Why You Can Trust CNET This Hercules Tuff Charging Power Station Makes It Easy to Keep All Your Gear Powered Up
With the ability to charge both iOS and Android devices, you'll never have a low battery again.
We all need to charge our electronics and there's no way to avoid that. For years, I've been using wall outlets and my computer to charge important tech such as my phone and tablet, but after awhile these methods became tedious and very inflexible, so I transitioned to a portable battery. While that's an upgrade in many ways, depending on the kind of portable battery you're using, it can take a bit of time to get the charge you need to fully be on the go.
After cycling through methods to charge all of my devices, what I realized is that I needed a charger that has the charging speed of an outlet and the convenience of a portable charger all in one. And with this $45 Hercules Tuff charging station at Amazon, I got just that as well as peace of mind.
One of our favorite brands, Anker, has some really great chargers for devices, but what I've found is that some chargers lack the ability to charge more than three devices at a time. Then there are other chargers that claim to work for all devices from Fire Tablets to iPhones, but not all of them do it so well.
When I opened the charging station, I immediately was skeptical because of its size. But with six charging ports, I was eager to see if this would work. This charging station also features attachments to hold your devices and six short Apple charging cords. Once you attach the dividers, you can add your devices, including tablets in it for safekeeping.
While you'll get Apple charging cords with the Hercules Tuff charging station, you can also charge Androids and any other non-Apple devices easily, thanks to its universal compatibility and 2.4-amp output. From the time this charger arrived, I've charged my Ultimate Ears earbuds, headphones and my Fire HD 10 tablet without an issue.
After comparing the Hercules Tuff charging station to other charging equipment, the results were clear. If you want faster charging speeds that can take several devices to almost a full charge in less than three hours, this is your go-to charger. So how does this charging station stack up to other charging devices?
Using a portable battery, it took my iPhone 13 Pro Max four hours to charge to 100%. Connected to a wall outlet, it took less than an hour to get it almost to a full charge. And when I used the Hercules Tuff it took just two hours to get from 18% to 95%. That's pretty good considering this station is often sharing its power with other devices. Sure, the charging station didn't beat out the standard charging outlet in my home, but what it does accomplish still makes this station better than the outlet overall.
Unlike a conventional 110v outlet, this charging station is compatible with USB-A 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 and even 2.0 ports, so it can charge several devices easily. And a surprising bonus is that this charging station doubles as an outlet for products that need to be plugged into a USB. Yes, you can even use this charger as a lone power source for USB-based products. On a whim, I plugged in my budget UBeesize LED video lights and it worked to light up my room in a pinch.
This Hercules Tuff charging station is a great product at this price if you want a faster, more convenient way to charge multiple devices at once. The only downside to this charging station is that it doesn't come with a USB-C port, but even without it, you can say goodbye to longer wait times.