USB power bank

RomfordNavy

Any thoughts about buying a USB power bank, how can I ensure it actually has the capacity it says it does?  Lots for sale on various chinese shopping sites but their rated capacity leaves a lot to guess work; some are advertised as 100,000mAh, which they clearly are not going to be.

I have equipment to test the capacity but don't want to waste time and effort buying units which are clearly nowhere near their advertised capacity and having to send them back.

flaneurs_lobster

What are you looking for? Something that will give you a couple of mobile phone's worth or something that'll power your house for a week?

youth_leader

I recommend the power banks made by 'Juice'.  I've got a 'two charge' one that I used that did charge my Iphone twice.  I also had a five charge one I gave to a friend's son going on a scout trip - he said he used it nearly every night, not sure how many 'charges' he got.  I think they are invaluable. 

Brie

I had a cheap one given to me years back and it would take hours to fully charge and then give about 2 minutes worth of time on my smart phone.  Not much use.  

RomfordNavy

flaneurs_lobster said:

What are you looking for? Something that will give you a couple of mobile phone's worth or something that'll power your house for a week?

The largest capacity I can get for a sensible price.  Use is to power portable headphone amplifier and DAC.

flaneurs_lobster

Was going to suggest Anker's range of power banks (I've got a couple) but I notice there's a product recall underway for some models - so nah.

Emmia

I've had a few Anker power banks, but my current one is a Belkin bought in John Lewis about 5 years ago.

I wouldn't buy cheap Chinese options from Temu given the risks if they're not made properly 

Vitor

Buy from Amazon with a reputable brand (Anker, UGreen, Belkin)

QrizB

Mine is ASDA branded. IIRC it was around £20 for 20Ah (so about 74Wh).

Might've been on sale, though!

Undervalued

RomfordNavy said:

Any thoughts about buying a USB power bank, how can I ensure it actually has the capacity it says it does?  Lots for sale on various chinese shopping sites but their rated capacity leaves a lot to guess work; some are advertised as 100,000mAh, which they clearly are not going to be.

I have equipment to test the capacity but don't want to waste time and effort buying units which are clearly nowhere near their advertised capacity and having to send them back.

A bigger concern, which is indirectly related, would be the quality of the cells and design from a fire safety point of view.

Realistically I'd stick to a reputable brand but if I remember correctly one of the three @Vitor mentions above is having a major recall of certain models because of fires!

Emmia

Undervalued said:

RomfordNavy said:

Any thoughts about buying a USB power bank, how can I ensure it actually has the capacity it says it does?  Lots for sale on various chinese shopping sites but their rated capacity leaves a lot to guess work; some are advertised as 100,000mAh, which they clearly are not going to be.

I have equipment to test the capacity but don't want to waste time and effort buying units which are clearly nowhere near their advertised capacity and having to send them back.

A bigger concern, which is indirectly related, would be the quality of the cells and design from a fire safety point of view.

Realistically I'd stick to a reputable brand but if I remember correctly one of the three @Vitor mentions above is having a major recall of certain models because of fires!

Anker is the brand you're thinking of.

Personally I've never had a problem with Anker powerbanks (or their other products) but I can understand why these problems can put people off. I also don't own any of the models affected.