The VDH Clearwater is rated at 14 ga. (1.97mm), according to the website. The freebie "made in china" cable I got from the store is quite a bit thicker, my guess is probably 12 ga. or more. I use the cables straight with no connectors.

Another observation I have is that the wire strands of the freebie cable is quite loose, while the VDH appears much more densely packed.