DeWalt Lighted CGM Extension Cord (100 ft)

I spend a lot of time on sites where the “little” stuff makes or breaks the day. A 100-foot run of cord is either a reliable extension of your power source or the weak link that brings everything to a halt. After months of using the DeWalt 100-foot lighted cord, it has been the former—dependable, informative, and built to take abuse.

Build and design

This is a 12/3 SJTW cord, and it feels the part. It’s hefty at about 14 pounds, with a jacket that shrugs off concrete, lumber edges, and gravel. The SJTW insulation holds up outdoors and, importantly, stays flexible in the cold—rated to -40°F. In my use, it remained pliable during early-morning work near freezing, without that “stiff PVC” coil memory you get from bargain cords.

Inside, each conductor uses 65 strands of 30 AWG copper. That fine stranding matters: it improves flexibility under load and reduces the tendency for the cord to kink, which also helps with long-term durability. The connectors are equally robust. Both ends use nickel-coated blades and contacts to resist heat and corrosion. After running saws and a compressor throughout the workday, I didn’t see the browning or softening you sometimes get on cheaper ends.

Strain reliefs are oversized and well executed. I’ve yanked on this cord more than I’d like to admit—caught under a sheet of OSB, pulled around scaffolding—and the ends haven’t shown any sign of separating from the jacket. That’s often where cords fail first; so far, this one is holding up well.

Power and ground monitoring

The lighted ends are more than decoration. There are two distinct indicators:

• Amber LED: confirms you’ve got power from the outlet through the cord.
• Green LED: confirms ground continuity through the cord and back to the source.

In practice, those two lights save time. Plug into a generator or a questionable exterior receptacle, and the amber tells you immediately whether you’ve got power. The green LED confirms the ground path, which is peace of mind when you’re running corded tools in damp conditions or off temporary power. It’s not a full-blown circuit tester—it won’t diagnose reversed polarity or a lifted neutral—but it’s a quick read on two of the most important basics: is it live, and is it grounded?

Locking connector that actually locks

The female end uses a molded locking collar, rated to hold with up to 80 pounds of pull when mated to a standard male plug. This isn’t a twist-lock NEMA plug; it’s a mechanical sleeve that clamps your tool’s plug and keeps it from backing out.

That small detail paid off constantly. On ladders with a recip saw, crawling through attic runs with a lights-on cord, or hauling a circular saw across a deck frame, I didn’t deal with accidental disconnects. The collar also helps with water resistance at the connection point, sealing out splash and jobsite grime better than an open plug-to-socket interface. It’s not submersible, but it does a better job keeping connection points dry than a standard end.

Performance and voltage drop

At 100 feet, voltage drop is always a concern, even with 12-gauge conductors. As a ballpark, 12 AWG copper is around 1.6 ohms per 1000 feet. A 100-foot run is 200 feet of conductor (out and back), or about 0.32 ohm. At 15 amps, drop is roughly 4.8 volts—just under 4% on a 120V circuit.

In use, that lined up with my experience. Circular saws, a 13-amp shop vac, and a pancake compressor cycled normally without sluggish starts. Miter saw braking felt crisp. When I pushed a heat gun on high or ran a long duty cycle with the compressor, I could hear the slight strain you expect at 100 feet, but nothing abnormal. The point: the conductor size and build keep the drop manageable for typical 15-amp tools. If you’re feeding a heavy space heater, big compressor, or multiple tools on the same circuit, you’re still better off minimizing cord length or stepping up your power plan, but for single-tool runs this cord performs as it should.

Cold-weather behavior

Cold mornings usually punish cords. This one genuinely stays flexible. Coiling at freezing temps didn’t require wrestling, and the jacket didn’t get glossy or brittle. I could over-under coil it without fighting spring-back, which matters at the end of a long day. I haven’t worked at -40°F, but down into the 20s it behaved well.

Wet conditions and safety

The connectors and jacket are water-resistant, and the molded collar helps seal the tool connection. I ran the cord through damp grass and light rain without any drama. Still, it’s not waterproof, and certainly not for submersion. I paired it with GFCI protection (either at the source or via a portable GFCI) when working in wet conditions—that’s best practice regardless of cord quality. The green ground LED was particularly reassuring on temporary power: if it’s out, I know not to proceed until the ground issue is solved.

Durability in the real world

I’ve dragged this cord over concrete, under decking, and past rough framing. The jacket shows scuffs but no cuts or deep abrasions. The nickel-coated blades remain bright, and the receptacle fit is still tight. The oversized strain reliefs feel integral to the connector—no looseness or soft spots where the jacket meets the body. If you’ve dealt with ends pulling back or cracking after a couple months, this is a noticeable upgrade.

Ergonomics and storage

At 14 pounds, it’s not a featherweight. I found it easier to store on a cord reel or with a simple over-under coil and Velcro strap. The fine stranding helps with manageability, but 100 feet of 12-gauge is always going to have some heft. If you frequently need only 25 to 50 feet, consider a shorter length for day-to-day and keep this as your long-run problem solver.

A few quick tips:
- Keep the cord fully extended under heavy loads to avoid heat buildup.
- Use a reel or strap to avoid kinks and keep the jacket in good shape.
- Periodically wipe the blades and receptacle with a clean, dry cloth; the nickel finish resists corrosion, but cleanliness helps keep resistance low.

What it’s not

• It’s not a GFCI cord. Use GFCI protection where required.
• It’s not a twist-lock configuration; the locking collar secures standard plugs but won’t mate with twist-lock connectors.
• The LEDs don’t test every wiring fault. They tell you power is present and the ground path is intact, not whether hot/neutral are reversed.

None of those are flaws—just good to understand the scope.

Warranty and origin

It’s made in the United States and backed by a lifetime limited warranty. Cords are consumables on many crews, so a strong warranty is a welcome vote of confidence. I haven’t needed support, but the build quality tracks with that promise.

Who it’s for

• Pros who need a 100-foot, jobsite-tough cord that won’t quit in the cold or after a few months of abuse.
• Remodelers and carpenters running saws and vacs where outlets are scarce.
• Homeowners or DIYers who want one long, reliable cord for yard tools or generator connection and value the visual confirmation of power and ground.

If you’re mostly working within 25 feet of an outlet, the weight and length are overkill. If you’re regularly pushing high-current heaters or multiple loads simultaneously, rethink the power plan rather than stringing ever longer cords.

Final recommendation

I recommend the DeWalt 100-foot lighted cord. It earns that recommendation on three fronts: the build is genuinely heavy-duty with excellent strain relief and corrosion-resistant contacts; the lighted power and ground indicators add practical, at-a-glance diagnostics; and the locking collar eliminates nuisance disconnects while improving water resistance at the connection. The SJTW jacket’s cold-weather performance is a real advantage, and the fine-stranded copper keeps it manageable for its size. The only knocks are inherent to any 100-foot, 12-gauge cord—weight and some voltage drop under heavier loads—but those are reasonable tradeoffs for the capability you gain. If you need a long, dependable extension that stands up to tough conditions and helps you work smarter, this one feels like the right tool for the job.