REVIEW – I bring my laptop to Scout meetings, but sometimes power outlets are hard to find in some older buildings. Enter the XBA 10ft retractable cord reel. Now I’ve got an extension cord that tucks away neatly in my bag with plenty of outlets to spare.
What is it?
The XBA 10ft cord reel is an extension cord featuring five AC outlets and three USB outlets (2 type A, 1 type C). The cord stores within the reel and is listed at 10 feet long.
Price: $35.99 | Where to buy: Amazon
What’s in the box?
Somehow, the box is labeled “Surge Twist 5”. I’m pretty sure this item is sold elsewhere under different names.
Hardware specs
Fortunately, the specs are clearly labeled on the side of the box. The XBA 10 foot Cordreel is listed as 9.8 feet (9 feet, 9.6 inches), which isn’t quite the same as the “10 foot” main description. More on that later.
UL Standard 355 refers to cord reels and 1449 covers surge protectors.
On my scale, the XBA 10 foot Cordreel came in at just over 1-1/2 pounds.
The body itself measures just under 6-1/2″ across the base.
Design and features
The XBA 10 foot Cordreel has five grounded AC outlets, two USB-A ports, and one USB-C port. The power switch is in the center.
Each AC outlet has a safety slide cover. It does not slide back when not in use. Once it’s open, it’s open.
This is a side view of the reel. A sticker lists some of the ratings and other data.
One clever design element is the finger grip on the back. This lets you grab the reel with one hand, and retract the cord by twisting the other half.
Setup
One nice design touch is the angled, offset plug, It’s designed to get out of the way of neighboring outlets.
Fully extended, the usable cord length came up short. I measured 9′-2″ from the base of the reel to the end of the angled plug. This is 10 inches short of the stated “10 feet”. Even if you added up the length of the cord reel body (6-1/2″) it would still be short.
Performance
The XBA 10 foot Cordreel accepted everything I threw at it. Keep in mind the power rating is a maximum of 10A. If you’re getting close to 10A, you should probably be using a more robust extension anyway.
What I like
- Compact
- Easy to wind up for storage
- Handy USB outlets
What I’d change
- The cord’s usable length isn’t quite 10 feet long, or even 9.8 feet listed on the box.
Final thoughts
Length aside, the XBA cord reel is long and compact enough to suit my needs when I needs those extra outlets. It now lives in my computer bag when I go to Scout meetings.
Price: $35.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by XBA Store
