Schill GT 310.RM Black

We use these to keep all our 10m XLR cables on which means no more knots when rigging cables at the next session! Storing XLRs serially on a drum means they can all be tested in one go.

The flange on the front of the drum allows the other inside cable to be fastened securely, along with the velcro strap which is a nice touch (and doesn't come with the smaller 235 drum). If you want it to be really smart you could hardwire a short XLR to a face plate but that means the drum can't be used for other cables in the future.

The drum is lightweight but strong and German-made. There are two holes on the inside, one small with a rubber valve, the other much larger if you're adding a loom. Again the larger hole is missing on the smaller 235 drum.

The cavity in the middle is kind of gaping when you first look at the drum which provides minimal protection to internal cabling so perhaps a face plate should be included by default, but in practice this doesn't matter if storing standalone cables on the drum.

I bought this to hold the Cat 5 cable for my digital snake.
I have 50m of Cat 5 Shielded cable mounted on the drum which is no where near the reels capacity.
The reel is very well made, and comes with an integral brake to prevent any cable running off when you have laid it out.
There is a locking cable gland/clamp in the centre of the reel that holds one on the cable in place and allows you to wind this around the cable onto the retaining arms on the outside of the reel.
The remaining cable can be wound onto the drum and the end passed through the drum wall and held in place with the Velcro strap supplied with the reel.
I have used this for several gigs already and these have a very sturdy feel to them unlike some other reels on the market.