Laptop Power Adapters

randomusername on 02/03/2010 - 01:57

Does anyone know about laptop power adapters?

I need to buy a power adapter for a Toshiba Satellite. Buying direct from Toshiba will cost, at a guess, around $80. I don't want to spend that much.

I've been looking at eBay and see a bunch of them for peanuts, all claiming to be genuine, however I know they're not.

What I'd like to know is:

  • Are there any stores that are known to sell genuine parts, even if they are slightly more expensive? I'm willing to pay a little more if I get a guaranteed Toshiba part, preferably in all original packaging.
  • Are these fake adapters on eBay any good? (in general, not just for my model). I'm betting much of Toshiba's stuff come from the same factories as these, but that's a guess and I'd prefer it if someone knew their stuff. I don't want to buy one and burn down a house.
  • Is it possible to buy an adapter from overseas (eg. USA) and just replace the power cord part with an Australian one? For example, this image ( http://www.laptop-ac-adapter.org/images/svsavf.jpg ) shows a US one. I have an Australian one from an old power adapter that I can use. Is it safe to just replace it?
  • Any other suggestions and tips? Anything will be helpful.

Thanks :)

Find Me A Bargain

Comments

  • Jabba the Hutt on 02/03/2010 - 08:55
    +1

    Recently bought one of these new on eBay for $88 shipped:

    http://www.targus.com.au/product_details.asp?sku=APA64AU

    At that price it's better value for money than an original adaptor since it can be used with many different models.

    Regarding safety of the knockoffs, who knows? It's one of those low probability risks that's too difficult to find good data on and make a rational judgement about. Probably best to err on the side of caution for items that can do significant damage if faulty.

  • Mikinoz on 02/03/2010 - 09:23
    +1

    Better off looking for someone selling there old power supply for the same range, generally toshiba made almost all power supplies of that gen the same (excluding some models ie qosimo)

    confirm on the bottom of the machine the output voltage required for that machine , make sure it matches ie 3.95

    Otherwise you could always get a oem one from someone like this on ebay

    http://shop.ebay.com.au/i.html?Brand=Toshiba&Toshiba%2520Ser…

    $15-$25.00 as oppose to 80 is pretty good

  • inherentchoice on 02/03/2010 - 20:50
    +1

    If you read the label on your laptop charger and many other devices it will say something like “input 100-240v”, so input voltage is not at all an issue as you can use those US-AU power adapters or just replace the cable like you mentioned (i.e. with a figure-8 or clover leaf Australian cable). Often on eBay I think the Hong Kong seller will actually send you the right cable according you your address.

    The input and output voltage should also be stated in any of the eBay ads. Unless you have a $2000+ laptop I can't imagine there being anything wrong with any of the compatible models on eBay because I think these things are almost entirely down to having the right output voltage/amps and the correct connector, and that would mean you could get one for as low as $20 posted (if not less).

    My advice would be to enter your laptop model number and "charger" in the eBay search box and then make sure you tick Include title and description and the Worldwide option and then sort results by price and postage. Or maybe try this link and replace "Satellite A135" with your model number:
    http://desc.shop.ebay.com.au/i.html?_nkw=Satellite+A135+char…

    You can always just buy the $20 one just to see how it goes. If you still don't like eBay then also look at StaticIce.

  • randomusername on 04/03/2010 - 12:37

    I still haven't figured out what I want to do yet, but at least I have some more information to help me along.

    Thanks for the advice everyone :)

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