Generally I need to take the entire spool with me. I do more than just benchtop/lab bench projects. I originally figured 25 feet would last a long time. HA! HAHA! HAHAHA! I have moved up to 100 foot spools. (even at that I just rewired the sawmill trailer lights POOF! there went a 1/3 of a roll).
I had been throwing the 25 foot spools in a box. They didn't unwind badly, if at all. The 100 foot spools, on the other hand, are horrible. I can't hardly tell there are spools in the box.
Hence my motivation for this thread. I will try the hole-in-the-spool method.