Here's how to make this thing work!!
i've owned a couple of these (not through amazon) and they do work, especially with cords 100' or less and not greater than 16g. I am writing this to help those who have or are looking to purchase one of these. this tip will make this a useful "tool" AND save you half the time and hassle.

rather than winding this thing end to end, unroll the cord and fold it once. the male and female ends should now be together. at the opposite end is the middle of the cord. take some plastic zip ties (3 or 4 minimum) and zip tie the middle of the cord to the cord wheel. now when you roll the cord, you are rolling both ends in at the same time. i roll with one hand and use the other to feed the incoming cord so they stay side by side and feed it evenly over the center hub of the reel. now both male and female ends are ALWAYS visible and accessible. when you need cord, put it 1/2 way between the wall outlet and the jobsie and unfeed both ends at once. way easier to show someone than to type, hopefully you get the idea!

Decent Storage Reel for Inexpensive Price
I agree with the other review regarding this being only a storage reel. However, for pure storage and being wall mountable it is perfect for me. I still have an electric blower and electric trimmer. I use the entire length each time I use these. I used to use the old elbow around the thumb cord wrap method. The cord got to the point it was almost unuseable due to the cord twisting. I put this on the new reel, mounted on the wall and my old twisted cord is almost as good as new. I like this solution

Works great for the price - Different modification for singly winding
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.

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Bayco K-100 150-Foot Cord Reel at of 2010-09-10 Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [amazon.com or endless.com, as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

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