Iron Forge Cable Retractable Extension Cord Reel 40 ft, Heavy Duty Extension Cords 3 Outlet, 12 AWG/3C SJTW 3 Prong Lighted Triple Tap 15 Amp Circuit Breaker - Mountable & Retractable Power Cord Reel

First, let me echo what everyone else says about the small screws-- why they included those is beyond me. You can either throw them away or you can put them into your screw pile like I did. Now having said that, let's move on. Go down to the hardware store buy yourself 2 or 3 lag screws-- ideally 1/4 inch by about 2 inch or 2 1/2 inch, and keep your drill, socket wrench, stud finder and pencil handy.Installing this is easy. First, pick a spot on the wall or ceiling where you want to install this, length ways with the ceiling stud (which will either be a 2x4 or 2x6.) The handle snaps apart for installation; use the top part to see where you want to mount it; you'll need to use the stud finder to ensure you're on the ceiling stud. Most people mount it close to the ceiling plug where the garage door opener plugs in. Mark it with the pencil.Second, drill small holes-- I drilled 1/8 inch holes-- where you want to mount your bracket to the ceiling. Third, take out your socket wrench and install the lag screws. Fourth-- snap the cord reel body back into the bracket and plug it into the electrical outlet in the ceiling.Here's a tip-- the cord that hangs down is a head knocker in my shop, so when I'm finished using it each time I simply tie it into an overhand knot.Using this is GREAT. It's a good, heavy duty 12 gauge wire (20 amp), so I can not only use it anywhere in my shop easily, I can even run it outside a bit to plug in a vacuum to clean out my truck if needed, or use it for other things right outside my shop as needed-- then reel it up into the ceiling when I'm done.

Had mine for several months. Installed quickly and easily. Makes working in the garage much more pleasant. No more dragging power cords around when I want to work in the middle of the garage where there's enough space to run power tools. Just drop the cord down and get to work. Length is good. The adjustable cord stop works well. Love that it lights up, always indicating when it has power.

The electiral cable seems durable but after using it for the first time, the retractible mechanism got stock. I tried pulling and tugging it to release but it no longer retract. And I noticed there was slight oil leaking out of the casing. I purchased this because of retractable feature and heavy duty cord as claimed by seller, but it did not meet my expectation. The mechanism broke in one use. Not good! I have one retractable electrical cord in my garage for over 12 years and the retractable mechanism is still working. I will return this product.

The Retractable Extension Cord Reel would have gotten 5 stars if it was not for some irritating details (described later). I have mounted and used other brands before but liked the description of this one so I thought I would give it a try and bought two for use in the garage. The mounting bracket makes mounting the Cord Reel super easy. It comes apart to make it easy to mount and once the base bracket is mounted you attach the Real and the second part of the bracket snaps into the first and holds the real securely. However, use your own hardware (screws). The included screws are a joke, very weak and the head breaks under minimum pressure when you try to mount the housing to a stud (even if you pre-drill the holes - tried them for both units but all broke or became round when applying pressure). Whomever selected the hardware to include did not try to use them for mounting the unit. The cord extends easily and locks well once you have the length you need (and stays there). However, if on the positive side the cord comes out very easily (with little force) the rewinding mechanism is a bit too weak and you have to frequently "help" the unit rewind and rewind evenly at the very end of rewinding. Without help you will end of with some cord that will not rewind....but with a bit of help it always fully rewinds. Finally if you mount the init in the ceiling and you have 10 foot ceiling (3 meters) height, as I have (or higher). You could really use the cord rewind stopper so that the cable can hang down far enough so that you can easily grab it. However, the stopper is a friction stopper and the cord is a bit slippery (plastic not rubber cord) so the stopper does not work. It will always slip from where you place it and never stay so it is basically not working. However, you can tie a bit of thin rope and pull the cord end so that you can grab it. So all in all the reals is working reasonably well to give it 4 stars and if the manufacturer change the small but irritating details, decried above, the Extension Cord Real will warrant a full star rating.

Quality product. Easy to install. I installed it in my garage to the ceiling. Make sure to install this into studs, since it is somewhat heavy and will be pulled on when in use. I used the stop to set how low I wanted the cord to hang so that it is easy to reach but out of the way. When I am done using, I simply give it a slight pull and let it recoil. So far so good.

The item is pretty much exactly as described. The installation was pretty easy and the item so far is very durable and looks great. It would be awesome if they could figure how to put the breaker reset on the end of the cord, because having to climb a ladder to do it is a pain, but it rarely happens, so not a big deal. Keep up the good work.

The screws are garbage. Stripped and broke even though I drilled pilot holes. I had to use an extractor to remove them.1 year later and the retracting stopped working.

Got it for my sister to take to horse shows never enough plugs there or way up high so you have extension cords wrapped all over the place from all the other riders, they use a lot of plugs. It has three plugs but I added a splitter to make six plugs. All at the same time I had a wood planer, a chop saw, power drill, and a sm shop vac. Worked perfect. But that outlet was set to it's own breaker.