Comments by "Paul Frederick" (@1pcfred) on "Best Extension Cord? Flexzilla, US Wire, Yellow Jacket, Southwire, Husky, Woods, Bergen Industries" video.

  1. That orange jacket is really cheap PVC. It's pretty stiff in cold temps.
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  2.  @skylined5534  I'm sure they can make orange insulation that's decent. There's a common kind that's pretty bad though. It's a bright orange and usually has fine ribs.
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  3.  @Tb0n3  A lot of wire coming out of the far east is copper clad today. They've gone as far as to copper clad steel because the copper clad aluminum is too easy to spot using the burn test. Plus I imagine steel wire is even cheaper than aluminum is.
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  4.  @ratdude747  I'm not a fan of CCA myself. I get that copper is expensive and all. Still, I'd rather do without than deal with aluminum wiring, copper clad, or not. There's more to it than just the current handling and resistance too. Aluminum is just problematic used in wiring applications. Copper coating it can mitigate it to some extent but it really just makes it more complicated.
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  5. I think there's something to so with the filler filament that affects line memory. I have one cord that's absolutely horrible. Just something went wrong inside of it. So it's kinked up like a coiled cord.
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  6. He was testing 14 AWG cords and just had the others in the test for comparison.
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  7. You should never use a cord when it is coiled up. Unless you're trying to burn the place down.
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  8.  @darkfur18  He tested the wire temperature. I don't think Todd is making PSA videos here.
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  9.  @darkfur18  there's a lot of extension cord safety. I think that should all be covered elsewhere. This is just a product testing video. I was stopped at a barbeque pit the other day and they had an extension cord running through the parking lot. I ran over it gingerly. It was some of that cheap orange garbage too. Of course.
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  10. Silicone is the snizzle when it comes to flexible insulation. After that it's thermoset rubber. Thermoplastic Elastomer is a distant third. But TPE is better than PVC jacket.
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  11. You'd be surprised. Plus you need to get results that are measurable. If it performs well at -40 you can assume it will do well at a warmer temp. The -40 crowd are using the cord as block heaters. And yes they're out there. You can find some in the comments here in fact.
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  12. When you buy Chinese The Big Guy Xo Xiden gets 10%! Hunter makes sure of it.
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  13. When I have to attach cords I tie them in a figure 8 knot.
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  14.  @Rebel9668  I'm fine with knotting. It's what I've always done and it universally works. For instance I tie the cord to the leaf blower handle I use and that acts as a strain relief. I'm sure I'd have busted the cord on the blower by now if I didn't do that.
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  15.  @Rebel9668  and why can't you knot the cord to the handle and then plug the tool in? That's what I do with my hedge trimmer. There's going to be some tail left over from the knot that the plug end is on.
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  16. I think we need a flame test.
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  17. You cannot compare 12 ga wire to 14 ga wire. Well, you can. But 12 ga is way better than 14 as far as performance goes. Mo biggerer mo betterer.
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  18.  @ranger178  Voltage drop should be less on longer lengths. Flexibility may suffer some from the larger diameter. I know I tend to loop my heavier gauge cords looser than the light ones.
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  19. At 100' 12 ga wire is mandatory to reduce line loss. Stuff kinda sucks to roll up though. Makes me think of Mommas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys when I have to do it.
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  20. That would be a reasonable assumption to make. One would think a manufacturer would use the same process within product lines.
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