Apple 85W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter (MD506LL/A)

Since I keep one adapter in my laptop bag and one at home, each experiences half of normal usage. The cable charges the laptop quickly enough, but the design has its flaws. For example, it is often difficult to keep the cable joined to the power brick. And the Magnetic DC Connector, which is the end that plugs into the laptop, is too easily dislodged. Meant to protect the laptop from being knocked to the ground if someone trips over the cord, the downside of the design is that the cord slips too easily from the laptop, sometimes unnoticed. The magnetic connection often is interrupted when I move the laptop left or right on the desk, for example. I have had to leave home with a partially charged device because the magnetic end had slipped its connection. Which is one reason I keep a spare adapter in the laptop carrier.

Until Apple switches to USB-C for all MacBook charging (it's currently only available for the latest 12-inch retina MacBook), we're all pretty much forced to buy Apple's MagSafe bricks. While MagSafe is an ingenious invention and the hardware design is top-notch, my experience at home and in the office is that the connectors can still break down if manhandled too much, or if you have a tendency to disconnect the cable by yanking on the cord (rather than pulling the aluminum magnetic connector part directly). For the price, it's a little disappointing that this isn't more hardy, but it's still well-designed and the standard in computer charging hardware.

I had my first 85 mag war charger for my Mac book pro 15 inch retina for 3+ years more then you can typically hope for with these chargers. The first one's cord wore out and that is what I had to replace it. I wish Apple would make the chargers more wear resistent and that I wouldn't have to replace a otherwise perfectly good charger when all that goes bad is the thin little cord it seems very wasteful especially at the price of 80 dollars a charger. Over all the charger is suffiecent but should not wear out. Also my computer seems to be the only one that uses this every other persons uses a 60w or something else making it impossible to share a charger.

No matter how many times Apple makes one of these adaptors for a computer, they never seem to care about improving the quality. Ever since I switched to Macs in 2007, I've seen about 8 of these chargers go back within a year or 2. When will they learn that the wiring is too thin to handle the heat produced from these power bricks? $80 is too expensive for an adapter that randomly stops working or get frayed from heat at the ends. Apple's iPhone cables are awful too and never for long either. The only reason I had to buy one is because my computer needs this exact cable and I can't get a free replacement anymore.

I love Apple products, but I have to say their power supplies could be better engineered. This power supply looks nice, and the mag safe 2 connector is fine (although a bit more prone to coming loose than the mag safe 1). But there is one major stress point on this power supply: where the cord (that goest to the computer) comes out of the power supply. There is just not enough stress protection at this juncture to prevent inadvertent fraying, breaking and ultimately shorting. No wonder Apple has a whole support page on "reducing cable strain on your MagSafe adapter" (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201600).