Review: Works great (except when Kindle Fire plug malfunctions)
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 29, 2012
I ended up getting one of these fast chargers, and after you add in case, screen protector, stylus, and charger, you're going to spend more than you expected for your Kindle Fire. However, trickle charging via USB is slow and you may not always have a computer handy to re-charge a drained Kindle. I wasn't thrilled that the cost had gone up (about double) and that I had to purchase it separately, but charging off the USB was demonstrably too slow, so this seems to be the only option to charge within a reasonable time. In a couple of hours, my Kindle Fire is charged and ready to go. And I only get a day or two of use for the Fire, more power-hungry than the regular black and white Kindle, which I can use, even with speakers, for about a week before recharging.Good points: You can get a version with a set of adapter plugs and use it overseas. If that's what you want, don't get this one, getKindle PowerFast International Charging Kit (for accelerated charging in over 200 countries, also compatible with other android and iOs devices)because you get the same fast charger plus all the plugs you need for various countries.It is faster than the small standard USB charger--a lot faster. But the PRICE....really?Bad Points:As I mentioned, I think it's pricey.AND...the Kindle Fire (I have the next-gen, not-HD version) has some kind of plug issues that mean sometimes it will connect with the charger and sometimes you come back and it's disconnected and sitting there twiddling its thumbs and not charging at all. You have to fiddle with the plug into the socket to make sure it's connected, and even then, it doesn't always want to obey. This is a Kindle Fire issue, but I mention it because this charger doesn't make it charge any better, if that is your issue. FYI.The PowerFast charges at 9W (standard USB is 5W --the wattage is the POWER being pushed to your Kindle. More wattage, faster charging, like pressure in a garden hose.) Power increases by squares, so since 9 watts is 1.8 times as much as 5 watts, if you multiply 1.8 by 1.8, the square is 3.24, thus the PowerFast is 3 times as fast as charging with USB.HOWEVER, the Fires will charge at either 9 OR 5 Watts, but the Kindle E-Readers such as the Keyboard or Touch that are B&W; and not backlit, will only charge at 5 Watts, meaning, this won't speed you up for the black and white readers--they restrict the power down to 5 Watts, meaning no matter how fast you push the charge at the E-Readers, they won't take it up any faster. But...they charge pretty quickly as it is.I called Amazon, and they told me that these power supplies are "wide-ranging power units" meaning, they can be plugged into a 220 volt socket (with an adapter to fit the type of outlet on the plug) and not need a step-down transformer to reduce the voltage to 110. So if you have a plug adapter to fit into the different conformation of various European and UK sockets, you can simply plug in and charge if you are outside the United States.While not essential, this makes keeping the Kindle charged up a lot easier, and becausethe Fire runs down faster than my b&w; Kindle Keyboard, so if you use your Kindle a lot, you probably will find you want faster charging. That's what I found. It doesn't seem to be exactly 3X as fast, but it is faster than charging off my USB port on my PC.