So I was kind of hesitant to buy this because there were no reviews on it but I decided to go with it anyway. I'm so glad I did. It's not cheaply made like the other ones that I've seen, and it gives a nice blue glow when it's plugged in, letting you know that there's power going to it. The fact that there's a USB is even better because it lets you charge your ipod/iphone or anything else that requires a USB to charge. Also, you're able to tilt it up so that it's not in the way if you need it to be. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this product.
I viewed all the 3-port chargers I could find on Amazon, and I bought this one because it seemed to be higher quality than many others, and the price is very reasonable.
The adapter initially plugged into my car's power port fine, but it tended to loosen occasionally, and I'd have to push it back in so the tip made contact.
It functioned perfectly for the first few days, but gradually, all three 12VDC power ports broke (I haven't used the USB port). The ports are not very durable; the front plastic panel that holds the internal metal collars breaks, so the collars shift inside each port and lose electrical contact. The collars are not supported well at all, and repeated plugging and unplugging of devices caused them to fail. The extra tight fit to the power plugs only made it worse.
If you plug your cords in once and never remove them, I suppose this product would last a lot longer than two weeks.
I went back to the Radio Shack adapter, which has worked for two years and counting.I have had for about 5 months now and I have really only used it less than 10 times.
It was a bit tight to fit into the cigarette lighter and I had to wiggle it a few times as it seemed to have lost connection.
I contributed that to maybe that it was still new.
I have not used it enough but since it responded after I wiggled it, I was satisfied and carried on with life.
I will post an update in about 6 months or a 1 year or if anything stops working.For about $8 ($13 delivered) this little gizmo has already paid for itself in convenience on just one 8 day road trip. I live in So Cal so I received the item from the distributors San Diego, CA location in half the expected delivery time. That was appreciated because the expected delivery date was one day prior to my trip departure leaving little room for error (but it would have been my fault anyway because I waited until the last week to make such a purchase). YMMV on delivery times.
The product itself came well packaged (actually overpackaged for such a small item but appreciated none the less). Again, remember we're talking about an $8 piece of equipment so always keep that in mind when thinking about purchasing this item. It is so affordable that it is almost a one time/throw away worthy type piece BUT the construction appears sufficiently capable of holding up to some decent long term usage. I however will only need to use it on long road trips as I do not routinely need more than one 12v plug for an occasional cell phone recharge (plus my SUV has a 2nd 12v plug under the arm rest for the rare 2nd 12v plug-in need). So this item should last some time for our needs.
Soon after receipt, I ripped open the plastic cocoon holding it in place, plugged in my wifes iPhone 3G charger via the single USB port, a Beltronics Vector 955 radar detector into the 12v slot #1, a Tom Tom GPS into the 12v slot #2 and for good measure, a univeral camera battery charger into the 12v slot #3, plugged the fully loaded unit horizontally into my SUV 12v opening below the radio, fired up my rig and bam, NOTHING.
I must advise that the unit DID NOT provide power in my SUV when all 4 slots were used at once while in the horizontal position.
(just throwing darts in the dark here -->)Perhaps the weight of all the plugs in the horizontal position made the connection to my SUV 12v slot unbalanced and therefore did not provide enough contact to the vehicle 12v slot.
Because the unit has a swivel base, all I did to quickly remedy the situation was turn off the vehicle power, rotated the item vertically, reset all the plugged in items and then fired up my rig again. This time the blue indicator light on the unit lit right up (a nice visual touch for power on confirmation) and then all the other plugged in items buzzed into action. I actually like the fact that it functions better for my particular application while standing up vertically because it keeps my front passenger from any possible interference with the unit. Win-win for my needs.
It passed the test mode like a champ and like I previously indicated, this item worked flawlessly through a 1500+ mile, 8 day, multiple stop and stay roadie.
This item has received a positive, referrable review from me for living up to my real world useage.
p.s.
I will follow up soon as to whether or not the USB port functions with the new 4G iPhone (my wife receives her new phone when she returns to work next week from this current vacation period).
UPDATE: 3/22/11
This unit is still working like a champ after several long road trips and I can confirm that the USB port does power an iPhone4.I bought this because it was the cheapest thing that fit my needs.
Pros-
Has a USB port. Excellent for charging your phone without buying an adapter
The portion that inserts into the lighter is on the small side, in a good way. It isn't too bulky or tough to get out, but stays in place when it must
Cons-
Cannot easily fill all ports at once, the 1st and 3rd adapter ports + usb makes for a crowded space. I can't imagine putting something else in the middle port.
Flimsy. When I plug anything into the lighter-shaped ports, the entire unit succumbs to gravity and faces the floor. It generally stays plugged in, which I guess makes it okay, but it's a pain.
Weak connection points. Although the connection to the car is fine, the ports for your aux devices are weak, and become loosened easily.
If you just want *something, anything* for this purpose, go ahead. If you want quality, keep looking.
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