Worlds shortest cables?

[JOEPRO]

As I was ordering a 3rd 50m roll of quality rubber flex cable today in as many years I realised that I have upgraded the cables to pretty much every piece of new or used equipment I have purchased.

Tonight I replaced the super irritatingly short cable on my bandsaw which required an extension lead for every use.



4m on it now to replace the circa 1.2m that came on it. MUCH better now. Upgraded to 1.5mm cable VS the 0.75 also. I also discovered the earth cable wasn't even connected. Fixed.

Next up is my SIP pillar drill with inverter. This is clearly not a factory cable mind, so someone was wiring this and thought "1 foot will do it"



Which means an extension lead for every use. So I'll rewire it now too with quality 2.5mm rubber cables.

Is this just me or why do people / companies save pennies on the cabling?

 

[Barking Mat]

I find Metabo and some Makita stuff have proper decent length leads.

But I wouldn't expect four meters.

 

[dobbslc]

Bosch gear has good length rubber flex usually.

 

[Kram]

Do you leave it plugged in? Then a long cable.

If not, make cable as short as practical and use a permenently plugged in, 4m extension with a powercon connector each end. I have done this on all my mains tools,.mostly the portable ones. Much easier to store and move around.

 

[JOEPRO]

Its used outside my garage mostly due to no space inside. 4m cable means it's easy to position now and reach into the garage wall plugs. No extension leads required.

Works better that way for me. I don't like using extension leads when it can be avoided.

Note also I am a Milwaukee m12 and m18 fanboi so I am referring to mostly welders, saws, powehoses, pillar drills that sort of thing.

 

[Kram]

I hate coiled cables on my tools for storage. On welders particually and bench grinders, always get in the way for getting them on the shelves. The only powertool I use in my shed is the lathe which is permenent, everything else used outside, or on site.

My portable mains tools with short cable and powercon are things like welders, both bench grinders, ferrex bandsaw, my furnace, my 3kw 50v power supply, mains grinder and router, both get very little use now I have decent cordless.

If they are large free standing tools that have space to put a coiled cable, or permenently plugged then I'd agree with long cable.

 

[Turbo]

So I'll rewire it now too with quality 2.5mm rubber cables

1.5 flex would do that, the motor will be only 1.5 kw at most.

 

[Dapph2]

Over the last ten or so years I've purchased several extension leads as complete units.. they don't seem very well made as they all got rather warm when used for five minutes even on low amp stuff like power drills or my lawn mower .

I took to using the caravan 15 amp orange stuff & made my own which was OK if I could get heavy duty rubber sockets .

Recently I have replaced the cable on my morticer with a 5 mtr one , I am about to do the same with the small Clarke 4 inch metal bandsaw , lathe & wood band saw are already done
Various hand tools have also had longer leads added especially all 240 volt drills , angle grinders & various saws .
Had to work out how to enlarge the strain relief grommets on the fully moulded plug & cable leads to take the bigger cables more often than not by cutting the cable off flush at the internal side & three or four inches from the grommet externally then take off the outer case and carefully pull the wires out one at a time . Once done put the grommet in the lathe and on a slowish speed gently use a sharpened drill in the tail stock chuck to remove the old cable casing , Once the new cable is almost fully home in he drilled out grommet I add a few drops of super glue to seal & retain it in place

This lengthening of leads is not because I'm short on power sockets ( there are 14 switched doubles and two switched testable breakers ) It's because all my stuff that's heavy is on wheels and as my man cupboard is currently like a shoe box I often have to play butterflies and move things outside to work in/ with or cover up after putting them outside whilst I work inside ,

 

[Dapph2]

As I was ordering a 3rd 50m roll of quality rubber flex cable today in as many years I realised that I have upgraded the cables to pretty much every piece of new or used equipment I have purchased.

Tonight I replaced the super irritatingly short cable on my bandsaw which required an extension lead for every use.

View attachment 494411

4m on it now to replace the circa 1.2m that came on it. MUCH better now. Upgraded to 1.5mm cable VS the 0.75 also. I also discovered the earth cable wasn't even connected. Fixed.

Next up is my SIP pillar drill with inverter. This is clearly not a factory cable mind, so someone was wiring this and thought "1 foot will do it"

View attachment 494412

Which means an extension lead for every use. So I'll rewire it now too with quality 2.5mm rubber cables.

Is this just me or why do people / companies save pennies on the cabling?

I like you bandsaw trolley .

A few weeks ago I lifted the band arm up and the bloody thing tried to do a somersault as the weight went back ..it failed miserably and crushed the pulley belt cover like it was tin foil .
I was about to replace the whole wiring on it including the dodgy on / off switch and do some sort of moisture proof modification as the switches don't seem to last long the switch contacts getting really dirty for some reason it's on its third switch in four years so far.
I'll need to go eBay shopping for another pair soon .

 

[Domdom]

I took to using the caravan 15 amp orange stuff & made my own which was OK if I could get heavy duty rubber sockets .

That’s what I did for up to 25 metres. For the 50 metre one I used for the welder I went for 4mm cable and commando plugs.

Since moving here I am gradually changing it all to Schuko plugs and sockets and like JOEPRO I am taking the opportunity to lengthen cables which should have been a bit longer in the first place.

 

[Memmeddu]

Metabo, Makita, Hitachi used to put a 4 meters 2 core 1.0 or 1.5mm² H07RN-F cable on their tools.
And honestly I think it's just spot on length.
The shortest power tool cable have to the the DeWalt 9" angle grinder we have at work
Not even 1 meter of cord and you can't work with it because it disconnects continuously.
Opened it up and installed 7 meters of cord and blue plug

 

[Agroshield]

Is this just me or why do people / companies save pennies on the cabling?

With the drill, for instance, if it came from a fixed location in an industrial premises, it may have been wired into an isolator screwed to the wall.

A long cable, if not stretched out, is a potential hazard - getting caught up in the tool itself or a trip hazard in the workplace.

What is logical and ergonomic for you in your use conditions may not work in other situations or under other sets of workplace rules.

 

[mark roberts]

Didnt Dyson make the cables shorter so you would have to find it a nuisance and then think a cordless vacuum would be better?

 

[cheb]

That sounds like the sort of bolleau that gets punted round FB. Along with big oil suppressing efficient carbs etc.

More annoying to me is the stiffness of the flex manufacturers use. Bosch seem to have become very bad at this, the twisted and tied flex straight from the box never seems to relax and lose its kinks.

 

[JOEPRO]

That sounds like the sort of bolleau that gets punted round FB. Along with big oil suppressing efficient carbs etc

Your a Facebook user? Most don't admit that here! I'm not, no interest in social media other than on here which is kind of similar I guess.

More annoying to me is the stiffness of the flex manufacturers use. Bosch seem to have become very bad at this, the twisted and tied flex straight from the box never seems to relax and lose its kinks.

Yes cheapie plastic cables are another reason why quality rubber cable and Permplugs are a great upgrade.

 

[Olderisbetter]

In the back of my head I remember something about shorter cables and CE rules for how an item is classified, it could also be a 4 pint conversation in a pub

 

[cheb]

Your a Facebook user? Most don't admit that here! I'm not, no interest in social media other than on here which is kind of similar I guess.



Yes cheapie plastic cables are another reason why quality rubber cable and Permplugs are a great upgrade.

No, but I get told stuff by people who are.

 

[Memmeddu]

CE rules

Surely something Born from a failed mind.
Many CE ideas are useless or make life a lot harder

 

[Dapph2]

Didnt Dyson make the cables shorter so you would have to find it a nuisance and then think a cordless vacuum would be better?

Not in our house our Dyson Animal has plenty of cable , I can plug into any one of three sockets and vacuum the whole three double bedroomed bungalow with ease from that one socket .

 

[Dapph2]

Your a Facebook user? Most don't admit that here! I'm not, no interest in social media other than on here which is kind of similar I guess.



Yes cheapie plastic cables are another reason why quality rubber cable and Permplugs are a great upgrade.

In 1978 I accidently acquired 25 mtrs of heavy duty military grade white artic cable . It gets thoroughly examined for damage before each session as I still use it several times a month.

The outer covering appears to be some sort of very abrasion resistant high temperature & low temperature soft silicone mix as it is still as soft as the day I acquired it. I don't know what the core wires are other than it rarely kinks ( could be my practice of always coil up from the socketed end and feed out from the plug end . The multi-strand silver wires in the cores do not take solder , I have to use brass crimp on sleeves in the terminations instead .