Just got back from home bargains and they are selling Salkin reversible micro USB cables for £1.29. The exact same ones are selling for £9.99 at mobilefun. ( Note: the micro USB side is reversible, not the standard USB end)
They seem to work as intended so I went back and bought 4 more.
If you find it a daily annoyance that you have to line up your charging cable then this might be for you - if not, then keep calm and carry on :)
Top comments
spannerzone to tarryboy
25 Jul 1619#7
no no it's a total genuine brand like Sorny, Panaphonic and Magnetic.
All comments (39)
M0nk3h
25 Jul 161#1
I don't get why people are skeptical of these. I bought one on pre-order from a chinese store and my mates were skeptical - I was fully confident in them.
I received them shortly after release date and they worked as I thought they would. My mates tried them and were still baffled by them and refused to believe it - even after trying and belived it would break the Micro USB port on their phone.
Still using them and unlike some, they're Qualcomm Fast Charge compatible.
£1.29 is a steal!
intuder
25 Jul 16#2
I think you should change the description to USB-C as that's the only reversible one, not for 90 of micro USB devices
fishmaster to intuder
25 Jul 16#11
Nope you're wrong, fully reversible micro USB cables have been created where both ends are reversible. Go look it up on YouTube so you can see how it works. The cable in this deal is reversible and is NOT USB-C
hcc27 to intuder
26 Jul 16#13
USB-C was designed as a reversible interface from the ground up. Not microUSB, but the termination at the end of this cable has a clever design which enables reversible pairing at the microUSB end without damaging the port.
This is definitely a microUSB cable, but one which allows reversible pairing owing to its unique design.
don't think these are usb-c, but proper micro USB.
TheUrbis
25 Jul 16#4
Saw these yesterday, definitely Micro USB.
Wolfylee
25 Jul 162#5
They ARE reversible micro USB - not USB-C.
tarryboy
25 Jul 16#6
Is Salkin a Belkin knock off?
spannerzone to tarryboy
25 Jul 1619#7
no no it's a total genuine brand like Sorny, Panaphonic and Magnetic.
TheUrbis to tarryboy
25 Jul 16#8
Even the packaging is fairly Belkinish...
le_jaeger
25 Jul 16#9
And worst of all, Onkyo.
akajasik
25 Jul 16#10
£1 in pound land
skip112 to akajasik
26 Jul 16#19
Is it a normal cable or reversible? I'm sure they are quite short in length too..
mikeypr
26 Jul 16#12
I have one of the double ended reversible USB to Micro USB, great cable.
Cant get my head around how both ends can be reversible and it still work.
Bought mine from Aliexpress
Great in bed at night, no messing around when plugging in the cable, in the dark.
coolcat21
26 Jul 161#14
ooh, looks like something else I didn't realise I needed..... until it was a deal on HUKD :wink:
haritori
26 Jul 16#15
SO if this is the case, what is the point in USB-C?
surely they could of made the USB C spec Micro USB backwards compatible?
There has been no better connections than USB, MiniUSB & Micro USB. USB C just muddies the waters for me.
plewis00 to haritori
26 Jul 161#16
Higher transfer rate and the port is much more stable - the micro USB port can be made reversible but has much worse tolerance to strain compared to the new USB-C.
coventgamer
26 Jul 16#17
fake belkin
thelatics to coventgamer
26 Jul 16#18
What's your point - it's £1.29 for something that is eminently better than the original design.
I have one from Aliexpress that has both ends reversible, but TBH the USB end is generally plugged into a charger, so it's only the micro end that needed to be reversible, and it's much like an Apple lightning cable, no faffing about, just whack it in (it does also fit much more solidly than the non-reversible version, with a proper click)
rprp
26 Jul 16#20
If this is like the Blitzwolf ones from Banggood, I wouldn't bother. They are pretty fragile and break after a few months. I bought a pack of 3. one broke within 3 months, another lasted 2 months. Haven't bothered with the third.
Phil_G to rprp
26 Jul 16#22
You have been quite unlucky then. Between the department we bought 35 of them. I personally use 3 on a daily basis, including one on a USB battery that us constantly being plugged, unplugged, coiled etc. The only fault we have had was someone ran their office chair over one. It crushed the full sized USB end. 5 minutes reshaping with a screwdriver soon fixed it.
I am looking at putting another order in sometime. I may give a few of these a try first though.
moob to rprp
26 Jul 16#28
Agree with this - bought the same - they fall apart.
dheydl to rprp
26 Jul 16#31
I bought three and am still on the first one. No signs of fraying or deformation and it still clicks in solidly at the micro usb end. Actually more reliable than the branded standard usb cables I have used.
welshblob
26 Jul 16#23
I don't quite understand how these work from a polarity perspective, unless they have different contacts for each way it connects
mikeypr to welshblob
26 Jul 16#24
Me too, especially the double ended reversible. A real head scratcher for me.
spannerzone to welshblob
26 Jul 161#32
ok, it's like two plugs squished together in opposite directions with almost no insulation between the 2rows of pins. the metal shroud is oval rather than keyed so it allows plug to insert either way round. The danger is a positive pin is right next to the negative pin on the other side with just thin insulation between them.
OB1
26 Jul 16#25
Thanks for posting.
Could you install the app ampere and see what charging current you get, compared to your standard cable?
Gives a good idea of the quality (if not the durability).
Wolfylee
26 Jul 161#26
Original Original and this reversible cable peaks at 1040mA. That's using an S6 and Samsung fast charger.
OB1
26 Jul 16#27
Thanks! I guess your battery is quite full as otherwise I would have thought you'd get a higher charge rate. But the fact this cheap cable matches the Samsung one is impressive!
neilcaldwell
26 Jul 16#29
What app do people recommend for measuring charging current, voltage etc. In order to rate a charging cable.
lutin to neilcaldwell
26 Jul 161#30
Someone about 5 posts above yours said:
"Could you install the app ampere and see what charging current you get, compared to your standard cable?"
spannerzone
26 Jul 161#33
more
Pateo
26 Jul 16#34
So that means there's the risk of the contacts short circuiting at some point through wear n tear, so could this potentially damage a phone/PC etc?
spannerzone
27 Jul 16#35
yes if it's poorly built plug.
Les Alanos
2 Aug 16#36
I can confirm these things also work well as a cable to charge Wileyfox Swift, with it's inconveniently long micro usb port.
Meathotukdeals
3 Aug 161#37
A bit harsh. I'm sure they didn't realise they were going to crush the cable when they moved their chair.
Hope they get better soon.
Meathotukdeals
8 Aug 16#38
Ta OP got one of these. Fits much more securely that the standard micro usb.
Hammerheads29
9 Aug 16#39
Just bought 5 of these, absolutely brilliant idea. Solves one of those niggling little issues that are fairly insignificant but utterly annoying! Great find at this price
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
They seem to work as intended so I went back and bought 4 more.
If you find it a daily annoyance that you have to line up your charging cable then this might be for you - if not, then keep calm and carry on :)
Top comments
All comments (39)
I received them shortly after release date and they worked as I thought they would. My mates tried them and were still baffled by them and refused to believe it - even after trying and belived it would break the Micro USB port on their phone.
Still using them and unlike some, they're Qualcomm Fast Charge compatible.
£1.29 is a steal!
This is definitely a microUSB cable, but one which allows reversible pairing owing to its unique design.
https://www.choice.com.au/electronics-and-technology/phones/mobile-phones/articles/reversible-microusb-cable-reviews
don't think these are usb-c, but proper micro USB.
Cant get my head around how both ends can be reversible and it still work.
Bought mine from Aliexpress
Great in bed at night, no messing around when plugging in the cable, in the dark.
surely they could of made the USB C spec Micro USB backwards compatible?
There has been no better connections than USB, MiniUSB & Micro USB. USB C just muddies the waters for me.
I have one from Aliexpress that has both ends reversible, but TBH the USB end is generally plugged into a charger, so it's only the micro end that needed to be reversible, and it's much like an Apple lightning cable, no faffing about, just whack it in (it does also fit much more solidly than the non-reversible version, with a proper click)
I am looking at putting another order in sometime. I may give a few of these a try first though.
Could you install the app ampere and see what charging current you get, compared to your standard cable?
Gives a good idea of the quality (if not the durability).
Original and this reversible cable peaks at 1040mA. That's using an S6 and Samsung fast charger.
"Could you install the app ampere and see what charging current you get, compared to your standard cable?"
Hope they get better soon.