Tangle-free, Micro USB - get a lifetime warranty

Written by Young Jeohn

In an era of el-cheapo made electronics, it's hard to know how good the quality of a product is, especially when it comes to largely ignored (but definitely required) accessories like charge cables. To be honest, most people probably wouldn't think twice about it (myself included) until another one is needed. And if you're not lucky, you'll end up in a situation I found myself in.

MY STORY

The charge/data cable that came with my phone died over the course of a year as the plastics holding the USB ends began breaking apart (until there was nothing left to grab on to.) So I bought another one, thinking it would work the same as the one I was replacing. I was SO wrong. 

The first cable I bought did charge somewhat, but I noticed it took twice as long. Irritated, I got another cable that would charge my phone, but not my tablet. Then I discovered that neither one of these would let me sync photos (or transfer data of any kind) with my computer. I got my hands on yet another cable that did transfer data, but would refuse to charge.

I didn't know it then, but the possibility existed that these dud cables could have damaged my gadgets at some point. Tossing the whole heap into the trash, I looked around (without much success) to find a manufacturer or two who'd stand behind their cables while actually writing something about its capabilities. Not surprisingly, I found no such company. Until I ran into Ventev.

The chargesync alloy micro USB cable, made by Ventev, comes with a lifetime warranty - I mean finally, a company who believes in their product enough to put their money where their mouth is!

Looking at the box, I knew exactly what I was getting. It would be tangle-free. 4 feet long. Lifetime warranty. And most importantly, 10W (2.1 amp) Even the name chargesync told me it would charge AND sync data (I needn't have worried though, I found more print saying high speed charging and data sync.) So all my requirements for charging and syncing were being met, and I wondered about the quality of manufacture.

THE BUILD

I've never seen (or felt) a cable quite like this one. It's sheathed on the outside with a layer of stiff, textured plastic that I might compare to the zigzag'ing of tire treads of a bike or a car. And I can see why it would be tangle free; it's not dilly dallying in the cheap rubbery plastic that most cables are made with. No sir, this one stands tall and straight, bending when you need it to and feeling like a firm handshake as opposed to the very limp ones offered by the competition.

The USB ends are enclosed in a firm, tight housing in a brushed aluminum material that offers you a good grip and feels solid all around. It just looks and feels elegant and comes with an industrial grade velcro strap to tie it with when you're done using it. And while I didn't take it apart, I can guess that it's made of a heavier gauge inner cable that's able to transfer more power.

IN USE

What can I say? It performs like a charm without hiccups or complaints. It works with practically any charger I pair it with and will not send more power than the device can handle. And this is one of the weird things about cheap cables - they don't have proper circuitry to regulate power. In my experience, I've had phones and tablets go haywire whenever I'd get near the touchscreen as they charged, and I never understood why til I started using better cables. In all likelyhood, that cheap cable was frying the lifespan out of the battery with every charge.

At $24.99, the Ventev chargesync alloy is a great quality cable backed with a lifetime warranty. If your stock cable ever hits the pile of your dead tech drawer, it's about time to investigate a replacement at:

http://www.ventev.com