Originally Posted by
lwildernorva
Had a unit very similar but marketed by another retailer several years ago. Liked the idea in theory but it worked poorly for me in the real world. Although my unit did not deliver the power of this unit (that just wasn't available a couple of years ago), the weaknesses had nothing to do with that. If loose sockets provide problems for a small plug, those problems increase when you plug a bigger unit like this in. Add in the USB cords that get tugged on--it was a frequent occurrence that the unit would not stay plugged in. The interchangeable international plugs only exacerbated the problem, providing a second connection that could jiggle as well.
It was a concern for me as well based on my experience with a
round bulky adapter I previously used and which had indeed a tendency to unplug easily. But I don't have this problem with this one. The weight actually lies at 90 degrees from the plug itself and pretty close to it so it never unplugged unexpectedly. If the plug itself was very loose it might be an issue but if it were that loose I wouldn't risk plugging anything anyway.
In addition, the size of the plug increased problems faced with tight spaces. A lot of the sockets I've found in European hotel rooms are located very close to baseboards, meaning that sometimes I couldn't get the unit to stay flat against the wall as the lower edge of the plug encountered interference from the baseboard. And flipping the plug upside down increased the instability of the unit if there was already a loose plug. Not to mention the issues of having to reach under a bed or desk to plug in my phone or tablet.
I really wanted it to work for me because the space savings are obvious, but the practicalities became a concern within a trip or two.
That might indeed be a problem (baseboard I mean) but I'm willing to risk this on a few rare occasions and save spaces (no cord) in my gizmo bag. But YMMV of course.