Mourning the loss of a great extension cord
And the ongoing search for a replacement
It's inevitable - all things must come to an end.
This truism is as valid for tools as it is for our very own existence. But unlike us and the fragile biological bubbles we inhabit, many tools span generations of use before their demise. Some may seem indestructible, such as a hammer that can last many lifetimes, said for the replaceable handle. (I have one of my grandfather's that, despite prominent decades of wear, is as good or better than any new ones in my collection.) But even the mighty hammer will disintegrate one day. I doubt few, if any, Ancient Greek or Roman-era tools are still in use today. (Note to self: research to see if any devices of antiquity are still in use.) Yes, even the best of tools will one day perish. And those of the modern era, far sooner than later.
Take, for example, pretty much anything electronic. Motors wear out. Components fail. Connections break, and housings degrade.
I've had several power tools die on me over the years, and while a few of these were irreplaceable, most were easily upgraded to something newer and better. But not all. I recently lost one of my favorite tools, which I didn't even realize how much I liked before it died.
It was a very nice 30 ft. extension cord.
We often don't think of power cords as "tools;" they fall more into the "accessory" category. But they are tools, "a device used to perform or facilitate manual or mechanical work." Without an extension cord, many powered tools would be severely limited in their use, tethered by their own short cables that often span no more than a few feet or less.
But with the right extension, corded power tools can be drug all over the shop - and beyond. And I had the right one. It was a heavy-duty cord, 15 amp, outdoor rated, with virtually no memory.
"Memory" for cables, wires, hoses, and the like refers to how much they retain a shape after winding and bending. Most of us have struggled with a cheap garden hose with high memory - it wants to stay coiled when unrolled and fights to wind back up after use.
My extension cord was the exact opposite, and I loved it.
The rubber on the cord's outside was smooth and highly flexible. I could wind it up instantly, and when I needed it again, I'd simply grab one end and toss it in the direction I needed it to go. It would unwind like a magician's magic rope, stretched out and ready to power my work. Bonus: it had a power indicator light in the head, making it easy to know when it was live.
I've had this cord now for over 20 years. I bought it while running a small handyperson side hustle as I navigated my changing life goals back then. It was in the late nineties when it was still possible to pick up such quality things at the brick-and-mortar big box stores. I needed a decent cord, and I was looking for length and amperage and nothing more. This cord was what was in stock, so I bought it.
Little did I know how good the great cord was.
Before my serendipitous purchase, I had struggled with various cords of all lengths and designs. I never gave them much thought; I assumed power cords were always a struggle, a necessary evil endured while connecting power for the job at hand. But with my new cord, I instantly realized I had something different.
My now-favorite cord was just so easy. It was a go-to that I'd use for even short distances when a much smaller cord would suffice. The beautiful thing had no problem lying neatly coiled, all except for the short length required. And just as wonderfully, I could roll it back up and toss it in my bag, ready to use again at any time.
Over the years, I acquired other cords, often used in semi-permanent ways, like running extensions for shop fans and lights. None of these compared to my favorite cord, however. But none of them had to. After all, I had the good one already, available and ready to use whenever I called on it.
Unfortunately, and as the title of this essay alludes to, my favorite cord finally died. The rubber housing disconnected from the head, causing the tightly wrapped wires inside to unravel. Once this happens to an extension cord, there is no repairing it.
Sure, you can tape or glue it back together. But the untethered wires inside make it far less flexible and increasingly difficult to handle. The only option is to replace it with a new one.
So recently, I began shopping for another "great" extension cord and have thus far come up empty-handed.
There was a glimmer of hope last week, but it soon faded.
While doing my regular shopping at Costco, I came across an extension cord deal that looked like an ideal replacement for my busted one. The cord was identically rated, and it stated clearly on the box, "ultra flexible." Better still, this was Costco, so of course, it wasn't one cord but two! For under thirty bucks, I was about to have two favorite extension cords in my kit. Or so I thought.
I quickly tossed the too-good-to-be-true item in the cart and went on about my shopping.
No need to belabor this further. The new cords are terrible, as they are anything but "ultra flexible." On the contrary, they have severe memory, on par with some of the worst cords I've ever used.
I am gravely disappointed, to say the least.
I'll likely send them back. They are just too crappy to keep around. If I did hang on to them, I know I'd lament the purchase each and every time I tried to roll or unroll one. No, it's best to send them back and keep searching for a truly good one. I'm sure they still exist. Well, at least I hope they do.
Boy, I sure miss my old extension cord. So much so that I just wrote a thousand-word obituary on it. What a great cord it was.
Until next time.
JRC
P.S.: Any tips on locating the perfect extension cord? Please share!
I actually have a set of bronze Roman medical tools dated to around 100 AD which I’ve used occasionally for small projects (they include scrapers, tweezers, pokers, etc.)…so yes, there are such things. 😊
I acquired them almost 40 years ago from a Dutch antiquarian dealer. But they were undoubtedly recovered from an ancient physician’s grave site, and therefore not in continuous use across the millennia…which I think was more to your point.
On best power cords, here’s an interesting possibility:
https://www.shinola.com/power-supply-5-port-usb-cream.html?glCountry=US&glCurrency=USD&gclid=Cj0KCQiAuqKqBhDxARIsAFZELmLLwatrxRLIB3xyTrCABzFhJKP2VrKsZNt9giTwAihgrk0Vnj34mVEaAijZEALw_wcB#20023232-sdt-001459383
Unfortunate choice of name, which raises the concern about being able to tell it apart from the alternative. ;-)