- Convert any 110 power outlet into 2 USB charging outlets
- 2 Amp USB for full speed charging for 2 smartphones or 1 tablet
- USB ports accommodate a wide variety of portable devices
- Includes protective cover
- Compact and durable enough for travel
The good:
1) one less thing to carry if you have lots of devices.
2) Enough power to charge two things that aren't too needy
3) Decent quality
The bad:
1) The little cap thingy is easy to lose
2) It isn't all that light
3) If your two items need more power than it can supply, it shuts off without telling you which protects the devices. Yeah, you can look at your devices to see if they are charging, but why should you have to? They could add a little light to the device itself.
For me, the good outweighs the bad. Yes, I would spend my own money on this to get a charger I can leave at work. It is cheaper than Apple's wall charger, and about the price of Amazon's Kindle wall charger.
A good deal on a product that works.
Buy RCA PCHUSB2R Portable 2 Outlet USB Charger for iPod/iPhone/Blackberry and Other Devices Now
This is a nice little charger device. The core features are great it has two USB power ports and can charge two devices at the same time. Its 2.1-amp output can charge an iPad at the full speed.PROS:
Charging two devices at the same time;
2.1-amp output to charge an iPad at full speed;
Zero watt standby power consumption when not in use, as measured by P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor;
Stays cool during charging;
Three prong plug holds the charger securely to a wall outlet;
Small size does not block the other socket of a 2-gang wall outlet.
CONS:
Three prong plug not compatible with foreign AC sockets;
110V 120V AC input only, not universal.
As you can see, the three-prong plug is both a benefit and an issue. Based on the above pros and cons, this charger is best used as a home charger. I would rate it 4.5-star had Amazon allowed finer rating. For travel, the original iPad charger with its fold-in two-prong AC plug and 100V 240V input range is still my first choice.For those who have a Kindle Fire, this RCA PCHUSB2R Portable 2 Outlet USB Charger may be an ideal solution if you need to consolidate the number of extra items that you may be carrying when you're mobile. As can be seen in the product and user photos here, this one has two separate USB ports, one marked as 2.1 Amps, which required by the original 7" Kindle Fire and devices such as the iPad. There's another charging port for other devices such as smartphones. The original Kindle Fire came with its own charger, and if you're happy with that, then this probably won't apply to you. But for those who need more convenience, this one works.
Likes:
+ Dual USB ports; the one marked 2.1 Amp output charges the Kindle Fire every time
+ Charges two devices at the same time; just watch the power requirements (see below)
+ Has a 3-prong grounded plug, useful in some environments where it required
+ Excellent quality with a compact design; under 2½" overall including the AC plug cap
+ Protective plug cap keeps the 3-prong grounded plug from damage
+ Faster charge when only one device is plugged in
Dislikes:
Some may find the 3-prong grounded plug inconvenient with older 2-prong wall outlets
Protective plug cap could get lost or misplaced
No power indicator light
In Depth:
The original Kindle Fire came with a charger that has a DC output of 5V, 1.8A. Many of the third-party chargers that people have substituted as backup do not have the needed 1.8A (Amps) necessary to charge the device. Simply put, you'll find your Kindle Fire isn't functioning when you want or need it to do so. But this 9W RCA PCHUSB2R Portable 2 Outlet USB Charger has two outlets, and one is clearly marked with 2.1 Amp output (2100MA), so it will meet the needs of the original Kindle Fire and other devices such as the iPad quite easily.
The manufacturer notes that the 2.1 Amp outlet may not charge all models of all brands of your mobile devices, so you need to check your product specs. If any of your devices won't charge using the 2.1 Amp outlet, then use the other outlet to charge that device. This charger is designed to charge two devices simultaneously. However, if you plug in two devices to charge simultaneously and their combined power requirements exceed the power capacity of this charger, this charger will shut down to protect your devices. In that case, try charging each device by itself.
In Use:
I've observed no problems charging a number of different devices simultaneously with the Kindle Fire, so you'll have to determine how that works in your individual case. There is no power indicator LED so you'll have to check the charge indicator lights on the individual devices. A red power indicator LED is found on the AmazonBasics Wall Charger with USB Outlet (2.1 Amp Output), but that one has only a single USB port, though it has a convenient swing-away 2-prong plug.
So far I've successfully used this RCA 2-outlet USB portable charger simultaneously with the following devices, and all combinations of two:
> Kindle Fire (original version)
> Kindle 2
> Plantronics Voyager PRO+ Bluetooth Headset
> BlackBerry Curve 9330 smartphone
Be aware that this USB charger comes with no USB cable, which you will need. The Kindle Fire and the other devices listed above require a USB 2.0 A Male to Micro B male cable, and below is a list of ones that I've used with the devices listed above. Some are higher in price than others, but each of these will work with this charger:
> Cloth Jacketed / Ruggedized USB 2.0 A Male to Micro B Cable; 6 feet, manufactured by Gator Crunch
> AmazonBasics USB Cable 2.0 A Male to Micro B; 6 feet / 1.8 Meters, gold-plated connectors
> Mediabridge USB 2.0 A-Male to Micro-B Cable; 6 feet, gold-plated connectors
I have all of these for various USB purposes, and use the ruggedized one made by Gator Crunch for daily for charging and data transfer. You may want to check the reviews and the prices on each of these, and they will all be functionally the same.
If you don't like the white color, there's also the RCA PCHUSB3R Compact 2 Outlet USB Portable Charger for Home and Travel in black. I have both, one for home and the other for when mobile, and there's no functional difference between them, so check the prevailing prices between the two units.
New Kindle Fire HD Note:
The new Kindle Fire HD 8.9" in all of its variations are listed as coming with a USB 2.0 cable, and no USB charger. Their recommendation is the new Amazon Kindle PowerFast for Accelerated Charging which is listed for use with the Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD 7", Kindle Fire HD 8.9", and all Kindle e-readers. This is also a 1.8 Amp adapter, so it's one to consider as well, though a bit higher in price. This reviewer has no information other than that as of the posting of this review, but will update as new info becomes available.
Summary:
Other than the minor irritation of there being no power LED on this USB charger, it's a good product, and is well constructed. Just remember that you need a USB 2.0 A-male to Micro-B cable if that's the one that fits your needs. I've knocked off half a point because of no power LED on this RCA PCHUSB2R Portable 2 Outlet USB Charger, but will round it up since there are no half stars here. As one who owns a couple of these, it's a highly recommended 4.5-star device that does its job, and does it well.
9/8/2012The design is great (love the travel cap!) and the idea is clever (charge two USB devices from one outlet!), but there's no denying that this charger is sloooooow. Even if I only have one device charging at a time, it's takes twice as long for it to charge as it does from my old single USB chargers. This slower charging time makes this charger best suited for at-home overnight charges -it'd be really frustrating to have this while traveling and try to do a quick top-off charge that might take 4 hours.
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Using it to power a Raspberry Pi and small stepper motors. works great, but when tested it actually outputs 2.741~2.745 amps. For what I am using it for this slightly higher amperage is better.
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