At the time of writing this article, the centurion EXT was on sale for around 15 quid. That’s not bad at all for a ten-metre cable reel, fully enclosed in a plastic casing. Of course, with the low price come a few minor faults, but for simple home use it is fine, and a lot of people don’t want to spend the Earth for their extension leads.

So you’ll like the design – as you place in your plug, the lid will come down and encapsulate the plug creating a water tight seal. Here’s a look at that: First of all, there’s the price tag. At just over 40 quid for a 50-metre cable reel, it is hard to beat, and what’s more, it doesn’t look as if Status have cut any corners to get that price down either. The cable is surprisingly flexible, and I ran into no big issues with winding and unwinding it, although there is something to keep in mind. To get the most use out of a cable reel, you need to fully unwind it. for example, fully wound, the maximum current on this model is 1200W. Fully unwound it is 3120W. So, you have to fully unwind 50 metres of cable to use it safely with multiple appliances at the same time. With regards to this being waterproof it most certainly is not and should not be used in the wet. The cable is 1.25mm and you can send a sensible 3000 Watts of power through the lead without cutting out BUT make sure the cable is unwound. If the cable is still reeled and you put some hard work on it, then it’ll overheat and cut out. I had one that failed and actually melted the cable together once (not this model or manufacturer) but worth remembering just how important it is to unwind the cable. In fact, for me apart from the most obvious attributes, the hand coil is the biggest advantage. If you coil up well after use, laying your cable reel is a matter of seconds. It doesn’t need to be untidy either. If you use the old over under method you’ll not damage your cable either. Here’s a good tutorial. I know the guy is American but I’ve fast forwarded you to the right point in the video and you only need watch a few seconds to get the idea:This article was last updated on April 23rd, 2022 at 1:33 am What is the best extension lead for outdoors that is waterproof? Just looking for a low-cost extension reel to plug the lawnmower or hedge trimmer into at the bottom of the garden? Well, the Centurion EXT1038 might be the kind of thing you are looking for. Being IP54 rated means it’s protected from water spray in any direction by law. Needless to say, electric and water don’t mix so when you are done with your power outside, absolutely ensure you unplug the power inside the house first and disconnect any electric from the unit if it’s been splashed or you got caught out and rained on etc. Don’t make the mistake of thinking waterproof means safe! An absolute golden tip is to stand your power reel upright and have the plugs facing down vertically so water runs down and off the plug. If you just lay it on its side water has a far better chance of getting in! The earlier models seemed to be a bit flimsy and were prone to break or come off. There haven’t been any recent reports of this at all.

All our extension leads are fully tested & inspected before dispatch & comply with BS7671 IET guidance notes.The bright green design of this cable reel from Status is something you’ll either love or hate, but beyond that, this competitively priced cable reel is definitely one worth some serious consideration. This is another great extension lead for use in the house or out on the patio in good weather. It is not really suited to be used in a heavy-duty way, but there are other products available if that’s what you’re looking for. Just don’t expect all the features found on this one. No, we wouldn’t recommend it. Connecting two or more extension leads together, sometimes referred to as ‘daisy chaining’, is benign on its own but the problem lies in the likelihood that you will be plugging in too many devices that use too much power all at once. This overloading, as described above, increases the electrical resistance in the chain and is often the root cause of fires. To break the seal you’ll need to press firmly on the portion of the button that says ‘open’– look close enough you’ll see that:

We sell a wide range of heavy duty extension leads and accessories, from standard household extension leads to three phase leads used in heavy industry. A further word of warning: the maximum power handling of longer extension cables, such as cable reels designed for indoor or outdoor use, depends on the cable being completely unwound. If you’re planning on using high powered electric garden tools, then the cable must be unwound to prevent excessive heat build up in the cable reel. Where a wound cable reel might only handle 1,000 watts (1KW), the same reel may be rated at around 3,300 watts (3.3KW) when the cable is unwound to its full length. And similarly, don’t be tempted to tightly wind up a standard extension cable in the name of neatness if you’re going to be using it with power hungry appliances – items with a high power draw can cause the cable to heat up dramatically and create a fire hazard. Every cable reel should have the minimum safety of a thermal breaker. This means that if you don’t unwind the cable you’ll heat up the unit and it’ll cut out. It can still cut out when unwound but you’re more likely to pop the fuse if it’s fully extended. On a straightforward extension lead you would expect a fuse, ideally 13 amp so you can use a table top heater or wall mounted heater (perhaps something similar like a blow heater) Although this is advertised as ‘heavy duty’, you should take it with a very large pinch of salt. The plastic used for the casing and other parts isn’t the best, and in some parts felt a bit loose or less than robust.Centurion EXT1038 2 Way UK 3Pin Plug 10amp Extension Reel with 10 Metre Heavy-Duty Winding Cable and Safety Cut Out Switch The cable itself seemed fine to me, but the outer housing probably wouldn’t take much of a beating, so you’ll have to be careful about dropping or standing on it. I also wouldn’t ever use this outside in wet conditions.

Have you ever reeled in your cable, lost concentration and sent the cable around the side of the reel? Yep I have countless times. This guide gives you a bit of leeway on that. It doesn’t really matter if you lose concentration for a short while, you’ll get away with it. The pain it can be to undo this mess if you’ve wrapped around the side more than a couple of times 😀 The manufacture has made a pretty good demo of this unit before I break it down further: Also on the power, you’ll see there is a thermal reset switch on this model too. When you compare them you can quite clearly see they are almost identical in that respect. I just prefer the feel and wind of this slightly different model. Masterplug extension cable reel guide is ver easy to use and stops winding around the sides which can be a pain to put rightWhen fully wound, the cable has a maximum current of 3 amps, or 720 watts, which isn’t a great deal and probably wouldn’t be enough to run your lawnmower without getting too hot. However, once you unwind the cable, that maximum current jumps to 10 amps (2400 watts) which is much more practical and should allow you to run two electric garden tools at the same time without issue. Option 2 (image 4)- two off 20metre coils assembled with a splashproof plug & coupler to ease coiling & uncoiling