These retractable USB-C cables replaced everything else in my bag – The Verge

My cable system has always been a tangled mess of stuff I barely need. Now it’s better.My cable system has always been a tangled mess of stuff I barely need. Now it’s better.by David PierceIf you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.I have a cable problem. I’m the guy with a giant box (three, actually) of ancient power cables that connect to nothing, just in case a time traveler appears with my hard drive from 2006 and demands I plug it in. I have approximately a thousand Lightning cables, even though the only Lightning-charging device I have left is my AirPods. (Which I charge wirelessly anyway.) I have a bunch of fancy braided USB-C cables, which I bought just so I’d know who was absconding with my chargers at family gatherings. When I travel, I have a case roughly the size of a family-sized Dorito’s bag just for cables and chargers.A couple of weeks and a few trips ago, though, I replaced all those cables with just two. They’re retractable USB-C cables, made by a company called Baseus. In case you’re wondering, it’s a China-based company founded in 2009. Apparently, the name is a shortening of the phrase “base on user.” Which, sure. The company has been growing in China for years, but only relatively recently started selling in the US through a warehouse and storefront in Ohio. Like Anker, Ugreen, and other China-based brands you probably discovered on Amazon, Baseus sells what appears to be a random selection of things you’d find in a gadget factory: security cameras, car vacuums, headphones. It’s mostly stuff you can find in infinite identical variety on AliExpress and elsewhere.But back to my USB-C cables. The listing on Amazon is named, memorably, “Baseus USB C Cable, Mini 100W Retractable USB C to USB C PD 5A Fast Charging Cable, 4-Stage Length Preset USB Type C Charger Cable for iPhone 15/Pro/Plus/Pro Max, MacBook, iPad Pro, Samsung S23/S22+.” On Baseus’ website they’re called “Free2Pull” cables in some places and “Free2Draw” in others. They’re each a round puck, with male USB connectors sticking out of either side. It looks like a super-futuristic pinwheel, as if it might start spinning uncontrollably at any moment.Most of the USB cable is coiled up inside the puck. The smaller model — $13.58 on Amazon as I type this — has 3.3 feet (one meter) of cable, and is a little smaller around than a soda can. The bigger one — $20.99 — has 6.6 feet (two meters) of wire and is about the size of a grande Starbucks lid. Both come in black, silver, blue, and purple. Most sizes and colors are rated for 100 watts of power. (There’s also a 60-watt one, but it’s barely cheaper — get the 100 watts.) You can get faster USB-C cables, but you probably don’t need them.To access the cable, just pull on one end, and it starts spooling out in both directions. Pull until you feel a tug, let go, and it stops. Pull again, and the cable retracts. I initially worried about how the retractable cable would hold up to lots of use, and I haven’t used them long enough to say for sure, but so far they’re really solid.I’ve used a lot of words here to describe what a “retractable USB-C cable” is, when it’s really not a terribly complicated concept. But it might be hard to understand why it’s so great, so let me explain. Reason number one: no more cable tangles, since they just suck right back in when you’re done. Reason number two: no more coiling and uncoiling and re-coiling my cables just to try to keep them untangled. Reason number three: the pucks are heavy enough to stay put on a table, so the cables don’t go sliding off of everything. Reason number four: super fun to fidget with. This is not an important reason, but it’s a real thing.I don’t know for sure that Baseus’ retractable cables are any better than the near-identical listings on Amazon or AliExpress, though there are lots of other Baseus fans out there. I just know that retractable cables are the best cable investment I’ve ever made. My entire charging setup now consists of two of these cables – a short one in blue and a long one in black — and an Anker PowerFusion wall charger / portable battery. (I also carry a USB-C to USB-A converter, because sometimes you’re on a plane or in a hotel and the future hasn’t reached there yet.) My bag is neater and lighter than ever.A weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download, watch, read, listen to, and explore that fits in The Verge’s universe.© 2025 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved

Source: https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/608258/best-retractable-usb-c-cable-baseus-amazon