If you need to get a universal laptop charger, avoid discount brands like Insignia. Instead, buy a name brand like Targus.

On my first overnight trip out to Clendenin, I forgot my laptop charger. This kinda put a crimp in my plan to work while I was there, but rather than go home, I ducked out to Best Buy to get a replacement charger.

I ended up buying Insignia’s 65W universal charger. My plan was to leave the charger in Clendenin so I didn’t have to worry about this happening again, but now that I have used it for several days on two trips I really wish I could return it.

The thing about this charger is that when it gets warm, it causes the screen on my laptop to flicker. I know that problem can have any number of causes, but I only saw it when I used that charger, and only when the charger was warm after extended use. I didn’t see it when I was using the original charger, and I didn’t see it when the laptop was running on battery. I only saw it when using this Insignia charger.

My conclusion is that there is a defect of some kind causing the charger to be unreliable when it gets warm.

I don’t know that all Insignia laptop chargers will have this issue, but I don’t think you should take a chance. Instead, I’d recommend that you buy a charger from a better brand – Targus, for example. Yes, it will be more expensive, but saving a few bucks is just not worth the risk of your laptop getting fried.

Edit: I replaced the Insignia charger with a Targus charger, and also switched to using a different outlet. The flickering behavior continued to occur, so it might not have been the Insignia charger.

I’d still get the more expensive charger, just in case.