Cycling UK Forum

Mods feel free to move if in wrong bit - it is techie so have put it here - but clearly has links to touring and camping.

So:

Do folks have views on the respective merits of these two powerbanks?


Portable Charger RAVPower 22000mAh Power Bank 5.8A Output 3-Port Battery Pack

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GJFNQYG? ... 6igilRgS4Q

and

Anker Powercore 20100:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VJSGT2A/ ... _lig_dp_it

I already have one of the second and find it good and very well built.

Thinking of getting a second battery pack of similarly high capacity as a way of avoiding the complications of dynamo charging/power conversion.

Pretty much decided against the dynamo route so opinions on the powerbanks please.

Neither are of course cheap but some quick maths via my addled brain seems to indicate that higher capacity powerbanks actually work out cheaper than many lower capacity powerbanks sold at supposedly bargain prices.

edited to add a third:

This as well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/EasyAcc-20000m ... d_wg=gkvMg

I was led to believe not to store lithium batteries that you dont need as they any way degrade. Do you need more than one?

The lidl lamp is only 1200mah so any of the banks would charge it 15 or so times in a row. I would have thought one factor is how many ports it has the more the bettter not so much for number of items that can be charged simultaneously rather should one port go wonky you have alternatives to use? By the way I keep my lithoum batteries in the non freeze part of my fridge to delay degradation, as I had to buy some special batteries for my gps while they were still available ( now harder to find )

Decent quality high capacity 18650 Lithium batteries are around £15 each so consider what you are getting when you buy a powerbank. My preference for Audax is a battery pack of this type with sets of 4 protected 18650 batteries.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Waterproof-4 ... SwuQxaVYa2

freeflow wrote:Decent quality high capacity 18650 Lithium batteries are around £15 each so consider what you are getting when you buy a powerbank. My preference for Audax is a battery pack of this type with sets of 4 protected 18650 batteries.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Waterproof-4 ... SwuQxaVYa2

I think the trouble with the 18650 type of battery there are so many fakes that claim to be hicapacity but aint, even to the point of having a differnt format battery inside the 18650 shell.

Buy from a reputable supplier.

freeflow wrote:Buy from a reputable supplier.

which isnt ebay

[

freeflow wrote:Buy from a reputable supplier.

Please recommend one you use.

That device/container is interesting but I share mercalia's concerns about the provenance of some of the batteries that might be sold to go in it.

mercalia wrote:I was led to believe not to store lithium batteries that you dont need as they any way degrade. Do you need more than one?

The lidl lamp is only 1200mah so any of the banks would charge it 15 or so times in a row. d )

Good point mercalia but i am looking to spend some time away from power. And when in pubs with power, the tablet may be being used rather than charging. So it will need recharging from a powerbank atent. I started thinking about getting a second high capacity powerbank when some soul on here, to my question about fast charging banks, suggested with admirable sideways logic that charging two banks at the same time would achieve the same thing.

Once fast charge powerbanks are developed, dynamo charging will durely be a thing of history.

And charging times can be expressed in pints

Sweep wrote:

mercalia wrote:I was led to believe not to store lithium batteries that you dont need as they any way degrade. Do you need more than one?

The lidl lamp is only 1200mah so any of the banks would charge it 15 or so times in a row. d )

Good point mercalia but i am looking to spend some time away from power. And when in pubs with power, the tablet may be being used rather than charging. So it will need recharging from a powerbank atent. I started thinking about getting a second high capacity powerbank when some soul on here, to my question about fast charging banks, suggested with admirable sideways logic that charging two banks at the same time would achieve the same thing.

Once fast charge powerbanks are developed, dynamo charging will durely be a thing of history.

And charging times can be expressed in pints

My largest one is just 5000 mah. How long do these monsters take to recharge?

Please recommend one you use.

Amazon or torchythebatteryboy

http://www.torchy.co.uk/

or Amazon. In general avoid anything with 'fire' in the name or which claims a capacity >3500 mah. Reutable sellers can be determined by their star rating on amazon but also take time to read reviews.

mercalia wrote:
My largest one is just 5000 mah. How long do these monsters take to recharge?

A long night I think. Of course you don't need to wait until it is empty before recharging.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hiluckey-Panel ... dpSrc=srch

I picked up one of these last year, I leave it out to top it up. it is also a great tent light.

I have put together a dynamo light and charge setup though so have some smaller zendure units as they have charge through so you can do phone and battery at the same time on or off the bike.

day to day we are more likely to carry these as a matter of course. hers gets used daily as her iphone is powerhungry and she is addicted to faceache.

I have had the Ankers fail on me a few times. Good customer service but failure in remote parts of Papua or whatever is not convenient! Suspect the actual internals are garbage.

Sorry I can't be bothered to Google this but I suspect the poster who recommended the 18650s is on the right lines, providing you do pass your BSc in battery chemistry, different versions of lithium, protected vs non-protected cells, explosion scenarios, etc. effective sealing on all torches, etc., and so on.

Probably worth it in the long run but you do have to geek out HARD if you don't want these things to murder your wife and burn down your house.

OTOH my experience with Cateye has been excellent they don't appear to use trash components, good sealing, batteries still work indefinitely, etc.

I wonder what the position is regarding talking these monster batteries on planes?

mercalia wrote:I wonder what the position is regarding talking these monster batteries on planes?

liable to change at any time, but normally there's a 100 Wh maximum