Great content as always. I'm really liking these household device round-ups like this and the light bulbs. So many places now just throw an AI generated summary of the Amazon reviews on a web page with zero value add. It's nice to see someone doing some actual testing.
@@curtisbmeyou know I PF started that more out of nervousness than anything and he did one or two videos in a normal voice and people didn’t like it! lol Everyone needs a trademark I suppose
Your videos are always super well made, interesting and in this case useful in making a purchasing decision. I used one of your affiliate links to make a purchase.
We've installed about 30 ELEGRP 20A tamper resistant outlets (6A USB, 2xA, 1xC) over the last few years and they've been fantastic. $14 each, they work really well. I only have a 20W fast charge phone, so I haven't tested how much draw it can do above that.
One thing you did not factor in, but I could easily see from your testing, is visual appearance. Only the Leviton has embossed text, with no dark printing. I would not use the amerisense in any highly visible location like a countertop, for aesthetic reasons.
Nice reviews! Can you also review the other major brand outlets, like Legrand, Eaton, Square D, Lutron and perhaps some of the lesser-known house brands at major retailers like Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, etc.?
Other than my high power bricks for laptops, finding bricks isn't the problem in my house it is always the cables that walk away. I have PILES of bricks of at least 20W kicking around.
GAN chargers make these outlets crazy expensive. the Leviton is not GAN but not much cheaper. I've seen a Baseus extension cord with gan charging with multiple USB outlets and ports starting at $60, I think this better solution than replacing a power outlet
Great video with great research and testing. Thank you for focusing on UL Listing. There's so much junk on Amazon that doesn't even mention their listing status. It would be helpful to include Fahrenheit equivalent temps, you are in the United States after all.
Could you test Dreame X40? It seems like its finally a big jump from l10s. They fixed the filter issue X30 had that failed your carpet test last time .
I’m a bit surprised at those warmer temperatures. Even the lower ones would be uncomfortable to the touch. Maybe I’m wrong but I feel Iike none of my regular “bricks” get anywhere close to those temps…
Those temperatures were all looking through the outlet holes to the internals, and after maximum load for 1 hour. All those temps were well within spec.
Hello, thank you for such a detailed video. If possible can you please do the same for smart outlets with USB? Can you also add measurements of the outlets for comparison?
Great review as always I noticed you use the same TS80 soldering iron that I have. Have you ever used it with a power bank successfully? Like any that you reviewed earlier this year.
I have two battery banks that I use with my TS80, the first is a 5000mah from Ravpower that I put in my pocket when I'm soldering on a ladder, but it's no longer sold. The second is from INIU: amzn.to/4bTvSiu and is backward compatible with QC 2.0.
Ugh.. of course I ordered 36 of the Bestten's over a month ago for the new house. Now I need to fight with Amazon to see if they will allow me to return them.
UL actually makes it pretty difficult to do that, but they all have cert numbers listed. UL listing is a pretty cheap and easy process if you use all UR sub components and circuits.
@@TheHookUp Actually, they're the easiest of the major testing labs to look up info for products on IMO, you just need to find their public facing look up page, which can be tricky if you don't have it saved, I'll link it in a reply to this one. (edit, it won't let me :( )
@@TheHookUp I can't find any reference to Amerisense on the UL lookup, and the Amazon page lacks any other manufacturer name or even a model number. Same with the Bestten and Micmi products. Conversely, the TOPGREENER page does include a model number, and that has a result in the UL lookup.
Do you have plans to do a version of this comparing smart versions of these outlets? I'm currently using a Geeni Current + Charge connected to a Home Assistant dashboard tablet that controls the USB ports based on the tablets state of charge, to extend the useful life of the battery. It connects via the LocalTuya integration over wifi. Availability and price basically self-selected this one for me (Canada), but I'm curious what else is out there.
The ones that are at or above 70deg are dangerous! There is 70deg rated insulated wire, better make sure your house isn't using it! NMD90 is the norm, but some people cheap out and get the lower rated wire. I second a previous comment about opening them up to see what makes them tick (and why their size is so massive!) You'd think with suitcase sized welders they'd be able to produce a low-volt charger in a smaller form factor.
Not a bad idea. These are pretty standard 15A receptacles, so I highly doubt the receptacle itself would get hot, only the wire leading to the outlet and the wire to the space heater.
@@TheHookUp Not getting hot would be a great outcome. My primary concern with these is not the USB portion, but how much I can trust them in a high load application like you might see in a kitchen with a blender, mixer, etc. The worry is the cheaply manufactured ones might be skimping on the materials internally to make room for the charging equipment.
People on Reddit and Facebook are saying Amerisense is not listed as a UL backed company. Is this true? It could be they are claiming to be listed and tested but really not!
You can very easily look up the listing number on the box which is e543050 and find the UL listing for "Ningbo Daiboer International Trading Co Ltd" for "Tamper-Resistant Receptacles With integral power supply with class 2 output connectors, Model: 15A65W2C1A".
the thing is, i have looked into this in the past but decided the charging standards change so fast it's not worth it imo (If I'd have put in something 2-5 yrs ago when I was looking, it would be very outdated today for sure). and heck at least with my one plus phones, the circuitry is in the dongle (and it can charge faster than even Samsung, 0-100 in
My only problem with these is: no surge protection or power conditioning. Of course, what passes for surge protection these days is pretty sad. You have to be careful when selecting a model as many manufacturers don’t advertise their specifications.
@TheHookUp On the Amazon link to the Amerisense 2 USB-C, 1 USB-A, the product page says that "There is a newer version of this item". Any idea what the difference is on the newer version? They look identical.
I would prefer USB-only outlets that don't have 120 volt AC connectors. I dread to think what would happen if someone were to stick a USB-C connector into 120v holes... At least the USB-C connector is thicker, but still, I would want a dedicated wall outlet for just USB connectors only.
Nice review, though there is precisely zero chance of me trusting most of those brands in my walls, I don't care what uL testing they claim to have. Did you buy chance test the Leviton 60W dual USB-C? The T5636?
@@TheHookUp I mean, there absolutely is. Leviton are significantly less likely to fake tests and certifications, than some fly by night companies that practically use random number generators to create names, resell products from Alibaba/Temu on places like Amazon, then disappear. Leviton has also been making outlets and light switches for decades. Not saying that makes them the best, just that makes it far more likely to be safe.
That's not how UL listing works. UL is an independent testing service that requires you to send samples from multiple production runs to their lab for testing. There are no faked tests. However, it's unlikely that these companies are paying the high price for a unique UL certification and instead are building their outlets using UR certified parts and circuits. If you use all UR parts it greatly reduces the testing time and costs since the safety of each component has already been verified.
@@TheHookUp I get that, or, they could just print "UL" on their product, and not bother testing at all, for completely free. When you're a company based in China, selling products into the US under randomly generated company names on Amazon, how much power do you think UL for example, have over them? If they do manage to get them shut down, they'll generate another random name, and continue to sell products under that name instead.
One of UL's main jobs is protecting their brand and logo. I would be extremely surprised if there were any "fake" UL listed products on Amazon, and if there were I doubt they would last more than a day. In this case each of these lists the UL Cert # on the package.
Sorry if this was mentioned and I missed it, but how does the dual USB C outlet go about sharing wattage between its C ports? i.e. without the A port would it be ~30 W per port?
@@TheHookUp Hmm I must be missing something haha. I just rewatched from the simultaneous charging section through to the end and didn't see this mentioned.
Ah, sorry. I tested that and had it in the original script but I forgot that I cut it for time. If two devices request the maximum charging speed from the dual USB-C port it will split them equally. If one is lower than 30w it will provide the remaining power budget to the other device.
That's a good question. I don't have a "Super Fast Charging" Samsung to test, but I think super fast uses 15V 3A, which is supported by all of the outlets.
I have a bunch of dual-A in my house but I assume they are super cheap. I bet they don't even hit 1A. I am thinking about picking up some of those Amerisense outlets.
@TheHookUp the kids don't understand why their switches or tablets don't charge very fast. My 4 year old especially gets upset because they don't get a lot of device time and want to make the most of it. Apparently the preceeding 4 or 5 days of me reminding them to plug things in don't count. 😂
from experience, having USB-ports VERTICAL has been the WORST-thing!!! In use, when plates are installed as shown (which is typical), all my connectors "hinge down" slightly over time, so they disengage with the contacts. Ughhh...no contact, no power=wasted efforts! Now I know to install the boxes HORIZONTALLY when attaching to framing. Course, I've only used HarborFreights, for their low-$$$ :-)
You should have tested ports at the same time too. Since some products a port may say 5a out, but only if just that port. But if you use both it for down to 2a max out and 2.4a on the Second port. So testing with both ports in use is a metric to get that's important
@dant1677 i am not sure what your relationship is with your landlord. When I had a rental house, I would have told my renter, if they want to buy it, i would install it.
Then dont buy a cellphone or don't buy a tv, heck don't buy anything because in a few years there will be better models and you will be stuck with devices with old tech hehehe really man.
@@TheHookUp the problem with these is that you still need a removable charger for when you travel, and these are permanently attached to the wall so you'd need one in each room where you might want to charge your device. They are also plugged in 24/7 wasting a little bit of energy. Every single outlet that I have encountered with integrated usb charging in hotels, airports, etc was either extremely slow or didn't even work. The best charging standard is a mains socket. It's just a waste of time to be reinstalling these every few years when they die or become outdated, and they're also more expensive than a good standalone usb charger.
Convenience and aesthetic don't always make great economic sense, but it's a matter of solving common problems. In my house we have 20+ charging bricks, but it seems like the kitchen one is always going missing.
You don't have kids if you think a single cheap charger is going to always be available and meet all of your charging needs. It's also just way more convenient to just have these charging ports available at known locations
@@maskettaman1488 You can buy a DOZEN chargers for what it costs for one of the cheapest receptacles. Even with kids, you should be able to find a charger when you need one.
