Ego USB Questions/ Help

[matt-attack]

Happy Sunday everyone. I would love an expert opinion on this; Are there truly ANY difference between ego chargers?

I've been using my Ovale (re branded joyetech) egos for a while and love them. I have two 650s and a 1000 mah battery that I use and rotate with a 1300 mah Vision Spinner battery.
I use my "genuine" Ovale usb charger (that came with the kit) with ALL of them and have never had an issue or concern.

But now here's my dilemma : I want to pick up a couple of extra usb/ac chargers for myself for work and for some friends. Ovale charges $12.95 (1 usb $7.95 + 1 A/C wall $5.00). I am at heath cabin and they charge $3.79 (1 usb $2.20 + 1 A/C wall $1.59). I've contacted them, both assure me to have overcharge circuit protection.
Other than branding and price, is there truly ANY DIFFERENCE between these ? Remember I'm using 650/1000 mah ego and 1300 spinner.
I want to make ABSOLUTELY sure that these chargers offer the same quality and most importantly SAFETY features. I don't mind paying more for the Ovale product, but I also don't mind saving money and waiting an extra two weeks for health cabin either. Below, I have pasted links. The specs all seem to be the same. Health cabin offers 420 mah usb and 450 mah usb.
Trying to avoid explosions. Expert opinion anyone??

HC- USB chargers & Cables : Healthcabin Electronic Cigarettes - Wholesale and Retail

OVALE- eGo USB Charger - OVALE ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE (e-cigarette)

I guess I'm looking for a SAFE universal ego charger. Any help is much appreciated!

-Matt

 

[irwink]

I can't speak for the stuff Health Cabin sells but can for joyetech eGo's and usb chargers. I've used them since they first hit the market and have never had a charger fail. I have 3 of them. I also don't use wall adapters. My computers all have good quality power supplies.

Better quality stuff generally has a lower failure rate than stuff bought mainly because it was cheaper. Unless the paltry savings is a make or break for you I'd recommend that you go with joyetech.

 

[r77r7r]

The safety of these, as with much ecig equipment, is with the user. Most of these fail because of overtightening ( ripping loose the wiring inside), or not cleaning regularly.

Not sure if a better brand name will overcome user error. Myself, I've used only off- brands for 2 years and never had an issue. Most are capable of being taken apart and cleaned, repaired.

 

[matt-attack]

Thank you for the quick reply. I agree that Ovale/Joyetech products work great and under most circumstance I would go that route. Since I'll be ordering between 5-7 usb/ac set ups, the price would run me $50 more for "genuine" parts.
However, since both HC and Ovale are manufactured in China, is it possible they are manufactured at the same facility, making them the same parts just rebranded???

 

[Caridwen]

I'll move this to the ego forum for more input.

 

[matt-attack]

Personally I have never used off-brands before so I can't speak first hand. 100% agree about user error. BUT, every once and a while we hear stories of people mixing batteries with the wrong chargers. I don't want to make that mistake. Nor do I want to order from multiple websites and have multiple brands laying around the house.

 

[Caridwen]

Health Cabin is a pretty reputable supplier.

I usually only by brand name equipment, but I'd be tempted to get the chargers from HC. Input/Output are the same?

I'd be comfortable purchasing them from HC, but wait for more input from someone that might be more knowledgeable with chargers.

 

[MorpheusPA]

Theoretically? There's no difference. They'll accept an eGo, charge it, and will provide an appropriate charge with the correct final voltage.

Functionally? There's a big difference. The cheaper it is, the less likely it is to have quality components (but that's not completely true all the time). The cheapest ones are most likely to break faster, be a bit inconsistent in terms of final voltage, and charge slower.

However, Health Cabin's a pretty good supplier, so I'd be somewhat more inclined than usual to trust the charger. 420 mAh is acceptable for any of your items--although I might want a somewhat lower charge rate for your 650 battery, it'll work safely as it's only about 0.65C. For the other two it's a complete non-issue and should charge your 1,300 in the time stated.

 

[MorpheusPA]

Thank you for the quick reply. I agree that Ovale/Joyetech products work great and under most circumstance I would go that route. Since I'll be ordering between 5-7 usb/ac set ups, the price would run me $50 more for "genuine" parts.
However, since both HC and Ovale are manufactured in China, is it possible they are manufactured at the same facility, making them the same parts just rebranded???

It's entirely possible, but more likely that it's a knockoff. eGo chargers are nothing more than a lithium battery charging board with an eGo output--you could build one yourself if you're handy with a soldering iron. It'd probably cost you a bit more than the Health Cabin one, but it would work. In a lot of cases, the mAh output is set by a simple resistor on the board--so most boards can be set for any reasonable mAh output.

Given how common and easy to build the device is, I'm betting knockoff.

 

[matt-attack]

Theoretically? There's no difference. They'll accept an eGo, charge it, and will provide an appropriate charge with the correct final voltage.

Functionally? There's a big difference. The cheaper it is, the less likely it is to have quality components (but that's not completely true all the time). The cheapest ones are most likely to break faster, be a bit inconsistent in terms of final voltage, and charge slower.

However, Health Cabin's a pretty good supplier, so I'd be somewhat more inclined than usual to trust the charger. 420 mAh is acceptable for any of your items--although I might want a somewhat lower charge rate for your 650 battery, it'll work safely as it's only about 0.65C. For the other two it's a complete non-issue and should charge your 1,300 in the time stated.

Thanks for the input. I'm awful at knowing these things.
I dug up the email from HC and they assured me that their 420 mah ego usb charger would be compatible and offer the over charge protection on Vision batts and Ovale ego-C kits.

Now I have never ordered from health cabin before. I do know that many users on here love them and are indeed reputable. Do you guys think this the way to go?

 

[MorpheusPA]

It's worth a shot, but I think I'd order one to start and try it out to see how it works. If it's awful, you're not out that much.

 

[matt-attack]

I don't mind having to sporadically replace them every 6 months or whatever, so long as I'm not replacing my house or desktop along with it. :-O

 

[MorpheusPA]

I don't mind having to sporadically replace them every 6 months or whatever, so long as I'm not replacing my house or desktop along with it. :-O

Personally, I wouldn't plug any USB charger into a computer. The charger is cheap, the computer is expensive. You don't want that cheap charger shorting out your 5 volt line on the computer (or, potentially, damaging the power supply).

Fortunately, USB converters are pretty cheap and you can get them at your local drug store or grocery in a lot of cases. Or Amazon. I'm a fan of this one: Amazon.com: PowerGen White 2.4-Amp (12 Watt) Dual USB Wall Charger w/Sviwal Plug Designed for Apple and Android Devices: Cell Phones & Accessories

But really, as long as the mAh output of the base is equal to or greater than the eGo charger(s) total that you're plugging into it, you don't need one that hefty.