By Andy Mason (Warthog)
Reviewer

Product: Gomadic Dual Rapid Wall Charger

Developer/Vendor: Gomadic
Price: US $44.95 regular price, US $34.95 sale price
Rating 4 out of 5 Stars

Preparing for a recent cross-country flight, I loaded my gear bag with the usual: Axim x51v, iPod 30GB video, ThinkPad T43p, Kodak Easyshare Z612, Verizon LG VX8300, Garmin 60Csx GPS, and a Palm Vx (for paperless geocaching). All of those pieces of hardware have an assigned place in my bag. However, by the time I gathered up all the associated power cords I needed to stuff into my bag, I began to worry that some TSA employee at the airport would mistake me for Samuel L. Jackson because of all the “snakes” I was bringing on the plane! Thankfully, prior to this trip, I received a review sample of the Gomadic Dual Rapid Wall Charger with exchangeable tips enabling me to lighten my load.

Package Contents:

My review sample arrived with the following:

Dual Rapid Wall Charger cord   

Three sets of exchangeable tips of my choice 

Gomadic was also kind enough to include the Gomadic Rapid Dual Car Charger in my review sample. 

Testing Environment:

Dell Axim x51v, my iPod 30GB Video and my daughter’s iPod Nano, and a Verizon LG VX8300

Evaluation:

I was able to begin testing immediately after opening the package. I plugged to charger into an open slot on my surge protector, snapped a #13 tip for the x51v onto one of the split charger ends and a #51 tip for the LG VX8300 onto the other end and both devices indicated the power was flowing.

The Gomadic website says, “While most wall chargers are rated at 5 vdc @ 500 mA of power; Gomadic’s new Dell Axim x51v Dual Chargers are rated at 5 vdc @ 2000 mA delivering safe surge-free power to two devices in less than half the time.” I didn’t crunch the numbers, but I can tell you that the charge time is noticeably quicker using Gomadic’s cable versus those supplied by the manufacturer. This is a nice bonus! Less time connected to the wall keeps my portable gadgets portable.

Another nice feature I experienced during my evaluation was using both tips Gomadic supplies for same device. So, when my daughter’s iPod and mine both needed recharged at the end of the day I simply snapped both #33 tips onto the cable ends and charged both iPod’s simultaneously.

The dual car charger along with a handful of tips now reside in the under-seat storage of our Chrysler minivan. It’s been a life-saver with multiple Gameboys, iPod/Mp3 players, cell phones, GPSrs and PDAs needing recharged on long trips.

Gomadic’s cables feature:

• High output power current of 2 Amp (2000 mA)
• Charging adapter works with both foreign and domestic outlets (100-240 Volts AC).
• Advanced internal circuitry preventing devices from power surges overcharging and short-circuiting.
• Gomadic’s Lifetime Warranty.

Closing words:

If you have rechargeable electronics, chances are Gomadic has a tip for you; a space-saving and time-saving tip, that is! Gomadic backs their product with a lifetime guarantee which menas you'll never have to buy another charger cord. Whenever you upgrade or buy a new device, spend $6.00 and get yourself a pair of tips for your gadget and you are set.  I was also extremely pleased with Gomadic’s quick turnaround of online orders.   I placed for an Axim x51v retractable synch cable on Tuesday afternoon.  I received an email notifying me that the order had shipped the same day and I had the cable in my hands on Thursday afternoon (shipping from VA to FL).  A nice versatile product at a good price, with impeccable customer service and a lifetime guarantee means Gomadic's dual Rapid Wall Charger gets a 4/5 star recommendation! 

Pros:

• Space-saving
• Charges most devices in half the time
• Choose between thousands of tips to charge your devices
• Lifetime warranty means you’ll never have to purchase another cable

Cons:

• Cannot synch devices
• If you are purchasing several different tips, there is a chance you could misplace one when it is not in use.