Review: Ridings Slimplug power lead
Save space in your laptop bag with this folding-prong power cable

Review: Ridings Slimplug power lead

Save space in your laptop bag with this folding-prong power cable

Written by Marc Delehanty

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If you’re always carrying a laptop bag around you’ll appreciate the compact head of this power lead.

The three prongs fold away, saving 2.2cm and making it thinner than most laptops. As a result the prongs don’t jut out in your bag and potentially scratch equipment. Of course, although this design it saves space, it’s doesn't make things any lighter.

Folding the prongs in and out is quite easy. A tug on the two sliders, which are placed on either side of the plug head, releases the prongs.

As soon as any device gets more moving parts it means there’s greater chance of it breaking, but, that said, we saw no evidence to suggest that it might happen with the Slim Plug.

The lead is 1.8m long and has a figure of eight connector as used by the majority of laptops. You will, however, still need to keep your notebook's power supply as this connects into it and not into a laptop directly.

If you’re an international traveller using power adapters attached to the plug head you’re probably not going to retract up the prongs, so no space is saved.

If the lead had been retractable we’d be looking at a must-have for travellers, but at almost three times the price of a regular power lead it’s expensive.

We’d recommend that if you’ve lost your laptop power lead or need to pack compactly this is worth considering.

Product overview

  • Price: £14.99
  • Manufacturer: Ridings
  • Specifications: 1.8m cable length

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Ratings

  • Overall rating: 3
  • Features: 3
  • Performance rating: n/a
  • Value for money: 3
  • Average user rating:
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Verdict

Pros: Compact; easy to use
Cons: Costs a fair bit more than standard power leads
Verdict: Frequent travellers may appreciate the Slim Plug, but the small amount of space it saves won't impress the majority of laptop users

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