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KSRdallen
05-22-2014, 01:20 PM
Suggestions? Prices, capabilities, etc are wide ranging. Any thoughts and experiences with these would be appreciated.

dan_bgblue
05-22-2014, 04:44 PM
I think this is what you are talking about. If so, my son in law has this model and he is pleased with it.

http://www.amazon.com/Patriot-Dual-Port-Rechargeable-Smartphone-PCPB90002/dp/B00DWPMU12

KSRdallen
05-22-2014, 05:28 PM
Thanks, Dan. I was looking at the 14000 mAh units. I'm trying to figure out if there's a big difference in charging time. Most of these have both 1A (iPhone for me) and 2.5A (iPad) charging ports. I did a search on Amazon and it brough up 100's! This one is very well rated. Again, thanks!

Darrell KSR
05-23-2014, 11:52 AM
Hang on, let me pull the one I bought out of my bag. It has been awesome. For a guy who is on his phone constantly, pulling email from 4 different accounts, visiting here, tweeting on 3 accounts, etc., it is a massive battery drain.

Here's the one I have. Black satin look, on/off button (I've had others that had no button, and I didn't like it.). Charges my Galaxy S5 FAST.

http://www.amazon.com/Poweradd-trade-Pilot-E2-USB-charged/dp/B00D41CYOW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1400863534&sr=1-1&keywords=poweradd+12000mah

This one is 12000 mah, and has the 2.1A and 1A ports. It also has a coiled cord, which I really like.

They are getting very inexpensive, and very plentiful, and many of them have very good ratings. I have a 2800 mah small one, but I never use it anymore. Gave it to my daughter to bring with her on her trip to NYC (18 hour BUS ride...ugh). Spent about the same amount for it than I did for this thing.

Last night at the UK-MSU baseball game, my phone was down to 30% or so. I plugged it in, grabbed a sausage dog (forget diets during SEC tournament), took some pics, tweeted and posted, and in not long at all it was at 94%. I don't know exactly how long, but less than an hour, and possibly well less.

Poweradds have very good ratings, which is why it was recommended to me. I've had this one for a couple of months.

blueboss
05-23-2014, 12:14 PM
I'm still in the Stone Age, so let me get this right. You charge the bank and then charge your gadgets off of it?

Will it charge a laptop? Or is it best just to carry multiple battery's



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Darrell KSR
05-23-2014, 12:28 PM
I don't think they'll charge a laptop, blueboss--they definitely charge tablets, though.

Yes, you charge the powerbank. I don't use mine every day, as when I'm close to a power cord, I'll plug my phone up (in the car, at my desk) often. So I've only had to charge my powerbank a couple of times. Warning--it is slow to charge. If you deplete it entirely, it may take a full day to recharge, and that's from a power cord (and not from USB-computer, which is very slow). Just takes a lot to ramp it up to the full power, which makes sense.

Darrell KSR
05-23-2014, 11:20 PM
Well, just gave it a test. Have been actively surfing, email, posting, etc. while charging. Phone was done to 15% one hour ago, now 61%. So maybe not lightning quick under heavy use, but good.

One other thing I should mention is that I had the brightness display almost on full blast, so it naturally was using a lot of battery at the time, too.

KSRdallen
05-24-2014, 07:49 AM
Thanks, D. I'm a power user but I can only imagine your use far exceeds mine. After reading a multitude of websites and forum discussions, I narrowed it down to the RAVPower 14,000 mAh and the Anker Astro E5 15,000 mAh. Both have great ratings. I started comparing mAh, cost and weight.

After extensive deliberation, I decided to go with the 14,000 mAh RAVPower which is linked below. The comparable Anker (second link below) was $10 more and an ounce heavier (11.2 oz versus 10.2 oz - not a big difference but a factor). The Anker is 15,000 mAh versus 14,000 mAh for the RAVPower but the cost and weight difference were the deciding factors. The Anker was $49.99 whereas the RAVPower was $39.99.

I didn't encounter the one you purchased in my search, but it would have merited comparison at that cost. Nice purchase! Mine is ordered and will be here in 5-8 business days with the free shipping option from Amazon. We'll see how it performs.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EHEEFWY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/15000mAh-Portable-Ultra-High-External-Motorola/dp/B00D5T3QK4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1400935327&sr=1-1&keywords=anker+astro+e5

KSRdallen
05-24-2014, 07:57 AM
D, the on/off button comment is interesting. Can you elaborate? I recall one person, who seemed to be a tester of these products and power user, also commented about this but didn't go into detail.

Darrell KSR
05-24-2014, 08:45 AM
dallen, truly this is one of those issues where there are dozens--if not more--excellent choices. It's almost like when we were all considering the latest and greatest smartphones. I'm a big believer in the Galaxy S4 (now S5). Others love the iPhone 5s (or whatever it is now); still others, the HTC. Bottom line, is they're all outstanding.

On a lesser scale, these are just extra batteries. Get one that lasts, won't blow up, and you like the general features, and you're good.

I wish you could see this in person to know why I like it, but the form is small (my hands are small, and I can hold it behind the phone in one hand fine), and the button is a round, concaved-in button that can't be pushed by accident, but is easy to push on/off. When it does, you'll have four tiny lights on the front that will come on and let you know it's working--charging, being charged, etc. When all 4 are lit, you have full power.

The small 2800 mah charger I have doesn't have that. I don't like being able to turn it on and off. Just me.

Oh, I haven't used this, but it will charge two items simultaneously--so you can charge your iPad and your phone at the same time if needed. I'd make sure that anything you got does this, although the world would have to align funny for me to absolutely need that feature.

Bottom line on why I liked mine? I think it's the most attractive, business-looking one on the market. Black, satin-like, brushed aluminum finish. Small coiled cord. Just looks business-like.

My biggest warning on it is that it takes a really long time to charge up. In reading the reviews, some said 24 hours, or even longer, if it were completely dead. It's not like charging up a phone or tablet where a couple of hours, and it's charged.

Darrell KSR
05-24-2014, 08:51 AM
Oh--and looking at the RAV -- I think it has a similar on/off button. Look at the top of it, and there's a circular button, perhaps a little smaller, but appears similar in feature and somewhat in design. Just in glancing at it, I like it fine, and I like the looks of it fine, too. That may be dumb when you're talking about a battery, but if I'm meeting with a client or in a courtroom, I don't want something that's pink or white or silver or skull & crossbones (Powerbank makes one like that) or something. Just classic black.

Darrell KSR
05-24-2014, 11:07 AM
Today will be another good use of the battery pack. I will leave today shortly for the Hoover Met. I'm taking my son, so I am not going to the press box, but will instead be in the stands. I will be tweeting, posting here, taking photos and videos, uploading to Youtube, etc. during the game, checking SECStats, and more. Very heavy usage for a period of probably close to 8 hours with no power cords available. Having the powerbank will assure me of having all the power I need, and then some today.

The first time I bought one, the little 2800 mah one, was before a UK basketball game, or before Big Blue Madness. My phone then ate battery life like crazy. Anyway, it was charged up, and before long it was under 50%. I was able to plug it into the charger, and continue using it heavily, and it had plenty of power at the end of the game, something like 20% or so. Basically, the little one did not increase the power under heavy usage, but it allowed it to continue for several hours. It was "almost" enough for me under normal circumstances, but not quite. Any of these power banks will make an owner very happy.

kingcat
05-24-2014, 03:05 PM
Slow charging is a good thing. Most fast-chargers don't finish the second part of a two part charging process and end up not completely charged.

Getting the remainder of full charge then takes a long time to achieve. So a fast charge, although showing full charge ends up at only about 3/4 charge, and the rest takes well over another hour (closer to two hours) regardless.

The same principle applies to the bigger lith batteries I assume

Plus slow charging adds a lot to the life of your charger and your battery.