Since USB-A is nominally unable to handle 4.8A, it seems safe to expect that these ports deliver 1.2A each, which was fast by Samsung Galaxy S4 standards. Unfortunately, we’re 21 versions past that.
I guess we know why they’re both cheap and up for grabs on Meh.
@werehatrack The bigger problem is that it’s probably just 4.8A total with no per-port control, and probably no overcurrent protection which means, while you could charge a pair of 2.4A devices, a misbehaving device, or a broken/worn connector could probably pull 5A from one port and melt it with 25W of heat.
@brennyn So there’s times you care, and times you don’t.
Sticking my phone on the charger overnight for ~7 hours, as long as it can go from low to 100% by the time I wake up? It can go slow. Sure.
But if I’m at work where phone access is helpful and important and I don’r want to be without my phone too long, or I’m driving home from work, I’m hoping that 15 or 20 minutes will get that battery up from 20% to 35%, especially if I’m using the phone while charging to figure out what coupon in the Wendy’s App is going to get me and the spouse tolerably fed for under $10. Or god forbid using the GPS which will eat battery almost as fast as it replenishes on a slow charger.
And as that phone gets older, the battery gets weaker. So by the third year, you start wishing for a faster charge, because a day that dropped it to 40% now drops it to 25%, but you really don’t need that new phone until maybe your birthday, so…
@brennyn@Chefmongoose A phone with even a large ~5000mAh battery is still only 18W-Hr. Almost every USB-A plug made in the last decade supports at least 5V-2A charging, which is 10W. At worst, a phone takes 2-3 hours to “slow” charge from “only” 5V2A.
I would absolutely be buying these per the writeup…if I hadn’t recently bought and received a pair in the ‘mint julep’ color from SideDeal. They’re perfectly fit for purpose; Alarmo has been waking me up for a couple weeks now!
… But USB A is still useful. Most of my things are USB A still, not yet reached the C majority. I blame this on meh and me buying lots of old stuff from here.
@OnionSoup Ironically some of the cheap devices sold here with USB-C ports only work with old 5V usb-A cords they come with. When using a usb-C cord to a PD charger, the charger doesn’t work. I assume this is because to use the newer higher-power charge they need a “chip” that communicates with the PD charger, otherwise it won’t give them power. They will just eat the 5V from the “old” chargers all day. So be aware if you bought something new here with USB-C it will probably work with this but maybe not with a newer higher-tech charger.
I got two sets last time - they’re perfect for your nightstand. Oh no, the phone took four hours to charge when I was only asleep for… six?
That said, test them as soon as you get them. Meh Support took care of me, but I had one that made a very loud humming as soon as I plugged it in so I noped it out of there.
I love mine. I have one in the living room to charge all my many earbuds and wireless cameras that need the occasional charging and one in the bedroom for charging my many earbuds and backup batteries.
I bought these last time and haven’t used them yet - though they seem very nice and substantial. And in the interim, my spouse and I upgraded our iPhones from 12 mini to 16 Pro, and suddenly it’s much less relevant to our daily charging lives. But my main plan for this was to stick it in our travel bag anyway, so I’ll just make it a point to stick a couple of USB A to C cables in there and for overnight charging and all of our older devices, it’ll be fine.
Not sure if this would be something that can handle my use case, but I have a pair of rechargeable hearing aids that, being small, have very tiny batteries in them so draw very little power. Many of my fast charging wall-warts will not charge them correctly. If they are low enough to need charging they will recognize that they are there when you plug them in, but once they reach a full charge they frequently stop supplying power to the unit and never turn back on even though they start discharging immediately after power stopped being supplied to them (they read that power drop as being pulled from the case). I resolved this by keeping a handful of old style USB-A 1 amp (or lower) chargers around the house and in my travel kit.
This might have been handy if I still kept my hearing aids and phone charging at bedside, but they currently are set up to charge in the kitchen and have long enough cords. The amount of stray random lights in our bedroom was starting to drive SWMBO a bit nuts… evidently her eyelids are much thinner than mine!
These would probably be adequate or powering a Raspberry Pi, but I strongly suspect all 4 outputs are simply bridged together, so I’d caution against plugging in anything that might overdrive it. e.g. Some USB-powered things like certain ring lights may violate the 2.4A maximum and could melt a USB-A plug, as has happened with prior charging stations from meh.
There’s almost no reviews for this particular product, but the following “360 electrical” Cord+USB charger: https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B08X6D8CT3
“Stopped working about a week after purchasing, second one started smoking recently after six months”
“Lasted two years then the usb ports stopped working…”
“Be Careful! Mine also caught fire. I had it about 5 yrs.”
…and the 1 star reviews:
“This almost caught my 12 year old son’s room on fire! I went into his room, I could smell something I went to the plug and it burned a hole in the carpet. I’m glad I found it before his room was up in flames, I’m so mad and upset that they keep selling this product. This is a horrible product”
“USB ports stopped working are two weeks. Very disappointed.” x2-3 more like that
“When I plugged something into the block I got an arcing ,spark,flame !!!” (The AC outlets, but speaks to company quality)
(And some moron plugged a space heater into it and it almost burned his RV down)
Other “360 Electrical” (a name that begs anonymity) products seem to echo the ‘neat’ but often sub-par Chinesium quality, and the occasional super-dangerous vibe. Doubt they’re UL listed; Proceed with caution, and anyone than gets these in an IRK may have extra regret if things go really south. (Also at least one meh member had one from last time with disturbing sounds/performance)
@caffeineguy I’m not saying all the cord/charger things that come in from China are dangerous (and there are thousands of different ones though many are made at the same factories) but the product you posted seems very different from today’s deal.
@pmarin “360 Electrical” has a whole slew of different extension cables, USB power supplies, and a slew of combinations of the two. I’m saying I’d be hesitant to use something one of their USB power supplies in any kind of semi-permanent setup and I’m saying anyone using their AC extension cords (like today’s sidedeal) should be cautious of how much they actually load them down/plug in.
There’s a reason products end up here on meh. Many times, it’s obvious. Foodstuffs that are getting near best-used-by dates, products that were just a terrible idea/implementation (including “health” or yuppie diet products); products where the ‘bold’ branding failed (“dude washer” bidet?!); Often times it’s because they had a high failure rate. But occasionally, it’s because it’s a truly shitty product that is potentially dangerous.
Personally, I’d have bought a set of these if it was one power cord and one USB charger for $10, but really don’t need a pair of each. Granted, I’d only use them for travel/temporary use as it seems they’re pretty fragile.
If only I hadnt bought the 8-in-1 Wireless Charging Station with 5 USB Ports on March 7…Oh well, I have 5 USB Ports & a handy dandy charging station thats wireless (even though it has to plug into the wall outlet to work) to go with it!
Specs
Product: 2-Pack: 360 Electrical Habitat 6FT Braided 4-Port USB Charging Hub
Model: 360614-PF-4ES-C1
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Mar 24
I have no use for these but I like the pattern.
Far out Man! My grandfather used this back at Woodstock.
@Num1Zero Hippie mehrathon is over!
@Num1Zero @troy
Wow… And I thought time travel was just an LSD fueled rumor on Yazgur’s farm.
Since USB-A is nominally unable to handle 4.8A, it seems safe to expect that these ports deliver 1.2A each, which was fast by Samsung Galaxy S4 standards. Unfortunately, we’re 21 versions past that.
I guess we know why they’re both cheap and up for grabs on Meh.
@werehatrack The pedant in me is wanting to say that Samsung (and Apple, for that matter) skipped several numbers late in their flagship model lines.
reliable, yes
quick, no
@werehatrack The bigger problem is that it’s probably just 4.8A total with no per-port control, and probably no overcurrent protection which means, while you could charge a pair of 2.4A devices, a misbehaving device, or a broken/worn connector could probably pull 5A from one port and melt it with 25W of heat.
Am I the only one that doesn’t care how quickly my phone charges? It’s not like my home only has electricity for a limited number of hours each day.
@brennyn So there’s times you care, and times you don’t.
Sticking my phone on the charger overnight for ~7 hours, as long as it can go from low to 100% by the time I wake up? It can go slow. Sure.
But if I’m at work where phone access is helpful and important and I don’r want to be without my phone too long, or I’m driving home from work, I’m hoping that 15 or 20 minutes will get that battery up from 20% to 35%, especially if I’m using the phone while charging to figure out what coupon in the Wendy’s App is going to get me and the spouse tolerably fed for under $10. Or god forbid using the GPS which will eat battery almost as fast as it replenishes on a slow charger.
And as that phone gets older, the battery gets weaker. So by the third year, you start wishing for a faster charge, because a day that dropped it to 40% now drops it to 25%, but you really don’t need that new phone until maybe your birthday, so…
@brennyn @Chefmongoose A phone with even a large ~5000mAh battery is still only 18W-Hr. Almost every USB-A plug made in the last decade supports at least 5V-2A charging, which is 10W. At worst, a phone takes 2-3 hours to “slow” charge from “only” 5V2A.
I would absolutely be buying these per the writeup…if I hadn’t recently bought and received a pair in the ‘mint julep’ color from SideDeal. They’re perfectly fit for purpose; Alarmo has been waking me up for a couple weeks now!
No suicide cord on this one but dear nature is this hot garbage. You’re better off double dipping a chip than admitting to using “AI”.
I.domt need anymore chargers sorry…
… But USB A is still useful. Most of my things are USB A still, not yet reached the C majority. I blame this on meh and me buying lots of old stuff from here.
@OnionSoup likewise…
Old…but reliable
@OnionSoup Ironically some of the cheap devices sold here with USB-C ports only work with old 5V usb-A cords they come with. When using a usb-C cord to a PD charger, the charger doesn’t work. I assume this is because to use the newer higher-power charge they need a “chip” that communicates with the PD charger, otherwise it won’t give them power. They will just eat the 5V from the “old” chargers all day. So be aware if you bought something new here with USB-C it will probably work with this but maybe not with a newer higher-tech charger.
Your AI “art” is really f**king atrocious.
@user15781424 Let it sing you the song of its people.
I got two sets last time - they’re perfect for your nightstand. Oh no, the phone took four hours to charge when I was only asleep for… six?
That said, test them as soon as you get them. Meh Support took care of me, but I had one that made a very loud humming as soon as I plugged it in so I noped it out of there.
I love mine. I have one in the living room to charge all my many earbuds and wireless cameras that need the occasional charging and one in the bedroom for charging my many earbuds and backup batteries.
@Fuzzalini I didn’t even realize I’d made the write up! I’m using them as stated.
I bought these last time and haven’t used them yet - though they seem very nice and substantial. And in the interim, my spouse and I upgraded our iPhones from 12 mini to 16 Pro, and suddenly it’s much less relevant to our daily charging lives. But my main plan for this was to stick it in our travel bag anyway, so I’ll just make it a point to stick a couple of USB A to C cables in there and for overnight charging and all of our older devices, it’ll be fine.
@paxsarah Plug them in before traveling - see my comment elsewhere about one defective out of four.
Not sure if this would be something that can handle my use case, but I have a pair of rechargeable hearing aids that, being small, have very tiny batteries in them so draw very little power. Many of my fast charging wall-warts will not charge them correctly. If they are low enough to need charging they will recognize that they are there when you plug them in, but once they reach a full charge they frequently stop supplying power to the unit and never turn back on even though they start discharging immediately after power stopped being supplied to them (they read that power drop as being pulled from the case). I resolved this by keeping a handful of old style USB-A 1 amp (or lower) chargers around the house and in my travel kit.
This might have been handy if I still kept my hearing aids and phone charging at bedside, but they currently are set up to charge in the kitchen and have long enough cords. The amount of stray random lights in our bedroom was starting to drive SWMBO a bit nuts… evidently her eyelids are much thinner than mine!
These would probably be adequate or powering a Raspberry Pi, but I strongly suspect all 4 outputs are simply bridged together, so I’d caution against plugging in anything that might overdrive it. e.g. Some USB-powered things like certain ring lights may violate the 2.4A maximum and could melt a USB-A plug, as has happened with prior charging stations from meh.
@caffeineguy So you’re saying obsolete Meh chargers from Meh may be… Meh?
@pmarin no, they potentially could be spicy, not just meh.
There’s almost no reviews for this particular product, but the following “360 electrical” Cord+USB charger: https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B08X6D8CT3
“Stopped working about a week after purchasing, second one started smoking recently after six months”
“Lasted two years then the usb ports stopped working…”
“Be Careful! Mine also caught fire. I had it about 5 yrs.”
…and the 1 star reviews:
“This almost caught my 12 year old son’s room on fire! I went into his room, I could smell something I went to the plug and it burned a hole in the carpet. I’m glad I found it before his room was up in flames, I’m so mad and upset that they keep selling this product. This is a horrible product”
“USB ports stopped working are two weeks. Very disappointed.” x2-3 more like that
“When I plugged something into the block I got an arcing ,spark,flame !!!” (The AC outlets, but speaks to company quality)
(And some moron plugged a space heater into it and it almost burned his RV down)
Other “360 Electrical” (a name that begs anonymity) products seem to echo the ‘neat’ but often sub-par Chinesium quality, and the occasional super-dangerous vibe. Doubt they’re UL listed; Proceed with caution, and anyone than gets these in an IRK may have extra regret if things go really south. (Also at least one meh member had one from last time with disturbing sounds/performance)
@caffeineguy I’m not saying all the cord/charger things that come in from China are dangerous (and there are thousands of different ones though many are made at the same factories) but the product you posted seems very different from today’s deal.
@pmarin “360 Electrical” has a whole slew of different extension cables, USB power supplies, and a slew of combinations of the two. I’m saying I’d be hesitant to use something one of their USB power supplies in any kind of semi-permanent setup and I’m saying anyone using their AC extension cords (like today’s sidedeal) should be cautious of how much they actually load them down/plug in.
There’s a reason products end up here on meh. Many times, it’s obvious. Foodstuffs that are getting near best-used-by dates, products that were just a terrible idea/implementation (including “health” or yuppie diet products); products where the ‘bold’ branding failed (“dude washer” bidet?!); Often times it’s because they had a high failure rate. But occasionally, it’s because it’s a truly shitty product that is potentially dangerous.
Personally, I’d have bought a set of these if it was one power cord and one USB charger for $10, but really don’t need a pair of each. Granted, I’d only use them for travel/temporary use as it seems they’re pretty fragile.
Oh, and there’s this one–
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2016/360-Electrical-Recalls-Surge-Protectors
If only I hadnt bought the 8-in-1 Wireless Charging Station with 5 USB Ports on March 7…Oh well, I have 5 USB Ports & a handy dandy charging station thats wireless (even though it has to plug into the wall outlet to work) to go with it!
Cooler than Georgia Red?? . . hush your mouth.