Tera Grand - Premium Cat-7 10 Gigabit Ethernet Retractable Cable for Modem Router LAN Network PlayStation Xbox, 1.5Meter (4.9 Ft.) in Retail Package

These guys know how to make a retractable cable! I've tried quite a bit of retractables against the advice of my IT coworkers. We all know that as sexy as they may be, the retracting mechanisms always begin to fall apart and the flimsy cables fray. Not this one. I could tell the moment I unwrapped it that this cable meant business. The cable itself is flat. The guage of the cable is quite thick for a flat cable and this is a good thing. The RJ-45 Connectors are top notch and fit snugly into every port I've tried. If they weren't so dang expensive I might consider using them as patch cables (... and queue the ridicule from the professional network cable monkeys)! The retraction hub is huge compared to most retractable cables and that is why it works so well. Even though it is about the size of a small bluetooth mouse, it is still much neater than tossing a stray cable into your bag. If this thing survives 1 year of my abuse then I will be fully saisfied. So far so good.

The mechanism to retract the ethernet cord is well-designed and gives me no issues, unlike other retractable cords that I have used. It is easy to use--retracts when I want it to and pull on the ends, and expands when I want it to as well. I bought this because I wanted a compact way of carrying an ethernet cord in my backpack everyday. It is compact, but by no means small (has about a 3 inch diameter and is about an inch thick). Even though it is a bit thicker than I thought it would be, I appreciate that both the mechanism for retracting the cord as well as the overall product seems a lot more durable than I am used to seeing. Even though it is a bit thicker than I would want it to be, it is still WAY more compact and easily stored than a normal 5 ft ethernet cable that I fold up and tie up to put in my bag. I would appreciate it to be a LITTLE bit longer, but for my purposes the length has been fine. I have used this cord daily for more than a month now when I go to work without any issues and/or signs that it will break. It seems very well-made and made to last a long time even with my not-too-careful or even rough use with it. I will update if I get any issues.

Solidly built. Works well as a Cat-5 type cable (Which is what most will be doing here... 10G Ethernet's not something in the residential space... X-D) and while it's bulkier than the other retractables for Ethernet, it's quite a bit more robust for the normal uses. Travel? Have a lot of opportunities to tie a laptop or similar to wired Ethernet this is a win. You want truthfully GigE capable cabling. This is it when compared to most of the rest. Most of the rest are 10/100 cables or are twitchy on GigE and won't last.

I bought this for a portable Digital X-Ray machine that uses an ethernet cable to upload xray images to the hospital's servers. It appears to be well built, has Cat 7 capabilities, and is long enough to reach all of the network plugs that we use most often. It has been very convenient, and saves us time compared to messing around with plain ethernet cable when its time to unplug and go do some xrays. We still keep a longer plain Cat 5 ethernet cable in the machine's storage box for when we need to reach plugs that are farther than 5 feet from the front of the machine (where its network plug is located). The only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars is because it has lost some functionality. It still works great as a network cable, the cables still snap securely into the network plugs in the wall, and it still winds itself up when stretched out. However, in less than two weeks it no longer will "lock" into any position when stretched out. This hasn't affected our application in any way and in fact has turned out to be more convenient for us. I took off 1 star for this out of principle. For now the cable appears to be solid, but because of the broken "lock", the cable is always taught due to the retraction feature. I'm concerned that this may be putting extra stress on the cable and the plastic connectors at the ends of the cable thereby shortening the lifespan of the product.

Is small and will be more space to travel with

As someone with minimalist needs, I found this product to be gaudy and overpriced. I came across it while searching for a travel ethernet cable and this was the first hit. I confess, I saw the good reviews and clicked to buy without reading more into it, and I regret the decision sorely. This is far too heavy and bulky to be practical as a travel ethernet cable. It roughly resembles a measuring tape (hardware), but is far less compact. The plugs protrude awkwardly from the ends, making it cumbersome to carry or store. Also, the cord itself is quite short. Five feet is unfeasible for most situations. It will only suffice if you know for certain that your computer will be in close proximity to the outlet. Though when you're traveling to unfamiliar locations, a bit more length will leave you much better prepared. There's some talk about quality and transfer speed and they may be completely legitimate. But I don't think the average user will notice any difference. My recommendation is to just buy a basic ethernet cable that measures around 10 - 15 feet and will only cost about $5.

The cable itself works well but the recoil portion breaks after only a month or 2 of daily use. Great idea but could use a bit better build quality.