What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Where Do All The Chargers Go?!!?!?! (1 Viewer)

mr roboto

mr roboto

Footballguy
Holy ####. My wife and 2 older daughters (11 and 9) lose/break/destroy at least 4-5 cables and/or chords a year. Easily. We are an all Apple family. 2 iPhones, 3 iPads. 
 

I’ve had the same charger cable in my car for at least 4 years. The same brick and cable in my home office for over 2 years. 
 

I lost it tonight. Someone took my home office cable at some point today and lost it on the same day. It’s like they ####### disappear into an alternative universe. No one has any idea where it is. I know for a fact it was there yesterday. 
 

anyone else have these kinds of problems?  Or is my family just nuts?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Took me about a year before the kids stopped moving the chargers in our house. I can now walk in at any time and all chargers are in their respective stations.

No idea how we pulled it off. 

 
mr roboto said:
I just said ‘Stop touching my stuff’ like we are a bunch of roommates in college. It’s maddening. 
Click to expand...
My kids are a lot older than yours so it’s easier for me to say hands off - the bigger problem is they steal each other’s when they can’t find theirs.  We actually purchased different colored chargers and cords so we could tell them apart.

 
They're cheaply(and mass) produced, therefore easily breakable. I will say I've been lucky, we don't lose our charge cords often.

 
We have a cart we use as the charging station, kept in a corner in the kitchen.  90% of the stuff gets charged and most cords are kept there. 

We've had a few break over the years but not nearly as many as some.

 
We had the same problem a couple of years ago. Combination of the kids getting better and buying enough of them to have them placed on all three levels of the house that so nobody ever needs to “borrow” a charger. 
 

Prior to this mine would always get stolen. I had to use a sharpie and write “Daddy” on the plug and draw a few zebra stripes on the chords. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
ChiefD said:
Took me about a year before the kids stopped moving the chargers in our house. I can now walk in at any time and all chargers are in their respective stations.

No idea how we pulled it off. 
Click to expand...
I've always resisted the idea of buying a dozen chargers and just having them stay in one place at all times. Starting to warm up to that idea slowly, though.

...

As far as breakage goes, we were slow to learn just how lousy cheap chargers actually are. I thought until about a year ago that the $5 charger from the drugstore was at least 90% as good and durable as a $40 Apple charger. The everpresence of the cheap chargers at the grocery, drugstore, gas station, etc. made it look like major makers were gouging customers with their charger prices. Well, they are kinda gouging, but there's no comparison with the quality.

I understand there are bulletproof 3rd-party chargers that are very nearly as good as original Apple, Samsung, etc. chargers. Are there any 3rd party chargers that are also good deals, pricewise? Not drugstore-charger prices, but better then $40 for a 1-meter cord?

 
Apple Jack said:
I'm curious how you break one of these. Like run over the USB connector with a scooter?
Click to expand...
Cheap ones break all by themselves, most commonly at the end that plugs into the phone. Often, the metal connector gets too loose and simply won't stay in the phone (non-Apple phones).

With both Apple and other chargers, the cords are typically VERY sensitive to crimping and sharp bends. Some people think not crimping the cords is intuitive "charger care" and simply never do it. Other people think a crimp is just a normal bending angle and should be part of what a normal charging cord can withstand. A favorite of my kids is to jam the plug-in-the-wall end of a charging cable between heavy furniture and the wall so that the cable has to do a sharp (and weighted by furniture!) 90-degree angle right as it exits the "brick". Then they wonder why their cords always break in that same spot.

Some people will go as far as to say that charging cable shouldn't even be curled up for storage/carrying -- that they last longer if they are never really bent all that much. Those same people also often say that charging cords aren't truly portable, and should be plugged into one place and rarely, if ever, moved elsewhere. I guess that all stands to reason, but none of that reflects the way 90% of the population uses charging cords.

 
mr roboto said:
I don’t break mine. 
Click to expand...
What do you spend on them? If you're on a non-Apple phone and have a $5 charging cable ... it's only a matter of time before the cable will stop staying plugged into your phone with a tight connection.

 
Doug B said:
What do you spend on them? If you're on a non-Apple phone and have a $5 charging cable ... it's only a matter of time before the cable will stop staying plugged into your phone with a tight connection.
Click to expand...
I’ve got the original Apple charger out of the box in my car plugged into a 7 year old car cigarette lighter USB brick. Had that cable for at least 3-4 years. Came w/a phone. 
 

I’ve got a nice chord in my home office (like thick rubber chord) plugged into a USB jack on a power strip. Don’t know how much I paid for that. 

 
mr roboto said:
I’ve got the original Apple charger out of the box in my car plugged into a 7 year old car cigarette lighter USB brick. Had that cable for at least 3-4 years. Came w/a phone. 
Click to expand...
Apple chargers are bulletproof except that the white cord insulation is sensitive to crimping (and a little sensitive to being rolled up). However, even when the insulation flakes off of an Apple charging cord, the cord still charges just fine. I have an old Apple charging cord with about 3" of missing insulation -- still works fine.

If you just leave that cord in your car and rarely move that cord anywhere else ... yeah, it will last a long, long time. Replacement Apple cords are expensive, so you can consider it that you have a pricey top-end charging cable.

 
It drives me nuts.  Four of us in the house are now all on Apple.  I miss the days I was on Android and they were all Apple, so they didn't take my chargers.

Once I got an iPhone, I bought an extra charger for the living room.  My instructions were it doens't move from that socket, and people can use it if it is free.  Of course it disappeared, and I went to each person and asked if the charger they were using was theirs, or the one from the living room.  Of course they were all theirs, and no one knew where the one from the living room went.

I bought a new one, and marked it, and let everyone know I marked it and it miraculously has not moved since.

On top of people taking other people's stuff, it is also maddening that people can't just put their phone down for an hour while it charges, but they have to tote their charger from room to room so they have constant access.

Get off my lawn.

 
KiddLattimer said:
I have a bunch of these guys from Anker and so far so good with the durability. 
Click to expand...
Anker has a license from Apple to manufacture this line of cords. The Anker cords have great reps online, and seem to work really well for the people I know that have them (for one thing, they seem to charge a device unusually quickly ... never was sure whether that was the outlet, the cord, or something else, though). The braided insulation seems to help mitigate issues with crimping or with winding the cable.

The Anker cables are a little cheaper than Apple cables, but not by a lot ($17 for a 3-ft cord vs. ~$20 for an Apple). For those used to cheapie cords, the Ankers can still deliver a little sticker shock. I'd say their worth the money, though.

 
Doug B said:
What do you spend on them? If you're on a non-Apple phone and have a $5 charging cable ... it's only a matter of time before the cable will stop staying plugged into your phone with a tight connection.
Click to expand...
I have a cheap one I bought at gas station in my car and another cheap one with a long cord that I keep in my work bag for home and the office. I've had others come and go that my CEO and her daughter have borrowed and not returned. The only time I had an issue it was due to link in my phone's charging port thingy. I guess I'm just lucky.

 
Doug B said:
Cheap ones break all by themselves, most commonly at the end that plugs into the phone. Often, the metal connector gets too loose and simply won't stay in the phone (non-Apple phones).

With both Apple and other chargers, the cords are typically VERY sensitive to crimping and sharp bends. Some people think not crimping the cords is intuitive "charger care" and simply never do it. Other people think a crimp is just a normal bending angle and should be part of what a normal charging cord can withstand. A favorite of my kids is to jam the plug-in-the-wall end of a charging cable between heavy furniture and the wall so that the cable has to do a sharp (and weighted by furniture!) 90-degree angle right as it exits the "brick". Then they wonder why their cords always break in that same spot.

Some people will go as far as to say that charging cable shouldn't even be curled up for storage/carrying -- that they last longer if they are never really bent all that much. Those same people also often say that charging cords aren't truly portable, and should be plugged into one place and rarely, if ever, moved elsewhere. I guess that all stands to reason, but none of that reflects the way 90% of the population uses charging cords.
Click to expand...
The cord in my car is at least 5-6 years old and has electrical tape on the end that plugs into the iPOD/iPhone, and it works just fine.  I have it gently wrapped around the gear shift.

The ones in my house hold up well because they're all kept in the same place and my boys know it comes out of their money if their's breaks.

 
The 'newer' turbo chargers (oval, doesn't matter which way up/down they connect to device) are much better.  Of course those of you with a dozen older chargers will now have to reinvest.

 
We go through a ton of Iphone charger cords in my house. My two daughters (20 and 15) either break them or lose them. You may ask, how do you break them? Well, my kids can't be without their phones for a minute to allow it to charge, so they constantly use their phones while it is plugged in. This causes the connector inside the charger cord, where it goes into the phone, to break. I swear they have killed a dozen cords this way. 

The other way we go through them is they lose them. They leave the house with a cord and a portable charger and end up leaving them somewhere. I have probably lost six-eight portable chargers this way. 

Like one of the other posters mentioned, I got a new Iphone and I put a sticker on my cord to let them know "Don't touch." Sure enough, one day I look over on the counter and it is gone and I never saw it again. My wife and two girls never fessed up who took it. 

I am now to the point I just buy a cheap 10 pack of cords and what happens to them, happens to them. 

And don't even get me started on the dongle thing that is a lightning to headphone converter for the Iphone 10. My daughter is on her third one in four months with those. 

 
Courtjester said:
... they constantly use their phones while it is plugged in. This causes the connector inside the charger cord, where it goes into the phone, to break. I swear they have killed a dozen cords this way. 
Click to expand...
I've never considered that using the phone while plugged in was especially problematic. However, I can see how if someone is constantly pulling on the phone & cord and straining the connection ... hmm, that would explain some things around here. I do note that Apple cords seem to be engineered to largely avoid this problem unless you really go nuts stressing the connection while plugged in.

 
I have a few wireless charge pads around the house that never get unplugged. Even the free promotional ones we got hold up great.

 
Drives me nuts when my daughters come home.  I have kept the same charger right next to my bed for years and plug my phone in every night and set it on headboard.  

Whenever they are home I go to bed and my charger is missing.  I text them and ask where the hell is my charger..."Oh..mine was not working so I grabbed yours"  Ok so where is it?  "Well it is in my car"   :wall:   And of course they are out somewhere.

 
We are a family of 5 (3 kids in teens, middle school and HS) and 4 of us are iOS and 1 is Android. I believe he did that to be a PITA, and to escape the control I had over him with IOS apps and other stuff.

Kal El said:
They're cheaply(and mass) produced, therefore easily breakable. I will say I've been lucky, we don't lose our charge cords often.
Click to expand...
Apple Jack said:
I'm curious how you break one of these. Like run over the USB connector with a scooter?
Click to expand...
We have issues with cable breaking. Mostly the cord just below the connector at the phone end. 

-OZ- said:
We have a cart we use as the charging station, kept in a corner in the kitchen.  90% of the stuff gets charged and most cords are kept there. 

We've had a few break over the years but not nearly as many as some.
Click to expand...
I have one of these stations in the front hall, I bought some short (6") cables for it, so they are of no good use elsewhere and some will charge there. I also have a couple of these around the house, and they are great for charging while sitting, and they will not be moved.

Courtjester said:
We go through a ton of Iphone charger cords in my house. My two daughters (20 and 15) either break them or lose them. You may ask, how do you break them? Well, my kids can't be without their phones for a minute to allow it to charge, so they constantly use their phones while it is plugged in. This causes the connector inside the charger cord, where it goes into the phone, to break. I swear they have killed a dozen cords this way. 

The other way we go through them is they lose them. They leave the house with a cord and a portable charger and end up leaving them somewhere. I have probably lost six-eight portable chargers this way. 

Like one of the other posters mentioned, I got a new Iphone and I put a sticker on my cord to let them know "Don't touch." Sure enough, one day I look over on the counter and it is gone and I never saw it again. My wife and two girls never fessed up who took it. 

I am now to the point I just buy a cheap 10 pack of cords and what happens to them, happens to them. 

And don't even get me started on the dongle thing that is a lightning to headphone converter for the Iphone 10. My daughter is on her third one in four months with those. 
Click to expand...
:goodposting:  For charging while using (especially in their rooms), I have bought longer cords (10') and chargers that are permanently attached to the outlet (like this) rather than a small individual charger. For these, I usually purchase the Anker brand. They last a very long time with hard use.

For smaller cords, I have started buying cords with the 'springs' at the ends (like these), and I have found that they tend to last longer.

For individual chargers, I either rely on the ones that are provided by Apple (bought new phones and an iPad last year or so, and they last well.) I also bought several multiple (~3) port chargers that we use for travel.

For myself, I tend to use a Qi charger on my nightstand and desk, so that helps at night ad doing part of the day, and you don't need a cable (or at least you only need one that stays plugged in!). When my wife gets a new phone and moves into the level of phones that are Qi-enabled, I will get her one for her desk, so she can charge it while working.

 
I feel like my wife and daughter might think they are single use.  I'll buy 5 at a time and 2 months later they'll say we need more.  My cables last me about 5 years on average.  No clue what they are doing with theirs.  

 
Main issues I have is with the brick that plugs into the wall outlet dying much more frequently than the cord itself, or with the cords just disappearing altogether. I swear my wife has probably left at least 5 of these at her parents house when we go to visit and they must just throw them out or something.

I sprung for some wireless chargers at one point but had the same issues, the cheap ones off Amazon break after less than a year of use. The nice wireless one I had on my nightstand got chewed up by one of our dogs one random day. :rant:  I've lost track of how many tv remotes we've gone through for the same reason as my wife can never remember to put the remotes up out of the way where the dogs can't get them.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've come to the conclusion that males take better care of things than females, or they just have better common sense.  I have never had to buy a cord/charger for any of my phones (always have the original that comes with it).  I keep them as long as I keep my phones.  And I keep them for a long time.  8 years on average.  My 3 kids (all girls) and wife go through these things like they are going out of style. It used to upset me, now I just laugh.  And yes, they know not to touch mine.  

 
Mr. Ected said:
For smaller cords, I have started buying cords with the 'springs' at the ends (like these), and I have found that they tend to last longer.
Click to expand...
Three cords for 12 bucks is a nice deal. And those springs are exactly in the right spot ... that seems to be where cords always break when they do break.

 
Our Apple chargers "break" once every 18ish months I'd say.  

Now, the chargers for my kids' (almost 9 and 7) Kindle fires get jacked up every couple of months.  They are so bad with these things, we've had to send the Kindles back for replacement 2-3 times.  Fortunately they were under warranty and Amazon just swapped them out.  

We tried to have dedicated "charging stations" where the kids wouldn't mess with them, but invariably the kid would want to watch the tablet while it was charging and it just went downhill from there.

My iPhone charger in my car rocks.  That thing will never die.

 
Doug B said:
Mr. Ected said:
For smaller cords, I have started buying cords with the 'springs' at the ends (like these), and I have found that they tend to last longer.
Click to expand...
Three cords for 12 bucks is a nice deal. And those springs are exactly in the right spot ... that seems to be where cords always break when they do break.
Click to expand...
I bought these Aug 1, and I have all 3 still working; this is being used in busy areas (by the couch in main room!)

 
Apparently they go to LA after San Diego won’t build them a stadium. Probably should have gone to Vegas though.   

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Roofing Guys - Walk Me Through the Process of Dealing w/ Insurance
Replies
15
Views
376
STEADYMOBBIN 22
STEADYMOBBIN 22
the moops
What's a typical weekday for you?
2
Replies
85
Views
3K
MAC_32
MAC_32
Harry Frogfish
I broke my back and it's awful. L1 (worst), T3, T9. It's been exceedingly painful and I'm in the dark on how to deal. Life-changing.
Replies
24
Views
950
Leroy Hoard
Leroy Hoard

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top