Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Some other reviewers suggest doubly winding the cord to allow for partially unreeling. I've not tried that, but seems like it would work. Not sure how easy it is to reel that doubled cord though. Others suggest drilling a hole in the spindle and passing the female end through the hole. This will work, but if you have any length of the cord sticking out, it's going to fly around as you try to wind the cord. If you want to singly wind the cord without the free end flying around, then you can make a modification that stores the free male end on the outside of the spool hub. To do this you simply have to notch 4 of the 5 hub splines. This is fairly easy to do with a sharp utility knife and needle nose pliers. Then you can clip the male plug into one of the holes in the hub. See my customer photos for the details. As you unwind, the free end will stay out of the way. After unwinding the amount that you need, just free up the male end from the hub and plug it in the outlet. To reel in, just store the male end on the hub and reel it in. The free end stays completely out of the way. I have a 50' cord wound on this reel and it's sturdy enough for that much cord. Bought mine at Home Depot and I've used it often in the many years that I've had it. It's held up great. Yeah, it's plastic, but sturdy enough. Nothing has broken or fallen off of mine. Giving it 5 stars because, for the price and with the modification I suggest, it's does a great job.