If you’ve ever wanted to consolidate all your charging cables into one then the Anchor Cable might be the exact product you need. It’s versatile and seems tough, but some niggly problems can make it a little frustrating.
In a world where devices are slowly converting to USB-C and Apple stubbornly sticks to its own proprietary charging ports many people are left carrying around a load of different cables. If that was not enough soft cables can also wear out and break. The Anchor Cable aims to solve both of these problems by providing the “world’s strongest” cable with interchangeable ends to allow you to switch between charging different products.
The build quality of the cable is in a different class to the standard cables. Instead of soft plastic, it is made from stainless steel and according to the manufacturer has been tested by being flexed 60,000 times without damage. The end of the cable also uses neodymium magnetic connectors (the same as Apple used for MagSafe with MacBooks) to allow you to quickly change the ends of cable between USB-B, C and Lightning connectors.
As well as being strongly built it does feel very premium and looks the part as well. Made using copper the cable is conductive enough to enable fast charging and quick data transfer rates. Measuring 4 feet (1.2 metres) it is also more than long enough for most needs.
Issues
Our first problem with the Anchor cable is that as a non-Apple product the lightning connector is the full deal and so will only work if put in the right way around. While this isn’t the biggest problem it is annoying especially if you are used to plugging it in without checking if it is working.
The other problem we found is that while the magnetic connection is strong, the weight of the cable could easily pull the cable off, breaking the connection. This could be solved with the right placement of the cable, but it was another consideration when all you want is to charge your phone.
Getting the connectors out of your devices can also be a bit fiddly as pulling on the cable will just disconnect the magnet. This is fine if you want to permanently keep the connector in one device but if you have a couple of devices that need the same connector swapping them can be a pain.
Price
The price is where it really diverges from standard cables with even early bird access through crowdfunding site Kickstarter costing significantly more than normal cables. £29 is a lot to spend on a charging cable and while it is one that comes with a lifetime guarantee it is still a hefty outlay.
Verdict
If you can get over the price this is an undeniably nice bit of kit – which is something you’d never expect to say about a charging cable. That said, it’s not without its frustrations that you wouldn’t expect for spending this much on something you normally get free. If too many cables really is the bane of your life then this is a good alternative, but for most, I would suggest this is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.