Connex Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Melody
Krafted are a small business who focus on producing Long Lasting Beautiful Tech products. According to their website, Krafted has three key pillars which are non-negotiable. These are Innovation, Eco Credentials and Built to Last. Currently Krafted offer one product, the Connex which is a data transfer and multi-charger connector, available in two colours Jade and Charcoal Grey.
The Connex says that it “addresses multiple pain points experienced by consumers in today’s gadget hungry world”. This is something I can definitely relate to as I work hybrid Ly in my job, spending some days at home and others in the office, as well as attending meetings in other places. This means that I carry my laptop and other devices, including my personal and work mobile phones, around on a daily basis. On more occasions than I care to remember, I have forgotten to charge one of them and realised in the office that the battery is dead and the cable I need is at home (unhelpfully they both need different connections). This is particularly tricky with my elderly work mobile as I only have one cable that fits it and have discovered that nobody in my office, not even the IT department, still have a matching (micro USB) charger. I have missed a few important calls due to this so when I was asked to review the Connex I jumped at the chance as it sounded like it could be the answer to all my woes offering 8 different charging combinations in a compact form.
When the Connex arrived, I was impressed by the minimalistic but sturdy packaging, which was made entirely of cardboard so would be fully recyclable. The packaging was colourful and gave all the details about the product. There was also a QR code to scan that takes you to the Krafted website to find out more details about Connex, including a video outlining the key features, I was surprised that the video had no sound though (I did check my settings!).
I chose the Jade Connex which is a nice pale green colour. My initial impression was positive, with the Connex feeling good quality and sturdy. It reminded me of a Swiss army style knife and folded up to a similar size. The Connex has five different “arms” that fold out. Four of these have a different charging connection and the main longer “arm” has the input which can be either USB-A or USB-C. The arms are made of flexible silicone rubber meaning that they are slightly bendy. The outer is made of a harder material. There is also a small loop to attach the Connex to a keyring which would come in handy for transporting it.
I had very high hopes for the Connex, however on trying it out I found myself disappointed. Each of the arms only rotate one way, including the main input arm. In my opinion this really inhibits the usability of the Connex. I found that charging my iPhone from my laptop worked ok, however trying to charge my work phone, which uses a micro USB, was very tricky due to both arms being on the same side, this made it very difficult to line the laptop and phone up so the phone was charging flat, in the end I had to put a book under the phone to keep it lined up with the charger! So, whilst I really like the idea of the Connex, and I will be putting it in my laptop bag for an emergency, I feel it could be improved by allowing greater flexibility in the arms, allowing them all to turn both ways would be a great start. I did wonder if they would get looser and have more movement with time but I don’t think this will change the direction they can move in.
So in summary, the Connex is a great idea and high quality but functionality could be improved.
Rating: 3/5
RRP: £29.99
For more information or to buy, visit www.kraftedtech.com