Review on Microsoft Surface 3 Docking Station - Enhanced Compatibility, SC EN/XD/ES Hdwr (GJ3-00001) by Darren Anderson

In the preface to this review, I have to say that it was heavily influenced by the fact that it is now available at such a big discount from the original $200 list price. I didn't buy it at that price when I bought my Surface; In fact, I only bought it now because it was even cheaper than the original charger I originally planned to buy. But back to the rating. After a long life as a main laptop, I considered throwing away my Surface because charging was so unreliable that I put it down to using a micro-USB port. I tried every cable I had around the house, every charging box, took the device to the local Microsoft store to see if the problem was with the device and not the charger, but nothing solved the problem. So I was on the verge of getting rid of it after seeing how expensive it was to replace the Microsoft charger (I wasn't even sure if it would solve my problem) or the hot and cold reviews of every aftermarket available -Chargers were. When I saw this for sale I decided to give it a try as it turned out that it would charge via a USB 3.0 port instead and I figured such a solid OEM product could actually do the job. It turns out that it does just that, and does it very well, quickly, and reliably. Now I can charge my Surface at home overnight and then take it out for the day fully charged. Mind you, I'm not using it for its intended purpose of turning the Surface into a desktop/main computer replacement with a monitor keyboard and mouse attached - - I have a couple of real computers for that - so can't comment on its usefulness in those roles , but as a charging station it works well. With all the other people complaining about charging on their Surface Model 3s, I know I'm not the only one with this problem, and instead of MS' $50 line of replacement charging cables (or cheap aftermarket charging cables from dodgy reliability and durability) to use, buying a docking station seems like a lot. Yes, now I will keep my surface for a while!