Just one problem. They can only withstand light traffic, and they don’t hold much.

Typical light duty cord covers are great if you have just an extension cord and maybe a couple of Ethernet or phone cords, but beyond that, conditions can get cramped and lead to crushed cables, which is what you’re trying to avoid in the first place… right? And don’t even think about subjecting light duty covers to high-volume foot traffic, or rolling anything larger than an office chair or small cart over them. They’re not built for that kind of rough treatment.

Up to now, if lightweight, flexible cord covers weren’t quite enough to deal with the kind of abuse your particular application would be dishing out, the only obvious next-step-up would be molded polyurethane or heavy duty rubber cable protectors, both of which are great, but have a tendency to be tough to store (they can’t roll up) and more expensive. Luckily, there’s a new big and flexible cord cover in town.

Meet the Super Duty cable cover, a sort of next-gen hybrid that combines the simplicity and flexibility of a light duty cord cover with larger size and increased toughness than lean more toward the high capacity end of the spectrum. Basically a flexible extruded plastic cord cover on steroids, the Super Duty is far better suited to life in warehouses, garages, special events and industrial settings than their smaller residential and office-friendly counterparts, thanks to longer length, larger wire channels, and 1/4 inch thick inner columns for improved support.

As with many of its light capacity counterparts, the Super Duty cord cover comes unslit, so you can decide exactly where and how you want to create cable entrance points along the flat bottom surface, using just a basic utility knife. One feature that I really like is that there are three different score marks running along the bottom of the cover, so that once you find a slit location that will work for you, there’s a guide to keep your knife straight and provide a cutting reference.

Floor-level cords are a notorious tripping hazard even for people who are able to get around without any trouble. But add things like wheelchairs or crutches into the equation, and those cables not only become an obstacle to roll over, but also threaten to snag walking aids, which can cause the individuals using them to lose their balance and fall. Not to mention that rollovers and pedestrian trampling of any kind can crush and otherwise damage the cables. It’s a situation that you can’t ignore.

Several cord protector manufacturers have solved the problem of ADA compliance in the presence of floor cords (and even hoses and air lines) by creating a variety of heavy duty polyurethane cable covers with gently sloped sides that are textured for traction and accommodate wheelchairs without a problem. They’ve also come up with modular rails that can be attached to ADA-compliant cord protectors to create clearly marked crossing points that have the added advantage of providing hand-holds for people who’d like a little extra stability.

These are all outstanding products, but have the drawback of being a little too expensive, bulky and intrusive for environments like smaller retail stores, offices, and school media centers. While they’re perfect for large outdoor events, concert venues, and other large-scale applications, the heavy duty polyurethane products would just be overkill in situations that don’t include crowds in large, open spaces.

Enter the OFR Over-Floor Raceway by Legrand Wiremold. It’s every bit as ADA-compliant as its bulky counterparts, but with a scaled-down, low profile steel design that’s appropriate for just about any indoor business or educational environment. It can be installed over any type of flooring, and when all is said and done, it only rises a half inch above the floor surface, with sloped sides that ease the crossing of pedestrians, wheelchair users, and even small carts. People are protected, cables are protected, and no one goes broke in the process. You’ve gotta love that.

Yep. I have experienced all of these scenarios firsthand, but for the record, I was merely a horrified onlooker for the second two. But all that aside, tip-overs pretty much suck, no matter what the situation – and there are a lot of possibilities. Take, for example, the fiasco that could unfold if you were carting around a seemingly stable load of 10 or 20 cable protectors. I’m not talking about the flexible, lightweight plastic ones that coil up and can be carried as comfortably and easily as, say, a couple of folded towels. I’m talking about the hardcore polyurethane models that weigh a small ton and can cause quite a ruckus, and possibly pain, if they derail from their wheeled storage cart at an inopportune moment.

While cable protector carts have always sounded like pure genius to me, there are some that, when not fully loaded, run the risk of tipping over as soon as the heavy side gets the better of things. That’s because like some folding-chair carts you may have seen, these wheeled cable cover racks load vertically instead of horizontally. The vertical orientation isn’t a problem, per se, unless the cart is partially loaded, and its weight isn’t balanced. But shouldn’t a cord cover cart be balanced all of the time?

I happen to think so, and that’s why I’m so digging this Cable Guard Transport Cart. Sized to hold up to 25 heavy duty cable protectors, this cart remains stable even if there are only 3 or 8 or 12 actually loaded onto it. That’s because this cable guard cart carries cord protectors horizontally, so matter how many or how few you’re dealing with, their weight is always evenly distributed – leaving you free to let go of the cart at any time, with no fear of tip-overs.

I love balance.

But I digress – the point here is that Halloween displays have tons of power cords, and that can be a problem, being that the “fun” houses are the ones that attract all of the trick-or-treaters. In their hurry to beat a path to the front door and spoils awaiting them, it’s not hard for costumed kids to trip over cords that may be running across the lawn or front path. Darkness is great at making power cords invisible, especially to preoccupied kids who are juggling candy bags with often too-long costumes. Since you’re the responsible grown-up in the picture, think about protecting the neighborhood kids about to come trampling across your well-decorated property with outdoor-friendly cord covers, like Rubber Ducts by Electriduct.

Rubber Ducts are a little heftier weight-wise than their plastic counterparts, so they stay in place much better, and being made of rubber, they provide great grip and traction for pedestrians, so the chances of anyone slipping are cut way down. And they’re available in black or brown, which means that they blend into their surroundings after the Sun goes down. So keep your trick-or-treaters from becoming trip-or-treaters… after all, it’s always more fun to hand out candy than ice packs.

Add it all up, and that means some serious cable protector hauling every time you need to set up, break down, or just change configuration. Not that having to break a sweat every now and then is a bad thing, but seeing as how most cable protectors are at lease 3 feet long, they can be a little unweildy to schlep, considering their weight. Moving more than one at a time is, in most cases, not advisable. Now, I know that there are a few people out there (I may or may not be one of them) who think that making multiple trips is lame, and would rather overload themselves in the name of efficiency than have to go back a second or third time. These people tend to end up in pain shortly after entertaining these thoughts. These people need to get a cable protector transport cart.

You heard me. The Yellow Jacket Cord Protector Cart. It can hold up to 12 of the biggest and baddest cable protectors at once, but lets you roll them from Point A to Point B in comfort, instead of juggling them like an idiot and sweating like a pig. And in the event that you just need to store the cord covers for a while instead of immediately setting them up in another location, the cart doubles as the perfect storage rack. When it’s time to put the cable protectors back in action, just wheel them wherever you need them. I hate to say it, but sometimes the “lazy” way really does end up being the smarter way.

While most of us are used to speed bumps and parking stops being molded out of concrete or asphalt, these Eagle products add a neat new twist to things because they’re made out of high-density polyurethane, and are both movable and reusable. This makes them perfect for temporary parking areas at schools, parks, and special events – you can custom-configure them to plot out traffic flow and parking, so everything is safer and a little more organized.

And here’s another thing I like about Eagle speed bumps that you won’t see with the run-of-the-mill asphalt kind: they also do double-duty as cable protectors! Each speed bump has 2 cable channels molded into its underside, so if you need to run power cords or other types of cables across a vehicle path, it’s no problem. Just cover the cables with the speed bumps, and they’ll be protected from crushing while you, at the same time, limit vehicles to a safe speed.

I feel so liberated that I can now sleep at night, even knowing that there may be a lizard loose in the house (true, those geckos may be tiny, but still: progress is progress). There’s just one problem: even though I’m finally able to harmoniously coexist with lizards, I still have a major aversion to snakes. I’m not even talking about the various Asian and African pythons that are slowly strangling the life out of the Everglades. I’m taking about garter snakes. They’re generally puny and pathetic as far as slithering wildlife goes, but they keep trying to sneak into the house through my side door, and at that I take great offense.

Ever since I found that baby garter snake hanging out in the middle of my hallway late one Friday night, I’ve begun cringing involuntarily at the sight of anything that’s black and yellow striped and has a tendency to arrange itself in a wavy, s-like shape. I shiver to imagine such things. But I think I may have found something that will get me over that…

Strangely enough, it’s a cord cover, but one of a most peculiar sort. You know how garter snakes are slithery and striped with black and yellow in a bad way? Well, the SideWinder Cable Protection System is both of those things as well, but in a very, very good way.

Most cord protectors are rigid, and have the tendency to run only in straight lines unless you connect them with specially-manufactured angles and bends. Every twist and turn you make is extremely deliberate, and you have to plan ahead and purchase accordingly for them. But what if you could protect ground cables with something that was both incredibly tough and flexible, that you could just snake around obstructions as needed, without any special planning or parts. You can, with the SideWinder.

The SideWinder system is made up of a long line of articulating 1.5″ segments, which are hinged together to form a single, continuous cord protector. Need to round a corner or work around a column, platform, or other obstruction? No problem – just bend the SideWinder to follow any path, no matter how full of turns it may be. It can even be customized for length: just snap on or remove extra pieces, and you won’t be stuck with too much or too little coverage. Talk about great cable protection that won’t cramp your style…

There’s just one small hitch – heavy duty polyurethane cord covers can require a hefty startup investment if you need more than a few. Say that you belong to a small organization (like a school, church, or not-for-profit organization) that needs to put on a special event. Say that at this special event, there will be power and data cords running all over the ground, to hook up speakers, computers, video displays, and maybe the odd cotton-candy machine or two. Add to those cables a bunch of event attendees who probably won’t be looking where they step, and you have some serious liabilities on your hands. You need industrial-grade cord covers to keep things safe, but don’t have the budget to actually purchase them. What do you do?

We realized that the Need vs. Cost issue can be a problem for some organizations, so we’ve come up with a solution: rentals. If your business is located in the greater Fort Lauderdale/Miami metro area, you now have the option to rent Electriduct Hawk cord protectors on a daily basis. No paying full purchase price or footing hefty shipping bills – just reserve the number of cord protectors you need, drop by our warehouse to pick them, and bring them back when you’re done. Be sure to check out the details – it’s an option you won’t want to pass up!

Well, I was recently shaken right down to my fins when I found out that these days, Neoprene is making its mark on the world of cord covers as well. That tidbit alone is enough to rock your world, right? Okay, I’m exaggerating, but you probably didn’t expect to hear that, did you? It’s nice to know I’m not the only one. Sooooooo, I bet you’re dying to hear all about the Neoprene cord covers that finally changed my viewpoint. Well then, I won’t keep you waiting.

The first thing that hit me about these cord covers is that they have a much nicer – shall we say more refined? – look than the average plastic cord cover. Secondly, they’re a lot easier to lay flat on the floor right out of the box. Plastic cord covers usually need a little coaxing to flatten out after they’ve been stored rolled up. That isn’t necessarily a problem, but it’s really nice that Neoprene cord covers don’t keep you waiting.

They also weigh practically nothing, because they’re basically just molded foam. But my absolute favorite feature is that they can be loaded from the top, through “secret” slits. I can practically feel you furrowing your brow over that one – I’ll explain. Standard flexible cord covers are typically slit lengthwise along their undersides, so that you can slip cables into the cord channel from the bottom. This is fine, it just means that you have to flip the entire cord cover over every time you want to add or remove a cable. These plastic cord protectors generally have a smooth, dome-like surface. Now for the Neoprene: these also have bottom slits, but hidden among what looks like decorative contouring on the upper surface are two additional lengthwise slits that actually let you top-load cables. You never need to flip the cord covers over unless you want to use the third channel – how easy is that?

Now, before I start babbling on about its attributes, let me set one thing straight: the Firefly, despite its red and green and lights, is nowhere near as pretty as the wreath or Christmas tree that I just mentioned – or even the insect that it’s named after, for that matter. But you can take comfort in the fact that its looks are intentionally quirky, and for one of the best reasons out there: safety.

I should probably explain. Firefly® Illuminated Cable Protectors are designed for low-light environments, where a run-of-the-mill cord cover just wouldn’t be easy enough to see. That neon-green cover? Sure, it’s not a color that many of us would normally gravitate toward, but it turns out that green is the most visible color to the human eye, so that makes it a great pick. And those animated red LEDs? They just scream “look at me” – and that’s the point. After all, you’re trying to keep people from tripping in clubs, concert venues, and other dark places where a trip-and-fall accident would completely wreck an otherwise good time.

But Fireflies aren’t just good for warning pedestrian traffic of they’re presence – they’re also great at catching the eyes of drivers who need to maneuver their vehicles over them. That’s a really nice feature, considering that it’s not too pleasant, or safe, to unwittingly charge a cable protector at high speed (buckle your seat belt). A visible warning and adequate time to slow down are definitely nice things to have.