Better Cigarette Lighter Plug

[AaronD]

View attachment 178544
View attachment 178545

This is the charger from out MacBook Air.

Is the problem the lighter-plug socket or the charger itself? (It's unclear to me from the picture). If the plug style is the problem, apologies for the thread drift...

To my knowledge, Apple hasn't made a lighter-plug charger for any of its Macbook models for several years (and I don't see any currently at the Apple charger page). So 3rd-party chargers are the only option, and they seem to differ a lot in quality. I've seen some really scary pictures of the innards of no-name wall plugs. If Apple made one, it would be much more expensive, but I'd also probably trust it more. Some 3rd-party brands have been around longer than others (e.g. Belkin), and I presume they're a little better engineered than the cheapest no-name versions. But I haven't cut any apart to compare, and I'm not an EE, so I wouldn't really know what to look for anyway. If anyone has first-hand knowledge comparing the safety of 3rd-party chargers (110v or 12v), I'd love to know.

UPDATE: @Maine Sail recommended a couple 12v chargers a few days ago, including one dual USB-A and one combo USB-A / USB-C (the latter would work for recent Macbooks)

 

[Terry Cox]

In reference to the 12v socket pics that I posted above, the Stanley brand car inverters work well for us in keeping our assortment of devices charged. So far no issues regarding corrosion or operation after several years of use. Our model has dual USB ports and one standard 120v socket. STANLEY PCA120 120-Watt Power Inverter (PCA120) from Solid Signal

Compared to other brands this model uses a heat sink to keep it cool and quiet unlike the noisy fan cooled units; well not that noisy, but still a whirring sound that tends to irritate these sensitive ears.