Customer Reviews

iGo EverywhereUniversal Wall (AC) and Auto (DC) Charger with Retractable Cable (Charger Only, Tips Not Included)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

The concept is nice: that you carry one set of auto and wall chargers for different devices but change just the tip for each device. In practice, I found the following problems:

1. Each charger is 3 components: wall/auto unit, cable, and the tip that goes into the device and these 3 components do not fit securely, especially the cable keeps coming out of the wall or auto unit.

2. The charger does not come with even one tip. So make sure you order the tip for your device along with the charger. They should have at least enclosed one common mini usb tip in the package. Charger itself is cheap but tips are very expensive - that is where they rip you off.

3. You get only one cable. So you have to carry the same cable to your car and then home. Why couldn't they have 2 cables in the package? Keep one in car and one in the house.

4. Build is very cheap and shows poor fabrication.

5 Instead of a well made bag/box to keep 4 components, it comes with a cheap nylon bag which does not hold different tips, chargers etc snugly. They keep falling out.

The result is that this product leaves you with a bad taste. I would have been better off buying 2 separate chargers -auto and wall- for $5 each from cellularfactory than paying $30 for iGo which comes with only one cable. Good concept but very poorly executed. I would not mind paying more for a well made charger with at least one common tip (mini usb), 2 cables, and a good bag/box to hold everything together.

I was surprised to see a one star review for this item. Then I read the review and realized that this reviewer apparently wasn't familiar with what this item is. It's a universal charger for all your devices. As is obvious from all the links on the page you need to purchase the adapters appropriate for your device(s). I decided to go with this product after my new ipod did not come with a charger. I was planning a trip and needed to be able to charge my ipod and my cell phone and one charger is much better than two. To determine the adapters to purchase I went to the iGo website where you tell them the devices you have and they tell you the adapters required. It's a perfect way to get rid of some extra clutter!

This item is very light and transportable. The retractable power cord is a nice convenience and keeps the cord organized. The recharger powers my Tungsten E2 PDA, Samsung Rant cell phone (this tip also powers the Nook Color), Ipod Classic (6th gen.), and Nintendo DS Lite (This tip also powers the Garmin Nuvi). I threw away the bulky factory transformers that came along with my electronics items, which reduced the clutter and weight of my laptop rolling case.

The included mesh travel pouch to store tips and the recharger is too small and a useless accessory that can be thrown away. The Case Logic Model #TBC3 with barcode #085854065092 is ideal for storing this recharger and accessories.

Specific tips for your electronic items will cost $5-$15 apiece. This product will NOT power your laptop. A different iGo recharger model ($70-$100) for laptops is available and it will also power other electronic gadgets. The laptop recharger also requires purchasing tips specific to your gadgets.

In summary, this product works as advertised. Business travelers will appreciate the light and compact design that replaces many heavy and bulky OEM chargers and the parts fit snugly without coming loose.

Year 2011 update:
This unit continues to power my electronic items and the iPod Classic tip also powers my current 32 GB ipod touch 4th gen. The retractable mechanism sometimes doesn't retract fully after years of use, but all you have to do is pull to extend it a couple clicks and then push the center button again for full retraction.

Year 2012 update:
This unit powers my ipad 2, but just a bit slower than the factory Apple charger. You need the old A61 tip to power the ipad and ipad2.
Here's the specs for the ipad 2 charger: (Input 100-240V, 0.45Amps), 50-60Hz, (Output 5.1 Volts, 2.1 Amps, 10 Watts)
Here's the specs for the iGo charger: (Input 100-240V, 0.3 Amps), 50-60 Hz, (Output 3.1-9 Volts, 1.5 Amps, 8Watts).

Lasted few months, then started acting on/off, eventually died. Tried to file a warranty claim, but it is not so easy -- no such form to be found on the manufacturer's site. Eventually received one email from support, and no follow up at all. Waste of time and money. Plenty of good products and companies out there, stay away from iGo.

I got the iGo Everywhere charger set not to replace my regular manufacturer-provided chargers, but to supplement them. I have my phone and iPod chargers at home, and I keep this little packet in my car (or my suitcase) for when I'm away from home to minimize the tangle of cords.

First, the cons:
The retractable cord is a very nifty idea, but also a bit cumbersome as it makes the cord very heavy, and thus it becomes impossible to balance the device you're charging on, say, the arm of a chair or a dashboard unless you find a way to secure it against something else so the weight of the cord doesn't drag your electronic device to crash on the floor. Also, the included carry-bag is rather flimsy, and doesn't have spare room for more than one or two tips(and even then its not a very secure arrangement as stuff tends to just fall right back out of the elastic edges of the case). Not a big issue if you just keep it in one place relatively securely tucked away, but a potential problem if it's going to get tossed about. And this may be just me, but I've never been able to get a full charge out of the car charger. It'll boost it over half the battery, but never seems to reach fully charged. This isn't a big problem for me as I don't rely on charging my stuff in the car, and the iGo Everywhere includes a wall adapter so I just have to find a wall outlet and then I'm good.

The pros:
It IS very nice not having to have a wild tangle of multiple chargers for a bunch of different electronics. Having just the one charger set, plus a variety of tips, is really quite convenient when space could be an issue (such as in a briefcase).

Overall, a worthwhile additional charger, but not great as a primary charger.

This charger, with Tip A00 works perfectly with the Kindle. It is just what I needed to charge the Kindle in an automobile or while on the road. Highly recommended.

Although the plastic looks and feels like very cheap plastic and as if were to fall it'd come apart easily (mine has yet to fall), this is a nice idea of having a AC (home) and DC (on the road) charger for your Kindle or such.

Keep in mind though you NEED a tip that's appropriate for your device. Be it the A00 tip for your Kindle or whatever. Having this alone will not do anything for you.

It comes with a nice black bag to keep both chargers and the wire spool inside of along with the tip.

I'm on my second iGo Everywhere and I love it. I've eliminated a ton of cords which is always a good thing for a frequent traveler.

I bought a second one because the first unit pulled the pins out when I was switching from the AC to the DC mode. It still works on AC as the pins line up in the old slots, but I can't use it in DC mode at all. The second unit broke in EXACTLY the same place, so now I have two that only work in AC mode. I think the fit is too tight for the small, grey plastic part that goes in the car and the wall charger and by rocking it to remove it, it breaks. I've left many messages for iGo and they have not responded at all which leaves me a bit sour on the product.

Right now I'm considering buying a third unit and leaving one hooked up to the car charger and the other hooked up to the wall charger. It's still a huge reduction in cords for me, and I can still easily change tips.

The other complaint I have with it is that one will charge my Kindle and the other won't. I dont' understand that at all since I used the same tip both times. Now I carry my Kindle charger in addition to the iGo.

If they solve the problem with the plastic piece that holds the pins this will be an excellent product rather than a good product.

Everyone seemed to complain about not finding tips or a link. Don't they ever look? At the bottom of every Amazon.com page is a link to other websites for more products. There was a link to iGo.com. I went there and put in the exact bluetooth headset that I had purchased. iGo.com told me what tip I needed to purchase and it was NOT expensive either. It only cost $9.99. The CHARGER was more expensive. Someone doesn't know what they are talking about when they say the tips cost more for they don't. If you purchase the charger at iGo.com, it will cost you $39.99 but you will also get free shipping so it is your choice. If you don't you pay shipping on the tip which isn't too much.

Yes, yo do need to buy the tips for this to work. Obviously it isn't reasonable to expect it to come with tips, since the company doesn't know which products you own. I have this charging set and four tips (Kindle, Ipaq, Creative, and Motorola) and didn't spend any more than I would have buying car chargers for all those devices, in fact I spent less.

The tips and charging heads all fit on very securely. I have not had any problem with either popping off. Actually, sometimes I have a hard time getting them off.

I was able to fit all the pieces, including my tips, into the included travel case, but it is a tight fit. I would have preferred some kind of zippered case to go with it. The included case is just a pouch with two mesh pockets. The pouch holds the charging heads, and then the cable fits in one of the pockets and tips in the other. Since most my tips are pretty large it takes some creativity to get them all to fit.

The kit is compact enough that I can throw it into my bag and not have to worry about it taking up a lot of space. Could you imagine if I tried to carry all the chargers around for those devices? It would be a nightmare. That's what makes this device so useful. It gets everything you need in one compact size.

If you carry a lot of devices and want to be able to charge them on the go, this is what you need. But don't forget the tips!