Mobility Digest Review: 1-to-3 Car Cigarette Lighter Power Port Splitter

We live in very mobile times and that means power on the go. My car is a 2011 Subaru Forester and it includes several power receptacles in it so I’m all set really, but go back a few years and cars usually only came with one. Having several mobile devices that need power but only one outlet isn’t ideal so you’ll have to either buy a new car or figure a way to multiply your outlets and that’s the product I have for review today comes in.  Today I have a quick review of a very inexpensive but yet very handy little gadget that can take one power port and split it into three for you so you can charge three mobile devices at once from a single power port.

Author:  Kristofer Brozio

Vendor: Deal Extreme

Price: $4.20

Overall Rating: 4.5 /5

 

Specs/Features:

1-to-3 Car Cigarette Lighter Power Port Splitter

SKU: 2691

-Blue color
-Splits 1 Cigarette port to 3 ports
-12V

Dimensions: 3.54 in x 1.65 in x 1.3 in
Weight: 3.81 oz

 

What’s in the Box?

Well it’s not exactly a box, it’s a clear plastic front with a cardboard backing.

Inside you won’t find much, yep there’s no instructions but I don’t think you really need them for a product like this. Really is plug and play! Inside you will find a double sided pad with tape on both sides so you can out the splitter more permanently if you wish. The tape is nice because it’s secure but not permanent and it won’t damage your car.

So yes it’s purple in color, I’m not exactly sure I like the color. A neutral color like black would have been better I think as purple really isn’t going to match any car interior that I know of. It’s purple yes but it’s transparent so you can see the insides, not sure about this either, if you’re going to make it clear then make it clear, not a colored clear.  You can see a red LED on the top.

Nothing on the bottom just the screws that hold it together.

On the front are the three power ports.

The unit connect to your standard power receptacle in your car. I didn’t take a picture of it, sorry, but you can unscrew the top to find a user replaceable standard glass tube style fuse which is a nice feature.

 

Impressions / Review:

As far as using it, it’s very simple just plug it into your power jack and you’re ready to go

The LED lights up red to indicate you’ve got power. I should note the cord could be a bit longer. In my car it’s not a big deal since the power receptacle is located conveniently, but for older cars this could be an issue I would think.

For testing I plugged my phone into it for charging and it worked fine. I have a universal USB style adapter so I can pretty much plug in whatever I want to it.

In any case, it worked fine for me. I realized I really don’t have many devices that have adapters like these, as I said I have one with a USB port on it so I can charge most anything I need to just from it.

 

 

 

Conclusion:

So the 1-to-3 Car Cigarette Lighter Power Port Splitter is simple to use and it works.

Newer cars like mine have several power receptacles in them so I’m not sure something like this is needed for me. Older cars though usually only have one power port in them so that’s where this splitter can come in very handy.

It’s plastic yes, but most everything is these days, so for what it is it’s fine in terms of quality.

The color isn’t my first preference, still not sure why they would make it purple but hey whatever.

As far as price it’s only $4.20 with free shipping so that’s not too bad. Sadly Deal Extreme free shipping option takes a while, like at least 3 weeks to get to you if not longer. It actually took just a few days shy of one month to get to me, so I hope you’re not in a hurry but you could pay for the faster shipping option and even then it would put this at probably under $10 shipped.

 

Pros:
+Works fine
+Great for older cars
+User replaceable fuse
+Simple to use

 

Cons:
-Cord is a bit short
-Not sure about purple color