thanks. with the 12 AWG I’m in for the 100-footer.
So the USB models definitely have 12ga cable? On Amazon the 12ga models are all orange and 14ga models are green.
Now see… that;'s why I should never ask questions at three in the morning 
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Ahhh… yeah. Don’t want the 30 foot one, then!
Thanks from a fellow Minnesotan for mentioning this. I would have bought one otherwise.
The trouble with these for mowing is you’ll still need a long cord from this reel to your mower unless you want to carry the reel around with you as you mow.
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the 40 ft is 31.99 on Amazon prime 
We already talked about that at the top of this thread. The Amazon one is lower Amps.
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Any comment on the question of 14 vs 12 ga on the USB models?
Thanks.
See… it’s not just me that can’t read 
lol
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You are correct that AWG and amperage are different. However they do relate to each other. AWG designates the gauge or “thickness” of the wire. 12 AWG is thicker than 14AWG and as such can carry more amps. You can run 15amps through a 14AWG wire but the cord can get very hot because there is not enough wire to handle all the amperage.
WIRE GAUGE
14AWG is rated for 15 amps (at ~120 VAC). That’s what most modern home outlets are wired with. 12AWG is rated for 20 amps.
WIRE TYPE
In fact, even the same current rating is slightly different between types of wire. A home is wired with solid wire but extension cords use stranded wire. Current runs along the surface of a conductor and stranded wire has more surface area for a given wire gauge thus it handles current a little better.
WIRE LENGTH
And of course, the length of the wire is important. The longer the wire the more voltage drop you get. For example a 1500 watt load @ 120 Volts is 12.5 amps – but if you have a 10% volt drop due to the length of the wire then the same 1500 watt load would result in a higher current draw of 13.8 amps, which could cause the conductor to heat up, which in turn causes more resistance, more voltage drop – so forth and so on.
CONNECTION POINTS
You can also figure in all of the connection points. The more plugs you have in a single circuit the more resistance to current flow. In fact, common wiring over-heating issues is not with the wire itself, but at a connection points.
INDUCTION
BTW - This is particularly important for this sort of the wire reel storage device. Even the way you run the extension cords can make a difference. Leaving an extension cord rolled up on itself while in use can cause induction (the same way most electric motors work). If you are drawing enough current to be near the limit of particular wire gauge then be sure and un-roll all of the wire from the spool.
Interestingly the same induction effect can be caused even when not in use. Just leaving a cord reel pulled in while not in use (without a load) can cause a “phantom” current draw. So be sure and unplug a wound up cord reel when not in use.
MIXING WIRE GAUGES
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If you plug multiple extension cords together, then not only do you add more connection points to the circuit (thus more resistance) you are limiting the overall current capability to the smallest cable. For example: if you plug a 14 AWG extension cord into an outlet, then a 12AWG cord into that cord, the current will be limited to the 14AWG wire. So keep in mind that you are going to gang extension cords always use the highest AWG rated cord at the outlet and the lowest rated AWG cord at the end of the run. It also helps with the overall resistance gain.
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Just in case these come back and someone is looking through the forums to get correct info, the green USB models are 14 AWG, not 12 as stated by the listing.
I just purchased the 75 foot reel with usb. The add states: AWG 14 Gauge Cable (12 Gauge Cable on both the USB and metal models). The cable on the reel is 14 gauge. What gives? I don’t expect to overload this unit and I like it, but normally at 75 ft would like to have the capacity and less voltage drop of 12 gauge. The reel’s decal states 13 amp which I agree with at this size cord.