Bergen Industries Inc PS913163 3-Wire Appliance and Power Tool Cord, 9 ft, 16 AWG, 13A/125V AC, 1625w, Black

A practical 9-foot pigtail cord that punches above its weight

I keep a small stock of replacement cords in the shop, and over the past few months the Bergen 9-foot SJTW cord has become my go-to for appliances, fans, and light-to-medium power tools that need a safe, grounded plug. It’s a 16-gauge, three-conductor cord with a molded NEMA 5-15 plug on one end and color-coded pigtail leads on the other. That simple recipe—done properly—saves time, looks clean, and holds up well in daily use.

Build and design

The basics are right. The molded U-ground plug is square and sturdy with a decent strain relief that isn’t just for show; the jacket transitions cleanly into the plug body with enough give to avoid a hard kink. The jacket itself is SJTW thermoplastic/vinyl, rated for hard service and 300 V, and is weather resistant for outdoor use. In hand, it feels more substantial than a bargain-bin lamp cord, which matters when you’re running motors or tools with frequent starts.

Inside, it’s a standard 16/3 layout—black (hot), white (neutral), and green (ground). The pigtail end arrives with the jacket cut back cleanly and the conductors pre-stripped to a sensible length. The copper is bright and uniform, and the insulation takes a crimp or wirenut without shredding. Nothing fancy here, just competent construction.

The 9-foot length hits a sweet spot for benchtop tools and under-cabinet appliances: long enough to reach a typical outlet without creating a loop of extra cable to snag on, but not so short you’re forced into an extension cord.

Installation notes

I used the Bergen cord on three recent jobs:

• An older box fan with a cracked two-prong cord that I wanted grounded properly.
• A compact bench grinder whose original cord had hardened and split near the grommet.
• A built-in dishwasher that specified a corded connection.

In each case, the pigtail end made life easy. For the fan and grinder, I ran the cord through the original chassis knockout with a new grommet and clamp, landed black and white on the switch and neutral bus, and fastened the green ground to the frame with a star washer. On the dishwasher, I attached ring terminals to the leads and mounted them to the appliance’s terminal block, then cinched the strain relief.

A couple of practical tips from those installs:

• Maintain strain relief. Don’t rely on the molded plug’s relief alone; keep a cord clamp or bushing where the cable enters the device.
• Follow color and polarity. Hot to hot (black), neutral to neutral (white), and bond the ground (green) to the chassis.
• Protect the entry point. Use a proper bushing or grommet—this jacket is tough, but a sharp stamped edge will win eventually.
• Cap and enclose connections. Pigtails are meant to terminate inside a junction box or appliance housing, not hang free.

If you’re replacing a cord on a tool with higher inrush current (circular saws, shop vacs), double-check the manual; some manufacturers specify 14 AWG for the added headroom.

Performance in use

On a 13-amp, 125V rating (1,625 W), this cord is built for most household tools and appliances without pushing the limits. I ran the bench grinder, a 6.5-amp jigsaw, and a mid-size shop fan on it without any perceptible warmth at the plug or jacket. Startups were crisp, and I didn’t see the “saggy” behavior you get with thin or tired cords on induction motors.

For a test of the upper envelope, I swapped it onto an older 15-amp circular saw for a few cuts in wet lumber. It worked, but I wouldn’t call 16 AWG ideal for that class of saw over the long term—especially if you’re running frequent starts or long duty cycles. If your tool or appliance genuinely draws near 13–15 amps under load, moving to 14 AWG is smart.

Voltage drop over nine feet isn’t a concern for most loads, but power tools with long, thin cords are where you notice sluggishness and extra heat. This cord avoids those pitfalls within its intended ratings.

Outdoor readiness and flexibility

The SJTW jacket is weather resistant and intended for outdoor environments. I used it on a small sump pump setup over a drizzly weekend; the jacket shrugged off puddles and mud, and wiped clean afterward. That said, the pigtail connections still need to live inside a proper enclosure—this isn’t an outdoor extension cord, it’s a replacement cord.

Flexibility is what I’d expect from a thermoplastic jacket: compliant at room temperature with a bit of coil memory, and stiffer on cold mornings. It’s not rubbery like SJOOW, but it doesn’t kink easily and it lays reasonably flat once uncoiled. If you work in sub-freezing conditions often, a rubber-jacketed alternative will feel nicer. For normal shop and garage use, the Bergen’s jacket strikes a practical balance between toughness and manageability.

Durability and safety

Durability shows up in small ways. The plug blades are aligned, the ground pin sits square, and the molded body doesn’t flex away from the blades when you yank on it (within reason—yanking isn’t a best practice). I dragged the cord across concrete and around the base of the workbench during setup; scuffing was minimal and the jacket didn’t pick up nicks.

Safety-wise, the key is the ground conductor and decent strain relief. Plenty of cheap cords skimp on one or both—this one doesn’t. Add your own proper clamp or bushing at the device end and you’ve got a trustworthy setup.

Where it fits—and where it doesn’t

This cord is a great match for:

• Appliances that specify a grounded 120V plug connection (dishwashers with a terminal block, compact dehumidifiers, exhaust fans).
• Light-to-mid duty power tools (benchtop grinders, sanders, jigsaws, routers under modest load).
• Small motors and pumps below 13 amps.

I wouldn’t choose it for:

• High-draw or frequent-start 15-amp tools (table saws, big shop vacs) where 14 AWG offers a safety and performance margin.
• Oil-heavy environments where a rubber jacket would resist swelling better.
• Long-run extension needs; this is a replacement cord, not a multi-outlet or extra-long feeder.

Value

Buying bulk cable and a separate plug is one route, but the Bergen cord costs less than that combo in most cases and arrives with a clean, molded plug and finished pigtails. For a straightforward repair or retrofit, it’s a time saver and avoids the weak link of a screw-on aftermarket plug.

Pros

• Solid molded NEMA 5-15 plug with effective strain relief
• SJTW jacket resists abrasion and weather
• Cleanly prepared pigtail leads, easy to terminate
• Sensible 9-foot length for appliances and benchtop tools
• True 16/3 construction supports grounded repairs up to 13 amps

Cons

• Thermoplastic jacket stiffens in the cold more than rubber cords
• Not ideal for continuous 15-amp motor loads or heavy inrush tools
• Black jacket blends into shop floors—no high-visibility option

Recommendation

I recommend the Bergen 9-foot SJTW cord for anyone who needs a reliable, grounded replacement cord for appliances, motors, and light-to-medium power tools. It installs cleanly, feels tougher than its price suggests, and stays within its ratings without drama. If your use case regularly pushes 13–15 amps or you work in very cold conditions, step up to a 14 AWG rubber-jacketed cord instead. For everything else on a standard 120V circuit, this cord is exactly what a repair should be: safe, straightforward, and built to last.