Gear Review: Brigade of the Light Chargers

 Back in the days when I first traveled, there was no internet, cameras took film, pocket sized phones were only seen in science fiction or Dick Tracy, and any electrical item taken overseas needed a voltage converter. 

But that was then and this is now. Who doesn’t take some type of smaller electronic device: cell phone, mp3 player, digital camera, etc?

With each item comes a charger. To light travelers, carrying one charger for each electronic gadget is too much weight.

Fortunately,  multi-chargers—evices that could recharge numerous devices at the same time—were developed.

One of the first devices I heard of was the Chargepod.

This dual-voltage (meaning it can be  used in most of the world without a converter) device can charge up to six smaller small gadgets at once using their Chargepod’s own proprietary adapters. (These are different from electrical plug adapters which you will also need if you take the Chargepod outside of North America.)

This has been my first choice as a travel charger for awhile. In fact, I use it at home rather than have a bunch of individual chargers plugged in all over the place.

The Chargepod is made by Callpod which also makes the Fueltank Uno and Fueltank Duo. 

Fueltanks are portable lithium ion battery powered portable chargers that can recharge a smaller gadget multiple times before it needs to be recharged. (They use the same adapters as the Chargepod). The Uno (on the left in the above photo) comes with its own A/C power adapter and can recharge one gadget many times. The Duo (in the center of the above photo) comes with the same power adapter and can recharge a single item twice as long or two gadgets at once. The Fueltank can also be recharged through the Chargepod. 

The Fueltank is great for very long flights where a plug may not be available. I have gotten three full charges from the Uno for my Ipod Touch. 

One caveat…..the adapters have been known to fail. I’ve had to replace a couple. And at $10 each, it can add up. 

Recently, I got a Lenmar ACUSB4 multi charger.

This dual voltage charger will charge 4 devices at once via USB. So, the same chord you would use to charge via a laptop would be used with this charger.  The Lenmar does come with 4 interchangeable electric adapter plugs so it can be used almost anywhere in the world. 

One surprise is that by using a USB/mini-usb  cord I was able to recharge the above mentioned Fueltanks. 

The Lenmar charger with plugs and 4 usb chords weighs a couple of ounces less than the Chargepod and its adapters. 

One problem I had was my digital camera. Neither of these two would charge the camera’s battery without bringing along the battery charger. 

But then I heard about and got the Lenmar PPUClip.

The PPUClip does just what it says: it clips onto a camera battery and is plugged directly into a USB port. (There is a fold down USB plug on the clip but it’s not seen in the above photo.) This works great.

To get an idea of the size of these, here’s a side by side photo of many of the above devices.

Now, a few notes:

1) These devices will not charge a laptop or netbook. They will, I’ve been told, charge an Ipad. 

2) If you bring a laptop or netbook with your while traveling, you probably don’t need any of these, except the PPUclip, because you can charge via the computer. 

3) Gomadic and IGo are two other companies that have multi-chargers. I’ve used Gomadic products and they are just as good as the ones I mentioned above. (In fact, when Gomadic redesigned it’s own AA battery powered portable charger because the original wouldn’t work with Apple products, they sent me a new one at no charge.) Be aware, all of these companies used to make adapters for Apple…..however…..Apple has cracked down and won’t allow then anymore. To charge an Ipod or Iphone, they suggest using the Apple supplied USB cord and a female USB connector.

4) Lenmar is soon coming out with a six device charger that looks a lot like the Chargepod. It will use it’s own proprietary adaptors. 

5) The devices I’ve charged with the two major chargers mentioned above are an Ipod touch, Palm TX, Blackberry Bold, Fueltank Uno and Duo, and 1st Generation Kindle. My Canon digital camera battery charged easily with the PPUClip. 

So, if you’re traveling without a computer, or even if you are but want a separate charger, there are numerous multi-chargers available that will help you lessen your load and lighten your travels. 

“half a league, half a league, half a league onward……”

(Frank II)

Update on June 12, 2011 by Frank@OBOW

As Cindy H noted in the comment section, many devices are now dual voltage. How do you know? Look at the power information. If it says 110 or 120/240v  you are good to go. No converters. Almost all newer small electronics these days are dual voltage.  

Comments

[Cindy H]

I would have added one thing to the post. That for ALL USB devices, the power into the device is 5volts. That is why the Lenmar plug works so well. It will do a step down conversion to 5 volts regardless of the input voltage.

Another thing I would mention is that much of the new electronics are being standardized for a single power cord - the mini-USB. That will allow many travelers to take one cord total, although they could only charge one thing at a time.

Perhaps later you can do a post on how many of our electronics are already dual voltage and don't need a converter - only an adapter plug. Many times people take the extra power converters (which are heavy) when it isn't neccessary at all. For example, my curling iron is dual voltage, so I only need add an itty bitty adapter plug on to the end of my US style plug to plug in to the foreign wall socket. This information is usually stamped on the barrel of the iron. It says "Conair corp 120/240 AC 50/60 Hz 85W". This is true for many electronics - go look for the power information stamped on the device. It is also true for most computers - the power brick is dual voltage. People bring all sorts of converter gear that really isn't needed!

The only things that don't work with dual voltage are things with motors - hair dryers and electric razors (The direct plug in kind, not the battery powered ones). There are some sold in the US that are supposedly dual voltage, but these stress the foreign wiring, which may not be as robust as other places.

[stevenshytle]

I use the IGO chargers. I have auto adapter in each of my cars, an auto/car/airplane in my travel kit, and I use 2 of their laptop chargers as our travel power adapter for car/home. I used to work for a major elecronics store that sold them, but as testament of their quality/value I bought 4 of the 5 after my working there. Many times, dad has been the hero when my kids forget to bring their chargers for their mp3 players, psp, ds, etc. I love their tips system, with each new toy, I just buy a new tip.

Echoing what Cindy H. said, now that most of my devices are now mini-usb and are migrating towards the micro-usb standard, I often just carry a little dual plug usb charger..

[Liz]

I'm not sure they would charge an ipad, as they require a 10v charger?? You might want confirmation before you counted on these to charge your iPad.

iPhone, ipods, etc should all be fine.

[Frank@OBOW]

I did check with Callpod and they confirmed that the Chargepod would charge an Ipad.

Frank II

[Maggie]

Great post! It has been awhile since I bought any chargers and this is a wonderful summary. Thanks!

[Mike W]

I've heard that hotels sometimes have extra chargers that people have left behind. You could always take a chance and see if they have one for your device when you arrive. The lightest item is one you do not have to carry.