ReelCord retractable car charger: cable clutter, solved

Car charging cables are always the wrong length. Buy a long one and there is a metre of slack looped around the gear lever; buy a short one and it will not reach the passenger. So most cars end up with two or three cables in the console, all tangled together, none of them where you need them.

A retractable charger removes the problem rather than managing it. The cable is exactly as long as you pull it out, and the rest lives inside the housing.

1. The product

ReelCord

Retractable dual charging cable that plugs into the 12 V socket.

A 12 V socket charger with two retractable cables, so a driver and a passenger can charge at the same time. Pull out the length you need, and a gentle tug releases the reel to wind the slack back in when you are done.

• —Two devices at once
• —Fully retractable cables
• —Plugs into the 12 V socket
• —No installation

View ReelCord≈ €14.99

Why retractable rather than tidy

Cable ties, clips and console organisers all rely on you putting the cable back correctly every time. Nobody does that after a long drive. A reel does it in one motion, which is why it is the only tidying solution that survives daily use.

Setting it up

• Plug it into the 12 V socket — usually in the centre console or under the dash
• Route one cable towards the driver's phone mount and one towards the passenger
• Pull out only the length you actually need; extra slack defeats the point
• Tug and release to retract, rather than pushing the cable back by hand

Longevity

The failure point on any retractable cable is the reel mechanism, and the way to look after it is not to fight it. Let it wind itself back rather than shoving cable into the housing, and do not yank past the stop point when you have reached full extension.