Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Great product for the money. No looking for a cord. No tangled mess.The wire size is adequate for most power tools. My only regret was not purchasing sooner.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I purchased this reel in spite of the fact that several ratings have indicated that the reel will not wind the cord up completely. I mounted it and the first time I tested it I had to fight it just to get it to retract completely. I discovered that the enclosed case is not large enough to accomodate the provided cord length unless it is rolled up evenly. This is impossible to accomplish while standing on the floor of your garage with the unit hanging from the ceiling. I give the unit 2 stars only due to the fact that it was a breeze to hang. Simply locate your ceiling joist and tap on in. Two lag bolts later and bam you are ready to start your struggle with getting your cord reel to work as it is supposed to.
Bottom line: if you do not have enough frustrations in life and want some more then buy one of these, install it and use it regularly. You will have plenty of frustration!! For myself, I returned mine. Northern offers many "open" reel designs; I may try one of those next.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

If your using extension cords all of the time this Retractable Cord Reel is for you. I like the fact that I don't have to wind up extension cords everytime I need one. With just a little tug it winds itself up. What a step saver.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I need an moderately prices retractable cord that could handle 20amps. It is used to plug in my RV during storage to run the Refrig and charge the batteries. This is a great product at a great price for my application. Arrived quickly and was as stated.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

The cord reel is better than described. well made, retracts well without tangling inside as our previous unit did.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Purchased this item to replace extension cords in 12 man shop. Loose cords have a way of never being picked up. With this retractable cord, there is no excuse for not rolling it up off the floor safe from damage. If it continues to hold up, will order seven more.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

It's great to get some of the cords off of the shop floor. My insurance inspector was here last week and said that trips are the most common form of shop accident. Less stuff on the floor = fewer accidents.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I installed this product in my shop. It gets your electric cords off the floor eliminating tripping hazards .

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Have mine mounted on the ceiling of my 30x36 garage, so it's reaches anywhere I need it. Only downside is when it is fully extended, it takes a little work getting the cord all the way back in the reel. The spring could use a couple more wraps of tension. Still managable... (I haven't felt the need to tear into it yet as others have)

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Everything about this cord reel is serious from the three way tap plug to the serious spring in the rewind mechanism.I'm more than happy with this tool and I'm sure anybody and everybody else will be too.Take note that the housing is plastic but that too seems to be very rugged.Very happy with it every time I pull it out to use it.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Great durable cord reel for the low price. Spring could stand to be stronger but
generally a good value.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Mounting hardware works well, although I had to disassemble the brackets in order to mount the unit to the wall.
Cord does not wind up fully and I have not yet tried to reduce the length of the cord.
Also noticed in cold weather the cords locking mechanism does not work too well

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

The reel is exactly as described and works very well in warm temperatures. The cord itself is not veryt flexible in cold weather. However the reel works very well in heated garages/sheds. It is 40 feet of 12-2 with ground cooper wire with a three pronged outlet. I would recommend it to anyone who is going to use it in warm conditions, because it is an excellent way to keep your extension cord rapped up at all times.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I was slightly disappointed with the length of the cord to plug the reel into an outlet. I opened it up to see if I could extend it out a couple more feet but it is not just the other end of the extension cord. Now I can't use it where I wanted to so I have to find another placement, wire a new outlet closer, or extend the length of the plug-in cord by going to my local construction supply store to by more cable and a heavy duty plug.

Other than that, I like the quality of the product.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I have this cord reel hanging from the ceiling of my workshop. As other reviews have stated, the last few feet of the cord doesn't like to retract. Since I have it hanging from the ceiling, this isn't a problem for me!

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Very versatile. The heavy gauge wire allows higher amp tools to be used on the 3 outlets. No longer need to hand wind extension cords and find a spot on the wall to hang them. No problems with the retracting device.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I've always wanted one of these for my garage. I wanted the heavier gage wire and three-faced receptacle. I was out trying to find one locally, failed and came home to find the Northern catalog in the mail. It was even ON SALE. Couldn't be happier. Seems heavy duty enough to last a long time

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

This is a product that receives daily use. A great value and great quality.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Love this product! I am now officially done with coiling electrical cords.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I got this cord and regret it. I didn't pay attention to the other reviews. The retractor does not work well in cold climates. I have my fingers crossed for warmer weather.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I recently ordered and received the 40ft Electrical Retractable Cord Reel. After
reading review's from previous buyers I was concerned about the reel's use in cold temperatures. After looking at other products on the market I bought this one because of price and features. I have used it for 2 weeks in my unheated garage. Temperatures have been 5-20 degrees F. It has worked great! It retracts without a problem as long as you guide the cord back onto the reel and the three outlets allowed me to run my table saw, vacuum, and work light with the same extension cord.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I purchased this real a year ago and it has been hanging in my garage and what a step saver it is. I have used it to power my vacuum cleaner for the car, my shop vac and leaf blower to give me a little extra maneuvering room. It is a step saver that is really appreciated. When finished just roll back up and forget it until next time. Installation was a snap, and shipping was great. Couldn't be happier.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I use the cord reel in my home garage & I have it mounted where it's at a convenient height, where when the cord is pulled out it's not ran across the floor to be a tripping hazard & it's high enough I can run it overhead & it not be a choking hazard in case some runs into the cord. As with the automatic retraction it keeps the cord from being a tripping hazard later, as it keeps it off the floor & speeds up the cleanup of a job. Definitely worth getting or giving to someone as a gift.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Purchased this retractable cord reel a couple of months ago and have used it many times. So much easier than dragging cords all over the floor. 12 gage wire allows for heavier tools to be used. I placed it in the middle of the garage ceiling so it is handy to get it at all times. Plugged it into the garage door opener outlet which was already a 20 amp circuit. Great product and it is very reasonably priced.
Thank You
Northern Tool

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I bought this reel because I was tired of winding up extension cords. I reversed the mounting bracket & mounted this reel 6 inches off the floor. Now I reach down & grab the cord & pull out what I need. Being mounted low to the floor this reel works great & when I'm finished I just pull the cord & it reels in perfectly. With the swival mounting bracket the reel body can be turned to lay flat against the wall for a clean look.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I installed the reel in the center of my shop and now i don't have to chase down an extension cord to run my power tools. It is heavy duty enough to run anything I have and I don't have to fight with a knot in the cord either. It's a lot easier to pick-up than an ordinary cord too.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

What a geat improvement in time saving and organization! I definately recommend the 12 gauge for lower voltage drop for those larger power tools.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

This extention really helps with my new garage. I have plenty of uses for it! It really comes in handy when I vacuum the cars.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Bought for a gift,and the person is totally satisfied and happy with it.
it is used in a garage to work on tandum dump trucks.
With the high ceilings the cord length is very usefull.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Heavy cord but has a little trouble reeling in if extended past approx 15 ft.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

very convient to use

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

THIS IS A VERY GOOD PRODUCT. I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH IT. IN FACT I HAVE 3 OF THESE ITEMS, ONE ON EACH OF MY SERVICE TRUCKS. IT REALLY SAVES ME TIME IN MY WORK. THANK YOU.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I purchased this item after reading all of the reviews. As many indicated, it does have difficulty pulling in the last 6 to 8 feet of cord. It's very frustrating. Unable to leave anything alone, I disassembled it. What I found was that the return spring is not necessarily too weak, but that the manufacturer is cramming too much cord into too small a housing. As the cord (over) fills the real, it starts rubbing against the inside of the housing which then slows and stops the retraction. Because I didn't need 40' of cord, I removed 10' of it (from the interior end), sprayed the entire cord and interior wall of the housing with silicon and now it works great. No binding. A lot of work to go through to throw away 10' of cord. Makes you wonder if the people who make these items use them?

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

My wife bought this for me on christmas last year before I could buy it for myself, and I hung it to the middle of my garage cieling, its been great not having to fool around with extension cords. However, I do have one minor gripe about the item and that is when you are retracting the cord back into the unit it hangs up at about the last 6-7' and you have play with it to get it coiled back in the unit, seems to be lot worse on cold days.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I have recently purchased 2 of these retractable cords for my race shop and they work great. Heavy duty enough to handle large loads, but easy and convenient to use. great product.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

this is the second retractable cord reel i have purchased. now i have a matched set. one on either side of the garage. they are convenient time savers that i can not go without. sturdy construction and reliable performance. without knots and the hassle of wrapping up a standard extension cord.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

We ordered 4 of these units. They seemed like good quality when we received them however within 2 weeks all of them had very loose connections on the receptacles. We have had to replace all of the receptacles on these units to continue using them. I would not recommend purchasing this unit.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

This would be a great product if it worked reliably. It mounts easily, has a very professional look and feel, and is a great idea for any shop. The issue is the cord does not easily retract into the case. After about 5-6 tries I can get the cord to retract, but it seldom retracts cleanly on the first attempt. I guess this is only a slight annoyance to an otherwise good idea and handy labor saving device.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Other reels I have seen (and one I bought) are usually 14 or even 16 gauge, and not really adequate for higher amp power tools. I have three of these and use them for thickness planers, jointers, saws, etc., with no fear of damaging the motors. The pullout and retract mechanism works well, and does not bind up in either direction. The first one I bought is 4 years old and I have had no problems to date. A similar one with less amp capacity that I bought elsewhere only lasted about 9 months.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I was so pleased with my Northern retractable air hose that I decided to purchase a retractable power cord as a companion tool. When I mounted it on the ceiling of my shop near the air hose and pulled it out to run a disk grinder just outside the shop, I discovered that it didn't supply power at some extension distances. I chose to investigate the problem rather than send the unit back and discovered that the power input brush holder wasn't applying enough pressure to account for the runout in the slipring. I "adjusted" the setting, tested, reassembled the unit, and returned it to service. I am since, quite pleased with the result.

I too have anemic cord return, particularly in colder weather, but still find it to be far more convenient than rolling up and storing a frequently damp/dirty cord. I think that the retractable cord reel is a very good value for the money. I don't expect the same level of quality control in a tool of this price as I would in one costing twice as much.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I bolted this to the ceiling of my workshop right next to my door opener. Plugged it in and was using in it in about 15 minutes. Great retractable cord for a good price!

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

This is an excellent low cost retractable cord for light duty use. I have several buildings which require a handy mobile outlet for small tools, vacuums, battery chargers etc. The unit is easy to hang on a wall, the ceiling, or a rafter. The hanger is well made. Retractable cords offer an outlet which is always handy, and when not in use, out of sight. If your requirment is for more than 10 amps, I recommend getting a heavy duty extension cord, and store it in the building on shelf or on a hook.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

I have a large shop and a lot of my projects start outside the overhead doors. I used to have to lay out cords from the receptacles on the back walls. I purchased two of the "economy" cord reels and mounted them on the ceiling.

As others have said they are a little weak in the "rewind" and the power cord feeding the reel is NOT 12 gage wire, making the whole unit limited to 15amp current loads. All in all for the $$$ they were a good choice.
Thanks,

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

The first one I received would not fully retract. The replacement works better but is sometimes difficult to retract completely.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

The price is right for this cord reel. I enjoyed the stoutness of the product and feel that it is of good quality. The only complaint is that it does not reel all the way up easily. I have the reel mounted on the celing and have to fight it to make it move the last four to five feet. I like the three outlets and have had no problems with the cord itself. It seems to carry enough amperage for my tools and I have not thrown a breaker yet. I hope that you like it and can look past the cord reeling up completely, if this will bother you find another product.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Not true 12 guage capacity cord
The reel is advertised as having a 12 guage cord. However, the input cord which plugs into the outlet is 14 guage. .
Otherwise, good value...

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

The item when it was received was not as it was pictured online. Online it shows the unit with a inline GFCI circuit breaker. The actual unit only has a cord with no breaker. Also the units power cord is only 14 gauge and the actual unit is rated at only 15 amps. The 12 ga reel cord is great for ruggedness but lacks in power consumption capacity. It would be nice if it was a true 20 amp cord reel.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Overall I liked it although I would only recommend for ceiling mount as it doesn't retract completely without a fight. Last 3 to 4 feet seems to be were the problem is.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

A small misrepresentation here. The reel is advertised as having a 12 guage cord. However, the input cord which plugs into the outlet is 14 guage. Not truly a full 12 guage capacity. The reel seems to be reasonably well built. However, it will not reel all the way in without "playing" with it. I have to pull it out multiple times and feed it in to get it to go all the way in. The friend who gave it to me as a gift has the same problem with his.

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Never owned a reel cord. For years I've pulled out cords from my shop only later to pickup,and roll up to put away. Now just pull on the reel cord and it returns to it's reel! No pickup and messing with the cord for 10 minutes.

Thanks, Northern

Comments about Northern Industrial Electrical 40-Ft. Retractable Power Cord:

Building my new shop, I have outlets on all of the perimeter walls, however when it comes to working in the middle of my place I didn't want a cord laying on the floor to trip over. Solution...a 'yo-yo' (retractable reel) however, it had to be heavy enough to run a large table saw or large router. I needed one that was 12ga. wire to run larger tools (I don't own any wimpy tools) I have two of these jewels hanging high in my shop, either one can reach any spot needed.
Most appreciated quality is that it really retracts all the way in without 'playing' with it.