Customer Reviews

Coleman Cable 01789 10/3 Insulated Outdoor Extension Cord with Lighted End, 100-Foot

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've purchased two of these.

I'm a small contractor who does many non-structural remodeling jobs. I've been in construction for 15 years and have used many tools and many extension cords.

Since 12 guage cords are commonly available that is primarily what I've used in the past. My experience has been that most of my higher power tools do not run as well on them (even 25 foot cords) as they do when plugged directly into the wall. With the 10 guage cord I can no longer tell the difference.

My 15 amp chop saw, my worm drive saw and my 8 1/2 inch sliding miter saw all run perfectly with the 50 foot extension. I am even able to run my 1 1/2 horsepower Emglo compressor through a 25 foot length. I was never able to do this before -- the compressor was very fussy and I had never been able to use any kind of extension cord with it until I moved to 10 guage.

If you're going to be running your heavy power tools any distance from an outlet, you need this one. You won't burn up your contractor's saw or planer with one of these.

After all, you spent the money for the tool...spend a little more for a cord that will keep it running right.

I bought this 100' extension cord (and a 50' model) to run my Black & Decker MM675 lawn mower (all bought from Amazon). I am an electrical engineer and am keenly aware of how a typical 14- or 16-gauge cord will cause a significant voltage drop which will definitely impact the performance of a high-current device.

I have not been disappointed at all in this 10-gauge (thicker wire if you aren't familiar with what 'gauge' means; lower 'gauge' means thicker, higher 'gauge' means thinner) extension cord. My mower runs noticably better with this 100' cord than the 50' 14-gauge cord that my father originally wanted to use. The mower doesn't get bogged down in tall grass with the Coleman Cable cord.

Additionally, and equally important, Coleman Cable makes this cord in the USA as you can read for yourself at:
http://www.colemancable.com/CatalogProducts.asp?nProductsID=156

I know that this cord is somewhat more expensive than the 14- or 16-gauge cords made in China you find in Home Depot or Lowes, but you really do get your money's worth in performance and also support workers/jobs here in the USA.

This is a crazy-heavy duty extension cord. Not for your average user looking for an extension cord. I bought it because I'm building a house, and need to power high-amp tools (13-amp sawzall, 13-amp circular saw, 15-amp miter saw) far away from existing outlets. It's already seen a bunch of use, and works great... but it's a heavy beast to drag around, so make sure you really need a cord like this before buying one.

If you do need to deliver a sustained 10-15 amps 100 feet away from an outlet, then this is a great cord at a good price, and will certainly get the job done!

This is a very heavy duty extension cord. I bought a couple of the 100ft cords from Amazon back in 2006 at $75 each. I've ran my 15-amp air compressor off of one cord without any problems. I bought two so I could connect them together to use with my Poulan Pro 400E electric chain saw. The only complaint I have is that I cannot connect the chain saw directly to the extension cord because the plug is too big on the end. I use a 25' 12-gauge cord between the two. This is a heavy cord. My arm usually gets tired by the time I'm wrapping up the second one. I would not recommend this cord if you plan to only use it with your electric weed wacker. The weight of the cord would only frustrate you while trying to drag it around the yard. However if you need to run high powered tools at a distance from an electrical outlet, this is the cord for you. Your tools will thank you.

Update (9/4/2011): After 5 years I still love this extension cord. I have taken care of mine and they have taken care of me. They are so much better than my cheaper vinyl extension cords. They are heavy but flexible. I also use them with my portable generator I bought a couple of years ago for power outages. They're long enough to run the generator away from the house without any significant voltage loss. I just run one in through the window, close the window with an old towel resting on the sill to keep the bugs out and plug a 3-way tap into the end for some shorter extension cords to run throughout the house.

I purchased this product because operation of a portable electric compressor 150' from the house just wasn't working. There was too much resistance/loss in a standard extension cord and it was tripping the circuit breaker in the house. With the "mongo" cord the breaker never trips. The only downside is that this thing weighs a ton and coiling it up on your arm to store it is not for the weak. Love it; it seems like it'll wear like iron. I "stole" this item from Amazon back in 2005 for $73.

Pamper your power tools...they deserve it. Buy at least 12/3 for your short runs, and 10/3 for longer than 50' and for higher draw (over 10 amps) tools. This is especially true for air compressors, table/miter saws, etc. If you've ever experienced your power tools bogging down, try a better (heavier gauge) cord, you might be surprised.

The Coleman Cable is a great extension cord.

But know this ... IT IS HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY!

Quality adds weight!

I bought a Coleman Cable extension from Amazon (their 125V, 50 foot, 10 ga wire - basically this same cable with a 125 volt rating instead of 300 volts) - I bought it because I wanted a good brand name and not some made-in-china extension from the hardware store that was called #10 AWG but really was #14 from the feel of it. Coleman Cable has a good name, and makes good wire, but this cable is rated for 300V, yet only has a 115 volt plug on it, meaning you are paying for insulation class you most likely will never use since there aren't any legal 240V -> 115V adapters manufactured!

If you look at what people bought, you will find that coleman cable makes a wide range of diameter and length as well as the 300volt and 125 volt ratings. I DEFINITELY recommend buying the #10 ga. cable - voltage drop is minimized in long runs by the heavy wire. I settled on the 50 foot 10ga. as a main run cable with a 20A power tap to split off from there. You are allowed to run 20A on 10Ga by NEC, and many #10 extensions will have the sideways plug on them already so they can only be used with a 20A outlet, however these are not always found so the "normal" 115V, 15A "vertical" design that coleman put on this cable makes it usable everywhere - another good reason to go with it. So long as you stick to 10 Ga, and you have a 20A breaker with a dedicated outlet, you can easily adapt to 20A appliances downstream from the cable with homemade adapters.

Again, I picked 50 feet because I did not want to suffer the double loss in a 100 foot cord. Realistically you are probably better off with 2 50 foot cords than a single 100 as you can adapt them when you need a long run to the pole or use them separately.

Don't put 240 volts on this cable - although it is clearly rated for it someone downstream is in for a real surprise when they get 240 out of a jack meant for 115V. This is why I opted to choose the 115 volt version listed above as an alternative.

No matter which cable you buy from Coleman you will be satisfied with the construction quality and longevity of the cable with low voltage drop starting heavy motors (compressors and saws are the worst but still work at the end of 50' of #10)

I've run high amperage power tools with 2 of the Coleman Cable 01789 and they have been a joy to use. The main reason I bought these was for the 10 gauge capacity so the voltage drop on my motors would be minimized.

The bonus I have found is that these cords are very flexible and do not have memory or kinking that 12 gauge cords tend to have. I coil these by stretching a length as far as my two arms will open and then creating an elliptical coil that hangs from one hand until it almost touches the ground -- this is enough to prevent "memory".

I've had these for six years and they seem a flexible as they were the day I got them. If these cords ever went missing, I'd buy them again to replace them; they're top rated.