[ghporter]

Since both my wife and I now have Mac laptops that charge via USB C, I'm investigating getting a dedicated charger for travel. This would allow us to leave the original chargers where we have them - not crawling under desks to unplug stuff from a surge suppressor is a definite factor here - and just take the travel stuff. We already do this with charging stuff for our phones and tablets, so this would be an extension of an established practice.

I recently saw an article about a UGREEN 100W USB C charger that offered 3 USB C ports and one USB A port. It looked like a good idea, but it's kind of hard to determine if the unit in the article is the same as what's shown on various sales sites, so I'm a bit leery of shopping for "maybe the same" item. And I wonder if the article was "sponsored" instead of a legitimate review.

Any personal experience with chargers that work great, or chargers to stay away from would be greatly appreciated.

[subego]

Anker makes a 65W 2C/1A charger that’s a victim of its own awesomeness. They made it so dense it pulls itself out of wall sockets.

[ghporter]

I wound up buying the UGREEN charger. It has a couple of advantages over most others, like the folding power plug prongs - which the Anker charger has, but it's closer in shape to an Apple charger, so it doesn't have quite as much leverage to pull itself out of the socket.

Another thing it has going for it is related to the folding prongs: cruise ships don't allow a lot of things that have cords, particularly chargers and outlet strips. Having integral prongs should mean the thing is allowed on the ship. Cruise ships are essentially the only travel-related settings that this is an issue for, but it definitely makes a difference. Having a single travel charger setup simplifies packing for any destination.

[Gregg]

I have the INIU® Power Bank. It has served me well, never given me a problem. A charge lasts a long time, and recharges my phone multiple times before losing 25% of its charge. (It has four lights, and one goes dim.) I usually recharge the "brick" when that first light stops blinking.

[reader50]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

... cruise ships don't allow a lot of things that have cords, particularly chargers and outlet strips.

Any idea why? I hadn't heard this one before. Same reason as jails - they don't want depressed customers hanging themselves?

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by reader50 

Any idea why? I hadn't heard this one before. Same reason as jails - they don't want depressed customers hanging themselves?

It’s a combination of fire hazards and stupid passengers. Long cords are subject to being tugged, broken, etc. And stupid passengers like to bring stuff like clothes irons, hot plates, and so on. Oh, and tea candles, fireworks, lighter fluid (not IN lighters)…

Here’s Royal Caribbean’s list of no-nos.

One of the WORST things that can happen on a ship at sea is a fire. Joe I’mOnVacay is usually clueless about any kind of hazards anywhere, and he’s worse on a cruise ship because a subset of passengers suddenly become “super entitled man” once they board the ship. Just a data point: there IS a brig on every cruise ship. Small and uninviting…. One of the perks of getting a “behind the scenes” tour is getting to see such interesting stuff.

Passengers who act like human beings, who treat staff members like they appreciate what they do, and who don’t cause problems (this is me and my wife) usually find that their service is just a bit nicer, more prompt, and the staff members’ smiles are really genuine. We don’t cruise to be “superior,” we cruise because the experience is fabulous, the food is wonderful, and the (not treated like peons) staff members are warm, well traveled, and personally fascinating. We kind of try to be the opposite of the “ugly American” stereotype, which ain’t hard; we just act like humans.

Long answer to a short question, but this kind of vacation is important to us, and we’ve had our noses rubbed in just how awful some “people” get when they aren’t at home.