Searching for Particular AC Adapter Replacements

In brief, where can I find AC adapter replacements which meet the following criteria, without paying Dell's high prices? Say, under $20.

1) Replacement for PA-10
2) Replacement for PA-12

both with following characteristics:

A) With 6 foot cord from charger to laptop
B) Has connector for 2-prong wall cord.
C) Wall cord connector compatible with Dell "mickey mouse" cord.
D) Has slot in side for attachment of Dell rubber strap and/or includes rubber strap.

The Dell adapters I find on Amazon and Ebay often turn out not to be Dell on closer examination. Some of them ride that ragged line of fraud or just brazenly cross over it and claim their adapters are Dell when they're not. No doubt part of the problem is the One-Description-Many-Sellers "feature" of Amazon.

The non-Dell adapter all seem to have a 3-foot cord between the charger and laptop and about an even mix of 2-prong vs. 3-prong. It's sad, because several of them seem to be great, functionally, but ergonomically, they just don't cut it. Laptops are all about the ergonomics.

The Dell adapters I've found at a reasonable price all seem to have 3-prong cords instead of 2-prong. 3-prong may be electrically superior, but they can be a pain when trying to find an outlet on the go. I don't mind 3-prong for desk-side at home, but I already have plenty of 3-prong.

The adapters I have at home which meet these criterion are DF266 and DF263 adapters, yet when I search for those part numbers, I get results which seem to show a bunch of 3-prong adapters -- but then on closer examination, it also becomes uncertain whether they're actual Dell adapters, even though the Item Title says: "by Dell". Sigh.

The photos on Amazon and Ebay don't seem to be reliable. I've seen some which even have photos showing both 2-prong and 3-prong wall cords. And no-one lists the length of the charger to laptop cord in their specifications. Grrrr.

So, has anyone found this grail of Dell laptop chargers? If so, where and if on Amazon, please identify the specific seller.

 

You know that your Dell adapters are not made by Dell, the one my M6700 uses is made by Delta if I recall correctly and it's branded Dell, so even if it's not written Dell on it, it could be the same PSU. There are bound to be PSUs that are compatible, but not like the original, you'll just have to sift through them. eBay is your best bet anyways.

You can also get a 6 ft cord that goes from the outlet to the brick for ~10$, what you really want is the brick.

 

Yes, I don't mind after-market in principal. My problem with it in this instance is that **all** the aftermarket adapters seem to only have a 3' cord between the charger and the laptop. And since that cord is built-in there's no changing it short of surgery.

Yes. I don't even really care if the adapter comes with a cord. I have cords. The issue with cords, is that the supply cord from the wall needs to be 2-prong. The few legitimate Dell adapters I found on Amazon all seem to have a 3-prong connector on the adapter for the supply cord.

Thank you. In fact, after posting my original message, I took a deeper look at Ebay. My original message was after a shallow search of Ebay yesterday, and a frustrating, in-depth search of Amazon this morning.

I have found what I was looking for (assuming that all the real-Dell adapters have 6' cords from adapter to laptop) on Ebay. The seller, pc.hq , seems to have what I want. His used product is not the least expensive available, but he also has new adapters available and he clearly states whether each adapter uses a 2-prong or 3-prong supply cord.

 

I got my second M6700 adapter used from eBay for ~40$ which is way less than what Dell charges for that particular adapter, shipping to Canada was expensive, but the savings were still over 50$, of course 240W adapters aren't the cheapest either.

 

I don't know why people have so much trouble finding genuine Dell adapters on eBay. I search "Genuine Dell PA-10" and there a bazillion of them starting in the low $10s. I've never bought one labeled "genuine" that hasn't been such either. I don't know how many of them actually distinguish between the 3 prong and 2 prong cables, but just based on the pictures, I can see a number of both, so yeah...

 

Amazon.com: Genuine Dell PA-12 19.5V 3.34A 65W AC Adapter For Dell Inspiron, 100% Compatible With P/N: PA-12, HA65NS-00, LA65NS2-01, DA65NM111-00, LA65NE1-00, FA65NE1-00: Computers & Accessories

 

That looks good on first blush, but reading the comments/reviews, reveals the same problems I stated in my first message.

First, there is no indication whether the plug is 2-prong or 3-prong.

Second, some folks received genuine Dell adapters with a long adapter-to-laptop cord. Others received after market knock-offs with a short cord. It probably depends on which of the 18 different sellers you use, but since Amazon doesn't reveal which seller each reviewer actually used, who knows what you're going to get from any particular seller?

And while you would have justification to return a knock-off after ordering a "Genuine Dell ..." at $10 it's not going to be worth the hassle.

I think Ebay really is the better bet for this particular item. In general, I'd rather shop on Amazon, but this mash of sellers who don't hew all that closely to the item description to which they attach their products makes Amazon unusable sometimes.

 

+1 for eBay

careful reviews of the descriptions and typically try to buy from North American sellers helps.