Original charger vs Ebay 3rd party chargers

[clrk9000]

Question: Why didn't you just get Microsoft to send you a new one under warranty? Mine is beginning to show problems, in that if i wiggle the cable next to the magnetic connector it will stop charging and have to wiggle it to get it to start charging again. If it fails, i just send MS a message and they pop a new one in the post for me

I DID. They sent me a new one but was told no need to send the old one.
I just can't stomach throwing this in the trash. The charger itself and the USB port both still work well.

ps. I stripped it just to know how many wires really are coming out the charger going to the SP3 as the connector itself has so many little flat pin connectors.

 

[hughlle]

I DID. They sent me a new one but was told no need to send the old one.
I just can't stomach throwing this in the trash. The charger itself and the USB port both still work well.

Ah, i see, makes sense Thought you were just a crazy man with too much money That's the main reason i've yet to ask for a replacement, i can't justify even a day without the charger and can't afford to simply buy a repalcement in the meantime. I shall email MS immediately

 

[hughlle]

Bloody brilliant. My charger still works but is developing an issue with the cable where it connects to the port, so thanks to @clrk9000 i contacted MS, and a brand new one is in the post free of charge with no need to return the old. MS are doing an amazing job with customer service of late! Extremely impressed. Not sure how long the old charger will last but can't complain to having a spare

 

[malberttoo]

Microsoft seems to be pretty liberal thus far about replacing adapters.

I saw somewhere, maybe Gizmodo or The Verge, where they disassembled an authentic Apple iPad charger and side by side with a Chinese knock-off, and the differences were scary. An electrical engineer was doing the tear-down, and showed how in places where insulation was required, the Chinese one had little to none, as well the components were severely underpowered for the amps and voltages involved. He said you would generally be luck just to have the Chinese one mysteriously stop working, but also you ran the very real risk of the thing catching fire, components exploding, etc.

It was a good article because it made clear that even though the name-brand adapters are spendy sometimes, they are usually high-quality devices that you can feel are safe and should provide a long life of service.

I'll never buy a knock-off again.

 

[hughlle]

Microsoft seems to be pretty liberal thus far about replacing adapters.

I saw somewhere, maybe Gizmodo or The Verge, where they disassembled an authentic Apple iPad charger and side by side with a Chinese knock-off, and the differences were scary. An electrical engineer was doing the tear-down, and showed how in places where insulation was required, the Chinese one had little to none, as well the components were severely underpowered for the amps and voltages involved. He said you would generally be luck just to have the Chinese one mysteriously stop working, but also you ran the very real risk of the thing catching fire, components exploding, etc.

It was a good article because it made clear that even though the name-brand adapters are spendy sometimes, they are usually high-quality devices that you can feel are safe and should provide a long life of service.

I'll never buy a knock-off again.

My partner refuses to pay for OEM, and just buys chargers from the 99p store. They are always worryingly hot to the touch and make a slightly disconcerting buzzing sound while plugged in and charging. No real issues, other than them all breaking without fail. This is the kind of situation where i adhere to the buy cheap buy twice principal. Better just to spend a lot of money once and have it last, and have the peace of mind.

 

[WoodSurface]

I got this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R7DKJPO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It has worked for me, so far so good after 2 months of daily use, I use both the original charger for work and this one for home, so that I'm using wall-power as much as possible. The one disadvantage with this cheapo charger is that the LED charging light is always on when plugged into the wall, regardless if it's plugged into the SP3, so if it's slightly off the SP3 and you might think it's charging or using wall power, it's not until it is firmly seated into the socket. The original charger only lights up when it is powering the SP3. It's still too new where I can't comment on the safety or longevity of this charger.

WW