I was looking for 5 ft of black 12 gauge and Deans only comes in 25ft rolls unless you want red too which is a waste. I did find this on Ebay and it's from what looks like a hobby shop. Is there something special about Deans over this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Gauge-Sil...item19cf473d56

no theres no noticeable difference if one at all its 12 guage copper wire there all the same its just brands

Hard to say since the link doesn't appear to give a strand count, which impacts the flexibility if that matters. For reference Dean's Ultra is 660 strands, Wet Noodle is 1660, both are fairly high compared to general 12awg wire I believe. It does say it's silicone (insulated) that's good.

Many LHS' will have a spool of the Deans or other race-grade wire that they will then cutoff and sell by the foot. As mentioned in the post above mine, the higher-end wire will generally be more flexible than the cheap stuff.

not all wire is the same, Mark and Dave have it right.

Tekin has some new wire, thats super high tech. Flex jacket wire.
http://www.trick-parts.com/product_p/tt3011.htm

I use TQ Wire (click here)The stuff is super flexable even when cut short. Many places carry it, or buy direct from them just google them.

I went ahead and ordered some and I am very impressed. It's not as flexible as Wet noodle but more flexible than Deans ultra. Very easy to work with.