Wednesday 24 September 2014

Poweradd Slim 2 - 5,000mAh Powerbank Review

Hi all,
Continuing on my new found hobby of tech reviewing I wanted to share with you my thoughts on some Poweradd products I've recently got my hands on. This review is about the Slim 2 powerbank with a 5,000mAh capacity.

Unboxing

The powerbank comes in a fairly well packed black box with a few product details on the front and back. On the font it lists

Quick Charge with no memory effect
USB charge
High capacity
easy operation
safety protection system

The last one - safety protection system - is really key for me seeing as im planing on plugging in my £500 smart phone and my tablets and camera into this thing so im putting a lot of trust in it and that makes me feel a bit more at ease!
Not wanting to go on too much about the packing, but it does feel like a really well made packet that the powerbank comes in that really just added to the feel of high quality, it didnt arrive in just a plastic bag with no instructions so i do feel safe trusting my valuables to it!

On the back of the packet it lists a few more details, it uses a Li-Ion battery with a capacity of 5,000mAh (18.5Wh)!. The weight is listed as 4.41 ounces with a +/- 0.35 ounce variance. I was a bit disappointed not to see any promises of how many recharge cycles this thing would last for written onto the box.
Ok so lets open this thing up finally!!

Inside the box is just the powerbank, a Microusb lead and a small set of instructions. As with the other powerbank (Pilot C), the Micro USB lead felt excessively long at about 1m I use these things in my pocket to charge my phone in my pocket so the extra cable felt a little excessive but on the plus point it does reach the outlet on the floor so not too worried about that.


The powerbank its self feels nice and sturdy and is a nice feel in your hand. It isnt too heavy and has a nice matt plastic finish around the sides and top. The shape is a slight hexagon with gentle corners making it easier to hold. The thing felt very well put together, and from the weight it feels like the battery is in the bottom section and the USB circuit is in the top. I kinda have an urge to twist the top off, i've given it a bit of a twist and there is no movement so its pretty well glued in there but I guess this is how it comes apart. Not having a death wish or wanting to be covered in Lithium I didnt try to take this apart...


On the top of the powerbank there is 1 USB outlet and a Micro USB inlet. The USB outlet is rated at 5V, 1A as it the Micro USB input, so if you get one of these do be careful not to plug it into a high amp charger and damage the battery.


As with most powerbanks, there is a single button which can be used to show the amount of power in the device. There are 4 blue LEDs on the top to signify levels of charge. A little disappointed that there is no LED light option as you get on some of the powerbanks which can be handy when fumbling in the dark as I often find myself when camping!


So thats the product!

In summary:
Positive points
+Good capacity at 5,000mAh and fairly good weight
+Feels well put together
+uses micro USB (long live the standard cable!)
+LEDs to show battery capacity
+small enough to slip in a pocket
+matt finish doesnt feel like it will show any scratches

Negative points
-USB lead supplied is a little long
-No supplied storage pouch! Feels like PowerAdd missed a trick with supplying a cheap little bag to make this feel like even more of a premium product.
-The USB cable supplied is charge only so cant be used for data, feels a little mean

Overall im fairly happy with this and it feel rugged enough for my camping trips away or to be slung in a backpack and not worry about it coming apart or breaking.

My Score out of 5:

For the price it feels like a good buy.
Hope everyone found this useful. I'll upload a video review shortly when i get my camera working. Feel free to ask me any questions.        

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