It finally happened, I lost misplaced my charger (reclaim it next week) so I needed a replacement quickly and preferably cheaper than an original. Enter Amazon and a 3rd party offering for £24 (Inc. Delivery) that took two days to get to me (just in time for a business trip or two this weekend). Made by the company that produces the end connector it is a genuine Battpit™ product and comes with 1 year warranty and I am genuinely pleased with it.
- 3.6A / 45w of power compared to the original charger at 2A/24w, almost doubling the charge rate
- The overall length of cable from plug to end connector is a whopping 3.24m compared to the original 1.5m charger length. I always found the original could have done with another half metre of length
- The magnetic strength of connection is not worse (or better)
Don’t get me wrong it has its issues build quality is not as nice as the original,
- End connector not as polished
- Chunky block midway is a bug-bear (although the official charger for the Surface Pro 2 is the same format)
- No LED built into end connector to confirm good connection (you can simply check on the tablet for charging status)
- I never got the little velcro strap as in the image above – not a deal breaker but would have been nice touch especially as cable is so long
I certainly would recommend it as a cheaper alternative, and one I am less likely to mule over if lost. I have swapped out the mains cable for a slimer lead (and smaller form factor plug) from an old laptop charger to reduce the supplied heavier duty cable.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DSL7600
Andy
