In the age of electronic everything, most of us need a couple of chargers to get through the day (one in the car, one at home and one at work). Do you really need to spend $20 for an Apple charger or will a $5 look-a-like device from eBay perform just as well?

Ken Sheriff has written an interesting review about USB chargers and provides a clear scientific explanation as to why those cheaper ones may not be such a good deal afterall. His analysis considers efficiency, power stability, power quality, and power output.

Devices he tested include include major brands such as Apple, HP and Samsung. It includes secondary manufacturers like Belkin, Monoprice and KMS. Last but not least, it includes some counterfeit products that look like the real thing but are anything but.

He recommends buying original chargers from reputable stores and skipping the cheap often fake ebay products. He explains how the fakes provide dirty power which can he dangerous for the health of your device and you.

I had a similar counterfeit experience on eBay I wrote about here. If something is too good to be true, it probably is fake.