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metaldad

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I've done a little looking locally and it has me wondering about them. The 12/3 cords I saw were all rated for 15A but I thought the 12 gauge cord could handle more so does that rating result of the ends used?

12 ga. is rated @20A.
14 ga. is rated @15A.
shocked that the orange box(es) around here wanted 60 simolians for a 50' 12/3, chinese product. i needed 6. went to a supply house and paid 48ish apiece, USA product. (used a p.o.)
 

Zebu Fellenz

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I've done a little looking locally and it has me wondering about them. The 12/3 cords I saw were all rated for 15A but I thought the 12 gauge cord could handle more so does that rating result of the ends used?

It's most likely due to the use of 15A ends. A 12 gauge extension cord is good for 20A loads but can only be rated as such with the proper 20A ends.

Take a look here, lots of good information:

http://home.mchsi.com/~gweidner/extension-cords.pdf
 
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Rocket1

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Arlington, TX
It's most likely due to the use of 15A ends. A 12 gauge extension cord is good for 20A loads but can only be rated as such with the proper 20A ends.

Take a look here, lots of good information:

http://home.mchsi.com/~gweidner/extension-cords.pdf

Thanks for the link… I figured the rating was affected by the ends. One of my tools uses over 15A and I was wondering if those 12/3 cords would be fine or do I need to change out the ends?
 

carbon

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May 31, 2009
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What does the "E" in a SJEOW cord stand for? It's not in the list provided earlier. Is this a sneaky/alternative way to get a "T" in there? Here is a link to such a cord: colman polar solar
 

betcd

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I always like yellow jacket cords they are good you can use them day in and day out with no problems
 
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Horse

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Sep 9, 2015
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I have been interested in this subject too. I bought a Rigid at Home Depot several years ago. I've used it very lightly ( to do welding a dozen times in 7 years ). I thought I would extend from 60 foot 10 gauge to 150 foot so I looked on CraigsList. I found a man with one that was as large as the Rigid but only 12 gauge wire. When he sold it to me he said it was 30 years old. I could tell it was very noticably better quality than my Rigid because it lays perfectly flat and does not kink at ALL. The Rigid at 7 years light use is starting to kink and twist. The name on the cord is "Cornish Brand". It's Vintage and still in it's old age better than Rigid. You can even get it for a good price ( being old )
 

theoldwizard1

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Horse - check for other marking on the cord. I'll bet the new one is market SJTOW and the older one is SJOOW. That "T" makes a big difference in the material used to make the insulation.
 

rockwithjason

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The Rigid one's in Home Depot are pretty good (I've got a couple I use for the saws and whatnot). Illuminated end, 12 ga. and the cord is pretty flexible. If you coil it up properly (yes, there is a right way), you should be fine.

i have had great luck with these too
 

rick carpenter

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If you go the DIY route, here's what I did for a replacement compressor power cord. I used 12/3 SJOOW with this 5-15 P&S Legrand waterproof plug. Sorry, I cannot find an ID# on it but I got it at HD. It has several sizes of strain-relief inserts for various size cords. Nothing beats the peace of mind of molded-on plugs but I'm happy with it.
 

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Pantsfall_McFixit

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I like bright colors to see my cords better. Yellow Jacket, and US Wire and Cable make good cords. You will be paying about $1 a foot for 12 guage. For very long runs you'd want 10 gauge, however a 100 foot roll of that is bulky and very heavy.
 

sberry

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Brethren, Michigan
Thanks for the link… I figured the rating was affected by the ends. One of my tools uses over 15A and I was wondering if those 12/3 cords would be fine or do I need to change out the ends?

You don't need to change the ends. What tool is this? While there are some decent ideas about the cords and quality the view of the true demands are messed up a bit as usual.
Get a light duty 50 if yo need the length and the cords we use the most are 16x25. The last time I used 12 was to feed a house project from across the street, have a couple and wouldn't bother to own one unless there were true special circumstances that required it.
For real building and over 50 ft 14 for circ saws, everything else, sawzalls, drills, small grinders 16 unless the distance was extreme and the load heavy or continuous.
 

sberry

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I've done a little looking locally and it has me wondering about them. The 12/3 cords I saw were all rated for 15A but I thought the 12 gauge cord could handle more so does that rating result of the ends used?

It can handle more, up to 50A,,, for a short time. Same for the 16, if V drop isn't an issue, say to zing a board off with a circ saw light cords work fine. If you are cutting timbers then the its worth the effort to size up. Only rarely and usually for extreme distance is a cord more than a size larger than is on the tool needed.
 

bryan750

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Dec 6, 2010
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I really like yellow jacket but I would like to find a cheaper alternative.
 

theoldwizard1

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SE MI
You can buy 1000' of 12/3 SJOOW for about $650 on eBay. That is 65¢/foot, plus the cord ends. Charge your buddies 75/foot (100' sells for about $1.10/foot on eBay) and you will pay for your cord ends.
 
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