AutoPower

ACpower

I have no doubt of the impossibility of counting how many different models of USB chargers are now on the market. Once in awhile, you’ll find one with a gimmick that makes it a gotta-have charger. In most cases, however, a simple device that does its job simply is the only thing that will do. RadTech’s chargers for vehicles and AC plugs are just the type of simple devices that should satisfy those who want no frills.

RadTech’s AutoPower USB Charger

RadTech’s ACpower USB Charger

ACpower Charger in Use

The lone plus side of these chargers is the dual USB ports instead of just a single port. They come at a reasonable price. Less expensive chargers can certainly be found with a little online searching but may have only a single USB port. In the case of these RadTech devices, however, I don’t really recall seeing AC wall chargers of any other brand costing more than an equivalent car charger. In fact, I usually see the other way around, if not a matching price.

Because these chargers do the job they’re intended to do, I can’t exactly not recommend them. The devices I was sent charge my iPod and iPhone just fine, yet they wouldn’t have been my first choice. Both devices seem a little flimsy—especially the ACpower charger, which I feel must be removed from a plug while angled outward.

Angling the ACpower charger upward is advised before removing it from an outlet. Removing it while still angled down appears as though it could cause damage. I didn’t pull all the way, but with just a gentle tug I could see the entire charger body bending.

The biggest nuisance of the AutoPower charger pertains to the lights on the device.

What do these lights represent, and why are they so bright?

Clearly, as the photo above shows, the LED lights do not indicate that a device is being charged since there is nothing plugged in to the right side. So, if the only purpose is to indicate that the entire device is receiving power from the car’s power port, why have two LEDs next to each USB port? Furthermore, these LEDs are insanely bright. Even in this photo, taken in the daytime, spillover light is causing half the device to glow red. At night, I simply could not use the charger because the red glare disturbed my driving.

Looking at the RadTech catalog, which was sent along with the chargers, the company seems to offer quite a range of products that appear useful, well made, and unique, considering that some of them are in categories I’ve never seen from any other manufacturer. In the case of RadTech’s USB chargers, the AutoPower and ACpower devices probably are neither my first nor my last choice.

Copyright © 2009 Lee Bennett. Reviewing in ATPM is open to anyone. If you’re interested, write to us at reviews@atpm.com.