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. 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! 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: 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. 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.

as far as safety is concerned I have only seen one issue – a user tried to charge up their car and it melted the plug. Long before that happened the fuse should have blown so I am not quite sure what happened there but most cars charge on 30 Amps or more, and since this cable is only rated for your standard 13 Amp household, I highly advise not to misuse the product. It is certainly not safe beyond its rating! Pros: Now, if you have a smaller garden, the idea of unwinding 50 metres of cable might sound like a bit oof a nightmare, but thankfully, this product is also available in smaller sizes of 20 and 25 metres. 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.Some claim to have run four 2000 Watt heaters on one lead. If they did, it wouldn’t be for long and defies science 😀 After all you have a max Watts rating of 13 Amps * 240 Volts (3120 Watts). One heater on full power, or two half power is the most you sensibly want to push through this power cord! If you do manage to overload the cable and pop the fuse then you’ll not have much trouble replacing, it is designed for easy swap over.

Both the metal stand and the plastic reel feel strong and sturdy, and the cable is 13A high quality stuff, not the 10A that is sometimes used in low-cost products claiming to be heavy duty. Option 2 (image 4)- two off 20metre coils assembled with a splashproof plug & coupler to ease coiling & uncoiling You need to be careful when winding or unwinding a cable reel as it is so easy to get the cable twisted, knotted and tangled up without realising it until it’s too late. Then you have to spend some time carefully untangling it, and it can be really frustrating. This is a common problem with some self-retracting cable reels. 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.The main thing that I think will put people off is the bright green casing and cable. Personally, I didn’t really like it, and thought it made it more difficult to see the cable in the grass. It did make things easier when the sun went down though, so I guess it comes down to personal opinion. 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.