Belkin Retractable AUX Cable

I have pretty mixed feelings about this product, which is a shame because I was excited to get it. I do have the issue this product should theoretically have solved - too many power cords in my car, the phone charger and the GPS charger and the aux cord always getting tangled up together and annoying me. So when I saw this retractable cable, I jumped on it. Unfortunately, I think I will be changing back to my regular, sometimes gets tangled aux cord. This is for several reasons. 1) This one is too short. If you want to pass your ipod to someone sitting in the back seat without unplugging, you won't be able to, even when this is at its longest. 2) I found it more unwieldy to use and more difficult to plug in than a regular aux cord, which I can do with one hand. This one, not so much. 3) I feel like you need three hands for this thing - one to hold the base, one to hold your phone and one to pull out the cord so you can plug it in. 4) I have found the cords to be not as retractable as I would like - I read another review here that said the secret is to pull both ends simultaneously which helped, but it still gets kinked and doesn't go all the way back in the case the first time.

I have ordered and owned so many AUX cables that I really can't tell what number this would be. Having used an iPod Classic in my car for years now, I find it funny how the needs change with the time. I was happy with a Belkin flat-tangle free cable, I had no more tangled AUX cables in my car and that changed when my kid started to use my iPod while in the car, I had to look for a longer AUX cable and found another Belkin I liked, true, it was not tangle free as I would have liked but it served its purpose. As a result, I now have a longer cable that is sometimes an annoyance to have around. When I saw the product description on this retractable cable, I though this was exactly what I needed. Only that it isn't. The product is not bad at all and it is actually quite a great idea, before going into details as to why this was not a solution to my problem, let's start by explaining how it works. It can be used with any device with a 3.5mm AUX port . The small box from which the cables come out is small and looks good with the Belkin logo in it, however, for the retraction to work properly you need to make sure both ends of the cable are pulled AT THE SAME TIME. Which means you cannot leave one end as is (short) and pull and extend the other one, by doing this, you will end up with the AUX cable tangled inside the container, the only way to fix it? Pull both ends of the cable and adjust it. Based on this, the design of this very practical device, has the container in the middle of the whole cable when extended. Once you are done using it, simply unplug your device, pull both ends of the cable and it will retract into its case. Really neat. However, in my particular case, the AUX input in my car is hidden inside the middle compartment between the front seats, which means that for me to use this, I would have to open the compartment, remove its contents and pull the cable from both ends every time I need to use it; what I expected the product would do was to offer the ability to leave one end plugged for me to use the other end as convenient. So I am not really talking about a flaw or a problem, it simply did not fit my needs. I am certain that if the AUX input were not hidden as is, this would not have been an issue at all. In the end, it is a really good idea in a very practical design, a great way to have an AUX cable in your car or with your mobile devices without having tangled cables all around the place.

As of writing, this product is just too expensive for what it is. Pros: -Quality build. Feels sturdy, the winding mechanism works well, the plugs seem durable. -Does what it says. I had this product hooked up within moments of opening it, no complications to be found. Cons: -Bulky. Six or more feet of cord could fit on this reel. -Only three feet? As above, I have winders half this size that fit more cable. This piece seems highly over-designed what it provides. -Single-side design. Most winders provide a logical system where one cable extends out each side, so you just pull the two ends to extend the cable. Here, both cables come out one side, so you have to pull the cable out, then transfer your hands to do the work of plugging in. That's just sort of odd, for only three feet of cable. -Price. As of writing, this product was 50% more expensive than other products, with more bulk, and no other features. No gold plating, no rubberized case... what am I paying for? Still, I'd give this product 4 stars because if you could find it at a decent price the build does seem quite study, so the product itself is fairly good. It's just that it should give you more.

I needed an AUX cable to connect my iPhone to my car stereo that was not Bluetooth enabled. Other retractable cables I have tried would get easily tangled and had plugs that were surrounded by thick plastic that would not connect properly with a case on. The Belkin Retractable AUX Cable solved all these problems. Both 3.5mm mini plugs come out of the same side of the black plastic housing. The key to keep them from tangling is to pull them both out together. If you pull just one, you risk getting it tangled. Also, when you are ready to retract them, do them together again and they will not get tangled. When the cable is fully extended, I was able to get 37.5 inches of length. As you would expect, the cables do have a bit of a curl to them when they are plugged in. But the fact that they can easily connect to your device because the ends are not covered in thick plastic is worth that small inconvenience. I hope the cables stand the test of time with all the extending and retracting I plan on putting it through. I will keep you posted. Another great product from Belkin!