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.
