Just realized how much romex has changed since I started back in 2003

The old cloth-covered stuff we used to pull through those farmhouses in Iowa was a nightmare compared to these new 12/2 rolls with the nylon jacket that just glides through studs, has anyone else noticed how much smoother the new jacketing is?

3 comments

3 Comments

oscar_ellis2mo ago

Boy howdy. The new stuff is night and day from what we used to deal with. That old cloth jacket would snag on everything and you'd spend half the day fighting it through a wall. The modern nylon sleeve just slides through like butter compared to that mess. It really makes a difference when you're running long pulls in a new build.

rose_cooper2mo ago

I found the same thing when I switched over to the new stuff last summer. That old jacket would grab every little splinter or nail head, drove me crazy on a 200 foot run. Now I just give it a quick tug and it's done, no more wrestling match with the wall.

margaret_kelly551mo ago

Oh man you are so right about that. The old cloth jacket was basically designed to fight you every step of the way. I remember doing a whole old farmhouse rewire back in 2008 and that romex would grab onto every single rough edge in the studs like it had magnets in it. Ended up having to sand down half the holes just to get the wire through without ripping the jacket. Now with this new stuff I just give it a good pull and it zips right through. Makes a huge difference when you are doing a long run and dont want to spend your whole day cussing at a wall. That nylon coating is a game changer for sure.