Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Replacement Magsafe Adapters

P

pbkiller

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 16, 2007
190
0
Puerto Rico
Hey there...

My dog ate my MacBook magsafe adapter and now i need to buy another charger. The ones on the Apple store retail for $80. Have any of you guys tried out the magsafe chargers found on ebay? Are they any good? Are they safe? Will they mess up the battery? Do they die after a couple of months? Thanks
 
They are knockoffs. The magsafe is patented, so there are no legitimate third-party adapters.
 
I considered buying one on eBay a few weeks ago for my MBP. I ended up just going to the Apple store because I couldn't wait a week.

If you buy one on ebay, just make sure you getting the correct 60W for your Macbook and buy from a company that has sold thousands on items and you should be safe.
 
is your dog ok?!:eek:

My advice is to just buy an original from Apple. More expensive but when it comes to powering your mac, better to be safe than use a knock off which could potentially fry it.
 
consider the original apple magsafe adapters are made in hong kong/china and the ones you can get on ebay are made in a similar location.
 
durruti said:
consider the original apple magsafe adapters are made in hong kong/china and the ones you can get on ebay are made in a similar location.
Click to expand...

Although, probably not to the same QC standards as the UL listed Apple ones.
 
Hahaha the dog is fine, thanks for asking! I created the thread having in mind that the Magsafe is actually assembled in China, just looking for reviews on them. I for once bought a replacement adapter for a PowerBook 15' and although it didn't have the lighted rings that turn up green or orange, but it did charge the battery just fine...
 
miles01110 said:
85W Magsafes also work on the Macbook, but they cost more so I don't know why you'd buy one. Just an FYI.
Click to expand...

To start with; I don't understand why they bother making multiple versions of the same product. There are 45, 65 and 85 watt versions of the same brick, why not make single 85 watt version to make everything simpler for the end user *and* to the support personnel. Not to mention logistics...
 
Background:

I've just had a failing Macbook charge adaptor.. the entire metal bit of the magsafe plug actually separated from the plastic outer cover once when I removed it.. had to pick the metal bit out of the power port on my Macbook :eek:

After that it's just been downhill keeping the adaptor in a position that'll charge the Macbook. :(

I've called Apple in Australia (since they don't have an office in NZ), and they asked me to get an ASP in NZ to take a look and see if it's covered for replacement. At the ASP, the guy took less than 10 minutes actually inspecting the adaptor before deciding that he'd charge me an NZ$67 inspection fee. Most of the time he was entering data into their database and asking another staff what to do. I was lucky that I only had $20 cash on me so they took that as deposit.

Even with that, they can't guarantee whether the adaptor will get replaced under a "known fault" extended warranty (quite the opposite: They said it was unlikely). Given that it's $120 for out-of-warranty labour, by the time it's over and done with I could've gotten a new adaptor (NZ$149) and still have $40 leftover, compared to fixing the adaptor.

I've now decided to go to another Apple Educational Reseller (the one I originally bought the Macbook from) to sort this out. The ASP can keep the $20 if it wants, but no way in hell am I paying another $47 for an inspection that Apple, not I, wanted, and which will take less than 5 minutes so is not even close to being worth $67.

Question:

I've looked on NZ's auction site TradeMe.co.nz, and there were a few "OEM" adaptors for sale there, for about 1/3 less than what Apple charges. Anyone know if the so-called "OEM" parts are any good? I know Apple's chargers will come with a warranty so is probably worth the price difference, but I'm a poor student and will try to save any bit of cash that I can :cool:

miles01110 said:
85W Magsafes also work on the Macbook, but they cost more so I don't know why you'd buy one. Just an FYI.
Click to expand...

Here in NZ they cost the same.. 45W, 60W, 85W — all NZ$149. I think the US Apple store is same too.. US$79?
If you were to buy a second one (or temp one while the original's getting repaired/replaced), then it makes sense to get the 85W, so you can use it with an MBP in the future.. :rolleyes:

PS: Sorry for the ranting-tone of the post. Just annoyed that my live-long loyalty to Apple ended up like this.
 
There are no manufacturers other than Apple that can exactly reproduce the magsafe adapter ... therefore the "OEM" is a cheap knockoff, see above.
 
r.j.s said:
There are no manufacturers other than Apple that can exactly reproduce the magsafe adapter ... therefore the "OEM" is a cheap knockoff, see above.
Click to expand...

Yea I figured the patent part, but just wanted to clarify the "OEM" label. I've heard that some OEM manufacturers will make more than what the client ordered, then sell the extras cheaper, so effectively they're the same thing, just without the warranty (and probably lower QC standards).

EDIT: I'm assuming Apple outsources the manufacturing of the charger to an OEM, rather than produce it in-house. Does Apple own any factories in China?
 
AFAIK, Apple doesn't own any factories, but you can bet they'd be all over one of their manufacturers selling "extra" product cheaper.
 
just search ebay apple adapters are on there i got a new apple branded macbook pro adapter in the box for like $50 shipped.
 
r.j.s said:
AFAIK, Apple doesn't own any factories, but you can bet they'd be all over one of their manufacturers selling "extra" product cheaper.
Click to expand...

Haha yea you're probably right.. I can imagine Apple doing something like that..

miles01110 said:
Ah, so they are. I seem to remember them being different prices at one point... maybe I'm just getting old.
Click to expand...

They probably were before; one authorised reseller that I saw still sold the MBA's 45W $20 cheaper than the 60/85W ones.

jbrenn said:
just search ebay apple adapters are on there i got a new apple branded macbook pro adapter in the box for like $50 shipped.
Click to expand...

I haven't used eBay before (just use TradeMe in NZ :D).. and given how remote NZ is, the shipping would probably be prohibitively expensive and long :( Free shipping often only applies to the US, and as of yesterday night I'm living off my dad's adaptor, which he still needs.. But they are cheap, I'll give you that.. I might just swallow the cost this time and get it from a store (warranty probably is a good thing anyway.. I've heard some people had to replace their adaptors 2-3 times... :eek:) But thanks for the suggestion! I'll have a browse on eBay some time ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back