Are car charger all the same?

[acsurfer]

I want to use a car charger (those kind that one end plug into the car cigarette lighter hole, one end plug into phone)

I got a no brand car charger but not sure if suitable for use.

Are all car charger same standard? Need to see what specs?

Any tips for choosing and buying a car charger?

There is one type that is a car charger that provides a usb hole for you to plug in the usb cable to your phone. Is that type good?

I have a samsung S4.

Thanks

 

[SearingMedia]

I've had some cheap car chargers that will charge very intermittently. I would recommend getting a decent brand name charger as the price difference is immaterial ($4-5) while the charge that you get could be substantially different.

 

[manoffewwords]

I can tell you without a doubt (from my recent experiences), that in terms of build quality, reliability and ability to supply a steady, strong current to your device, do NOT waste your time on those little $3-6 cheapo pieces-of-crap no-name chargers. Unless of course you enjoy having a dead device when you expect a charged one and/or replacing them every other month or so........

Find a name-brand one from a reputable retailer and spend the $10-20 and you will NOT be disappointed. Just be sure to get one that is rated to supply at least the same or slightly more current that what your device's battery calls for

 

[Rukbat]

The difference, apart from quality, is the amount of current the device can supply. Look at the Output line on your current charger. The car charger should be able to supply at least that much current (A or mA - 1,000mA = 1 A). If it supplies less, the battery will take longer to charge. If the phone just nbarely charges when you're running, say, Maps, and the car charger supplies less current, the phone battery will actually discharge (slower than without the charger) when it's plugged in and running Maps. If the car charger supplies more current, that's fine - the phone will only draw what it's designed to draw and no more.

You can sometimes find crap for $25 and you can sometimes find well-built chargers for $5. (I've been using an $8 double-USB 2 Amp charger for almost a year with no problem.) Some of the ones sold in dollar stores aren't worth pennies, some are pretty good. Ask around. If your neighbor got one that works well and doesn't feel like it's going to set the car on fire after half an hour of use, and he paid only $5 for it, get one. If it feels like you can twist it apart with 2 fingers, it's probably not worth the time you spent feeling it.

(This is one of those things you have to depend on word of mouth for. Some of those $1 shipping included Chinese chargers on eBay are pretty good, some aren't worth the envelope they come in. I wish I could remember where I got mine, so I could give you all a recommendation, but I think I need to reflash my mental ROM - there are more holes than memories these days.)

I'd definitely go with the USB jack kind, though. If the cable on the one-piece ones go or get caught in a door, you have to buy a new one. If the cable you're using in the USB type goes, any $1 cable will work if you don't have an extra one lying around from something with a microUSB connector that you threw out but kept the cable.