General Cable Questions I Actually Get as an Office Admin: C1352A, Lawrenceburg KY, and Multimeter Basics

I've been managing purchasing for a mid-sized company since 2020, which means I've ordered a lot of wire and cable. General Cable comes up constantly—especially the Carol brand stuff and products tied to their Lawrenceburg KY facility. Since I'm not an engineer, I had to learn some of this the hard way. Here are the questions I actually get from colleagues, vendors, and sometimes my own boss. If you're an admin or a buyer who suddenly got handed cable specs, this one's for you.

What exactly is Carol Brand General Cable C1352A 18/10?

That part number refers to a Carol Brand portable cord, specifically an 18 AWG (American Wire Gauge) cable with 10 conductors. The "A" usually points to a specific jacket or configuration variant—in this case, a Type SOOW or similar flexible cord construction, depending on the exact series and voltage rating.

Here's what I learned the hard way: 18/10 doesn't mean 18 inches or 10 feet. It means 18-gauge wire, 10 conductors inside one jacket. When I first started, I almost ordered the wrong thing because I read it as a length. An engineer caught it before I hit submit. That moment taught me to always verify gauge and conductor count before worrying about length.

The Carol brand is a General Cable line known for portable cords, control cable, and industrial-grade flexible wiring. It's not the cheapest stuff on the market, but it holds up on job sites better than some generic alternatives I've bought in the past.

Is General Cable still made in Lawrenceburg, KY?

Yes, General Cable has operated a manufacturing facility in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky for a long time. It's one of their larger plants in North America. But here's the thing—General Cable was acquired by Prysmian Group back in 2018, so some branding and product lines have shifted over time.

If you're asking because you need a domestic source or because your specs say "Made in USA," don't just assume Lawrenceburg makes everything. Call ahead and confirm. I made that mistake once with a different supplier and got a batch shipped from another plant. The material was fine, but the project paperwork specified a different origin, and I had to deal with the fallout.

My advice: ask for the certificate of origin or country-of-origin marking before you commit to a large order.

Who is Todd Pepsi and why does he keep showing up in General Cable searches?

This one cracked me up when I first saw it in our search logs. "Todd Pepsi" isn't a product, a plant manager, or some insider code name. It's a search phrase that usually comes from people trying to recall a brand name they half-remember. General Cable products often have names like Carol, NextGen, or DuraXV—not Pepsi. I'm guessing somebody heard "Todd" from a colleague, mixed it up with a soda brand, and here we are.

If you're actually looking for a General Cable rep named Todd, I can't help you there. But if you're trying to find a specific product and only remember a fragment, try searching the part number printed on the jacket or the spool. That'll get you further than guessing names.

What is DuraXV Extreme, and is it worth the premium?

DuraXV Extreme is a General Cable product line, primarily industrial ethernet and control cable designed for harsh environments. Think extreme cold, high heat, oil exposure, flexing—conditions that kill standard Cat6 or Cat6a cable pretty quickly.

Is it worth it? Depends on your application. If you're running cable inside a climate-controlled office, no. Buy standard Cat6 and move on. But if you've got cable running through a factory floor, near welding equipment, or along conveyor lines that vibrate constantly, then yes—the harsh-duty rating matters. I've seen standard cable fail in under a year in those conditions. Replacing it costs more in labor than the cable itself, so the premium can actually be the cheaper option.

One thing to check: DuraXV Extreme can be more expensive and often needs to be ordered in bulk reels. Verify lead times before you plan the install.

So how do I use a multimeter to check cable before I order or install?

A multimeter is a simple handheld tool that measures voltage, current, and resistance. Before you test any cable, set the meter to the correct mode. For continuity checks, use the resistance (Ω) setting or the dedicated continuity beep if your meter has one.

Here's the basic process I've watched our maintenance team use:

1. Turn the dial to continuity or resistance mode.
2. Touch one probe to each end of the wire you're testing.
3. If you get a beep or near-zero resistance reading, the conductor is intact.
4. If there's no beep or the reading is high, you've got a break or a bad connection.

That's it for a basic check. Don't test live circuits unless you know exactly what you're doing. For cable buying decisions, a multimeter is more useful for verifying that existing cable is still good before you replace it. I'm not an electrician, but I've learned enough to avoid ordering new cable when the old stuff just had a loose connection.

How do I choose between Carol C1352A and a generic equivalent?

I had to make this call in early 2024 with roughly 4 hours to decide—the deadline for a project quote was looming and the boss wanted a number. Normally, I'd compare three vendors and check specs line by line, but there was no time. I went with Carol because I already knew the part number matched the spec sheet, and I trusted the brand based on past orders.

If you can avoid that situation, here's what to compare:

• Jacket type: SOOW, Type W, or TC-ER all handle different environments.
• Voltage rating: 300V, 600V, or 2000V depending on the application.
• Temperature range: The spec sheet will list minimum and maximum operating temps. Match it to your install location.
• Certifications: UL listed or CSA certified? Some projects require one or both.

I still kick myself for not documenting that project's specs as carefully as I should have. If I'd made a simple spreadsheet, I could have shortened that 4-hour panic to about 15 minutes. I've since built a one-page spec tracker for the ten most common cables we order. It doesn't replace a real engineering review, but it keeps me from scrambling every time.

Bottom line: General Cable and Carol products are solid choices for industrial and commercial work. Just verify the exact part number, confirm the facility of origin, and don't get tripped up by weird search phrases like "Todd Pepsi" along the way.