My cable arrived in a well packed box completely intact - the spool is undamaged. I was concerned because others were having problems. I ran the spare cord outside and wanted to make sure it would stand up to the weather. This cable meets the requirements and has so far proven to be reliable. I've only used about 80ft, but after a couple of weeks I haven't had any issues with my cable. I'll update later if I come across anything. Very rigid cable but will bend. I have never used Cat6 cable or even direct burial so this was a new experience. It seems well made and definitely solid copper. I used IDEAL Cat6 pass-through connectors and a crimping tool to make the connection with no problems.