I used it straight away and it charged my Surface Pro 2 fairly quickly. I can't say if it will last long, but I don't usually travel with this device so I don't know how it drives. I've found in the past that I'm the type of person who folds up my chargers and uses velcro to hold them together so the cable doesn't get tangled or come in contact with things that could damage the cable. I'm not usually the type to switch cables frequently.