This Is The Worst Phone Accessory Ever Made

This week a USB power device has been discovered to be absolutely terrible by a device tester by the name of Clive Mitchell. He's in the business of testing things like these, and he's smart about how power works. And how it's not supposed to work. And how a USB device like the one you're going to see should NOT be lighting up a light bulb like you're about to see. This is why we can't have nice (off-brand) things.

Why did your parents tell you never to stick a fork into a power socket when you were little? Because you'd get zapped. You wouldn't necessarily die, but you'd certainly get a shock that you'd not want to repeat.

Having re-wired a few sockets in my days on a house repair crew, I can confirm that getting zapped by a common wall plug isn't always deadly, but can set your hair on end. ZAPP!

The problem with the plug you're going to see here isn't that it doesn't work. It'll certainly charge your device up, if you're very careful. What you need to worry about, though, is your device getting fried.

You need to worry about your fingers getting fried, as well. This device is supposed to act as a control point between the full power of your wall socket and the devices you're plugging in.

The same as any number of wall plugs do. Your iPhone wall plug. Your battery charger. There's always supposed to be a sort of strainer for power between the wall and your device – something that knows how much power you'll actually be needing.

This device simply splits the power of the wall plug over several USB ports – you're getting full "mains power"* with this device – something you should never come in contact with without jamming a fork in an outlet.

*"Mains power" is another term for AC electric power – line power, domestic power, grid power, city power.

As Rob Beschizza at BoingBoing points out, you won't find this model on Amazon anymore – we'll give you one guess why not – but the brand is still out there. Beware!