Woods 82870 Snap-Together Cord Reel; Holds up to 150-Foot 16/3 AWG; Black

I have a bunch of CAT patch 6 cable that someone pulled out of the box and it has been a nightmare managing. Finally bit the bullet and bought this to spool it around, knowing full well this isn't the intended purpose of the product, although it should in theory work. Towards the inner portion of the spool and on both sides there's a little lip that I can tuck the cable under, but it proves to be not ideal because as I spool the cable and the cable wraps around to the other side, the lip blocks it. I guess I could break that clip off though. I worked around it and managed to completely spool the CAT 6 cable I had. I'm not sure how large the original box was and I'm guessing it was around 1k feet. I haven't used that much of the cable and I still have plenty of room on the spool. Worked great for my needs/purposes.

Looking for a reel, mostly I knew what I didn't want. Some do not rotate easily. Others take up a lot of space & it is easy to catch a leg on the handle that sticks way out. I'd prefer no reel over most options available. I've got an older 100 foot 12/3 cord. The insulation is a little thicker. The first time I rolled up the cord I thought that I was going to run out of reel before I got all the cord on, but it barely fits. The newer 12/3 cords I've seen have thinner insulation & should fit more easily. A person needs to hold the reel straight or the cord catches on the sides, but after catching a time or two it is easy to see how to hold it to get it to work well. My only complaint is that is lightly constructed. I expect it will hold up for a long time as long as I'm the one rolling up the cord, but if one of my workers is using it & tosses it around some, I don't expect it will take much abuse.

Has good capacity. Easier to use and better value than expensive metal framed spoolers. It's lightweight and compact, and hangs easily on the wall on a hook, nail, or screw.Spray a bit of Silicone lubricant at the handle and at the central interface between grip and outer spool, to allow easier use especially when spool is loaded with cord or hose.

It’s very cheaply made. I don’t use my hose a lot, so I don’t think it will be an issue.

Having given up on the idea that any cord reel could lessen the pain of winding 100' 12/3 wire, this guy exceeded my expectations. It wound all 100' of the cord and did so with a reasonable amount of effort. The flattened edges that allow it to stand inevitably cause the cord to catch. That's frustrating, but not a deal breaker. The plastic seems sturdy enough to last a while. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase.Update 07/04/2014While winding today, the center handle popped out. The cord had caught on a fence post and torqued the reel at an angle. It took about 3 minutes to get back in. It would be nice if the manufacturer seated the center handle more securely. If you are going to use this thing, make sure the cord is laid out straight with no chances for a snag.

It performes as described.

I have a Woods brand electrical cord hand reel that I love, thus the reason I sought out another one made by them. It is over 15 years old and works great to this day! It has a couple cracks and the crank handle pops off (I snap it back on) at least once while rolling my 100 foot cord. Thought I would finally just get a new one.This item was JUNK! I should have heeded the negative reviews, as many of the complaints are for the same reason! Right off the bat I realized the plastic was not as sturdy or well constructed like my old Woods reel. After assembling (simply snapping the two pieces together - it's not rocket science), it rotated smoothly and was "light weight" (thus the 5 stars on the light weight aspect- lol.). Time to transfer my electrical cord from my old reel to this one ---> it was like the owl seeing how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop = THREE (3)! Then the piece of junk froze and would not turn anymore. I wasn't even about to start playing with / manipulating it get it to start rotating again. Thank God it was only wound 3 times on a 100 foot cord (thus the 1 star for the other two rating categories and overall)! I unwound the cord and tossed the real back into the box from whence it came. My only mistake besides not heeding other review complaints was that I took the time to tape the box up! Amazon, magnanimously, stated they will be refunding my money and I did not need to return it. For a $10 and some change item (after tax) I don't blame them. Great business model for sure! So into the recycle bin it goes (I wouldn't want some sea animal to choke on it if it somehow got swept out to sea)! JK, of course...Save yourself the hassle and don't waste your time with this item. As for me, I'm going back to my old stand by reel! Maybe it will last another 15 years after all.

I"ve had the orange ones before, they worked. Well, all but one. It was very hard to turn. This Woods model spins very freely, and is very easy to use. Only complaints: doesn't hold much, and I wish someone would make these with the "flanges" angling away from each other more. You have to have really good aim to keep the cord you're wrapping up from missing the spool. Who says they have to be symmetrical? Have the flange on the handle side angle deeply away from the center hub, and have the other flange (the one next to your hand when holding the center bar) remain vertical so as to keep it from hitting your arm whilst reeling. I would buy again, just because the thing spins so easily.