Retractable Extension Cords

[tim walker]

Anybody have a recommendation for a ceiling mount retractable extension cord as far as brands? There are a ton listed on Amazon. Also thinking minimum of 14 GA and perhaps 12 GA. Thoughts?

[Jim Becker]

I can't give you a recommendation as I don't use one of these, but by all means, if you can find a 12 gage, buy it. It will be worth the extra cost and be more flexible for how you use it. Even with lower amerage tools, it can run cooler...one of the dangers of tightly coiled cords is heating.

[tim walker]

Thanks, never thought of the heating issue. Not a heavy user on a continuous basis. Planer, jointer, drum sander most likely uses. Just wanted to get the cords off the floor for tripping hazards.

[Jim Becker]

In the new shop that hopefully will grace the back yard later this year, I'm considering just using a strain-relief drop from above to feed convenient power to the bench. It would be a twist lock just high enough to still reach and have a pigtail I can plug in for those times I need/want power at the bench as I'm not interested in putting power through the floor at the present time in planning. I personally would rather do that than use a reel. Bu that's a subjective thing.

[Greg Quenneville]

All of the retracting type cords I have seen have an inbuilt little circuit breaker that pops well under what you would expect.

[Frank Pratt]

Heat build up in a reel is a very real danger if the load is continuous for more that several minutes. It's possible to melt a tightly wound cord even if the current is below the cord's rating.

[Richard Coers]

Another major issue is running high load through the copper wipers on the contact ring inside the reel. They don't last a long time under high loads. A top grade 12ga is almost $700 at McMaster Carr, and even they wear out.

[Josh Molaver]

I have had good success with this Bayco model - https://www.baycoproducts.com/productsbayco/retractable-reels/item/sl-8904 - have two in service and am happy. 12 ga, multi tap.

[Darrell Bade]

I have some 12 ga reels. Reviews for lots of them say the ratchet does not work right and they don't want to stay out, I have bought one and it did this brand new. I have had the best luck lately with ones from Tractor Supply that are 140 bucks. I use them for hand tools, I would never run a heavy duty machine off one.

[Mitch schiffer]

We had several of these in the foundry I used to do maintenance at. Most of them were reelcraft brand. they held up pretty well, and the brushes were replaceable. We did have a couple big 3 phase ones im not sure the beand on those.

[Edward Weber]

https://www.mcmaster.com/cord-reels/automatic-wind-cord-reels-7/

[Michael Schuch]

Anybody have a recommendation for a ceiling mount retractable extension cord as far as brands? There are a ton listed on Amazon. Also thinking minimum of 14 GA and perhaps 12 GA. Thoughts?

No clue if this is a decent reel or not but it sounds like a pretty good deal on a 12g reel:
https://tools.woot.com/offers/reelworks-80-12awg-extension-cord-reel-5?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=CJ&cjevent=13ffe65d78a211ec825ef31a0a82b839&utm_source=Slickdeals+LLC

ReelWorks 12AWG x 80' Premium Grade 3C/SJTOW Cord Reel with Triple Tap Connector$100.99

[Myk Rian]

HF has a couple of them. One is 12ga. Mine works well.

[Rod Wolfy]

I've had a couple. On Amazon, I'm 'Tool Junkie' and have done reviews under that for 10+ years, but others are using the name now, too.

Here's the one I've used: ReelWorks Extension Cord Reel Retractable Longest Industrial 12awg x 80' Foot Commercial Premium Grade Ultra Flexible 3C/SJTOW Glow Strip Cable and Led Light Up Triple Tap Connector Use Indoor/Outdoor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PM96JQ7/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_J86DGS1E8D0Y95R13BYE

But wait for it to go on a Lighting deal, if you can. 12/3, and it would pop using my Bosch portable TS, until I put it on a 20 amp breaker (my 15 amp had like one long run wire thru numerous outlets in my shop. Now I have a dedicated 20 amp circuit to each one in my ceiling! ).

[Dan Friedrichs]

Aside from the risk of overheating the cord while reeled up, I've seen the slip ring contacts heat up and melt things. Too risky for me. Fixed cords hanging from the ceiling seem much safer.

[Tom Bender]

I just use a cord hook and unwind what is needed. Slightly more trouble but safe, reliable and inexpensive.

471966

You can see it in the upper right of this pic

[John Goodin]

I second the Bayco model Josh mentioned above. Bayco customer service was great. I ran over the plastic cord stop and called to order another. They don’t sell them the but customer service rep sent one off a returned unit. It took her a few weeks to get one but called three times with updates. The part was free and they covered shipping. I was impressed.

[Scott Clausen]

I wouldn't any more length than you need. Long wire length combined with a smaller AWG and high current load are your enemies. I have also seen a regular cord supported at the ceiling and a weighted string via pulley to hold the cord above head height when not in use.

[glenn bradley]

I have run a couple of 12ga for 15 years or more. Believe it or not they are Harbor Freight and still work fine. They were on sale for $39 when I bought them. Expecting them to eventually fail I bought a Rockler version on sale for $79 recently. It has not gone into use but, appears more heavy duty as far as case thickness and hardware behavior. There is a really wide price and quality range on these. You need to determine where your requirements and the cost/quality curves cross for you. I never expected the HF ones to last more than few years but, they refuse to die. Always use good extension cord practices with reels (and other cords).

None of this (not mine) . . .

471951 . 471952

Always run the proper gauge for your requirement and do not load the cord while confined.

[Jim Becker]

^^ This is why I personally will do something different for any over-bench power I decide to use.

[Frank Pratt]

471951 . 471952



I have some of those exact cord reels & they're great. In fact, it's so easy to wind/unwind the cord that there's no excuse to use them with the cord still wound up.

[Alex Zeller]

I have three (without brand names on them) that I got free from a local high school's woodworking shop when they stopped offering it to students. They are square with aluminum housing with heavy duty contacts inside. I've been using them for decades now without problems. If you are going to buy one get a premium brand (not some off beat Amazon "made in China" brand). They are expensive but are really nice.

5 or so years ago I set up in our parts crib at work Bayco LED drop lights. It was the brightest one I could find. We now have dozens around the fab in use and they work very well. Not a single one has failed. Occasionally the magnetic hook gets lost but the ratcheting mechanism work just fine.

[Rollie Meyers]

If someone had lots of coin to spend, a Appleton Reelite is really nice, but unless you find one surplus the prices are not for the faint of heart.

[Scott T Smith]

I have several here on the farm; all are 12 gauge.

Two are 12 year old Grizzly’s with no problems. The one that I’m most pleased with is the Reelworks model that is a 50 footer.