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karungguni

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 26, 2012
14
1
My original charger quit working (cord frayed). Not a fan of the design but what to do. I bought both a an aftermarket one and a possibly refurbished one, both from sellers with a long history and good rating on eBay. They both gave me problems with overheating and intermittently working. Bad luck on my part or is this something that you really do need to buy from Apple?
 
Buy it from Apple.

MagSafe is a patented connector and not licensed out. Hence the ones you've been buying are potentially dangerous cheap Chinese knock-offs.
 
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I bought both a an aftermarket one and a possibly refurbished one, both from sellers with a long history and good rating on eBay. They both gave me problems with overheating and intermittently working. Bad luck on my part or is this something that you really do need to buy from Apple?
Those aftermarket chargers are pieces of crap, steer clear of them.
 
Buy one from Apple...it may seem expensive, but they're worth the warranty and discretionary "swapping" of the product whenever somebody frays the cable. Pro tip, make a small loop the. Wrap it around the brackets. People always put stress on the cable by wrapping it very tight around the brackets, without making a loop first...
 
Buy one from Apple...it may seem expensive, but they're worth the warranty and discretionary "swapping" of the product whenever somebody frays the cable. Pro tip, make a small loop the. Wrap it around the brackets. People always put stress on the cable by wrapping it very tight around the brackets, without making a loop first...

Thanks for the tip. Mine frayed mainly because I use it on my lap so there is stress where it attaches to the computer.
 
Went to the Apple Store and they exchanged it at no cost. Thank you everybody for your comments.
 
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Buy one from Apple...it may seem expensive, but they're worth the warranty and discretionary "swapping" of the product whenever somebody frays the cable. Pro tip, make a small loop the. Wrap it around the brackets. People always put stress on the cable by wrapping it very tight around the brackets, without making a loop first...

^ This!

I used to go through so many MagSafe adapters before I started creating a small loop prior to winding the cord around the brick. The problem is that the cords are relatively stiff and they will start to fray at their termination points over time if wound too tightly. As far as the magnetic end that plugs into the machine is concerned, I've found that keeping the cord as straight as possible for the first 2-3 inches greatly reduces stress at the termination point.

The knockoff Chinese adapters are total junk. They use cheap parts, which causes them to overheat internally. If you compare a knock-off side by side to the genuine Apple article, you'll find that the Apple adapter is heavier. Why? Better resistors, transformers and heat dissipation add a bit to the bulk.
 
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I'd go for the Apple one. Cheaper than having to buy a new laptop if there are electrical issues.
 
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