[General Accessories] BillTheCat:
Lepow Moonstone Review

When I was approached by Lepow to write a review of their backup battery products, I have to confess that while I was flattered by the request because, as I was told, my 'reviews' tended to be fair and unbiased, it got me to thinking about how often I've really needed a reserve power source. My lifestyle tends to revolve around either a home office where I have abundant recharging resources, or travelling in my car where I likewise have chargers. Thus, I've never purchased one for myself thinking it was a low-priority item relative to a case or screen protector. Or so I thought.

Then it happened.

I found myself away from home, in the woods using Backcountry Navigator evaluating a 950 acre property without access to AC current for a USB charger and a phone that was gasping for air. There's an old saying popularized in a certain community which contends: "better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it." Thus I learned the hard way that having a reservoir of available juice to recharge the electronics we rely on so much nowadays is probably a good strategy.

This review will start with the Lepow 'Moonstone' 6000mah unit, but in fairness to other vendors who might wish to have their units evaluated, I will update the thread periodically to reflect my thoughts and viewpoints as they evolve.

First Impressions:

The representative from Lepow made a very clear point about mentioning their packaging, and I have to agree there has been a fair amount of thought they've put into the presentation and construction. I'm told that the carton and other materials are enviro-friendly, even down to what is commonly called Tyvek that wraps the unit. A quick snip releases the band which seems to anticipate a product merchandised on hang pegs at retail. In my case, I received the unit in a cardboard box which is likewise recyclable. If there's anything I really can't stand, it's the sealed heavy plastic blister packs that require a hacksaw to open. I'm getting too old and too cranky to have to fight with the item I just bought, so this was a welcome change.

Included with the packaging is a very nice heavy felt case with elastic band in which you can slide the unit, the USB cable and even a couple other (flat) things if needed which will keep the Moonstone in good condition as it bounces around along with the other things you have in the console of your car, pocketbook or briefcase.

While the shape is very pleasant from a design standpoint, my intuition and experience tell me that this unit would have greater appeal with women than men. Shapes that mimic the phone (flat and rectangular) will likely have more popularity with the fellas as it would be easier to slip such a thing into a jacket pocket, where the softer rounded shape of the Moonstone with its felt case can reside very comfortably in a handbag, resembling as it does a lady's compact or other cosmetic item that are regularly rattling around in the dark recesses of a pocketbook where wise men fear to tread. I'm told that Lepow has other designs in the works which are not as yet to market, so it would be great to evaluate those also when the time comes, but for now we'll go with what we've got.

The construction quality seems first-rate. It has a nice solid feel, and along with the other quality components, the battery itself is Lithium Polymer which is not only more reliable for longer term storage, but also less hazardous. Overall, it makes a very favorable impression.

For those of you who happen to order from Amazon, the Moonstone ships with some very cute accessories which can be used to enhance its personality included in a heavy vinyl(?) case tucked away underneath the bottom cardboard shelf. While I tend to be more 'down to business' in my needs, I confess some of the dots (especially the skull/crossbones one) had some appeal which seem to go well with the fishbones. And, for the record, I'm still trying to figure out what bullet-proof material that case is made from.

Charging & Performance

One of the hallmarks Lepow claims for their product is the ability to know what the charge state is by pressing the button which activates a series of four LEDs corresponding to the reservoir state, and not overpowering the target device. Lepow's unit has three ports, one micro USB for charging the unit itself, two regular USB ports corresponding to 'fast charge' a second 'slow charge'. The company claims that their 'intelligent' electronics will adapt to the phone and deliver only as much current as the unit can handle, a reassuring feature when working with equipment of unknown capabilities.

The unit I received seemed to be fully charged (as you can see in the video below) so I proceeded with this test below:

HTC One

Drained to 10% charge level

Phone left on/running during charge

Moonstone 'fast charge' port selected

[YOUTUBE]ePYbOxyYIIM[/YOUTUBE]

In this first test, the phone took some five hours to charge which isn't exactly surprising given the phone is consuming power as it's being charged. I was connected to my home WiFi router and I even had a couple calls come in so I guess the amount of time to charge is to be expected under these conditions. However the charging stopped at 94% which was somewhat surprising. Out of fairness, perhaps using an external power source for charging a phone while its in use causes the unit to turn off, fearing it's delivering too much juice for the target device, which if correct, is comforting and unexpected proof that the company's claim for 'intelligent' charging that won't overpower the device has been confirmed.

The second test was more accurate conducted as it was under more controlled conditions.

Recharge Moonstone:

5 hours from 1 blinking light to 4 LEDs

4th light didn't stop blinking until the next morning, so it's hard to say how long to a full charge just at the moment.

Let unit sit for about 20 minutes

Charge of HTC One: 2 Hours with the phone powered off using fast charge, 100% level on phone achieved. Four lights still remaining on Moonstone to indicate charge status of 100% until the unit powered down and I reconfirmed the charge state which revealed only 1 LED.

On the whole, the Lepow Moonstone is both easy and fun to use, attractive, and certainly an option worth considering for any of you who are thinking about a backup power supply... and also for those of you who like me - aren't.