Has anyone used a non apple magsafe 2 45W adaptor?

[KhunJay]

And lived to tell the tale?

My stock adaptor charges fine, although the wire has gotten frayed near the connector, exposing some strands of wire.

a. do I really need to replace the adaptor?

b. In case I do, Im loathe to pay apples ridiculous asking price...can I just get one of those compatible ones that ship from china?

Any downsides?

 

[canuckRus]

And lived to tell the tale?

My stock adaptor charges fine, although the wire has gotten frayed near the connector, exposing some strands of wire.

a. do I really need to replace the adaptor?

b. In case I do, Im loathe to pay apples ridiculous asking price...can I just get one of those compatible ones that ship from china?

Any downsides?

You are certainly putting yourself at risk presently and down the road by going cheap. You usually get what you pay for. There have been many horror stories.

 

[AlliFlowers]

There's another thread somewhere (of course) with the same question. I frequently get a spare knockoff charger and have never had any issues. I did that with my original Air and my MBP. I don't currently have a spare as I'm no longer doing much traveling.

 

[Audit13]

I have tried a third party that looks almost identical to an original. I have been using it for months with no issues at all.

I think they have become better in quality because the knockoffs I see these days are very close to the original in terms of markings, weight, fit, and finish.

 

[ZapNZs]

There is a lot of variability. Some are arguably not safe for use with lipos.

 

[Pugly]

I use an original magsafe 60W with an adapter. I also use a 85W magsafe 2 with no problems.

I bought the 85W used and I have no problems with it. It was pretty cheap too, about $20 I think. Getting a used Apple power adapter seems safer than a low quality knock off.

 

[Audit13]

Plenty of people in my city advertise used power adapters as being original but they aren't. Either the seller doesn't know they are not original or they do and just trying to scam people.

 

[Pugly]

Plenty of people in my city advertise used power adapters as being original but they aren't. Either the seller doesn't know they are not original or they do and just trying to scam people.

Yeah true, it's a gamble any way you do it.

 

[Audit13]

If the adapter is a fake, it would have to be a high quality fake before I would even consider it.

 

[xnatex]

I personally don't ever buy knock-off charging accessories for my MBP. I know $80 is a lot, but saving a few bucks isn't worth possibly frying the laptop or burning my house down (it's happened to people), IMO. If your wires are frayed, you're going to want to stop using that and get a replacement ASAP. I killed an iPod once by using a frayed cord, now that I know more, I'm glad I didn't start an electrical fire.

Run some google searches on the horror stories of knock-off chargers. They're usually poorly made, and don't follow electrical standards.
[doublepost=1507418551][/doublepost]Also, depending on how old the charger is, you might be able to trade it in for a new one at an Apple Store. I've done that before.

 

[meady100]

Ironic a thread about Magsafes throws up a 'You usually get what you pay for.'! Are you suggesting the branded item is anything less than a hideous piece of underdesigned, overpriced excrement? The tragedy of this whole discussion is the fact that people are being driven to knockoffs in the first place.

 

[canuckRus]

Ironic a thread about Magsafes throws up a 'You usually get what you pay for.'! Are you suggesting the branded item is anything less than a hideous piece of underdesigned, overpriced excrement? The tragedy of this whole discussion is the fact that people are being driven to knockoffs in the first place.

Who would you rather press for a damage claim against, Apple, a Belkin or some unknown brand in China? Good luck with that one.

 

[ZapNZs]

Ironic a thread about Magsafes throws up a 'You usually get what you pay for.'! Are you suggesting the branded item is anything less than a hideous piece of underdesigned, overpriced excrement? The tragedy of this whole discussion is the fact that people are being driven to knockoffs in the first place.

That doesn't change the fact that some of the third party chargers are simply unsafe. Not all, but some - and there is no easy way to know which are safe and which are a hazard to self and property.
http://www.righto.com/2016/03/counterfeit-macbook-charger-teardown.html

That's not to say that the MagSafe durability doesn't leave much to be desired given how poorly they hold up.

Thank God for USB-C and the IF-Certification. I was skeptical about Apple dropping MagSafe at first - now I realize why they did and I appreciate their decision to do it. My IF-Certified braided USB-C charge cable was $14.

 

[KhunJay]

There is a lot of variability. Some are arguably not safe for use with lipos.

article explains it all well....although I wonder if this is just shockingly bad example of knockoff...could there be others who make them well?

Guess its a huge risk to find out.