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Review of Lightning to USB cable purchased from ebay - $4.90 shipped

R

rrandyy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 14, 2009
278
4
Summary
I recently purchased two lightning to USB cables from ebay. I recommend the cable, as it works perfectly. A detailed review is below.

Link: Item on eBay
Cost: $4.90 per cable, including shipping
Timing: Purchased 11/25/12; Actual delivery 12/3/12 (to San Francisco, CA); Estimated delivery 12/11/12 - 12/28/12
Functionality: I was able to charge (using a wall adapter) and backup data (using a macbook) with the cable.
Impressions: The lightning end of the eBay cable is larger than Apple's cable. The eBay cable is also a few inches shorter (see image below). The connections on the original Apple cable are cleaner than the eBay cable. As expected, the overall quality of the original Apple cable is better than the eBay cable. The stiffness of the two cables is very similar. I see no reason to pay a premium for the original Apple cable.

Images: Original Apple cable on top for all images.
 

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Last edited:
W

webworks415

macrumors 6502
Dec 20, 2008
282
12
I got the 2 I ordered in from Zagers also...$9 shipped. The plastic base is a bit longer than the official cables, and the gold pins on the Lightning side arent as solid, thats how I can tell them apart. But they work perfectly.
 
S

Seed me

macrumors newbie
Dec 1, 2012
18
0
Good to hear, I bought 6 last week. Do both sides of the 8 pin lightning work?
 
I

iamthekiller

macrumors 6502a
Feb 3, 2010
635
1
lol, that you thought you had to tell us which was the official one from apple. that bootleg one looks like it was soldered together by a drunken monkey. I'd worry about plugging that thing in unattended. wow.
 
B

bandityo

macrumors member
Nov 11, 2012
75
11
I bought two of the boxwave ones and they work perfectly also. However, Im concerned maybe the life will be shorter as the gold plating contacts may wear easier than original....but I can sure go thru a lot of these for the price of OEM lol
 
R

rrandyy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 14, 2009
278
4
iamthekiller said:
lol, that you thought you had to tell us which was the official one from apple. that bootleg one looks like it was soldered together by a drunken monkey. I'd worry about plugging that thing in unattended. wow.
Click to expand...

LOL. At least give me credit for providing more than enough information. ;)

However, don't conflate aesthetics with functionality. As far as I can tell, the cables are completely functional. I will report back if I have problems with them.
 
A

ARSkemp

macrumors 6502
Feb 2, 2011
337
1
I've heard others report that some of the cheaper cables fit much tighter into the iPhone and may cause the port the loosen up a bit over time. How well do these cables fit?
 
S.L.

S.L.

macrumors regular
Oct 2, 2012
146
25
USA
Getting 3 extra cables at ~$13 for OEM on release week has more than made up for the countless times my battery would have died if I had waited for knockoffs to slowly be developed. Paid a slight premium for convenience, but well worth having OEM at a discount since release week. :D
 
I

iamthekiller

macrumors 6502a
Feb 3, 2010
635
1
ARSkemp said:
I've heard others report that some of the cheaper cables fit much tighter into the iPhone and may cause the port the loosen up a bit over time. How well do these cables fit?
Click to expand...

That is among the dangers of using such cheaply made junk cables on such an expensive device.
 
R

rrandyy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 14, 2009
278
4
ARSkemp said:
I've heard others report that some of the cheaper cables fit much tighter into the iPhone and may cause the port the loosen up a bit over time. How well do these cables fit?
Click to expand...

The eBay one is a little bit tighter fit, but not much. I don't think it will be a concern. Also, it doesn't look like it, but the girth of the thick white part of the eBay cable is very similar to that of the Apple cable (unrelated to the fit).
 
R

rrandyy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 14, 2009
278
4
It looks like eBay took down the listing. I just received this notice from eBay:

We're writing to let you know that this listing for an item you won or bid on is no longer available:

350633509345 - Hot Universal Lightning USB Charging Touch Nano Cable For iPhone 5 iPad iPod

We understand this may be disappointing, but occasionally we need to remove listings. There are several reasons why we may remove listings, for example:
-- The listing doesn't follow eBay guidelines.
-- The item isn't allowed on eBay or can only be listed under certain conditions.
-- The listing contains pictures or words that may create copyright or trademark issues.

If the seller offers you the item outside of eBay, don't accept the offer. These types of transactions aren't covered by eBay buyer protection programs.
Click to expand...
 
toezter

toezter

macrumors regular
Jul 12, 2004
205
0
Madison, WI
Hey everyone, (wow its been awhile since I've posted...) I just got an email after ordering this cable, AND was verified it shipped earlier this morning.

Email from ebay:
eBay sent this message to (toezter).
Your registered name is included to show this message originated from eBay. Learn more.

MC999 eBay Listing Removed: (723022743)






Dear toezter,

We're writing to let you know that this listing for an item you won or bid on is no longer available:

350633509345 - Hot Universal Lightning USB Charging Touch Nano Cable For iPhone 5 iPad iPod

We understand this may be disappointing, but occasionally we need to remove listings. There are several reasons why we may remove listings, for example:
-- The listing doesn't follow eBay guidelines.
-- The item isn't allowed on eBay or can only be listed under certain conditions.
-- The listing contains pictures or words that may create copyright or trademark issues.

If the seller offers you the item outside of eBay, don't accept the offer. These types of transactions aren't covered by eBay buyer protection programs.

Here's what you can do next:
-- If you won the item but haven't paid, don't pay. Since eBay removed the listing, you're no longer obligated to go through with the transaction.
-- If you paid through Western Union or MoneyGram, contact the company directly (Western Union 800-325-6000 or MoneyGram 800-926-9400). If you paid by check, contact your bank to stop payment.
-- If you paid for the item and it's past the estimated delivery time or if the item arrived but didn't match the seller's description, you can open a case in the Resolution Center:
http://resolutioncenter.ebay.com

Thanks,

eBay

Please don't reply to this message. It was sent from an address that doesn't accept incoming email.


H53880
Click to expand...

We'll see what happens if I actually do get the cable or not.

Cheers

----------
rrandyy said:
It looks like eBay took down the listing. I just received this notice from eBay:
Click to expand...

Ahhh rrrranddyyy, you beat me.
 
U

unagimiyagi

macrumors 6502a
Jun 9, 2009
905
229
I bought one from Zagerz.com and it was $4.48 shipped.

It works, kind of. When the phone moves from off to on, or occasionally when I plug it in, it says "this accessory is not compatible with charging" or something.

Piffed me off. But when I reconnect again, it always charges. This is not a huge deal, but if one day I plug it in, and I forget to check to see if I get the warning message, I might not have any juice.

Every. single. time I have bought some knockoff case or cable from a big asian country that shall not be named, I've been disappointed. everysingletime
Yet I still go for the deal.

I was actually more piffed at apple b/c there is no need to copy protect all of their stuff to this degree. Still waiting for Android to grow up before I switch over to them.
 
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