az3579
01-06-2015, 03:24 PM
I've been living with only having one Genuine Apple cable for over a year now. This can get tricky, having to use it in the car, at work, and at home.
So, a while ago, I bought a 10-pack of a cheap aftermarket cables (thinking they were Genuine). Unfortunately they were very cheap, and had about 3 die right off the bat. The rest bent very easily and charged my iPhone 5S at a pathetically slow rate. Sometimes, my battery would continue to drain while using GPS, even though it was plugged into the 2.1A port on my car charger!
Early last week, I ordered (3) ZeroLemon black nylon Lightning cables from Amazon using the ZHPMafia affiliate link. They cost about $15-16 each, which is cheaper than Apple's own cable. At this point I had done all kinds of research about Lightning cables and found lots of highly rated replacements, including the famous Monoprice cables. Unfortunately Monoprice cables always seem to be out of stock, so I kept looking until I found these.
I was dead set on braided cables. Overall they are stiffer and hold their shape better, offering better protection than flimsier, thinner cables. The braided cables I found were significantly more expensive at about $30 a piece. That was a bit rich for my bank account, so I settled for these Nylon braided cables instead.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/06/a5d153cfcc309dfaedb283c9e082ef8c.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/06/626fafe53f412d1835038477547503e3.jpg
The cables I purchased are about 6 feet long, with a black nylon braid and silver connector plugs with ZeroLemon written on them. These cables are available in PVC or nylon in a variety of colors and lengths.
The ZeroLemon Lightning cables are Apple MFi certified, meaning they are guaranteed to be quality cables that charge at full speed and will never display the 'accessory not supported' message when plugged in. The larger USB connector features what seems like better quality conductors. The Lightning end features nicely rounded edges on the pins and has no protruding "steps" from the connector end. The strain relief is stiff, so this cable should in theory never have the problem the Genuine Apple cables have.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/06/4375cf0dd47d23444d7d253a3be4dfee.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/06/ba56a8989752ccc7181a4fbadbce821b.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/06/c31e72038c34b96f49ccc32929758e36.jpg
The cable retains its shape very nicely. The way it arrived in the packaging is exactly how a cable should be wrapped up as it prevents damage to the cable. This is also how I store all of my cables, so I was glad to find the cable retains this shape readily instead of curling or twisting.
Charge speed so far appears to be similar to the Genuine Apple cable, which is very quick. I believe this cable should be able to put through 2.1A or so if you use a higher capacity charger. This is pretty much as fast as it gets, so performance is top notch. I haven't actually measured the amperage as I don't have the capability of doing so, but visually watching the indicator makes me think it's just as fast as the Apple cable.
So, in short, I am impressed with the quality of this cable. I just received them today, so if I have any issues with them, I'll update this post as well as provide updates on the warranty claims process.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
So, a while ago, I bought a 10-pack of a cheap aftermarket cables (thinking they were Genuine). Unfortunately they were very cheap, and had about 3 die right off the bat. The rest bent very easily and charged my iPhone 5S at a pathetically slow rate. Sometimes, my battery would continue to drain while using GPS, even though it was plugged into the 2.1A port on my car charger!
Early last week, I ordered (3) ZeroLemon black nylon Lightning cables from Amazon using the ZHPMafia affiliate link. They cost about $15-16 each, which is cheaper than Apple's own cable. At this point I had done all kinds of research about Lightning cables and found lots of highly rated replacements, including the famous Monoprice cables. Unfortunately Monoprice cables always seem to be out of stock, so I kept looking until I found these.
I was dead set on braided cables. Overall they are stiffer and hold their shape better, offering better protection than flimsier, thinner cables. The braided cables I found were significantly more expensive at about $30 a piece. That was a bit rich for my bank account, so I settled for these Nylon braided cables instead.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/06/a5d153cfcc309dfaedb283c9e082ef8c.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/06/626fafe53f412d1835038477547503e3.jpg
The cables I purchased are about 6 feet long, with a black nylon braid and silver connector plugs with ZeroLemon written on them. These cables are available in PVC or nylon in a variety of colors and lengths.
The ZeroLemon Lightning cables are Apple MFi certified, meaning they are guaranteed to be quality cables that charge at full speed and will never display the 'accessory not supported' message when plugged in. The larger USB connector features what seems like better quality conductors. The Lightning end features nicely rounded edges on the pins and has no protruding "steps" from the connector end. The strain relief is stiff, so this cable should in theory never have the problem the Genuine Apple cables have.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/06/4375cf0dd47d23444d7d253a3be4dfee.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/06/ba56a8989752ccc7181a4fbadbce821b.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/06/c31e72038c34b96f49ccc32929758e36.jpg
The cable retains its shape very nicely. The way it arrived in the packaging is exactly how a cable should be wrapped up as it prevents damage to the cable. This is also how I store all of my cables, so I was glad to find the cable retains this shape readily instead of curling or twisting.
Charge speed so far appears to be similar to the Genuine Apple cable, which is very quick. I believe this cable should be able to put through 2.1A or so if you use a higher capacity charger. This is pretty much as fast as it gets, so performance is top notch. I haven't actually measured the amperage as I don't have the capability of doing so, but visually watching the indicator makes me think it's just as fast as the Apple cable.
So, in short, I am impressed with the quality of this cable. I just received them today, so if I have any issues with them, I'll update this post as well as provide updates on the warranty claims process.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk