During long car trips, there is a frequent need to charge my camcorder, camera batteries, my laptop and many more. However stopping at a place and plugging them is not convenient and wastes your time. Before buying this, my only solution was to fully charge everything before leaving home and during my hotel stays or bring an extra camera battery. Yet again that is not the perfect solution either.When I ran out of my camcorder charge while on a very scenic trip, the frustration of not being able to record made me decide buying one of these. I first hesitated buying due to some reviewers saying it burnt, or they were almost catching fire etc. (these things actually happen in many electrical items but very rarely once used properly) so I went for that and bought it. So far I have not experienced anything close to that. It is a single piece item: no cords to get loose (permanent attachment of the charging cord to the actual charger) or get lost... I still keep it in its bubble wrap under the driver seat. It is not heavy but heavier than a laptop adapter and it charges small items easily without keeping you off from your way.Having two USB charging ports is a plus too so that you don't need to daisy-chain this to a 12V multiplier that has USB function, however if you have a GPS charger then you still need an 12v multiplierBESTEK usb adapter car cigarette lighter socket car splitter adapter 4 way plug socket usb outlet dc charger power adapter 12V socket 24V dc adapter car charger Ipad Dual USB charger 2.1A MRS152UVto stick both in. (I used this with and without the multiplier and so far it is fine both ways.)It has a fan that works continuously but the fan is not noisy (I don't hear it while the car is on the go) and the unit never got hot even during 1-2 hour long uses.My only concern is the design of the item. It feels like it is metal outside with some sharp edges that can scratch the plastic parts of your car during your trip if not placed well. Besides, I am also worried that it could pose a big risk in case of a crash... I don't want to imagine a brick size sturdy object flying in the car. Therefore it would be best to keep it under the car seat or somewhere safe, if not in use and secure it as much as possible while using on the go.