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Extension reel for a lawn mower, trimmer or washer

Updated: 23 October 2026

You want the mower, the trimmer, or the pressure washer to reach the far bed from a socket in the house. An extension reel for a lawn mower can do that for a short session if the tool’s current fits the unwound rating, the cable is fully off the drum, and water stays off open sockets. It is a poor match for two heavy tools at once, a coiled drum, or a socket you need every week. We checked the amazon.co.uk listings in the [outdoor cable reel comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/outdoor-cable-reel) on 20 October 2026. We did not measure your mower. Read its nameplate. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You want the mower, the trimmer, or the pressure washer to reach the far bed from a socket in the house.

Our top picks

Masterplug Masterplug 25 m open reel

Best overall

Masterplug Masterplug 25 m open reel
8.4/10about £24.00
View offer
SLx SLx 20 m IP54 reel

Alternative

SLx SLx 20 m IP54 reel
8.6/10about £34.99
View offer
Masterplug Masterplug Pro-XT 10 m cassette

Best value

Masterplug Masterplug Pro-XT 10 m cassette
7.3/10about £16.69
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Read the tool, not the reel title
  2. 2.Mowers and trimmers on 13 A
  3. 3.Pressure washers and water
  4. 4.RCD on the supply
  5. 5.When a reel is the wrong fix

Read the tool, not the reel title

Start with the rating plate on the mower, trimmer, or washer, not with the word garden on the reel. You need amps, or watts at 230 V, and you add anything else that will run at the same time. A reel marked 13 A means the whole drum, through one BS 1363 fuse, once the cable is unwound. It does not mean each socket has its own 13 A. If the plate shows watts only, treat amps as watts divided by 230 as a rule of thumb, then believe the plate if it also prints amps. The Status 15 m two-socket reel prints 13 A unwound and 5 A wound, about 1,150 W. A mower that is fine on a fully laid lead can be over the limit on a coil.

Mowers and trimmers on 13 A

A single domestic mower or corded trimmer is the job these 13 A reels are sold for, if the nameplate sits inside the unwound rating and you lay the cable out. Plug in that one tool and stay near the drum for the first minute. A 10 m reel reaches a small garden. It will not reach the bottom of a long plot. The SLx 20 m IP54 reel at £34.99 is the splash-rated length many wet lawns here need, with two covered sockets. The waterproof wording in the title is still only IP54. The Masterplug 25 m open reel at £24.00 reaches further on a dry day and has no IP line, so it is the wrong drum to leave in wet grass.
Masterplug Masterplug 25 m open reel

Testsieger

Masterplug Masterplug 25 m open reel
8.4/10about £24.00
View offer

Pressure washers and water

Many domestic pressure washers are sold around 1,400–2,000 W. At 230 V that band sits under 13 A as a rule of thumb, around 6 A to about 9 A, before you add another tool. Do not stack the washer on the same reel as the mower. IP54 stops at splashed water on a closed case. It is not hose-proof. The SLx 20 m IP54 reel can stand light rain on shut covers. An open drum such as the Masterplug 25 m, with no IP line, is worse because the sockets are exposed. Put the reel on a dry path, jet pointed away. The case choice is on the IP54 cable reel vs open reel page.

RCD on the supply

Outdoor portable equipment needs RCD protection on the supply. NICEIC’s garden guidance makes that point for the way houses should feed garden equipment. A thermal cut-out in the reel does not provide it. None of the twelve listings claims an RCD in the box. If your consumer unit already has an RCD or RCBO on that socket, you are using that device, not a feature of the drum. If you are unsure, stop and ask an electrician before you mow in the wet. A plug-in RCD adaptor is a separate product, and it does not fix a coiled cable. If the reel is on a job rather than a lawn, HSE guidance such as INDG236 is the stricter read.

When a reel is the wrong fix

Stop using a reel for tools when the cut-out trips twice, when you smell hot plastic, or when the sheath is nicked. Unplug, leave the cable unwound while it cools, and do not reset in a loop. Those signs are on the how to use a cable reel page. Daisy-chaining a second reel adds joints and hides the load. Electrical Safety First says not to do it. A reel is also the wrong fix when the shed or the bottom of the lawn needs power every week. That is a fixed outdoor socket, weatherproof and RCD-protected, and it is an electrician’s job. A 50 m open reel at £60.99 can bridge a rare long cut. It does not become a permanent supply, and it has no IP code.

Common questions

Will a 13 A reel run my electric mower?
It will if the mower’s nameplate fits inside the unwound rating and you unwind fully first. A wound limit can be as low as the 5 A printed on the Status 15 m reel. If the plate is higher, that reel is too small for the tool.
Can I use a pressure washer on an IP54 reel?
Often on current, and only with care on water. Many domestic washers are sold around 1,400–2,000 W, which at 230 V sits under 13 A as a rule of thumb, but you must use your plate. IP54 is splash protection, not a jet rating. Keep the drum out of the spray with covers shut.
Can I plug a trimmer and a mower in at once?
Only if the two nameplates add up to less than the reel’s unwound rating. Four sockets still share one fuse. Many mowers leave little spare under 13 A, so the honest pattern is one cutting tool at a time. Do not rely on the cut-out to do the arithmetic.
Do I need an RCD for the mower?
Yes, on the supply that feeds outdoor equipment. The reel does not include one in any of these twelve listings. Check whether the socket’s circuit already has RCD or RCBO protection. If you cannot tell, ask an electrician before you work in damp grass.
When is a fixed outdoor socket the better answer?
When you mow, wash, or light the same place every week, or when a reel would live outside between jobs. A fixed socket that is weatherproof and RCD-protected, on a proper garden circuit, is electrician’s work. A reel remains a temporary lead you unwind, watch, and store indoors.

Related pages

Outdoor cable reel buying guide

Outdoor cable reel

Best outdoor cable reel for patio, wet grass or lawn

How to use a cable reel outdoors: unwind, then load

IP54 cable reel vs open reel when showers are likely

Sources

Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were scored on 20 October 2026. This page did not run a lab test.

  1. BSI Knowledge — BS EN 61242:1997+A13:2017 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  2. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  3. Electrical Safety First — extension leads and cable reels (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  4. Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service — unwinding extension cables (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  5. NICEIC — gardens and electrics (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  6. HSE — INDG236 Maintaining portable electrical equipment (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  7. OPSS — product safety report 2511-0272 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  8. Hammond — IEC 60529 IP code tables (retrieved 20.10.2026)