5 ms·

There are some categories of product I'm no longer willing to buy from Amazon: power cables, replacement chargers and batteries being the biggest offenders. The

There are some categories of product I'm no longer willing to buy from Amazon: power cables, replacement chargers and batteries being the biggest offenders. They're such a minefield of fakery and shortcuts that are outright dangerous (e.g. UK plugs lacking fuses and with pins the wrong shape/size) that I'd rather have the extra work and expense of going to a local shop where I can inspect what I'm buying.

Havoc 7y ago
>power cables, replacement chargers and batteries being the biggest offenders. I've found Anker gear to be consistently solid on all three counts & frankly I trust it more than store bought. If I could even get it - wouldn't know where to start buying a 60W USB hub in a brick & mortar.
- cr0sh 7y ago
  I second Anker. Their stuff is pretty top notch. I tend to buy a lot of Arduino and RasPi stuff (plus all the fiddly bits) off Amazon, so there are a few sellers on there that I trust to get good "maker" electronics. Finally - if you're looking for low-cost but good quality DC gear motors - look into TSINY motors. They're a Chinese manufacturer. They have various vendors on Ebay and Amazon; some are almost (or seem like) "direct from the manufacturer", while others are "further down the chain". I can't vouch for any of them - only for the manufacturer itself (I wouldn't have any qualms with dealing direct with them for a large purchase - but I'm just a hobbyist, so that won't happen).
- JohnFen 7y ago
  Agreed, at least for large lithium-ion batteries. I pretty much buy Anker exclusively for those.
- AlexandrB 7y ago
  I wish Anker sold direct on their site (and shipped to Canada) because searching for Anker products on Amazon almost invariably turns up a sponsored, cheap knock off and an "Amazon Basics" product as the #1 and #2 results. I can't imagine they're happy about that either.
  - Havoc 7y ago
    >I wish Anker sold direct on their site Haven't seen any fakes thus far?
  - Marsymars 7y ago
    Anker availability in Canada is weird. There seems to be no pattern as to whether a particular item won't be available on amazon.ca, and whether the amazon.com listing will be eligible for shipping to Canada. I've contacted Anker a couple times about specific items, and they've just given non-answers both times.
  - Havoc 7y ago
    >Anker products on Amazon Actually try RAVPower - they're Anker's main competitor & seem to have more of a footprint in the US
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- m463 7y ago
  I've been wondering how long it will be before anker gear is counterfeited.
baked_ziti 7y ago
I don't know if they ship to the UK but I have had outstanding experiences with monoprice. For a few categories of items I go there now always instead of amazon.

Havoc 7y ago

>power cables, replacement chargers and batteries being the biggest offenders. I've found Anker gear to be consistently solid on all three counts & frankly I trust it more than store bought. If I could even get it - wouldn't know where to start buying a 60W USB hub in a brick & mortar.

cr0sh 7y ago
I second Anker. Their stuff is pretty top notch. I tend to buy a lot of Arduino and RasPi stuff (plus all the fiddly bits) off Amazon, so there are a few sellers on there that I trust to get good "maker" electronics. Finally - if you're looking for low-cost but good quality DC gear motors - look into TSINY motors. They're a Chinese manufacturer. They have various vendors on Ebay and Amazon; some are almost (or seem like) "direct from the manufacturer", while others are "further down the chain". I can't vouch for any of them - only for the manufacturer itself (I wouldn't have any qualms with dealing direct with them for a large purchase - but I'm just a hobbyist, so that won't happen).
JohnFen 7y ago
Agreed, at least for large lithium-ion batteries. I pretty much buy Anker exclusively for those.
AlexandrB 7y ago
I wish Anker sold direct on their site (and shipped to Canada) because searching for Anker products on Amazon almost invariably turns up a sponsored, cheap knock off and an "Amazon Basics" product as the #1 and #2 results. I can't imagine they're happy about that either.
- Havoc 7y ago
  >I wish Anker sold direct on their site Haven't seen any fakes thus far?
- Marsymars 7y ago
  Anker availability in Canada is weird. There seems to be no pattern as to whether a particular item won't be available on amazon.ca, and whether the amazon.com listing will be eligible for shipping to Canada. I've contacted Anker a couple times about specific items, and they've just given non-answers both times.
- Havoc 7y ago
  >Anker products on Amazon Actually try RAVPower - they're Anker's main competitor & seem to have more of a footprint in the US
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
m463 7y ago
I've been wondering how long it will be before anker gear is counterfeited.

baked_ziti 7y ago

I don't know if they ship to the UK but I have had outstanding experiences with monoprice. For a few categories of items I go there now always instead of amazon.