Value -
Value is another very subjective topic. What is expensive to some might be a deal to others. You can look at this topic in multiple ways. One is raw price and the other is what you get for the money. Each is accurate and both are correct ways to look at price/value. We tend to look at features, performance and real-property when we discuss value. However, we also take into account the raw cash cost of the item. We had a rough time finding the FUEL ion for sale in the US (at least from E-Tailers), but we did find it on Amazon in Canada. The iPhone 5 case with charging stand will run you $101.99 CAD which is about $91 US. This is not a bad price when you consider that most hard cases for the iPhone will set you back about $30-40 and any power solution that includes a lightning to mini-USB will double that.
The cost for the Pad was $39.99 (CAD) which is around $35.55 US. This is a little bit better than many other simple pad solutions.
Last up on was the car charger, this will put a $62.99 ($56 US) dent in your wallet if you are inclined to pick one up.
Conclusion -
I have to admit that I am not generally a fan of wireless charging solutions as they tend to be more of a pain than anything else. As we mentioned most wireless systems have serious efficiency problems and end up costing much more than they are worth. The Patriot FUEL ion was very different. It was able to give solid charging efficiency while not breaking the bank (unless you buy all three products). We do wish that the iPhone case did not add so much length to the phone, but that is to be expected since you need to have the adapter somewhere. On other devices like the Galaxy S4 the case actually replaces the back so it keeps the original size and shape of the phone. That having been said the Patriot FUEL ion products are very nice. I have found that I continue to use them to keep my work phone (the iPhone 5) charged at night using the case and will drop it in the car when I want to use Apple Maps for anything while driving. This is due to the convenience of using this system and also knowing that I am getting very close charging times to what I would if I just plugged it in. To wrap things up, if you are interested in wireless charging we would recommend the FUEL ion as a great place to start.
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