Asklemmy

Until now my chargers have been outliving the devices they came with

I’ve never had to replace a charger.

Um, never?

I've lost chargers on several occasions, and I've switched from older ones to newer ones for faster charging, but the older ones still work as spares.

Cables, on the other hand....

Not often. I still use ones from 10 years ago. The only reason I typically buy a new one is because I'm relying more and more on USB C charging and things like my Steam Deck and laptop require a relatively high wattage

I can't remember a charger ever going bad on me. It's always been the cables!

Got my first phone in 1997, and I have yet to experience a charger needing to be replaced.

I only replace them if they break, are lost or new technology comes out that makes sense to upgrade to. I think if you stick to that you can avoid making ewaste

Best to go with chargers with replaceable cables. If you do that, I don't see any reason the charger shouldn't outlive the phone.

If it's a USB charger....frankly, I have more USB power supplies from various devices than I will ever use already. I do hang onto them, as every now and then I get a device that doesn't have serious power requirements that doesn't come with a power supply and can draw from USB. Have a digital carbon dioxide meter that can be powered by USB and didn't come with a USB power supply. A headphones amplifier that didn't come with a USB power supply and had audible noise spill into the audio when I tried plugging it into a powered hub running other devices -- power on USB is astonishingly dirty -- and that was solved by putting it on a dedicated USB power supply. But other than that, I tend to accumulate them faster than I use them.

Only time I get a charger is if I have a device that can draw more current than any of my existing unused chargers can put out (e.g. USB-C PD can now do something crazy, like 270 watts).

I've never had a power brick fail and I've only had maybe 2 cables wear out in 15 years.

You get what you pay for. I go through an assload of cheap Five Below USB chargers but the good ones that cost an arm and a leg that come with phones last forever

Not often. I honestly have never had a charger break on me. I know my friends often destroy their cables though. Invest in a good multiport 100W charger. My personal favorite is the Aukey Omnia line of chargers. They're quite compact for the amount of ports and wattage they deliver.

Just a general PSA: you should be really careful where you get your chargers. The very cheap, low quality chargers have quite a tendency to burn your house down!

when I brake them

I dont even remember when I got mine but its been 5+ years for sure.

I've never had a wall charger just stop working, but I have certainly lost some, and broken a few USB ports. A good quality charger should last long enough that you'll replace it only because newer & better charging tech is available.

As often as the previous charger’s tech becomes obsolete.

I break cables a lot but not the charger itself. Maybe once a year?

I take good care of my chargers, and I have never had a single one break. I really only plug my device in before bed.

Usually, once every couple of years as long as I don't have an accident. It takes about two years for me with most phone chargers for the plug to stop working as well and for the wire to start having noticeable wear and tear, though it will vary based on the quality of your charger.

Quality chargers rarely break until some EOL date many years later due to age. At few "chargers" (PSU's really) died in 24/7 use for my router which were likely lower quality.

Slightly off topic, but if you’re staying at a hotel and forget your charger, go to the front desk and ask if they have any extras. People tend to leave them behind, so the hotel usually has spares.

I've never replaced either of my MagSafe chargers.

@IsThisLemmyOpen I replaced the phone charger in my car today after having it for 2 years. It got to the point where the phone would disconnect if you moved it even slightly.

The only power bricks that have broken down on me are some 2 or 3 port ones, and even then the 1 usb port still worked fine