Eccentric Yet Practical: A Guide to Quirky USB Charger Innovations

Interesting and quirky USB chargers can be fun to look at—and they might be better than the chargers you have lying around already.

I like collecting nerdy stuff—but the problem is that I never have the space to collect things that don’t have some sort of use. While gaming figurines, collector’s editions, and retro hardware are all neat, that’s precious shelf space I need for things like the actual technology I’m using or hooks to hold clothing or accessories.

So essentially, anything I want to collect needs to be somewhat compact and something I can actually use. I built and collected mechanical keyboards for a while, but it can be hard to justify getting more than a few (not to mention becoming harder to store as you get more). So, I turned my eyes to something else—weird chargers.

You have to use a phone charger, so why not have fun with it and have something that looks neat sticking out of your outlet? I hadn’t realized these more stylized wall worts were a thing before I saw a small charger inspired by the iMacs of yesteryear , but I’m glad I learned about them. Now I have something I can collect that’s both interesting and has a purpose.

That said, I didn’t expect these to be good chargers. I thought they’d be more like those novelty tortilla blankets —funny, cute, and serviceable, but no replacement for the more ‘normal’-looking version.

But one quirky charger is probably one of the best I’ve had in a while! When I saw this Keebmonkey charger in a Drop email, I hadn’t expected much—it looks great, don’t get me wrong, but I expected this to be more about the looks than the function. Not only does this live up to the fast charging claims, but the smiley face screen also lights up in different colors to let you know how well something is charging. Not only did it let me know my devices were charging, it also let me know that I needed some new USB-C cables, as none of them would get the proper charging speed for my phone.

So sometimes, maybe it’s better than judging something by looks alone. Maybe that quirky $40 charger will be better than the other chargers in your house.

Keebmonkey Retro PC GaN Fast Charger

This charger looks like an old-school Mac, but it can charge your device with the best of them. The ‘screen’ will light up while charging, and the color can let you know how quickly your device is topping off.

See at Drop

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