Reel: Extension Cord Calc

What it does

Reel answers the extension-cord questions. The Cord Gauge Guide and Cord Safe are free forever: 17 common appliances and tools with their typical amp draws and the minimum gauge at 25, 50, and 100 ft — built on ESFI's published table and the NEC's voltage-drop note, whichever is stricter. Enter the gauge and length of a cord you own and get honest verdicts across the whole catalog.

It also carries the "heavy duty" truth: the words on cord packaging have no standard behind them — the spec is gauge × length × amps, and the gauge is printed on the cord jacket itself. And some answers are permanent: space heaters (per USFA and NFPA) and EV charging (per every EV maker's manual) are never on a cord — no input overrides those rows, and they're free.

Reel Pro — one-time unlock

$6.99, once. Cord Match: put your actual cords in and see which one carries any appliance, which is marginal, and which never will — with the authority named. Voltage Drop: amps, feet, and gauge become the volts your tool actually gets; a starved motor runs hotter, not slower. Generator Hookup: running watts and the length of the run become the gauge that carries it — or the straight answer that no household cord does and a twist-lock generator cord is the job. No subscription, no ads, no account.

Privacy

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