Braided charging cables with added reach
If you are tired of having a short cord, of having to sit too close to the power outlet/desk, or tired of sitting awkwardly at your local Starbucks to keep your gear charged, consider adding some freedom to your tech. Sometimes a 1M cable will suffice, and other times not. I have recently reviewed several offerings from KickPOWER and truly enjoyed their 3 Ft Lightning Cable, Type-C Cable, and the dual-port USB-A QC 3.0 /USB-C PD Quick Charger. Each of the robust cables provided a sturdy connection and allowed my devices to charge at maximal speeds. However, I know I am not the only one who pines for a little more length from time to time. Luckily, a quick search of the KickPOWER website will show that they sell several varieties of 10 Ft power cables.
The white-colored USB-A to Lightning, black-colored USB-A to USB-micro, and golden-colored USB-A to USB-C cables arrived individually packaged within plastic hanging loops. Each of the braided cables was doubled over at the USB-A/specialty end, looped around a plastic hanging loop, and was affixed with three small zip-ties along their length. Each of the prongs had a blank backing and a white/red KickPOWER Strong logo. The plastic hanging tabs had a white upper-outer section, a black central section, and colored borders (orange for micro-USB, green for iPhone MFI, red for Type-C). I liked that the color-coded borders of the 10 Ft cables matched those of the 3 Ft cables. The iPhone/Lightning cable hanging tab had the same MFI (Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod) logo as the shorter cable. The back section of each of the hanging tabs had the same white/black segments with colored borders and provided an SKU barcode plus contact information for KickPower. To access each of the cables, I snipped the three zip-ties and removed the plastic hanging tabs.
Each USB-A and Micro/Lightning/USB-C prongs had a highly protected 1-inch long neck section. To test each of them, I gripped the braided cable at the neck section and bent the cable forward/backward fifty times and then side to side as well. I repeated this for each of the prongs and then also gripped each end and pulled outward. I was pleased with the robust braided design, with the colors, and with the overall build. I found that the USB-A prongs fit snugly inside USB-A ports, as did each specialty end. My only complaint was with the MFI cable and the boxy lightning port design. Like the lightning review mentioned above, the plastic on the end of the MFI cable prevented me from using the cable with a few cases, such as Catalyst Waterproof Total Protection iPhone 12 Pro Max Case. I did not have any issue with the USB-Micro or USB-C cables. I used a Klein Tools USB A/C multimeter and tested each of the cables. I found that I could fully power several portable batteries, my MacBook Pro and my iPad Pro, without any issues. The boxy Lightning cable prong precluded my ability to charge my iPhone 12 Pro Max within the case. However, without the case and with several other case designs, I could easily charge my iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The braided black USB-A to Micro-USB cable weighed 1.5 ounces and measured 118.5 inches from end to end, which was a bit shy of the ten-foot length. I pulled the cable taught, measured it several times with a few different measuring tapes, and found the length to be the same as that listed above. Thinking this to be a fluke, I measured the braided white MFI cable and found that it weighed 1.9-ounces and measured 119-inches long. The braided Type-C cable weighed 1.7-ounces and measured 118.5-inches long. Unfortunately, each cable measured just shy of the listed 10-foot length, which was rather odd.
Summary:
Each of the extended-length cables provided a snug fit within their ports. The lightning cable was a bit too large for a few cases but fit just fine within many others. I loved the braided cable and the durable neck design. If you need a power/data cable with some added reach, consider picking up a few of the KickPOWER 10 ft cables.
Learn more about the KickPOWER 10 Ft MFI, Micro-USB, Type-C cables.
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