lap top charger, For Mac

[look 171]

My mac charger just went out this morning. Who's use these generic chargers for their Mac from Amazon with good result. Here's my thinking, how bad can a charger be? 18 bucks vs 70 for one from Mac?

oh, some are really cheap, not those, but the average price seem to be around 20 dollars.

[allaircooled]

How old is your mac? Mine was a couple years out of warranty and when my charger died I took it to a mac store and they replaced it for free. Mine was a known problem though. Might be worth a shot.

[look 171]

Good to know thanks. My lap top must be at least 3-4 years old

[donporfi]

Most of the problems with these chargers is the cable. I repaired the cable in three Macs.
It usually burns just after the rubber grommet. Cut the burnt part and soldered it.
One other faulty piece is what they call the duck head, had problems with two of them. I replaced those with the generic chinese ones.

[rusnak]

Ugh. I bought an extra charger for my Macbook Pro. I could tell that I was putting too much strain on the cable by taking it home. So I leave one at the office and one at home.

[HHI944]

I've used the knockoff one available on Amazon for about a year now with no problem.

[gtc]

I've bought a generic mac charger before. Worked fine. Just needs to be the correct current and voltage... right?

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by gtc

I've bought a generic mac charger before. Worked fine. Just needs to be the correct current and voltage... right?

Make sure the plug end matches up too, there are variations.

Bought 2 on ebay for less than half the price of one Apple certified one, and so far, they work fine. The cable is of lesser quality, so it kinks a little, but I've had it over a year with no issues.

[rusnak]

You guys are pretty ballsy using a generic charger. I was afraid to buy one because there is literally no mV markings on the original one. I'd probably want to jump off a tall building if I blew out my laptop with all the info on it. I'll keep this in mind when or if I need to replace one of mine. Thanks!!!!

[stomachmonkey]

You can never have too many chargers.

I have one in my office, one in the living room and a 3rd that stays in my laptop bag.

I am never without one and don't sweat it on the rare occasion one fails.

[mepstein]

my kids have mac pros and go through a charger or 2 a year. The $10 ones on ebay work every time.

[look 171]

cheap charger on the way. Thanks guys

[wdfifteen]

Make sure you get the right size. An 85 Watt charger will work on any Mac, but the 60 Watt version is only good for the smaller model.

[look 171]

I need the 60 watt version. the 80 watt wouldn't burn anything up?

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by look 171

I need the 60 watt version. the 80 watt wouldn't burn anything up?

No, the 85 watts are available, but a 60 watt computer won't use them all because the voltage is the same. The only difference is the current capacity of the larger charger. OTOH, a computer than needs the higher wattage will take forever to charge and may eventually burn out the charger.