The Griffin PowerDock 5 Keeps You and Your Gear In Charge

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Gear Diary Griffin Power Dock 58 001

Are you, like me, finding the gadgets in your house multiplying? Our home now has an iPad mini, iPhones, an iPod touch, an iPod nano, Kindles and assorted review samples. All need charging and Griffin’s PowerDock 5 promises to be the one-stop charging solution. For just under $100 you can charge 5 devices at once! How awesome is that?

My house had become a mess of wall adapters and cables prior to the arrival of the review sample of the Griffin PowerDock 5. At times I would have to play “musical iOS devices” and rotate which devices was being charged. At other times I have had the majority of the outlets in any given room taken by wall adapters for this device or that. It was… a mess.

After seeing Judie’s writeup of the Griffin PowerDock 5, I knew this would be one possible answer. I was excited to receive the PowerDock 5 for a “second-look review”, and I hoped it would be the clean charging solution I had always wanted. It is … for the most part.

Gear Diary Griffin Power Dock 18
 

Features:

  • Store and charge 5 iPads, iPhones or iPod touches simultaneously
  • Space-saving design for your countertop
  • Cables not included
  • Input: 100-240 V AC
  • Output: 10 watts (5 volts DC @ 2.1 amps) for each charging bay
  • Accommodates iPad tablets in their cases

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Setup was simple. I put each of the translucent dividers into its slot and pressed down. I plugged the AC adapter into a wall outlet and then into the bottom of the PowerDock 5. Next, I grabbed a few USB to Lighting and USB to microUSB cables and plugged them in. I then placed a few choice dividers into the various slots between the translucent dividers and plugged them in. Before I knew it I was charging multiple devices using a single wall outlet; it works as promised. My only issue with the device, in fact, is the fact that there are no cables included, and if you use standard length cables rather than pricey short ones you will have a bird’s nest of cables behind the PowerDock 5. If the tangle of cables doesn’t bother you, then it won’t be a problem. If it does, however, you will need to go out and purchase a few short cables. It isn’t a huge deal, but it is an added expense on an accessories that is already rather pricey.

After using the Griffin PowerDock 5 for a few days, I’ll have to concur with Judie’s review assessment. She wrote,

If you need a way to charge and neatly store your family’s devices, then the Griffin PowerDock 5 is a brilliant solution. If you are like me, a device-monger that is running out of room and always looking for a charging cable, then I feel safe saying that the PowerDock 5 is the solution that you have been waiting for.

I do, too! Learn more here.

MSRP: $99.99 ($88.66 from our Amazon Affiliate Store)

What I Like: Neat, one place/one plug charging for up to five devices; Works with most USB powered phones or tablets; Works with most devices still in their case

What Needs Improvement: Pricey before savings in our Amazon Affiliate Store; No included charging cables

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.