2022 test15 productsGadgets & Tech
Which Extension Cords Brand Wins?
We compared 15 extension cords options head to head. US Wire (14 gauge) came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
US Wire (14 gauge)
Price shown in test: $53
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Runner-up
Bergen Industries
Price shown in test: $40
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Budget pick
Vanguard (Harbor Freight)
Price shown in test: $20 (Harbor Freight)
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Blade Fold Strength | Socket Grip Strength | Cord End Separation Or Tensile Break | Abrasion Resistance | Voltage Drop 14ga Showdown | Puncture Resistance | Cold Flex Rating | Overall Average Finish | Voltage Drop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1US Wire 14 gauge$53 | threw in the towel early at 4.7 kg or just over 10 lb | 4,502 g, about average | moved into a commanding lead at 367 lb; the cord itself broke before the cord end separated, best of the 14 gauge cords | 17.6 seconds, better than average | came out on top with a voltage drop of only 4.36 V | 3,268 g, the best of all cords tested | not specifically singled out at either temperature in the transcript | came out on top with an average finish ranking of 4, the best of the 14 gauge cords | not tested |
| 2Bergen Industries$40 | moved into the lead at that point in testing with 18.7 kg or just over 41 lb, finished second overall in the final blade strength ranking at 41.3 lb | 5,202 g | cord end separated at 201 lb; tensile strength until the cord broke was 319 lb | 22.7 seconds, second best of the 14 gauge cords | not tested | not among the top four figures given | not specifically singled out at either temperature in the transcript | averaged 4.4, second best of the 14 gauge cords | not tested |
| 3Vanguard$20 (Harbor Freight) | just over 14 kg or 30 lb | 6,318 g, could not hang on quite as well as Project Source | tore loose at 192 lb in the plug separation test; made it to 321 lb before the wires began breaking in the tensile strength test | 12.3 seconds | not tested | not among the top four figures given | not specifically singled out at either temperature in the transcript | not among the top five average finish figures given, but final socket grip ranking placed it fourth at 13.9 lb | not tested |
| 4Project Source 16 gauge$17 | folded at only 9.5 lb, weakest blade of all cords tested, using a thin folded metal blade design | 7,414 g (about 16.3 lb), fourth best in the final socket grip ranking | the wire broke before the plug end separated, at 190 lb | 5.6 seconds, the weakest jacket of all cords tested | not tested | not tested | rated 1 (best) at 70 degrees Fahrenheit | not among the top five average finish figures given | 7 V drop over 5 minutes with four halogen lights connected, wire temperature rose about 33 degrees Fahrenheit (69.8 to 102.8 F), over 100 W converted to heat instead of reaching the lights |
| 5Woods$26 | folded at 9.4 kg or almost 21 lb, could not keep up with Vanguard | 4,620 g, could not get a good grip on the blades | cord end came loose at 236 lb, moving into first place over Vanguard at that point; tensile strength until the cord broke was 334 lb, a little better than Vanguard | 14 seconds, moved into the lead over Vanguard at that point, has a hard rubber jacket | not tested | not tested | not specifically singled out at either temperature in the transcript | not among the top five average finish figures given | not tested |
| 6Yellow Jacket 14 gauge$34 | 12 kg, moved into second place behind Vanguard at that point | 4,454 g, about the same as Woods | cord end came loose at 319 lb, moving into the lead over Woods at that point; tensile strength until the cord broke was 423 lb, moving into first place at that point | 15 seconds, better than Woods | 4.45 V drop, close to the top of the 14 gauge group | 1,599 g, fourth best of the top figures given | the only cord jacket in the whole test that cracked in the minus 40 degree Fahrenheit test | not among the top five average finish figures given | not tested |
| 7Southwire 14 gauge$34 | almost a full kilogram stronger than Yellow Jacket, moving into second place at that point | 8,818 g, moved into first position at that point; final ranking had it on top overall at 19.4 lb | cord end separated at 202 lb, 10 lb better than Vanguard's plug separation figure; tensile strength until the cord broke was only 241 lb, last place among the 14 gauge cords on this test | 8 seconds, described as pretty soft and thin | not tested | not tested | rated 1 (best) at 70 degrees Fahrenheit; rated 3 (distant second tier) at minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit | not among the top five average finish figures given | not tested |
| 8Southwire 12 gauge$35 | gave up at just under 6 kg or around 13 lb, using a folded blade design like Project Source and US Wire 14 gauge | 2,958 g, threw in the towel early | cord end held on longer than the 14 gauge Southwire at 288 lb; tensile strength until the cord broke was 393 lb | not tested | not tested | not tested | rated 3 (distant second tier) at minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit | not among the top five average finish figures given | 2.85 V drop, around 2 V better than the 14 gauge wires, temperature rose only 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit |
| 9Husky$35 | 13.3 kg or 29.3 lb, about the same as Vanguard | 3,682 g, a little below average | moved into the lead at 346 lb before the cord tore away from the plug; the cord itself broke at 339 lb, about the same as the prior test | 28.7 seconds, twice as long as the competition, best of the 14 gauge cords on this test | not tested | 1,989 g, second best of the top figures given | not tested | averaged 4.8, fourth best of the 14 gauge cords | not tested |
| 10Utilitech$35 | moved into the lead at that point with almost 18 kg or around 39.5 lb; finished third in the final blade strength ranking | 4,418 g, performed better than Husky | cord end outlasted the cord, meaning the wire itself broke first, at 311 lb | 17 seconds | 4.4 V drop, close behind US Wire | not tested | not tested | averaged 4.7, third best of the 14 gauge cords | not tested |
| 11Snow Joe$36 | 14.5 kg or about 32 lb, moved into second place at that point | 8,026 g, made Southwire a little nervous, moved into second place at that point; finished second in the final socket grip ranking at 17.7 lb | cord end outlasted the cord, meaning the wire itself broke first, at 278 lb | 10 seconds, jacket described as soft and thin | 4.44 V drop | not tested | not tested | not among the top five average finish figures given | not tested |
| 12Flexzilla Pro$40 | 12.5 kg or around 27.5 lb | 5,668 g, a little above average; finished fifth in the final socket grip ranking at 12.5 lb | made it to 257 lb before the cord broke away from the cord end; a separately stated tensile strength figure of 291 lb also appears in the transcript for this brand, the two numbers are not clearly reconciled | 14.3 seconds, held up well despite being very soft and flexible | not tested | 1,788 g, third best of the top figures given | rated 1 (best) at 70 degrees Fahrenheit; rated 3 (distant second tier) at minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit | averaged 5.1, fifth best of the 14 gauge cords | not tested |
| 13Go Green$45 | 17.1 kg, moved into third place at that point; finished fourth in the final blade strength ranking at 37.8 lb | 2,968 g, got going a little too soon (weak grip) | cord end gave up at 169 lb; tensile strength until the cord broke was 260 lb, described as made of a softer plastic than most other brands | 12.3 seconds, described as soft and flexible like Flexzilla | not tested | not tested | rated 1 (best) at 70 degrees Fahrenheit; rated 3 (distant second tier) at minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit | not among the top five average finish figures given | not tested |
| 14US Wire Extreme$74 | did extremely well at 21 kg, taking the lead from Bergen Industries; won the final blade strength ranking outright at 46.4 lb | 3,454 g, about 1,000 g below average | cord end separated at 164 lb; tensile strength until the cord broke was 258 lb, described as not offering very much tensile strength for a thermoplastic elastomer | 20.2 seconds despite being soft and flexible | not tested | not tested | rated 1 (best) at 70 degrees Fahrenheit; by far the best at minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the only cord rated 1 at that extreme temperature and very easy to work with | not among the top five average finish figures given, but singled out separately as best for cold weather use | not tested |
| 15Yellow Jacket 10 gauge$88 | 14.5 kg, described as good but not directly comparable since it is a different gauge | 5,186 g | cord finally broke at 968 lb, by far the strongest tensile figure recorded in the test | 1 minute 11 seconds (71 seconds), by far the longest, though the presenter notes this is not a fair comparison due to the heavier gauge | not tested | not tested | not tested | not included in the 14 gauge average finish ranking | about 1.9 to 1.94 V drop, wire temperature remained very cool |
How it was tested
- blade fold strength test
- extension cord socket grip strength test
- plug to cord end separation force and tensile strength until cord breakage
- belt sander jacket abrasion resistance test with a 5 lb weight
- voltage drop and temperature rise test with four halogen lights over 5 minutes
- cold temperature flexibility rating at 70 and minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- jacket puncture resistance test
“just looking at average finish ranking, US Wire came out on top with an average finish ranking of four”