I don't even know how an extension cord can be made so bad. This thing won't lie flat, period. Connector section is very chunky, too big. One of the plug inserts doesn't even fit a standard three-pronged plug. I'm not sure how it passed the QA test. All I needed was a black 3-prong extension cord for my toaster because Black & Decker thought it would be a good idea to only give you 1 foot of cord to plug into now. Nothing is made the way it used to be.