Cord Buying Guide:

I know, buying a cord isn't exactly rocket science, but there's  a few things to know to help avoid confusion and misunderstandings.

• Types. There are two types of connectors for cords. Spaded or  "hard wired" and modular. Spaded cords use spade tipped wires connected  directly to terminals inside the phone. Modular are the cords with the  little square clear plastic clips that allow you to disconnect the cord with  ease.
• Handset Cord Lengths. This is where the most confusion and misunderstandings  happen. The length of a handset cord is a measure of the actual material  used to make the cord. In other words, an 8 foot cord is made from 8 feet of  cord, but once coiled up is only going to be about 12 inches or so. A 12  foot cord is around 18 inches and a 25 foot cord is around 36 inches.
• Color. Most phones out there conform to the standard color  palette of Western Electric phones with a few exceptions. For example,  Automatic Electric's green (Jade Green) is different from Western Electric's  green (Moss Green). The biggest variation comes into play with red. Western  Electric's red is a dark red whereas most other phone companies used a  bright red. If you're not sure, consult with the seller on what color you  need to buy to make sure it matches your phone.
• Color fade. Sometimes it can be difficult to match your phone's  color because the color will most likely have faded with age. A good example  is the color "Aqua Blue", a sort of baby blue color. Most of these phones  now are more of a turquoise color. If you buy a new cord with original  color, it may not match your phone exactly. This phenomenon is most apparent  with the lighter color phones.