ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Why don't "they" require better extension cords?

I beg to differ! Extension cords are _not_ appliance cords! That's the key difference!
Appliance cords only need to be protected against short circuits, the overload protection is ensured by the appliance itself.
Extension cords have no way of knowing what might be connected to them, so they have to be rated for the full circuit ampacity.