I have been needing to purchase an external battery bank for some time now. I cannot count how many times we have lost power in a snow storm and lost the ability to call out because our cell phones died. It's a scary thing when the heat has been out for 36 hours and it's -25 degrees outside with impassable roads!
I'll be honest, when I first saw this charger on Amazon, I had a lot of doubts. This battery bank boasts 6000 mAh. That basically means that it can charge my phone from dead approximately 4 times on a full charge! For the price, which is currently $29.99 (as I type this review, it is on sale), I seriously doubted it's ability to charge my phone even once. I was expecting to receive a small, weak-looking "toy" in the mail.
I was very mistaken!
The Orion battery bank (sold by RIF6) came in a clear plastic, well-supported, and in perfect condition. It shipped quickly, and the company has been a dream to work with. I received the portable battery bank, the charging cord, and a manual. The battery bank had 3/4 charge upon receipt. I decided to go ahead and fill it the rest of the way up before I drained it for the first time.
There are three ports on the front of the device: a 1A usb, 2A usb, and a micro usb slot. The micro USB slot is used to charge the device itself using the included cable, you can charge it via a computer USB port or a wall-to-USB adapter. I use the latter that came with my phone. The device takes about 4 hours to charge from an all-but-dead state. It does not get hot while charging, nor while charging my device for me. That being said, the directions do state that it may get warm while charging and to not charge the device on materials like fabric.
My phone has a smaller battery with less pull, so I opted to use the 1A slot to charge the phone. If my research is correct, you can use the 2A slot as well, as a battery will not pull more than what is needed. However, the same does not ring true when going DOWN in amps. If you have a larger device that pulls 2A while charging, plugging into a 1A slot would not be a great idea (things could overheat and break). So, my phone uses the 1A slot. I plug my phone in, and swipe my finger across the arrows on the back of the box, and lights come on to indicate the box is now charging my phone and also to indicate the battery level of the battery box. Charging my phone from an almost dead state, I can get 3-4 charges from this device, depending on how charged it was when I started using it.
On the bottom of the box is a button, and it turns on a little LED light. It's bright. Quite functional if you consider the fact that one would typically use an emergency battery charger when there is no electricity, and thus, no light!
This product has worked flawlessly. It's not too heavy, but not lightweight enough for it to feel chintzy. It is a perfect size to fit in my purse (for when I'm at work) or in my emergency kit for when the power goes out. It is consistently charging while plugged in, and consistently charging my phone without any hiccups. Overall, it's a wonderful product, and it's a great price as well! In fact, even over black friday, I was only finding devices with 1/4 of the battery reserves this one has, and they were still selling them for half the price or more!
If you would like to learn more about the product, or to purchase the product, please visit the Amazon site here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P06KOT6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
'Til next time,
-Sue
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
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