Everybody LOVES the POWER-Z AK001 | Check Out What ZDNET Has to Say About It

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Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer on April 12, 2023
Reviewed by Min Shin

We are thrilled to announce that our newest POWER-Z AK001 has received a glowing review from a recent article from ZDNET. The article praises the simplicity and accuracy of our product, highlighting how it easily achieves the rated accuracy for charging measurements.

Everybody LOVES the POWER-Z AK001 | Check Out What ZDNET Has to Say About It-Chargerlab

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

If you're a professional repair technician, then you'll likely have one -- or many -- USB power meters in your toolkit. They're a must-have.

But if you're a hobbyist, then you don't really want to be dropping over $100 on an all-singing, all-dancing USB power meter that does it all. For most folks, a power meter that shows the basics is all that's needed.

And this is what the ChargerLAB Power-Z AK001 offers.

ChargerLAB Power-Z AK001 tech specs

Length: 1.5 m/5 ft.
Connectors: USB-C.
Power rating: up to 240W.
E-Marker chip: Yes.
Display: 0.96 inch/2.4 cm color display.
Information: Voltage, current, power, temperature, current direction, energy, timer, and more.
Accuracy: 0.002V, 0.002A.

I have a lot of different USB power meters that are jam-packed with features, but the one thing that I love about the Power-Z AK001 is the simplicity. You plug it in, the display lights up, and you get all the vital statistics about the power going across the cable.

ChargerLAB Power-Z AK001 display showing voltage, amperage, and power.Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

There's even a handy arrow on the display that shows the direction in which the power is flowing. This is a great touch because it has caught me out using power meters where I've become confused as to what's charging what -- especially where power banks are concerned.

A little arrow on the ChargerLAB Power-Z AK001 display shows which direction the power is flowing in.Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

I also like the simplicity of the inputs.

There's just one button on the ChargerLAB Power-Z AK001 power meter.Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

There's a single button on the back of the display that controls both switching screens (a single press cycles through the power meter screen, protocol detection, a blank screen, and title screen) and rotating the display (this is done by pressing the button for three seconds). (PS from ChargerLAB: Actually, the AK001 cannot detect protocols, the "PD3.1" below means that the AK001 itself is a PD3.1 cable.)

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

I've tested the accuracy of the power meter against a calibrated meter, and it easily achieves the rated accuracy -- more than accurate enough for these types of measurements.

It's hard to find fault with the ChargerLAB Power-Z AK001. For $30, it's an amazingly cheap and versatile power meter that doubles day-to-day as a 240W USB-C cable.

If you want a USB-C power meter with more functionality, I recommend the ChargerLAB Power-Z KM003C. It will tell you everything you need to know about what's happening over a USB-C cable.

Article Source
Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer on April 12, 2023
Reviewed by Min Shin