
6v/0.8 = 7.5 A max draw for a tool at the end of this cord.

Tools with motors want low source impedance. Resistance loads don't care.

There are YouTube videos on how to braid long cords or ropes so they don't get tangled.

And thank you for asking! :laughing:


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## Framer53 (Feb 23, 2008)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> Harbor Freight:blinknline




We have a winner!!!


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## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

GettingBy said:


> Don't cascade cords because the unpredictable contact resistance between plug and socket adds to the total wire resistance.


Thanks for that info. It could explain why the Ryobi weed wackers my Dad had as a gift kept crapping out. Then again, I'd bet money that it was mainly because they were Ryobi :blink:

I refuse to buy Ryobi for anything but cheap drill bits since that fiasco. We have an awesome Echo Weed Eater now. I used to be a Milwaukee fanboy, got my hands on a Makita Impact Driver and Hammer Drill.. not a Milwaukee fanboy anymore :thumbup: Off topic, but all I can say is, um, yes. Don't trust Ryobi and thanks for the info about cascading cords. Does the same hold true for running cable (like Cat5e)? Sorry for the rant  I just got all excited because I found out why my charger wasn't making sounds like it should when it completed a battery charge


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

I use nothing smaller than 12 gauge cords, several lengths. While in _theory_ concatenating cords can cause problems, I've never had any because of that.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

The only cord I get out is my 100' yellow jacket.


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## Cole82 (Nov 22, 2008)

All of mine are yellow jackets.
As far as how many of each these are aprox.

2 100'
3 50'
5 25'


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## txgencon (Jan 4, 2011)

GettingBy said:


> Don't cascade cords because the unpredictable contact resistance between plug and socket adds to the total wire reistance.


Take out the word "wire" and I'll agree with you.


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## kyle_dmr (Mar 17, 2009)

You guys seem to have limited quantities. Maybe its just me but in the trailer I have a 150' 8awg feed to run from basements if need be. 2 100' awg singles and another 100' triple tap 12awgs and 8-10 50's 12awg cords in rotation of broken ends or cuts.

I buy all mine from a local store which are all cheap Chinese cords but the prices are right. 22$ for 50' singles isn't too bad for me


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

If I have to get out more then one cord, I get pissed.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

kyle_dmr said:


> You guys seem to have limited quantities.


Nothing wrong with that--not everyone here runs a high-speed multi-man crew. :thumbsup:


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

I have 1x 100 10awg, 2x 50, 3x 25 12awg and a powerbar. All different makes...but they all have the illuminated ends. 

I curse every time I have to unwrap the 100 footer...I don't even like looking at it let alone picking it up.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

I hate the yellow jacket cords....esp the triple taps. If you look at the female end where your plug your tools and, look at the contact points close. You will see it is nothing more then just a sliver of copper that wears down quick and, IMO, adds alot of resistance. I have not looked at alot of cords but I noticed the Utilitec Cords at Lowes have MUCH MUCH better contact points....WAY better.


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## Brutus (May 29, 2007)

We got a few of the 50' Bosch ones. They are sweet. Roll up nicely, even when it's -35 out.


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

VENT first!--

Why can't any company make a plug that has a solid ground prong??/

I hate replacement plugs---they get hung up on thinks --but the damn ground prongs pull out of the cords in no time.----Grrrr

I've got a bunch of different brands--Ridgids are good in the cold.
A favorite one is a 12 ga. with three outlets spaced along it.

Great for a work station.---Mike----


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## KillerToiletSpider (May 27, 2007)

I made all of my cords, the fifty and twenty five foot cords are ten ga., the seventy five and hundred foot cords are eight ga., and I have a hundred and fifty foot cord that is six ga. All of them have duplex GFCI ends in outdoor conduit boxes.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

> I made all of my cords, the fifty and twenty five foot cords are ten ga., the seventy five and hundred foot cords are eight ga., and I have a hundred and fifty foot cord that is six ga. All of them have duplex GFCI ends in outdoor conduit boxes.


And here I ***** about rolling up a #10. :laughing:

My last batch of cords were these because I got a smokin deal on em, so far I like them a lot.


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

I am glad someone else mentioned not cascading, weaving or whatever you want to call it. It never fails. Whenever a new guy is on the job, they try and impress me by weaving the cords together at the end of the day. Then they take 8 cords and toss them in the trailer or truck and they get caught on everything. If I see them doing it, I say "Hey dumb bastard, please stop doing that as I realize that it looks all impressive and ****, but it takes three times as long to roll them out and they take up much more room. Oh, and I'm not paying you to impress me with your cord rolling skills, just your carpentry."

Of course, I don't say it that nicely.

As for what cords I use? I have a couple really thick black ones that are as supple as a wet noodle, in a good way, even in the winter. I also have a yellow one that I couldn't roll up if I tried. It is so stiff that once I set it down, it just goes kablooey all over the shop. I had a 120 foot 14 gauge, but I turned it into speaker wire.


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## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

Brutus said:


> We got a few of the 50' Bosch ones. They are sweet. Roll up nicely, even when it's -35 out.


-.- Thanks for making me jealous. I so wish they were still selling them. Contacted Bosch and they told me a company named Apollo Electrical Ltd. in Hong Kong made them for em. I think I found the site but had no luck locating something that looked of similar quality to the Bosch's. Sent an e-mail inquiring for which I'm waiting to hear back on.


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## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

Inner10 said:


> And here I ***** about rolling up a #10. :laughing:
> 
> My last batch of cords were these because I got a smokin deal on em, so far I like them a lot.



Thanks for the input- how do those tend to hold up under cooler temps, like at night? I've seen these Yellow Jackets tend to get tougher even here in Los Angeles which only gets down to the 50's at night on average (it's 66 right now) but the Bosch were literally like... as supple as a used t-shirt, and a thousand more times resilient.


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## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

VinylHanger said:


> I am glad someone else mentioned not cascading, weaving or whatever you want to call it. It never fails. Whenever a new guy is on the job, they try and impress me by weaving the cords together at the end of the day. Then they take 8 cords and toss them in the trailer or truck and they get caught on everything. If I see them doing it, I say "Hey dumb bastard, please stop doing that as I realize that it looks all impressive and ****, but it takes three times as long to roll them out and they take up much more room. Oh, and I'm not paying you to impress me with your cord rolling skills, just your carpentry."
> 
> Of course, I don't say it that nicely.
> 
> As for what cords I use? I have a couple really thick black ones that are as supple as a wet noodle, in a good way, even in the winter. I also have a yellow one that I couldn't roll up if I tried.  It is so stiff that once I set it down, it just goes kablooey all over the shop. I had a 120 foot 14 gauge, but I turned it into speaker wire.


I wish I could figure out how to quote multiple people in one reply 

Where did you get these infamous.. supple, wet noodle black extension cords? I was avoiding being the first person to say that but that's exactly what I'm looking for.. hahah.


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## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

TBFGhost said:


> I hate the yellow jacket cords....esp the triple taps. If you look at the female end where your plug your tools and, look at the contact points close. You will see it is nothing more then just a sliver of copper that wears down quick and, IMO, adds alot of resistance. I have not looked at alot of cords but I noticed the Utilitec Cords at Lowes have MUCH MUCH better contact points....WAY better.


I was looking at them but bit the bullet and got a 50 and 25 yellow jacket instead based on amazon reviews. I might go back to look at the utilitech ones, however. Not totally concerned about operation as much as ease of use as that seems to play a big role in their operation from my vantage point. How do you rate them on suppleness in cool conditions?


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## JonM (Nov 1, 2007)

As for the Yellow jacket cords, they make a few verities...the one you want is the Yellow Jacket Polar/Solar


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## SclafaniBuilder (Feb 18, 2011)

I bought a utilitech cord a few weeks ago. I love it. It doesn't twist up, it's not stiff, it's easy to wrap up, even came with a Velcro strap to wrap it up with. It was also reasonably priced. After all, it's just a cord...


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## Warren (Feb 19, 2005)

Most of the new frames we do, we run up to 250' 10ga UF and get it all the way into the basement. A few times we have run two of them so the compressor can run alone on one. The rest of the cords are a mish mash of old/new/colors, etc. I have a couple of blue ones that are low temp and seem to wrap easily. I try to just buy 50' cords anymore as they seem to be the most versatile.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

> Thanks for the input- how do those tend to hold up under cooler temps, like at night?


I haven't used them below freezing as I got them in the spring. I will let you know in a few months. :thumbsup:


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## Randy Bush (Mar 7, 2011)

I use different brands,Yellow jacket, Husky, whatever looks good and is at a good price. In my trailer have a 100' 10 ga that I use most of the time, then rest are 12 ga some hundreds, 50 and 25s. If got to far to run or just lazy at the time will fire up the Honda inverter. I do hate the lited ends though . Never seem to last real long before start losing good contact. Never learned how to chain them so just roll them up like my air hoses. Had the wife sew me up some loops for them to hang them up. Use to hate getting to the job and all my cords are a mess on the floor.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Even a worm doesn't need more than 12 ga.

25' is hands down the handiest size day to day. Why wrestle with more than you need?

If twice the length is only $4 more, no offense but it sounds like you're looking at cheap crap cords.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

FramingPro said:


> im talking 3 plugs
> I have a wormy tin :whistling
> The 50's are only $4 more then the 25's so like. f it im buying 2 50's
> :thumbup:


That's a great idea:thumbsup: I on the other hand throw out the 1- 100 footer and I done with it, I'm goin every where and if I'm on the roof I can tie off with it too:thumbup:


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## FramingPro (Jan 31, 2010)

Tinstaafl said:


> Even a worm doesn't need more than 12 ga.
> 
> 25' is hands down the handiest size day to day. Why wrestle with more than you need?
> 
> If twice the length is only $4 more, no offense but it sounds like you're looking at cheap crap cords.


i heard good things about them.
ill give them a shot :thumbsup:


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

All my cords are crap:sad:


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

OK this is just me but 1-10ga.-50 footer from the pole with the 3way block on the end, from the 3way block in the Makita battery charger and the Dam yellow radio and then my12ga. hundred footer and I'm wide open to start work and not worry about running out of cord:clap:


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## Rich D. (Oct 14, 2011)

This is what is do in your situation nick.

1-50'12ga

2-25' 12ga

And a 1-4' gfci spliter (To stay with code).. or just a 3 way or even a cube tap. 

This set up is much more versitile.

You will be surprised how often you grab those 25's...

Get the lighted ends too. :thumbsup:


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## JesseCocozza (Aug 20, 2011)

I'm surprised that everyone is saying that a 10g is pointless. I HAVE to run a 10g to be able to run a compressor and skill saw simultaneously. I've ran 3 types of compressors that all struggle and strain to kick on if I run anything less than a 10g. Granted they're not pancake compressors, but they're still only 4 gallons.


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## Rich D. (Oct 14, 2011)

JesseCocozza said:


> I'm surprised that everyone is saying that a 10g is pointless. I HAVE to run a 10g to be able to run a compressor and skill saw simultaneously. I've ran 3 types of compressors that all struggle and strain to kick on if I run anything less than a 10g. Granted they're not pancake compressors, but they're still only 4 gallons.


I never said no 10 ga, but in nicks situation where he dosnt have to many cords 12 ga is the best buy for him at the moment..

I myself have a 10ga 50' cord and I'm working on 2 more :thumbsup:


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## FramingPro (Jan 31, 2010)

Rich D. said:


> I never said no 10 ga, but in nicks situation where he dosnt have to many cords 12 ga is the best buy for him at the moment..
> 
> I myself have a 10ga 50' cord and I'm working on 2 more :thumbsup:


i only have an 18


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## JesseCocozza (Aug 20, 2011)

Rich D. said:


> I never said no 10 ga, but in nicks situation where he dosnt have to many cords 12 ga is the best buy for him at the moment..
> 
> I myself have a 10ga 50' cord and I'm working on 2 more :thumbsup:


Classic case of "too lazy to read the whole thread." 

I'm rocking a 100'er, 50'er both 10g. I also picked up one of those 25' 3 way in line 12g from Ridgid. Those are the way to go if you ask me. Plug in the miter saw, table saw, and router/jigsaw/ whatever with room to spread them out. It's got three female plugs about every 7'. I like the view from high up on the hog.  hahaha.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

I would totally go against getting 25' or 50' 12ga. and go for the 100' and in time it will get holes and it will be cut up into shorter lengths when it needs replaced:blink:


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## sy85 (Aug 14, 2011)

Pretty sure I have a 25 and a 50 foot lengths on my two yellow jackets, and I have to admit- I go for the 50 more than the 25, and there are a lot of times I wish I had 75, to be honest. Still in debate as to if I'm going to buy more yellow jackets or change brands to the more easily obtainable Rigids from Depot. I know for sure, though, that I will grab at least one if not two more 75's, another 50 and another 25, just for good measure. I may use the longer ones more often, but I also have issues linking 3 25's together for 75. Could just be the OCD talking though...


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