Warning do not buy harbor freight extension cord ends

[Bill Dufour]

I was moving some stuff around and I happened to have a cord plugged into the wall in my sight. I saw an arc right at the outlet. I unplugged the cord and saw burn marks on the HF Male cord end I had installed about one year ago. Lucky it tripped the GFCI breaker.
The plug itself looked a little burned but no damage so I went to reinstall it. I cut the wires back a fraction since it looked like they had pulled out and shorted. I tried like 6 times and I could not get all three wires clamped down before one pulled out of the clamp.
I finally tried one wire clamped tight and pulled a little. I could not get the clamp to hold one wire against a few pounds of force. Looking at it the screws are smaller diameter then a good plug and more importantly the little square washers under the screw are less then 1/2 as thick as a good clamp would use. I would be surprised if the metal in those washers was as strong as used on a good clamp.
Be Safe
Bill D.

[Thomas McCurnin]

I rarely, almost never, install after market extension cord ends. Rather, I'll buy a new extension cord, and if I need the end for a tool, I'll re-wire the tool with the new cord. In some instances, I love a good 16 foot cord to replace a shorter tool cord, or I can custom make whatever length I need. Buying the a new extension cord isn't that more expensive than a replacement for the ends.

And, I might add, my Harbor Freight rule is this--I never buy anything at Harbor Freight that has more than 2 moving parts. Great hammers, tarps, screwdrivers.

[Frank Pratt]

A good quality cord end, correctly installed, is far superior than almost any cord you can buy.

[Edward Weber]

Bill, you might want to post a photo of model of the end. HF changes items so often, what's available now may not be the same one that gave you concern.

[Tom M King]

I have a number of Hubbell ends, both 120v and 240v, that are over 35 years old, and still working fine.

[Jim Koepke]

Parts or tools where quality is a concern are seldom purchased at Harbor Freight.

Many of my extension cords have replacement ends. Most are short extensions made from longer cords.

Having a good connection and effective strain relief is something my father taught me at a young age.

jtk

[Bill Dufour]

I wondered when I bought it. It worked fine for about one year. Bought a good one at the box store $10. Al the screws were upsized by one number or maybe two. The washer was visibly thicker, captive screws, color coded screws, molded strip guage.
Bill D

[Jim Koepke]

When working with items where safety is a factor, you don't want to go cheap. Instead, look for good value.

jtk

[roger wiegand]

Have you ever cut open and looked at what's inside those molded ends? I've had a few melt and the quality of the connections can leave a lot to be desired (and it's really hard to check without destroying the product). For high current use I'd much rather have a plug where I know the connections are right, having made them myself. Quality ends are not cheap, unfortunately. I've never had a problem with the Leviton "industrial" connectors I usually buy.



I rarely, almost never, install after market extension cord ends. Rather, I'll buy a new extension cord, and if I need the end for a tool, I'll re-wire the tool with the new cord. In some instances, I love a good 16 foot cord to replace a shorter tool cord, or I can custom make whatever length I need. Buying the a new extension cord isn't that more expensive than a replacement for the ends.

And, I might add, my Harbor Freight rule is this--I never buy anything at Harbor Freight that has more than 2 moving parts. Great hammers, tarps, screwdrivers.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Everything at hf is disappointing except for the smell. it is always 100% disgusting.

[Rollie Meyers]

They just scream cheap, would not be surprised if any NRTL listing (UL is a NRTL) is counterfeit.