I’m Very Glad I Bought This
I’ve also been concerned about how quickly our Cell Phone/GPS/Ipod/Cordless Tool batteries can wear out by overcharging. So I went looking for a plug in device to solve these problems. This turns out to be the one. I can plug in my cordless drill battery, for example, and let it charge for 6 hours and automatially turn off the charging. Days or weeks later, I can return and know I haven’t left the thing on charge the whole time.
You can choose a countdown timer of either 30 minutes, three hours or six hours.
I’d use the 30 minute choice for using the toaster, microwave, coffee maker, etc. I’d use the six hour timer for charging batteries. So far, I haven’t used the three hour timer.
I bought one of these units last month, and I’ve been so pleased that today I ordered two more.
In some situations, you may prefer to simply toggle the power on and off. This unit requires you to unplug the thing in order to kill the power before the timer has run down. Not a big deal, but if that is your more dominant need, there is a better suited product from the same manufacturer (for less money too)….
To avoid burning out my charger and wasting energy, this plug-in was the best answer. It also works great for charging my laptop.
The only negative thing is that sometimes if I want to unplug my stuff before the timer is up, there isn’t a button to turn the charger off – so you have to unplug it, or let it run the allotted time over.
Overall, I’d recommend it for the energy-conscious consumer, if only because it seems the cheapest and easiest option out there. Works well with a basic power strip fully used. Cheaper than implementing WeMo all over the house.
Doesn’t make much sense for outlets that are in tough to reach places like behind furniture, the outlet needs to be readily accessible so you can turn it on (but much easier than plugging and unplugging devices, even though that would be the absolute cheapest solution :p )
Needs to be placed on the top most socket otherwise it will block an outlet. I have confirmed that there is ZERO draw when the green light is not lit up. (thanks, kill-a-watt) I wish they made one that took up the entire two outlets with timers for each outlet
I have it set to shut-off after three hours, otherwise my young son will walk away and leave the TV on for days. If it does actually reach the time limit, he just has to hit the button. I also have a second one in the garage that I use to charge my drill, that way it doesn’t stay on and drain power all the live long day. My only complaint is that mine don’t have an off button. If you decide the kill power before the timer is up, you have to yank it out of the outlet.