The best 50m cable reels, compared.
Top pick: Brennenstuhl Garant 1198063500 Best value: SLx 90071PI – About £59.99 with 4.7 from 1,899 reviews that describe a 50 m garden reel. Title says outdoor. No IP rating and no cable code. The user guide says keep it dry. Updated October 2026.
A 50m cable reel is a drum of about 50 metres of flexible mains cable with BS 1363 sockets and a 13 A UK plug. You use one when a wall socket will not reach a long garden, a shed, or a temporary indoor run. The full 13 A rating applies only when the cable is fully unwound. Wound current is often only 3 or 4 A, so look for a marked thermal cut-out, not only the 13 A plug fuse. A fit reel shows a cable code you can quote, shuttered sockets or covers, and an indoor or outdoor limit written on the listing. Yellow or green sheathing is for visibility. It is not an IP rating. Three or four sockets still share one 13 A plug, so do not treat extra outlets as extra capacity. Rewind effort and a frame that tips are the handling checks. If a shorter reel already reaches the job, the extra length is the worse tool. The decision order is on the [50m cable reel buying guide](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/50m-cable-reel/sub/50m-cable-reel-buying-guide).
A 50m cable reel is a drum of about 50 metres of flexible mains cable with BS 1363 sockets and a 13 A UK plug. You use one when a wall socket will not reach a long garden, a shed, or a temporary indoor run.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Where will the reel run?
The Brennenstuhl Garant 1198063500 is a three-socket reel with a hot-dip galvanised steel body, 50 m of H05VV-F 3G1.5, a thermal cut-out, self-closing covers, and a cablepilot handle, at £96.20. It is the heaviest drum here at 6.88 kg and is made in Germany. The bullets do not say indoor or outdoor, and there is no IP rating. The review line is 4.8 from 15. Buyers praise the steel body. Some of the text is about a 25 m reel, and the printed item diameter of 50 m is the cable length, not the drum.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a steel Brennenstuhl body and a stated H05VV-F cable, and you can live with a small review count.
Less suitable: You need a proven outdoor rating or a large set of reviews for this exact 50 m model.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the reel body steel?
Yes. The bullets say hot-dip galvanised sheet steel and call it rust-resistant. One reviewer is storing it indoors and has not tested that claim.
What cable and sockets are printed?
Three sockets, 50 m of H05VV-F 3G1.5, 240 V and 13 A, a thermal cut-out, self-closing covers, and a cablepilot handle. No IP rating is printed.
Do all 15 reviews describe this 50 m steel reel?
The review line says 4.8 from 15. At least two of the stored reviews describe a 25 m Brennenstuhl reel.
The Brennenstuhl Garant 1208063500 is a three-socket reel with 50 m of H05VV-F 3G1.5, a thermal cut-out, self-closing covers, and a cablepilot handle, at £95.98. It is made in Germany. The bullets do not say indoor or outdoor, and there is no IP rating. The review line is 4.8 from 9. Buyers who have used it call it robust and expensive. One review, not the specification, mentions 1 kW wound and 3.3 kW unwound.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the plastic Garant with the cablepilot handle and you can accept a very small review count.
Less suitable: You need a large review base or a printed outdoor rating before you pay this price.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this cablepilot Garant reel state indoor or outdoor use?
The bullets do not. They state 50 m of H05VV-F 3G1.5, 240 V and 13 A, a thermal cut-out, self-closing covers, and a cablepilot handle that can hang. No IP rating is printed.
How many reviews are on the listing?
The customer-review line says 4.8 out of 5 from 9 reviews. Two of those are a buyer who had not used it, and a one-line comment.
Is a wound wattage printed in the specification?
No. One review mentions 1 kW wound and 3.3 kW unwound. That figure is not in the specification block.
The SLx 90071PI is a four-socket reel with 50 m of bright yellow cable, a thermal cut-out, and a 13 A fused plug, at £59.99 with a 1 year warranty. Across 1,899 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.7, buyers run it to a shed or the end of a long garden and like the yellow sheath. The title says outdoor. No IP rating and no cable code are printed. Rewind is a repeated complaint, and one buyer covered the reel because the thermal switch kept cutting out. It is the best value: the reviews describe a 50 m garden reel, and it is not the top pick.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a four-socket 50 m reel for a long garden at a mid price, and you will keep the sockets dry because no IP rating is printed.
Less suitable: You need a printed cable code, socket covers, or a power switch.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the SLx listing give an IP rating?
No. The title and bullets call it an outdoor lead for the garden or a building site, and also for indoor use. No IP code is printed.
What protection is stated on the SLx reel?
A thermal overload cut-out, and a plug described as BSI approved and 13 A fused, on copper tri-core cable. No harmonised cable code is printed.
How do the reviews describe rewinding it?
Buyers use it for long gardens, mowers, and pressure washers, and several say the yellow cable is easy to see. Others find the rewind awkward and the drum a bit flimsy, and one says the thermal switch cuts out outside.
The Status S50M13ACRX1 is a four-socket 13 A reel with 50 m of green cable and a thermal cut-out, at £57.98, with a 1 year warranty. The title calls it an outdoor garden lead and the highlight says weatherproof, but no IP rating is printed. The review line is 4.6 from 21,068. Those same early reviews appear on the IONOS listing, and several describe a 5 m or 10 m reel, so they are a weak guide to this drum. The printed size of 10 x 5 x 10 cm does not sit with a 5.99 kg, 50 m reel.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a low-priced four-socket green reel and you will judge the outdoor claim from the missing IP rating, not from the review count.
Less suitable: You need a cable code, socket covers, or reviews that clearly belong to this 50 m ASIN.
Specifications
Common questions
Does Status print an IP rating for this 50 m reel?
No. The title says outdoor and the highlight says weatherproof, but no IP code is in the listing.
How many sockets and what current are stated?
Four 13 A sockets and a 50 m green lead, with a thermal cut-out and a 1 year warranty.
Can the 21,068 reviews be read as all about this 50 m model?
The customer-review line says 4.6 from 21,068. The early stored reviews match the IONOS listing and include comments about 5 m and 10 m reels.
The IONOS ION50M13ACR1 is listed as a four-socket 13 A outdoor reel with 50 m of green cable and a thermal cut-out, at £59.95 and with a 1 year warranty. The brand field says Status, and the bestseller line matches Status S50M13ACRX1. The review line is the same 4.6 from 21,068, with the same early text. No cable code, socket covers, or IP rating are printed. There is no case size on the listing.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are comparing the IONOS title with the Status reel and need the listing differences written down.
Less suitable: You want a review count that belongs only to this ASIN, or a stated cable code.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the brand IONOS or Status?
The title says IONOS. The brand and manufacturer fields say Status. The model number is ION50M13ACR1.
Does this listing give an IP rating?
No. Outdoor and weatherproof appear in the title and highlight. No IP code is printed.
Are the 21,068 reviews separate from the Status 50 m reel?
The review line matches Status S50M13ACRX1, and the early review text is the same, including 5 m and 10 m comments.
The Masterplug Pro-XT OLU50134SL is a four-socket open reel with 50 m of high-visibility cable, shuttered sockets, a power switch, an LED, and a thermal cut-out with a manual reset, at £60.99 with a 5 year warranty. Across 972 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.6, buyers use the green cable at the end of a garden and like the switch. No cable code and no IP rating are printed. The winding handle is a repeated complaint, and one buyer blew the protection on a 2,400 W pressure washer. The bullets do not state outdoor use, so a garden run still depends on keeping the sockets dry. The open reel is polycarbonate, weighs 6.13 kg, and is made in China. It is the top pick for the switch, the shuttered sockets, and the 5 year warranty.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a 13 A open reel with a switch and shuttered sockets, and you do not need a printed outdoor rating.
Less suitable: You need a stated cable code, an IP rating, or a lighter drum than about 6 kg.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this Masterplug reel have a power switch?
Yes. The bullets describe an integrated power switch and an LED that shows the power is live, plus a thermal cut-out you reset by hand.
Is an outdoor or IP rating printed?
No IP rating is on this listing. The bullets stress a high-visibility cable and DIY or professional use. They do not state outdoor.
What do reviewers say about the handle and heavy loads?
Many like the bright cable and the four sockets. Others say the handle sits off centre, the drum can spin free, and one protection circuit failed on a 2,400 W pressure washer.
The Brennenstuhl Garant 1208063 is a three-socket reel with 50 m of H05VV-F 3G1.5, a thermal cut-out, and self-closing socket covers, at £92.99. The bullet says indoor use. The specification field says wall mount, and the reel diameter is 290 mm. Across 132 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.6, people use it in the garden and find the rewind reasonable. The cut-out has tripped heaters and an air conditioner, and one trip button failed. No IP rating and no box-contents line are printed.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the older Garant indoor drum with a stated cable code and self-closing covers.
Less suitable: You need a printed outdoor rating or four sockets at this price.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this Garant model say indoor or outdoor?
The bullet says indoor use, with a black cable and a 290 mm reel. Reviews describe gardens and heaters. No IP rating is printed.
Can it be wall mounted?
The installation-method field says wall mount. The bullets describe an ergonomic cable-guide handle, not a bracket in the box.
Why do some reviews say it switches a heater off?
Reviewers describe the thermal cut-out tripping a warm heater and a portable air conditioner. One says it trips above 13 A. One red trip button later failed.
The Brennenstuhl Standard 1098413 is a three-socket indoor reel with 50 m of H05VV-F 3G1.5, rated 240 V and 13 A, and a thermal cut-out, at £69.99. The body is plastic on a galvanised steel tube, made in Germany, and the reel diameter is 260 mm. Across 223 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.5, buyers praise the frame and the socket covers. A minority report a cut-out that keeps tripping, a unit dead at six months, or a snapped plug. No warranty length and no IP rating are printed.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a stated indoor cable code on a 50 m three-socket drum and you will not leave it out in the wet.
Less suitable: You need four sockets, a power switch, or a printed outdoor rating.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the Brennenstuhl Standard reel stated for indoor use?
Yes. The bullet says indoor use, with a black cable, three sockets, and a 260 mm reel. No IP rating is printed.
What cable is printed?
H05VV-F 3G1.5, on a 50 m lead rated 240 V and 13 A, with a thermal cut-out.
What fails in the reviews?
Most of the early reviews praise the frame and the rewind. A few say it cut out every five minutes, died after six months, or the plug snapped.
The Desiretech reel is the lowest price in this set at £54.99, with four shuttered sockets, a thermal cut-out, and an LED. The bullets limit it to indoor use and claim 13 A and 3,120 W with no derating over 50 m. Across 140 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.5, buyers like the green cable and the rewind, and they also report trips, a thin cable, a 5 m lead sold as 50 m, and a unit that cut out on a car charger. No cable code and no IP rating are printed. Model and part number are both given as 1.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the cheapest four-socket 50 m reel here for a dry indoor run and you can check the cable length on arrival.
Less suitable: You need a printed cable code, an outdoor rating, or a review set that consistently describes a 50 m drum.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the Desiretech listing say it is for outdoor use?
No. The bullets say it is suitable for indoor use in a workshop, warehouse, garage, large room, or home office. No IP rating is printed.
What current and wattage does Desiretech print?
The bullets say 13 A and 3,120 W at 240 V, and claim that rating holds over the full 50 m with no derating. A specification line also says 230 V, and another says 13.6 A.
Are the sockets shuttered?
Yes. The listing says four shuttered BS 1363 sockets, a thermal cut-out, and an LED power indicator.
Nine amazon.co.uk listings were scored for this page. Weights sum to 100. Stars, review counts, cable codes and indoor or outdoor wording come from those stored listings. A title that says outdoor, or a yellow or green sheath, is not scored as weather protection when no IP code is printed. Four sockets are not scored as four times 13 A. A shared review set is not scored twice. There was no lab test.
Amazon evidence
30%Star rating on amazon.co.uk, then a deduction when the count is small, when the texts describe another length, or when the same early reviews appear on two ASINs.
Listing fit
35%A thermal cut-out, a 13 A mark, shuttered sockets or covers, and a cable code you can quote score higher. A printed indoor limit scores as honesty. A missing cable code, a missing IP rating on an outdoor title, or a no-derating line with no wound figure loses points.
Review outcome
20%Reviews that describe this length and a finished job score higher than a large set that mixes 5 m and 10 m reels, or a set of 9 or 15 reviews.
Value
15%Shelf price in GBP against a reel a UK review can actually describe. The lowest price does not win this block when reviews include a short lead sold as 50 m.
The checks run in this order: thermal cut-out and wound rating, cable code, a use limit you can quote, then the shared 13 A plug and the handling. The table is the nine stored listings. Wound watts that are not printed on a listing stay a review comment or a user-guide figure. None of these reels was load-tested in a lab for this page.
A 50m cable reel is a drum of about 50 metres of flexible mains cable with BS 1363 sockets and a 13 A UK plug. UK buyers use one when a wall socket will not reach a long garden, a shed, or a temporary indoor run. UK mains are 230 V nominal. Listings often print 240 V and 13 A, which is 3,120 W, for the unwound reel. Plugs and sockets are BS 1363. The plug fuse is BS 1362. The 13 A figure applies when the cable is fully unwound.
A metre count and a coloured sheath do not state the conductor or an IP rating. None of these listings prints H07RN-F, and none prints an IP code. Quote the code on the sheath, or treat it as missing.
Wound current is typically 3 or 4 A. Four sockets still share one 13 A plug. Do not cover a loaded drum, and do not run a heater until the cable is fully unwound. The Desiretech no-derating line is a claim, not a measurement.
Status and IONOS both show 4.6 from 21,068 with the same early text, including 5 m and 10 m comments. A 4.8 from 9 or 15 reviews is not the same evidence as 4.6 from 972. Read whether the text describes this length.
Electrical Safety First says not to use a reel without a clearly marked thermal cut-out, and that wound current is typically as low as 3 or 4 A. The UK note to BS EN 61242 says the 13 A plug fuse is not what protects a coiled drum. BS EN 61242 requires a thermal cut-out, current cut-out, or weak point in the reel, and does not allow two-core reels in the UK. Unwind fully for the full rating.
A yellow or green sheath is for visibility. It is not an IP rating. The SLx title says outdoor. The user guide for the 90071PI 30 m and 50 m family says domestic use only and do not use the reel in damp or wet conditions. Status and IONOS titles say outdoor and weatherproof, and neither prints an IP code. The Masterplug bullets do not state outdoor. The Brennenstuhl Standard and the older Garant state indoor use. The two newer Garant drums do not say indoor or outdoor.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You need a mower or trimmer at the far end of a plot, and you can keep the reel dry and on an RCD. The SLx 90071PI is the best value at about £59.99, with 4.7 from 1,899 reviews that describe a 50 m garden reel. The title says outdoor. No IP rating is printed, and the user guide says keep it dry.
You want a stated indoor cable, not a coloured sheath. The Brennenstuhl Standard 1098413 prints H05VV-F 3G1.5 and indoor use, at about £69.99, with 4.5 from 223 reviews. It has three sockets and no power switch. Do not leave the PVC cable out all winter.
You want a 13 A open reel with a switch, an LED and shuttered sockets, and you do not need a printed outdoor rating. The Masterplug Pro-XT OLU50134SL is the top pick at about £60.99, with 4.6 from 972 reviews and a 5 year warranty. No cable code and no IP rating are printed.
The top pick is the Masterplug Pro-XT OLU50134SL at about £60.99, with 4.6 from 972 reviews, four shuttered sockets, a power switch, an LED, a thermal cut-out with a manual reset, and a 5 year warranty. No cable code and no IP rating are printed, and the handle draws complaints. The best value is the SLx 90071PI at about £59.99, with 4.7 from 1,899 reviews that describe a 50 m garden reel. The title says outdoor. No IP rating and no cable code are printed, and the user guide says domestic use and keep it dry. Desiretech at about £54.99 is cheaper, and reviews include a 5 m lead sold as 50 m, so it does not take the value award.
SLx 90071PI
About £59.99 with 4.7 from 1,899 reviews that describe a 50 m garden reel. Title says outdoor. No IP rating and no cable code. The user guide says keep it dry.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were scored from the stored amazon.co.uk pages. This page did not run a lab test.
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through these links we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts come from stored amazon.co.uk listings. We did not run a lab test.
