Mobile phone users were warned yesterday to be wary of chargers not made by the manufacturers after ones the Consumer Council tested failed to meet international safety standards.
The chargers, typically sold cheaper than the original brands, were found to have faults including insufficient insulation and internal live wires not reliably secured before soldering.
The council warned users to be cautious of such chargers, and lawmaker Fred Li Wah-ming suggested people stop using them.
In the tests, conducted with the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, six brands made by the phone manufacturers passed but four independently branded chargers failed.
The council said one sample could not withstand a high-voltage current and the model had been withdrawn last month. The report did not specify what dangers the chargers presented but international reports have said non-brand batteries and chargers can overheat.
The vice-chairman of the council's publicity and community relations committee, Ron Hui Shu-yuen, said independently branded chargers were generally cheaper than the brand-name versions, one of the reasons consumers were attracted.
However, he suggested consumers consider using better quality models.
