Kensington 120W Slim AC/DC Notebook Power Adapter Review

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Interesting. That bit about the power cord being too short seems to be a really common complaint.

I didn't actually realize until I saw your photo that they were talking about the part that sticks into the wall. I always thought people meant the length of the cord from the adapter to your laptop.

Are there any length problems in that regard, or does it give you plenty of room from the adapter to your laptop?

 

$30 on eBay? It's $99 new in stores, are you sure you bought it new? That's an amazing price!

 

It was brand new, sealed tightly in hard plastic. eBay has a lot of great deals, you just have to keep your eye out for them.

By the way, you can actually get it for a bit cheaper than I did, now, new:

Check it out on eBay here.

 

You mention that is supports 240V power. It's puzzling then why Kensington does not offer 120W AC in UK (only DC).

Anyone knows why?

 

Nice review! I bought one of these from Costco a few years ago, for my old Toshiba that's now in storage. It worked great with that one, but I can't use it with my current Quanta. Clearly, as a barebones unit, it doesn't show up in the smart tip selector, and while it can connect and charge using the tip for HP systems, it makes a high-pitched whine when connected. I stopped using out of safety concerns. But Gautam makes a good point I hadn't considered previously, that the tips may deliver different currents and voltages.

 

Thanks for your questions and comments. They help me to write better reviews next time.

So even though the cord length from the adapter to the wall is short, the cord from the adapter to the notebook is NOT short, and is actually a very long length. It's longer than my Dell and Acer adapters' cords.

I can make a guess - one, there probably isn't a demand, or two, that you Brits use an odd power plug - I have seen the standard two prong, which is similar to the Indian ones, and an odd three-prong monster one which is like a washing-machine plug. It's not easy to port that around.

It would pretty much have to since the adapter can power a wide variety of gadgets from cell phones to notebooks (60W-120W in range), iPods to PSPs, DVD players and stereos, and the like.

 

They have the 70W (both black and white) as AC model, but not the 120W (my Sony needs 85W). I sent them an email asking about it, but no reply came.

And I'm not Brit just have few opportunities to buy things there (more choices and better prices than in Serbia, where I live). I already have uk/eu-cont adapters, would not like to drag us/eu adapter

 

I've seen the 120W models in PC World in London for a hillarious 70 pounds....

 

Nicely done, Gautam. That's an interesting product there. I especially like the flexibility that it gives you in terms of devices that it can power for you. No wait, I like the price you paid even more than that .

But the short power cord is really disappointing. I don't like how it dangles precariously from the socket.

 

I have one of these, and although the short cord is a bit strange, in practice I haven't found it to be a problem when plugging into normal outlets. As the reviewer noted, the cord from the brick to your notebook is plenty long. An extension cord could be used if needed.

I really like the thin profile of the brick, it is unlike anything else I've seen. This makes it easier to fit into a thin laptop case.

You can get the 70W version refurbished fairly cheaply here:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=K33194RR-WB&cat=PWR
They have also carried the 120W version in the past.

 

ive used mine for a year on my dell m1210, no problems. Just had to order my own tip and also one for my moto phone (mini usb). I also have the rewindable power cable, so you can make it more compact...its a small addition to tidy up your cables.

the power cord is short so the brick will hang in the air, this is for cooling purposes, as you will see the brick gernerates some good heat.

 

btw, most of the sub $50 units are refurbs whether they advertise it as that or not. if you get a full retail packaged on, its well over $50. just fyi

 

Kensington telephone support is a nightmare. I gave up trying to get my one "free" tip after two lengthy 3rd world phone sessions never materialized with any ever received and finally, third final supervisor complaint episode with emphatic assurance of getting tip still resulted in one never sent either. I also read of others finally getting an empty plain envelope with hole showing where tip fell out in route. I just ordered one full cost after months of a useless adaptor waiting or otherwise remaining never functional ever. Just buy the tip to save sanity over $15 wasted pride.

The tips RadioShack sell may or may not be correct, there are more than one socket series in the haphazard bricks watt/numbering schemes. Add iGo re branding theirs using additional tip numbering to add confusion.

They're great once outfitted, but getting there can require extreme persistence.

 

Yes, Kensington claims it is for cooling reasons.

NO. Not at all. As I state clearly in the review, eBay sellers are selling NEW, sealed in box adapters for the price I state, well under $50.

Sorry about that experience. I didn't even try to call Kensington - I just emailed them, and they took a day to respond. This went back and forth twice, and then just under a couple weeks later I got the tip.

I would like to say - DO NOT USE random, third-party tips, such as the ones sold by RadioShack. They may work for the iGo, but will NOT work for the Kensington.

 

I just bought a Kensington 120w AC/DC that was reviewed:
http://www.notebookreview.com/defaul...+Power+Adapter

I've been trying it out and it all works fine except for using the airline input plug. It doesn't seem to fit into the input part of the AC/DC brick and I feel like I'm missing a part.

The only way it seems like it fits is when I plug the laptop tip directly into the AIR/AUTO plug but then it doesn't even seem like the contacts are touching.

Can anyone who has this please put up a photo of how the whole hook up works or at least tell me what to put in what?

Thank you!

 

I think you use the DC attachment to get the power for airlines. Look at the part that plugs into a 12v car cigarette lighter - you should be able to unlatch that attachment revealing the bare three pronged recessed plug to be used on-board. Keep in mind that not all airlines, and not all coach-class seats have the ability for DC power.

 

Did they ever make a tip for any of the new lenovo laptops?

 

Thanks for the fast reply, Gautam. I have the DC attachment, now I'm really confused over just how this DC attachment plugs into my laptop or AC/DC brick, any idea on this? The three prong connection doesn't really fit into anything

 

I just scanned through the SmartTip finder (Link in review) and it seems to support all the new IBM / Lenovo notebooks.

The DC plug has one small end which goes on the side of the power adapter. The other end has the cigarette lighter power plug...which can be removed to expose the plug I was talking about earlier.

I am attaching the manual so you can see exactly how to do it. Like I said, you have to reveal the socket.

 

ok I've revealed the air adapter plug...

How do I plug in the other end of the air adapter into my AC/DC brick? The only way I see it fitting is in like this:
http://people.bu.edu/kenyip/empower1.jpg

That image above plugs in but doesn't even go through the AC/DC brick and the contacts don't seem to touch.

http://people.bu.edu/kenyip/empower2.jpg

 

OMG that was stupid, there's an input port on the side of the AC/DC brick I didn't see. That's where it goes in..

 

I am glad you figured it out.