WTB(UK) Power bank - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: trevwhite
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 04:37:09 pm
content: I am travelling soon and am looking to buy a power bank to charge my phone during the trip. I have seen some offering over 20,000mAh of capacity for not a lot of money. I am not sure I believe the specs on these things.Has anyone got experience/can recommend or have a new or used unit for sale? I am looking for something up towards or greater than 20,000mAh.Thanks

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 04:57:02 pm
content: Quote from: trevwhite on October 19, 2015, 04:37:09 pmBe aware of huge manufacturer over-rating of these devices. I've had a few of these and almost universally they've been disappointing. mjlorton did some tests on a number of them here:http://mjlorton.com/forum/index.php?topic=808.msg5176#msg5176and as a result I bought this onehttp://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00H9BEC8E?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00which charges phones and tablets, and has a reasonable capacity. The downside is that it takes a while to charge itself, but charging of devices is as good as it gets with full 2A Apple style charging on one port and 1.5A charging on the other, both the energy/weight and energy/size ratio is good, and the claimed capacity isn't far off.Edited to add clarity.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 05:44:17 pm
content: Anker are a reputable brand.20Ah is quite a large pack, you may wish to consider several smaller ones.

author: Christopher
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 06:16:05 pm
content: I've got 4 of these babies:http://www.mi.com/en/pb10400/Contains 4 decent 18650 batteries.Make sure you don't get fakes. They are awesome.

author: djQUAN
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 06:54:37 pm
content: Quote from: Christopher on October 19, 2015, 06:16:05 pmThe fake ones I have seen have one functional 18650 (capacity unknown) and three unconnected 18650 "cells" filled with sand.A seller of power banks showed us that the genuine ones have a tiny "MI" logo on the inside of the output USB jack. Pretty hard to see without a flashlight and magnification if you don't know what you're looking for.here's what I found with a quick googlehttp://dnseaguides.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-to-spot-fake-xiaomi-mi-powerbank.html

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 09:49:59 pm
content: I've got a small Panasonic one that works quit well but I think they only go up to about 6000 mAH

author: CrashO
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 10:23:21 pm
content: The powerbanks fromOnePlus(the phone manufacturer) are pretty affordable at £14 for a 10,000 mAh powerbank. eBay powerbanks directly from China are cheaper, but at-least these ones have been approved and tested for EU standards and you know your not getting a fake one. Delivery is from their UK warehouse.

author: trevwhite
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2015, 01:31:55 pm
content: It seems a bit of a minefield. The info from mjlorton is very useful, I cant believe how much they massage the spec sheets on these things.

author: dexters_lab
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 20, 2015, 07:56:11 pm
content: check out Julians Reviews, he's done loads of them including some which dont come with the batteries, so your able to just head off and buy decent quality batteries of the capacity you want.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeewzdnwcY5Q6gcbnZKIY8g

author: 6thimage
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2015, 08:15:22 am
content: I have an Anker (its name, according to their website is the '2nd Gen Astro3 12800mAh') and it is really good - I have had it just over a year. It does cost quite a lot (as do all the Anker products), but it works really well and contains 4 Samsung branded li-ion cells.Anker now do a powercore line, which looks to be the successor to what I have, which is probably what I would get if I was buying one now. Whilst ebay is an option, I am always concerned about the quality of products you get (especially from China, etc.) - part of the reason why I went with Anker was them selling through Amazon and the small fear that the really cheap ones might start a fire (I was travelling on a long flight).

author: trevwhite
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2015, 01:22:32 pm
content: Thanks for all the replies. I am looking around and reading/watching reviews. I am leaning towards Anker and the view that they might offer some level of quality and future proofing with the IQ ports.

author: trevwhite
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2015, 11:12:34 am
content: Just an update. I bought the Anker PowerCore 20100 in the end. It was the reputation of the company that swayed me. The unit itself is smaller than I thought it would be and it feels well made. Pretty happy with it. Thanks for all the replies.

author: bingo600
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2015, 04:25:59 pm
content: Quote from: trevwhite on November 07, 2015, 11:12:34 amLooked neat , i grabbed one tooAnd the dual 2A charger/Bingo

author: neslekkim
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2015, 05:21:20 pm
content: Quote from: bingo600 on November 07, 2015, 04:25:59 pmSince you are in denmark, who sells there?, the ones that are sold on amazon and such, they don't ship to norway, neither the us, uk or the german amazon doens't ship the anker stuff. (Have been looking for the powerport chargers.

author: bingo600
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2015, 12:06:24 pm
content: Quote from: neslekkim on November 07, 2015, 05:21:20 pmI bought on amazon.de , then the charger plugs fit's eu/Bingo

author: bingo600
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2015, 12:30:35 pm
content: Found it in .se , not .dkhttp://byggochverktyg.se/Anker-20W-2-Port-USB-PowerIQ-iPhone-iPad-Samsung-Nexus-HTC-Motorola-LG/B00WLI5E3M

author: neslekkim
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2015, 01:31:37 pm
content: All of those products on amazon.de have this text:"Leider kann dieser Artikel nicht nach Norwegen versendet werden."So they ship to Denmark, but not Norway then.. crap..

author: bingo600
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2015, 01:51:19 pm
content: Quote from: neslekkim on November 08, 2015, 01:31:37 pmCould be an inter-EU thingTry the swedish one/Bingo