Have you ever went to plug in a new device or appliance, only to find that the cord was just a few inches too short? Or how about when a plugged-in AC adapter obstructs access to an adjacent wall or power-strip outlet?
There are quite a few workarounds, but the cheapest solution I’ve found are these Stanley 1-foot-long power cord extensions. The extenders feature 3-prong male and female plugs, are built with 16-gauge wiring, and are UL-rated for 15A/125V/1875W.
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A 3-pack will set you back less than $10.
Joe
Monoprice.com has (what appears to be) the same thing for $1.15 each, given you would still have to pay shipping. Sorry to plug another site, but it bothers me when people overpay for cables.
Stuart
Ah, to be honest I didn’t even think to check monoprice.
I assume this is the one you’re referring to? $3.33 for 3, plus shipping, which is given as $3.24 for my zip.
It looks like the monoprice extenders are listed as 13A max, while the Stanley ones can go up to 15A. If the device draws >13A but <15A, there's going to be a problem, maybe even a potential fire hazard. Just something to be aware of.
concord carpenter
I agree with you Stuart – you get what you pay for. If its a tool your using the 15a is going to make a difference
Joe
Good catch, but I was paying attention to the gauge of the wires, not the rating. Not sure why they have a lower rating since its still a 16awg wiring, which is the same as the Stanley ones.
Actually, nothing I can find says 15A/125V is OK on 16awg wire. I have to trust monoprice on this one. There is also a comment on amazon about them being able to support 13A (not 15A).
John Sullivan
Although they aren’t the cheapest, I’ve found the 18″ Zio-tek Flat power strip liberators (I get them from Cyberguys but they might be available elsewhere) to be incredibly useful. The cool thing about them is that the male end of the plug is flat and runs 90 degrees to the wall, so they don’t stick out more than 1/2″ beyond the outlet plate. They’re great when I want to block an outlet with a bookshelf or other ‘permanent’ piece of furniture.
The biggest complaint I have is that the plug runs at 90 degrees from the outlet (so the cord is parallel to the face of the wall) and 135 degrees (“southeast” on an imaginary compass rose) off the face of the plug so that you can plug two of them into a duplex outlet. I would rather have the option to buy some that run ‘southwest’ but Ziotek only seems to have one mold for the strain relief part.
They’re also 16-gauge wire, which I’d hesitate to use on a heavy-duty power tool for any extended length of time, but that’s not been an issue whenever I’ve wanted to use them.