iEdge Lightning USB Cable Glitter Series E-380.
The iEdge Glitter Series 6 Ft. lightning USB cable costs less than Apple-made lightning cords. There’s no MFi (Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod) certified label on the package. But our tests found it still highly reliable. This cord gives reasonably fast charge and high current handling. We paid $3.99 for ours at Gabriel Brothers. Indeed this is so much less expensive than the made-by-Apple lightning cords. It’s the cheapest USB 2.0 to lightning cable we’ve found to this point.
The extra couple feet of length here makes this cable lots cheaper per foot than the Apple stock sync cables. Its built with a rugged and durable yet portable and shiny attractive look. Though not exactly a “Genuine Apple Cable,” it works nearly as well as Apple cords.
We’ve tested many USB to lightning cables. But among those, this iEdge® sync charge cable is among the best for the money. It is, so far, the cheapest in “the best” class.
This cord is two feet longer than standard four foot lightning sync & charge cables. Still though charging goes about as fast as it does with shorter cables. Sometimes, it’s even faster.
All connections remain cool to barely warm to the touch. Plus, we saw no heating in the cable itself while charging our bigger lighting devices like the iPad Air tablet.
Further, the thicker wire, though stiff, is still easy to store when not in use. It’s easy to roll up for travel too.
Our iPad Air always fully charges with this cable. Plus, we never see the dreaded, “not charging” message. This is unlike what happens with the cheaper, sometimes counterfeit charge cables.
Extra cord in this 6-foot version. Almost 2m. We’re able to use the iPad Air in the easy chair while charging it with this longer cord.
The shiny, multi-color ribbon cable here works well in high-current USB Apple devices. We did see some increase in full charge times in iPads though. So this longer cable does indeed impede faster charging somewhat.
We charged our iPad Air from eighty two percent charge to ninety-one percent just over one hour. Yet the lightning connector stayed pretty cool.
Some cables (much more expensive ones) charge at about twice this rate. But if you do not mind slower charges, the cheaper price for this cord makes the longer charge times acceptable. Though slower, iPhones, iPods, and iPads still fully charge overnight with this cable.
The cable is noticeably thicker than the one that comes with the stock iPad Air USB lightning charge cable. So we forecast longer durability. The wire here is notably stiffer, and getting kinks out of it is more difficult. But it is still flexible enough to move around the room with. Avoid sharply bending it however, as repeated flexing can sever the internal wires.
It has a USB-D port connector. So this iEdge® cable works well with most universal USB chargers to charge lightning devices.
We find gold plated pins on both the lightning connector and USB D connector. Nice that gold seems to be the standard these days, even on connectors of these cheaper cables.
We used Apple’s stock lightning cables with too-small connector bodies. But we we preferred the older 30-pin dock connector to the newer lightning one at first. That was because of how much easier it was to attach and detach that connector from mobile devices.
But iEdge® came up with an easier-to-access version of the lightning connector. It’s longer and wider, and so, easier to grasp. The connectors on this cable need about the same small effort as the dock connectors. You can aim at the mating holes with greater ease than Apple stock cords. The reason is likely the longer connector body here, than on current Apple cables. Now the lightning connector body is shorter than in some other cables. Yet it’s still long enough to grasp easily, even on iPads inside an OtterBox case.
You can charge your lightning device from any current tech or legacy USB AC adapter.
Meets or exceeds Apple’s rigorous performance standards.
Less costly a data cable, even an iPhone charger cord.
While not certified, to keep costs down, this lightning cable works well with most any lightning device. Lightning devices include some generations of the iPad Air, iPad, iPhone, iPad Mini, iPod Touch, and iPod Nano.
All lightning to USB cables include electronics inside. Chargers, cell phones, and tablets access these parts to authenticate the cable before they allow data or charging to occur. This built-in chip could raise chances of failure though. Indeed, cables like this often seem fragile. I.e. They can stop working too quickly due to only small abuse. As such, treat them as you would any other piece of delicate electronics. Avoid static charges, bright sun, wet places, Etc.
The inflexible strain relief at the lightening end of this cable is completely inflexible. It appears made from the same rigid plastic as the plug body itself. So, it’s unclear how well this feature will protect the cord. In fact, these sleeves may just be part of the connector bodies. They do not offer any real strain reliev. Reinforced yet flexible strain relief would be a nice upgade on this cord.
Will not charge micro-USB devices without a lightning to micro USB adapter. But you could simply buy a USB-D to micro USB cable for that.
You can buy iEdge USB to lightning cables at Amazon and at some Gabriel Brothers outlets.
Can charge only one device per cable. Other cables feature multiple charge ports, both USB and lightning ports. But no biggie if all you have is a single Apple phone or tablet.
This iEdge® USB Cable for Apple mobile players appears slightly better than stock Apple cables. It’s better in terms of quality build and ease of use. It’s a lot cheaper than Apple stock accessory cords, at around one fifth the cost. So indeed, this cable in no way costs too much. So nice that it costs under four dollars.
Lightening plugs have grown way more popular since their 2012 release. So decent cables like this one are easier to find nowadays as well.
Thus, we rate this cable at 96 out of 100.
We've enjoyed hot instant coffee and tea for more than a score now. So these…
Why would you need to perform Honeywell RTH8580WF wireless setup for this common thermostat ? …
We've brewed several tens of pots of coffee in our Farberware automatic coffee maker. We've…
We've brewed several tens of pots of coffee in our Farberware automatic coffee pot. We've…
Why would you need to perform Honeywell RTH8580WF WiFi setup for this common thermostat ? …
Gives a safe routine to defrost a freezer fast with a heat gun. now a…
