Run Appliances Anywhere at Home With These Extension Cords
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TESSAN Power Strip with 3 USB Ports 5 ft Extension Cord -
Cable Matters 2-Pack 16 AWG Heavy Duty Power Extension Cord -
Anker Power Strip with USB Power Extension Cord -
Amazon Basics 10-Foot Extension Cord -
GE Pro 3-Outlet Power Strip with Surge Protection 8 Ft Extension Cord -
Buyer's Guide
Modern appliances require electricity to run - that much is given. But with so many appliances these days requiring power, it can be difficult to find a place to plug in all of them. And aside from this, some places in your house may not have a socket available at all, meaning that it would be impossible to install anything electrical there - that is, without an extension cord, of course.
Extension cords allow you to bring power to every nook and cranny of your home. They often bring more than one socket to an area, allowing you to plug in multiple appliances to an area that was originally built with virtually no sockets. Because of this twofold convenience, millions of homes and buildings use extension cords.
But extension cords are potentially fairly dangerous, especially if you cheap out on them. The cords run live electricity through them, and if they’re exposed or not plugged in properly, this can cause electric shocks, damage to your appliances, or worse. You’ll need the best extension cords to provide both convenience and safety to your home.
And that’s where we come in. We’ve picked five of the best extension cords in 2021 for you to install in your home. They have varying designs and shapes, so there’s bound to be something for everyone. With that being said, here are our favorite extension cords.
TESSAN Power Strip with 3 USB Ports 5 ft Extension Cord
- Four outlets
- Three USB ports
- Only 5ft in length
Cable Matters 2-Pack 16 AWG Heavy Duty Power Extension Cord
- Heavy-duty
- Ideal for demanding appliances indoors
- Only extends one socket each
Anker Power Strip with USB Power Extension Cord
- Flat plug design
- With 2 USB ports
- Can be difficult to keep in place without using tape or some other adhesive
Amazon Basics 10-Foot Extension Cord
- 10 ft length
- Supports 125 Volts of power
- Very basic, but isn't that the point?
GE Pro 3-Outlet Power Strip with Surge Protection 8 Ft Extension Cord
- Braided extension cord
- 8 feet length
- No USB ports
Detailing the Best Extension Cords of 2021
TESSAN Power Strip with 3 USB Ports 5 ft Extension Cord - Best Overall
Some people may be wondering - why would you need USB ports on an extension cord? Well, while you definitely shouldn’t be plugging in your flash drive into these ports, the three USB slots can be used to charge your phone, tablet, and even your laptop if it has a USB charger. USB charging has become far more common in recent years, as USB cables can be used to transfer both power and data. Aside from being able to charge three USB devices at once, the cord also comes with four outlets for you to plug in your various appliances, too. All of this comes from one plug, and the cord runs up to 5 feet in length, so you can potentially bring the sockets to the other side of the room in one purchase. It’s not going to bring power from one side of your house to the other, but it’s great if you need more outlets in one specific area.
- Four outlets
- Three USB ports
- Only 5ft in length
Cable Matters 2-Pack 16 AWG Heavy Duty Power Extension Cord - Runner Up
You’d be surprised by how much power a typical outlet can provide. After all, it can power anything between a blow dryer and a pressure washer. For some of the more demanding appliances, it can be risky to plug them into some flimsy extension cord. For these powerful devices, you’ll need an extension cord that can keep up, and this set of two cords has you covered for that specific purpose. The two cables run 10 feet in length, which is more than enough to bring an appliance to another room in the house. The cords are designed for indoor use despite being labeled heavy-duty, so try not to use them outside whenever possible, especially when near water. Aside from this, the extension cord only extends one socket, so you won’t have any more sockets than you originally had with these plugged in.
- Heavy-duty
- Ideal for demanding appliances indoors
- Only extends one socket each
Anker Power Strip with USB Power Extension Cord - Popular With Consumers
The Anker Power Strip is like the smaller counterpart to the first extension cord we reviewed on this list. It’s got only two outlets but also has two USB ports on the side. All four ports are powered by one socket. It’s relatively small, which can actually work to your advantage in certain situations. For example, if you don’t have a lot of space to work with, the small form factor of this extension cord makes it so that you’ll still have room to spare for other things. The extension cord comes in two colors - black and white. It extends up to 5 ft in length and is fairly flexible, so it can handle you bending it in weird angles. The strip also has over-current protection, keeping it safe from potential short-circuits. Finally, the device actually can be attached fairly easily even in sockets hidden behind furniture thanks to the 90-degree flat plug design.
- Flat plug design
- With 2 USB ports
- Can be difficult to keep in place without using tape or some other adhesive
Amazon Basics 10-Foot Extension Cord - Contender
Amazon Basics makes all sorts of mundane and simple products, and their main selling point is how affordable they are. Of course, they’d be affordable thanks to Amazon themselves making the products. These 10-foot extension cords are fairly solid cords, with a heavy-duty build that’s suitable for demanding devices that need a constant supply of power. Examples of this include PCs, PSUs, printers, servers, and more. Note that the cord only extends one socket and does not branch out into multiple open ports. This is because this sort of socket is meant for powerful appliances, not for charging your smartphone overnight (though you can technically use it that way). The extension cord costs just a little over $10, an affordable price for such a solid product.
- 10 ft length
- Supports 125 Volts of power
- Very basic, but isn't that the point?
GE Pro 3-Outlet Power Strip with Surge Protection 8 Ft Extension Cord - Also Consider
This last extension cord is one of a more traditional, classic design. There are three outlets laid out in a column with no USB ports included, so you’ll have to plug devices in with an adapter to charge up. The most interesting thing about this cord, however, has to be the cord itself - the extension cord is braided, making it feel good to handle and safer to hold. It may feel strange to use at first, but you’ll find the braided design to be quite appealing. The power strip has built-in surge protection to keep your appliances safe right after a power outage when the electricity comes back. It’s also 8 feet long, which is a somewhat awkward length, as other cords are either 5 feet or 10 feet long. There’s a warranty included with this product, so if you find any defects, be sure to get it replaced as soon as possible.
- Braided extension cord
- 8 feet length
- No USB ports
Buyer's Guide
Extension cords are essential in providing power to places in your house that don’t have access to sockets. Read on to find out more about these useful tools.
What Is an Extension Cord?
An extension cord is a cord that contains a socket end and a plug end. The plug is connected to a wall socket and effectively extends the range of the socket by bringing the power to the socket end. Extension cords can have one or more sockets as well as other ports such as USB ports.
Why Should You Use Extension Cords?
You can bring power to places without an outlet
They’re called extension cords for a reason. Extension cords provide access to power in places that don’t have sockets. Take, for example, a single room. The room has a socket on the north end of the room, but that’s also where your bed is. Meanwhile, you want to install a computer on the south side of the room. It’s impossible to plug in the computer directly to the wall socket as the monitor and PC power cables are usually too short to reach an entire room in length.
The solution for this is simple - plug in an extension cord, run it to the south side of the room, and plug in your computer through there. This effectively allows you to place your computer anywhere you’d like, allowing you to rearrange your room in the future if you wish to do so.
You can plug in multiple appliances at once
We mentioned earlier that more and more appliances require electricity to function. And this is the case when it comes to complex systems such as desktop computer setups and server rooms. Most homes just don’t have enough wall sockets to support one or two monitors, a PC, a pair of speakers, and other devices all in one room.
With extension cords, you can plug everything into effectively just one socket. The socket distributes the electricity across all the connected devices, allowing you to run multiple devices with just one wire. Do note, however, that you’ll need some fairly heavy-duty extension cords if you want to plug in demanding devices together.
Tips to Remember When Using an Extension Cord
Extension cords are actually pretty dangerous if not set up properly, and you’ll need to remember a few things when plugging everything in.
Don’t plug in extension cords on extension cords
If you’re running out of sockets in a given room, it can be tempting to plug in an extension cord or power strip on one of the outlets of an existing power strip or extension cord. However, this is actually very dangerous. “Daisy chaining”, as it’s sometimes called, can lead to some pretty dire consequences.
Technically, plugging in extension cords together is possible, but the risks far outweigh the rewards. You need the extension cords to be plugged directly into the socket, not into another cord. If you need more sockets in a given room, the best alternative is to simply buy a power strip with more open sockets to use.
Plug in as few intensive appliances as possible
Power strips and extension cords are designed to handle a lot of electricity without surging or short-circuiting. But that doesn’t mean the possibility is zero, and you want to make sure you minimize the risk of your devices getting damaged or you getting harmed. A simple way to do this is by limiting the number of demanding and power-hungry appliances plugged into a power strip.
Examples of power-hungry appliances include portable heaters, flood lights, large speakers, that sort of thing. Unlike chargers or simple appliances such as a hairdryer, these devices require a lot of power to run, so to make sure your power strip isn’t overburdened, try limiting such appliances from being plugged into the power strip.
Extension Cord Price Range
Extension cords can vary in price depending on the number of sockets provided as well as the inclusion of other features such as USB ports. You can buy a simple, one-socket extension cord for just over $10, or a larger power strip for $20 or more.
Extension Cord FAQ
Q: Are extension cords safe?
A: As long as they’re properly and safely set up, extension cords can be very safe to use.
Q: Can I chain extension cords together?
A: While it is technically possible, many experts recommend against doing so for safety reasons.
Q: Why do I need an extension cord?
A: Extension cords are useful because of two reasons. For one, they can provide power to areas where sockets aren’t present. Secondly, they often increase the number of sockets available, allowing you to plug in more devices to the system at once.
