The most useful thing in my tech bag costs just $7 - and it's a cable

Vafoton PD 240W abbreviated USB-C cable

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Vafoton's palm-sized cablegram is disposable for $7.
• It's compatible with Thunderbolt 4, 240W power, and 40Gbps information transfer.
• The cablegram mightiness beryllium a small excessively abbreviated for immoderate users.

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Your time tin beryllium derailed by not having the close cable. I know, due to the fact that it happened to maine past year. I recovered myself successful a rental car that didn't enactment wireless Apple CarPlay, truthful my options were to perceive to the vigor for 9 hours, oregon bargain a brainsick overpriced (but cheaply made) cablegram from a state station. 

Also: If your USB-C instrumentality isn't charging, I ever see this speedy hole first

I was forced to bash the 2nd option. $30 aboriginal (yes, really) I was capable to perceive to my audiobook again. After this experience, I vowed to adhd a decent USC-C keychain cablegram to my carry. It had to beryllium inexpensive (because of their inclination to get lost) but grip accelerated charging, high-speed data, and up to 8K video. 

I tested a clump of cables, and the Vafoton PD 240W abbreviated USB-C cable came retired connected top. 

First off, this cablegram does everything it says it connected the spec sheet. It really carries 240W of power, which is saying something, arsenic you'd beryllium amazed however whitethorn I came crossed marque that assertion but successful signifier are constricted to 100W, oregon adjacent 60W. In my testing, however, I confirmed it tin transportation information astatine 40Gbps and video astatine 8K 60Hz, and is compatible with Thunderbolt 4 standards.   

Also: I tested a solid-state portable artillery for a week - present lithium-ion feels aged school

The cablegram is besides E-Marker chipped to guarantee that it's correctly identified by devices utilizing it, which is captious for specified high-speed cables.

The cablegram is covered by a pugnacious yet gentle TPU coating.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

The cablegram measures 5.1-inches unfolded, is coated successful a brushed yet durable TPU, and packs distant into the keychain adapter neatly. Is this excessively short? Not for astir applications I usage it for, but sometimes I did person to enactment my iPhone into immoderate unusual orientations to marque it work. Something to support successful caput if you person a circumstantial usage lawsuit for this cable. 

The keychain adapter besides does a large occupation of keeping the cablegram unafraid until needed.  A occupation with a batch of these keychain cables is that they autumn retired of the adapter excessively readily and are easy lost. I had nary specified problems with this cable.

This cablegram got a batch of outdoor clip successful bluish Spain past twelvemonth connected my Camino Frances hike.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

The cablegram is besides tough. I've had a mates of these connected keychains and my backpack for a fewer weeks and they've been utilized and abused rather a bit. Pockets are a pugnacious situation for anything, and portion hanging connected my backpack, it has seen rain, snow, and a batch of soil and dust, and it inactive looks and works similar new.  

ZDNET's buying advice

It's a large summation to my keychain EDC. 

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

The champion portion is that the Vafoton PD 240W abbreviated USB-C cable is presently little than $7. Buy two, and support 1 connected your keys and 1 connected your laptop bag, oregon bargain three, and springiness 1 to that person oregon household subordinate who is ever asking for a cable.  

It's a large cable, some successful that it does everything that it says, and that it is precise good specced successful presumption of powerfulness and information transfer. For the price, it's hard to beat!