My MacBook Air’s charging cord was basically destroyed after only about two years of owning it. I just kept putting black electrical tape around it but that only seemed to make it worse. I finally waved the white flag, went to the Apple Store and bought a new charger for a whopping $79. If you’ve been through this before, listen up, because Juiceboxx will help you out.
Juiceboxx is a plastic case that wraps around your MacBook’s power adapter and forces the cord to point straight forward at the base. That way when you need to wrap it up and go, the cord isn’t dealing with the stress of being bent and twisted. More importantly, your cord won’t fray as it tends to do, leaving you with more money in your pocket and one less trip to the Apple Store.
In my experience, the Juiceboxx works extremely well. Setup is easy enough; just separate the case into two halves and snap back together when it’s around the adapter. I found that the best way to separate the two pieces is by pushing down on one side of the tabs until they release.
Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac
The two tabs also allow you to wrap the cord around for traveling. As you probably know, you can already do this with the adapter’s built-in tabs, but wrapping the cord around the Juiceboxx doesn’t put any tension on the cord since the base is forcibly stable.
As an added bonus, I also found that the Juiceboxx case doesn’t get quite as hot as the adapter it surrounds. As a result, it’s easier to pick up and move around. It elevates the adapter ever so slightly above flat surfaces as well so it can get a little bit of ventilation.
After raising over $30,000 through a successful Kickstarter campaign, Juiceboxx now sells its adapter case online in six colors: blue, black, ice, red, magenta and teal. It comes in three different sizes depending on your MacBook’s model: one for the 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pros, one for the 13-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro and one for any MacBook Air. There doesn’t appear to be a model available for the 12-inch MacBook’s power adapter yet.
Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac
Priced at $19.99, it’s a tad on the expensive side for a plastic case, but it’s much cheaper than the $80 Apple would want for a new charging cord. You’re about to get the hook-up though.
Buy one on Juiceboxx’s website and – bonus – Cult of Mac readers can enter the promo code “BOXX108” to save 10 percent off of your order. If you travel often, get the Juiceboxx. Just get it. It’ll save both you and your adapter some stress.
