power cord length

Why would making it shorter be harmful. Excessive length for current carrying capacity might be a problem but you can make it as short as you wish. You will not be drawing any more current from the wall than long ones.

why do companies not make a short cable?

There is no technical reason why it can't be as short as you like. But obviously it must be well constructed, so that it does not develop an internal short or open if stepped on, pulled, etc. And if it lacks UL approval, there could be a problem with your insurance if a fire ever originated as a result of overheating of either it or what it is powering.

why do companies not make a short cable?

Lack of demand, I suppose.

Regards,
-- Al

I have been trying to tell my wife for years ...Shorter is better!!!!!!!!

Signal Cable with make a PC any length you want.

Thorman;

My wife says it doesn't matter.

She's a liar.

Are you considering only certain brands, or are you open to any brands including custom fabrication...like VH Audio, etc.?

Dwhitt,

Depends on the PC.... In the case of a regular run of the mill factory non shielded pc that comes with the equipment it would not make any difference in the length. But when you cut off the factory plug and install a new plug then the quality of the new plug coupled with how you terminated the wires on the plug could make a difference.

In the case of audio grade aftermarket PCs a shorter cord may very well degrade the effectiveness of the PC. Especially in the case of shielded PCs.
Shunyata states the minimum length of their cables is one meter.

In closing you need to stand your ground! Today shorter PCs.... Tomorrow, potted plants setting on top the speakers.

you don't have flowers on top of your speakers . ? why, doesn't it make them sound better, my wife says the speakers sounds better with those flowers on top and all around....no , basically its me...i am a decor person and this system is in my living room and trying to make it look decent...dwhitt

Maybe 18 inches is good for an interconnect, but pesonally, I wouldn't want a power cable less than a meter because you have to think that maybe in the future, you will make changes in your setup that will render an 18 inch power cable useless. I also think you would be killing any resale value. In certain inocuous situations, a husband has to tell his wife a little white lie, this is one of those situations!

Dwhitt,

Hey, how's it going? Interested to hear about your new system when you are ready to expound.

Don't worry about a short cord, its not the length that matters, it's the flow! I would go to a reasonable custom cord manufacturer like Signal, Zebra or VH and ask them to make you a cord of whatever length you need. At the reasonable prices they charge, you wont fret too much about having a special purpose cord, and it will make you happy each time you sit down to enjoy your system because you wont see it hanging out from behind your gear.

One caveat - some of the cords listed above can be pretty stiff and may have trouble bending to where they need to go in a half meter length. Better to be sure you get something flexible enough to do what you want it to do.

Knownothing and Cyclonicman have made excellent points against 18 inch power cords: zero resale potential, and stiffness resulting in poor manageability.

I agree with the Signal, or VH Audio suggestions (I am not familiar with Zebra).

If you're going to buy 18" power cords, buy something flexible and don't spend a lot of money.