Where the extension cords go

Extension cords fail as storage in a particular way. They are not heavy, they are not bulky, and they do not need protecting — so they end up in a loop over a nail, in a bucket, or across the floor between the bench and the car. Then the next job starts with ten minutes of untangling.

There are only two good answers: a reel, or a hook and a proper coil. This page covers both honestly, including when the free one is the better buy.

We have not tested these reels. The figures below are the manufacturers' own, read on the verification date — our method is on how we pick, and the rest of the garage is in the mess.

Gauge is the spec that matters, not length

The number people shop on is length. The number that decides whether the cord is safe for the tool is gauge — the thickness of the copper — and like steel gauge it runs backwards: a lower number is a thicker wire.

The practical reading: both of these reels are breakered at 10 amps. That is a hand-tool and lighting circuit. A table saw, a compressor, a welder or a space heater will trip it — or worse, will run on a cord that heats up. For those, use a dedicated heavy-gauge cord straight to the outlet and skip the reel entirely.

The longer reel uses a heavier 14 gauge conductor for the same breaker, which is the right way round: over 75 feet, a thinner wire drops more voltage and a tool runs hotter and slower at the far end.

Reel or hook: pick by how often you use it

A reel, if the cord comes out weekly

A retractable reel earns its price on frequency. Pull the cord to the length you need, lock it with the stopper, and let it retract when you are done. Nothing is coiled by hand and nothing hits the floor. The DEWENWILS units publish a 180 degree swivel bracket, so one reel mounted near the corner can serve a bench on one side and the driveway on the other.

A hook, if it comes out monthly

A cord hung as a proper coil on a wide hook lasts decades and costs nothing beyond the hook. The rules are simple and they are what people get wrong:

1. Coil over-under, not round and round. Alternate the direction of each loop. A cord coiled one way every time builds in twist, and twist is what makes a cord fight you.
2. Use a wide hook, not a nail. A tight radius stresses the jacket at the same point every time. Wide and smooth is the whole specification.
3. Hang it by the middle, not the plug. Hanging by the plug puts the whole weight on the moulded joint that fails first.

Hook ratings — and the fact that most hooks do not publish one — are covered in the garage hooks guide.

Where to mount a reel

A retractable reel is heavier than it looks and it gets pulled sideways every time it is used. That makes mounting a structural decision rather than a decorative one.

• Into framing. Studs for a wall mount, joists for a ceiling mount. Drywall anchors are not a reasonable answer for something you pull on.
• Ceiling, over the bench. The cord drops where the work is and nothing crosses the floor. This is the best position in most garages.
• High on the wall by the door. Second best, and better if the cord is mostly used outside on the driveway.
• Not behind where the car parks. Obvious once said, and a surprisingly common mistake with a ceiling reel.

If the wall already carries a rail system, both rails here take hooks that hold a coiled cord without any new fixings — the two systems are compared in FastTrack against GearTrack.

Cold garages and cord jackets

The jacket code on these reels is SJTW, which is the common thermoplastic type for general use. In a genuinely cold garage a thermoplastic jacket goes stiff, and a stiff cord that gets yanked off a reel is a cord whose jacket cracks.

Neither manufacturer publishes a minimum temperature for these reels, so we are not going to invent one. The practical habit: on a freezing morning, pull the cord out slowly and let it warm before dragging it round corners.

What we could not verify

• Mounting hardware specification. Neither reel publishes screw sizes or a minimum fixing for the bracket.
• Reel weight. Not published, which matters when the plan is a ceiling mount.
• Temperature range. No published minimum operating temperature for either reel.
• Retraction cycle life. The retract mechanism is the part that wears and nobody publishes a cycle figure.

What to actually do

One cord, used occasionally: a wide hook on the wall and an over-under coil. Free if you already have a rail or a spare hook.

A bench you work at weekly: the 30 ft reel on the ceiling above it. Three outlets at the reel means the light and the tool can both be plugged in.

Work that happens on the driveway: the 75 ft reel, mounted high near the door. The heavier 14 gauge conductor is the reason to take the longer one seriously rather than joining two short cords.

Big tools: neither. A compressor or a table saw wants a dedicated heavy cord and, ideally, its own outlet. Where the tools themselves go is in where the power tools go.