Customer Reviews

Green Leaf WW-1 Wonder Winder Hand Crank Extension Cord Winder

5 star:		(128)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

I had heard some criticism of this item from some who said the Wonder Winder was "light duty," etc. I have only had mine for a couple of weeks, but I don't get the sense that it's light duty for my application (in a hobbyist-level dedicated woodworking shop). I might look to something a bit heftier if I were planning on retracting and extending my extension cord more than 3 or 4 times per day every day... but I can't see this tool ever going bad under my definition of normal use (which is 1 or 2 cycles every 2 or three days).

It's heavily made, and yes... it's a lot of plastic, but it's thick plastic and doesn't have a cheap feel to it at all.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that it does protrude a long way from the wall. For me, this is no big deal... but if I were using it in a garage where I had to walk by it a lot, it would definitely be in the way.

Overall, it works as advertised, it's well-made, and adds to the safety of your work environment by keeping the cord off the floor. Plus, when the cord's not getting stepped on all the time, it doesn't get that coating of dust and grime that sometimes appears on cords that stay on the floor.

Great idea!

Been using this in my garage for 3 months now, works as advertised. Wraps up my 100 foot extension cord like a charm. Only scores 3 stars for the following reasons:

1) Plastic is wearing at the cord output mouth. My cord is not always coming stratight into the front; usually it is on the side. The friction from this is wearing at the plastic (and probably my cord too). Only time will tell if this becomes a bigger problem. Seems they could have avoided this by rounding off the molding of the mouth.

2) The unit extends out for the wall a good distance. Would like to have a swivel option to swing it out of the way. This would also improve #1.

3) The all-plastic construction worries me. It has held up for 3 months, but I am curious to see how it is working in a year from now. It is pretty sturdy plastic, but still plastic.

4) At nearly $27, someone is making a good profit on these things. Unless they were able to meet my #1 - #3 improvements, I feel this would be more appropriately priced at $19.99.

Easy to use and works like a charm. You may have to rewind a little slower with stiff extension cord like the "Yellow Jacket" brand, but still a dream. The only complaint that I have is that you only get two female wall brackets. I'd pay extra to buy a few more to put in more locations around the house.

I have purchased two of these. They are GREAT...after a few modifications.

1.) Straightline sand the contact wheel. Out of the box, there just isn't enough grip to keep the cord winding properly. But after sanding the wheel, it works MUCH easier.

2.) Drill a small hole in the lever, and attach a 2" compression spring between the lever and the wall. This will help apply pressure to the contact wheel, freeing one hand, and assuring an easy rewind. To unwind cord, place a chunk of 1x4 between the lever and the wall. The cord will unwind uninhibited.

It may sound confusing and complex, but it really IS the cat's pajamas!

[ July 2004 ]

You find this kind of device in catalogs that are full of gadgets that appear to cleverly solve some niche problem, but if you ever buy them you find that they don't really improve your life.

This isn't one of them. It works, pretty much, and it's a heck of a lot easier than a more conventional cord winder. A couple of times I have had problems winding a cord that was wet and so slippery, but other than that it winds the cord up pretty fast, and rather to my surprise the cord has always fed out without tangling.

Mounting is a little tricky because you want to get the device upright, but it twists as you attach the device to the mounting bracket so it's hard to find the exact right orientation for the mounting bracket.

Occasionally when it's fully extended the cord gets detached from the bottom of the bag or gets aligned straight through the hole, and so it needs a bit of help to get started winding.

I want another one so that I can keep one in the garage and one on the back porch.

[ November 2008 ]

Still be best winder I've found.

The description says "Holds 150' of 16/3 cord, 100' of 14/3 cord, or 75' of 12/3 cord," but I couldn't get even the first few feet of a 12/3 cord loaded into it. The cord didn't naturally fall into a neat coil in the bottom, and trying to guide it into place by reaching through the net was impossibly tedious. Even if did persevere and get it loaded, I wouldn't be willing to wrestle it back in every time I used the cord. That defeats the whole purpose of a reel.

The cord I'm using is a very high quality, very flexible silicone insulated outdoor cord that's almost impossible to kink. I laid it out straight in the sun before trying to reel it in, as suggested by the instructions, but it was still impossible.

Since I don't have a 16 or 14 gauge cord, I don't know how it would work with them. It must be great, from all the favorable reviews. My cord may just be too flexible or rubbery for it. A cheaper, stiffer cord might slip right in. It does seem to be sturdily made and a clever idea, but I can't use it.

In general, I think this tool was a wonderful, idea. It keeps cords untangled and stores them neatly in its basket. The main problem that I have with it is that it is not constructed very well. I feel like I have to handle it with kid gloves in order to keep from breaking it. In a shop where there is a lot of traffic, either from wood or from people, I don't see it lasting very long. Maybe next time they'll make it out of a higher grade material.

This product winds and stores cords well as most have testified. However, it has a wall mount issue.

The Problem - The alignment of the locking ears to the wall braket orientation is off about 10 degrees. The instructions for mounting lack adequate graphics and wording to guide you - dispite a warning that "it may be neccessary to use added pressure the first few times the unit is locked into wall bracket".

The Problem Details - The circlular wall bracket has 4 holes for screw mount and an "up" arrow to indicate the direction for mount. If you assume that the up arrow (on the inside of the backet) should be the orientation of mount you would be wrong. If you went ahead and secured it to the wall with the screw holes at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock the unit itself would not be level when mounted. My unit came with 2 wall mount backets and both had this disorientation.

The Solution - Note the orentation of the wall bracket when attached to the unit before securing it to the wall. Do this several times. Find true north / top center on the bracket and mark it with a pen. Take the bracket off the unit and place it on the wall orienting your center mark at the top. Then mark holes and screw the bracket into the wall. This offset changes the orientation of the mount when attaching to the wall by turning it clockwise several degrees but keeps the unit straight up and down when mounted. My brackets were off about 10 degrees.

I recently purchased a wonder winder to place in my shop, after a few weeks I have found that it is the most used tool I own. This product is well thought out and constructed. The wonder winder takes the headaches out of using electric cords. No longer will you have to spend frustrated time untangling electric cords. Simply pull the cord out of the winder winder, and when you are done turn the crank for a few seconds and the cord is neatly coiled agian. Not only is this product a time saver it is also a money saver. Unlike other cord winding devices, the wonder winder is constructed of very sturdy material. You don't have to worry about breaking the wonder winder if you drop it or treat it roughly. The wonder winder is an excellent product and it makes a great gift, I highly recommend it to anyone.

I've had the Wonder Winder for 6 years now, through winter and summer and it is excellent. I use it for my weed whacker and mower in the summer, and toro snow thrower in winter. It retracts 100' of heavy yellow Polar cord with ease, wet or dry, dirty or salty, cold or hot. I took care to train the cord to wind in one direction the first 3 times I used it, and in the winter I am sure to have the cord lying straight behind me - this guarantees that everything will wind up as fast as I crank. I only wish for more mounting plates.

It is so nice to have a product that works as advertised, lasts well, a pleasure to use.