CSPC warns people to stop buying male-to-male cords on Amazon

Electrical extension cords are extremely useful for powering devices when your gadget’s power cord is not long enough to reach an electrical outlet. Regular power strips have what is called a wall plug that plugs into the wall and a socket at the end where you can plug your device into. There is absolutely no reason for male-to-male extensions to exist, but they are. And they’re available on Amazon, much to the drain of federal security regulators.

On Thursday, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a strange new warning urging consumers to stop buying male-to-male power strips on Amazon. The cords appear to be sold to people under the theory that plugging one end into a home’s electrical outlet and the other end into a gas generator electrifies the home. But you obviously shouldn’t be doing something so stupid.

“Extension cords have two male ends (a three-prong plug) and are commonly used to ‘back feed’ electricity into a home during a power outage by plugging a generator into an outlet in the home. When connected to a generator or outlet, the opposite end is live, creating a risk of serious electrical shock,” the CPSC explained in a post on its website.

Again, don’t try this. This is idiotic and unsafe. But the CSPC felt it necessary to make this warning explicit.

“In addition, the flow of electricity in a direction opposite to the typical flow of electricity violates the safety features of the electrical system of the house and can lead to a fire. The short length of some of these cords also encourages the use of a generator near the home, which can create a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. In addition, these cords do not comply with applicable national safety codes such as National Fire Protection Association 70 (NFPA 70),” the CPSC said in a statement.

If you read reviews of these cords on Amazon, you will notice that people are calling them “suicide cords”, and with good reason. Stop buying these cords. They are not safe.