Is Romex without Sheathing same as "normal" wire?

Thanks for all sides of the argument of it being good or bad. Just to clarify- It is going to be a 15' run outdoors from a GFCI box to a spa. (5' in conduit down the wall, 5' in conduit buried, 5' in liquidtite into the spa. What really had me wondering about major differences is the fact that 125' of 6/3 WG Romex ( 375 total feet of #6) is $222-or the equivalent of $.59/foot at Home Depot. That same 375' of individual THHN is $352.50 or $.95/ft. That does not include the 125' of bare copper #10 ground I could recycle/reuse or the cost that Romex has to put the NM-B jacket on the bundle which I reasoned probably cost more than ink jetting the individual THHN wires. I just wondered because of the 60% difference in price if there was some major difference. I guess it is the power of buying in bulk or one product getting price adjusted faster or slower than the other. Normally in a sellers market such as we are in with copper and nickel, the big guys do not get much better pricing than the little guys simply because sellers do not have to do it.

I realize there are marking issues and technicalities. But since an inspector will never look at it, I have a hard time throwing away good wire ,spending the additional $42.30 all over ink jetting and no technical or safety difference. If someone ever questions the size or type, all they would have to do is look at the inlet side of the GFCI box, and they would see that the NM-B is clearly marked 3 #6 CU, Ground #10, and the wires going out the other side are the same size, same jacket color, thickness and type. At least the #6 Green Ground , I will have to buy to replace the bare #10 will be marked. Thanks again for all of the thoughts/opinions. Please excuse the ignorant question.

Blake said:

I agree if I were doing this job commercially for a paying customer who was going to be inspected, there is only 1 way to do it, by the book. This job does not fall into that category.

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There is only one category...by the book. The rules should not be different because no one's watching and knowingly violating the code is a slippery slope, like unclebill said, where does it stop?

As electrical professionals, our goal should be a craftsman like, code compliant installation every time, no matter what the circumstances. Most of us have or will have licenses that indicate we are competent in our trade, know the rules and will follow them.

It's true that installing the #6 from the NM-B will work. The spa will operate, it is GFCI protected, and ultimately there are no major safety issues, but it is still wrong.

I neglected to mention I live in unincorporated Harris County in Houston, TX. No codes, no permits, no inspectors, no zoning, no taste-the real wild west:thumbup:

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That means you should be doubly on your toes, because you have no safety net... no inspector to catch something you might have missed, no second set of eyes helping you. You have to police yourself, and follow the NEC.

Even though you are in the great state of Texas, it is not it's own country. Texas now has a state licensing system for electricians (finally) and I assume somewhere there is a governing body and they must have a controlling document for electrical work, and I'd bet it's the NEC.

I live in an area that is similar inasmuch as there is no state permitting or inspections of residential electrical work. When you have people doing marginal and non-compliant installations, it makes it hard to compete as an EC who does follow the code. Explaining to a customer why they have to pay $15 for a in use cover when the last guy used a $4 cover is tough. Saving $42.30 is great, but you are teaching customers that corner cutting is normal and acceptable.