Small Appliance Cords

[Maison Rustique]

My pet peeve is the shortness of kitchen appliance cords. The way my kitchen is designed, it is nearly impossible to plug one directly into an outlet. And every manual tells you not to use extension cords. Well, if I'm going to use one, I have to use an extension cord! I bought a fairly short heavy duty extension cord on Amazon to use, but I'm not thrilled with the design of the plug. 

 

I can't be the only one with this issue. Does anyone have a favorite extension cord they like/recommend?

[Tropicalsenior]

I don't have a favorite but I do know that you have to use a very stout cord. A thin cord will just overheat and is very dangerous. If I have to run to run a cord for very much distance, such as outside on the patio, I use one that my husband had from Stanley. You might check the hardware stores and see if Stanley makes a short one.

[Smithy]

 

 

1 hour ago, Maison Rustique said:

My pet peeve is the shortness of kitchen appliance cords. The way my kitchen is designed, it is nearly impossible to plug one directly into an outlet. And every manual tells you not to use extension cords. Well, if I'm going to use one, I have to use an extension cord! I bought a fairly short heavy duty extension cord on Amazon to use, but I'm not thrilled with the design of the plug. 

 

I can't be the only one with this issue. Does anyone have a favorite extension cord they like/recommend?

 

I'd use an appliance cord (designed to carry high wattage, like for an A/C unit), preferably with a flat plug so it plugs flat into the wall. The cord is designed to be dedicated to a single appliance, so you can't plug more than one thing into it at once. Don't know the brands, sorry. Your local hardware store that carries things like table saws might be a better bet.

[btbyrd]

Conway Electric.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, Maison Rustique said:

My pet peeve is the shortness of kitchen appliance cords. The way my kitchen is designed, it is nearly impossible to plug one directly into an outlet. And every manual tells you not to use extension cords. Well, if I'm going to use one, I have to use an extension cord! I bought a fairly short heavy duty extension cord on Amazon to use, but I'm not thrilled with the design of the plug. 

 

I can't be the only one with this issue. Does anyone have a favorite extension cord they like/recommend?

 

I use this in my kitchen:

(eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

[Maison Rustique]

18 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I use this in my kitchen:

(eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

 

Thanks! This looks great!!

[Laurentius]

I think what you're talking about about is extending a few feet at most--from counter outlet to a point up or down the counter.  And for truly small appliances, e.g., 1500W.

 

So the amperage draw shouldn't be a big issue.

 

Still, I would favor buying the flat "appliance" cords (usually grey) that are sold for large-r appliances, e.g., refrigerators, ACs and countertop ovens.

 

One thing to consider is a heavy-duty power strip IF you're compliant with only powering one appliance at a time.  I have such a 4-foot strip with 8 spaced outlets that I use on my shop bench.  It's screwed to the wall for security.

 

So many of these short cord issues are because the makers think their buyers are going to get something wet and cause injury or casualty.

[dscheidt]

Appliance manufacturers say not to use extension cords because there is huge variation in extension cords.  Not just wire gauge, but plug fitment and retention as well.  They don't know if you're going to plug your 1500 W hot plate into a crappy 16 gauge lamp cord, or a good quality 12 gauge one.  it removes the whole variable if someone complains it doesn't work right (or worse, caught on fire).   But there's no reason you can't run an appliance on an extension cord, you just need to use a good one, take care of it, and destroy it if it becomes damaged.