Three to five years is the sweet spot for outdoor extension cords.

Three to five years, depending on how you store it and your local climate. If you leave it coiled in the garage and only use it in mild weather, you might get five. If it sits in the sun or gets dragged across wet concrete weekly, three years is more realistic.

The SJTW jacket is tough, but it’s not immortal. UV from sunlight makes the rubber brittle. Every time you yank it around a corner or coil it tightly, you stress the insulation. And a leaf blower pulls a fair amount of current — that heat cycle adds up over time. The first thing to go is usually the jacket near the plug ends, or the blades inside the male plug start to loosen.

Don’t wait for visible damage. If the cord feels stiff, won’t lie flat, or if the plug gets hot during use, replace it. Also check the prongs — if they’re discolored or pitted, you’re risking a poor connection that can melt.

Three to five years of weekly blower use, then it’s cheap insurance to swap it out. A new 50-footer is $20. A fire or a shock is not.