The Best Power Banks I've Ever Bought for Less Than $20!

Perhaps, all you need is some extra juice for your phone or tablet in case it runs out while on-the-go but there are so many brands to choose from. What's the best one for you? Let's start charging!

1. The right brand - The best two decent brands I have bought are Silvertec and Romoss. Trusted big names can be faked, so beware of imitations. Very low prices can be suspicious. Buy from official outlets if you can. If not, check the box for any typos or blurry prints. Overrating (in mAh) is common among imitations. They also make the casing larger to make the power-bank appear to have a greater capacity than it actually has. While shopping for a new one, I saw capacities ranging from 10,000 mAh to 175,000 mAh for only about $10! They'd do anything to make the product enticing. Those foreign manufacturers must be criminally liable for mislabeling their products.

2. The right size and capacity - If you think you might have to charge your gadget more than twice on-the-go before you can recharge your power bank, or if you need to charge two or more gadgets at the same time, consider ones upwards of 8000 mAh. There are also models that can be plugged in directly to a wall outlet and come with 2-4 USB ports. A good rule of thumb when calculating the capacity you need is:
   Divide your power bank's rating in mAh to that of your gadget's battery.

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For example, this Samsung Galaxy S2 battery has a capacity of 1850 mAh. My Romoss Q series power bank is 5000 mAh. Theoretically, I should be able to charge it at least twice, if the power bank is fully-charged.

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1. Smart-Charging Capability -Just like most universal USB chargers, decent power banks come with charge controllers to give optimal current to the gadgets being charged. That being said, not all models charge your gadgets in the same way. Some might charge them slowly, some may overheat them. That's why manufacturers usually recommend using their branded charger. In case of power banks, it's advisable to test it and check whether it's capable of fast-charging your device or not. My ASUS Zenfone 5 charges quickly (as indicated by the built-in app) with the Romoss Q series.

It's fully charged within 3 hours. It's not the case with an incompatible wall charger. - It could take up to 12 hours to charge even with the 2000mA USB port! I played around with different cables to isolate the incompatibility issue to the wall charger. Speaking of cables...

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1. Type of Port/Cable - The Romoss Q Series features a built-in cable and Lightning port adapter (for IOS). This ingenious design improves safety since it's lightweight and you can hang it by the cord. I think every manufacturer should do this! The only downside is: The cable is inconveniently short and you can't use a longer standard charging cable since it doesn't have any built-in USB port.

[My First Power Bank at around $19]

1. Do You Need a Flashlight? - It might seem to be a minor consideration, but shouldn't be overlooked if you often go camping or get stuck in a place where there's no electricity. Most power banks still continue to provide lighting even when there's not enough juice to initiate charging.

[Here's my old 2-port power bank with built-in flashlight (around $14).]
I can still use it as emergency light (or additional light for food/still-life photography), though the battery has been degraded significantly that it can no longer charge my phone any more than 30%.

[My Dusty Experimental Home-Made Power Bank]

Before power banks became popular (and inexpensive), I had toyed with 6V Lead-Acid Batteries and quite a handful of electronic parts to actually make one. It worked for USB-powered electric fans! - This is no longer relevant but I guess it illustrates how badly I need one. Cheers!

Thanks for reading!

[Credits to the Author of Life]