(off topic) What power bank should I avoid?
My LG Nexus 5X died, and I'm temporarily using an old Samsung Galaxy S3 with poor battery. I may need to use a power bank, until I get a new phone. Which power bank do you recommend (or not recommend)? -- William Park <opengeometry@yahoo.ca>
On Sun, 17 May 2020 at 21:28, William Park via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
My LG Nexus 5X died, and I'm temporarily using an old Samsung Galaxy S3 with poor battery. I may need to use a power bank, until I get a new phone.
Which power bank do you recommend (or not recommend)?
I've had two power banks over the years - I lost track of one, bought a new one, found the old one, now I have two. Different makers, one is 10,000 mAh, the other is 11,400 mAh. They're old enough that even if I told you the make and model, they probably don't exist any more ... but they both still work well - partly because I've only used them lightly. So I have very limited experience with power banks. But I'd suggest that despite the added weight and cost, the larger ones (10000 mAh and up) are the way to go. They'll always get you through a day, while one of the puny ones (2500 mAh) will die after 3/4 charging your phone, and won't even do that as the battery ages and weakens. Something else to consider is that a charge indicator on the device is very useful. (Not an expert. Just full of opinions.) -- Giles https://www.gilesorr.com/ gilesorr@gmail.com
I have been very happy with Anker brand power banks - they're nicely made, very reasonably priced and just work and work and work. I am very unhappy with Amazon, which is where I bought them, but everything I have bought with that brand (including a fantastic set of bluetooth headphones) has been lovely. On Sun, 17 May 2020 at 21:28, William Park via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
My LG Nexus 5X died, and I'm temporarily using an old Samsung Galaxy S3 with poor battery. I may need to use a power bank, until I get a new phone.
Which power bank do you recommend (or not recommend)? -- William Park <opengeometry@yahoo.ca> --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
On Tue, May 19, 2020 at 04:30:02PM -0400, William Witteman via talk wrote:
I have been very happy with Anker brand power banks - they're nicely made, very reasonably priced and just work and work and work.
I am very unhappy with Amazon, which is where I bought them, but everything I have bought with that brand (including a fantastic set of bluetooth headphones) has been lovely.
I too like anker power banks (and their multiport chargers). Pretty sure I have had monoprice power banks too, which worked quite well until the usb ports broke (seems they could have beeb made a bit stronger). -- Len Sorensen
Hi all. In my experience there are a lots of Chinese "brands" but few have much longevity. Anker is one of the few that have stuck around, Ravpower is another that has been OK for me, they have a reputation to maintain. A number of other longtime brands such as "tronsmart" are common in places like AliExpress and Gearbest but not Amazon. In fact you;d be surprised how many different accessories are made by Xiaomi, mainly known globally for phones but in the Chinese market they have a massive product like that is exportable (in fact there are Xiaomi stores in malls across China with the whole range). The bought-on-Chinese-sites gear often offers better value and similar reliability to what Amazon carries, with the trade-off of (sometimes MUCH) slower delivery time (1-2 months is typical). OTOH, stuff valued under $50 or so is almost never stopped by customs which means no HST is assessed. Unless it's a name with a few years on it (like one of the above), consider any Chinese "brand" you get to be warranty-free, by the time you can make a claim the brand will be dissolved and restarted under a new name. To some (including occasionally me) it's been worth the risk and I've yet to be seriously let down. Only one device of many I've bough this way -- an Anker 6-port USB wall charger I've head for years -- has underperformed over time. (like Lennart's experience, some USB ports broke before the electronics did). HTH. Evan Leibovitch, Toronto Canada @evanleibovitch / @el56
Talking about Anker: You might find this video interesting <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7Jfrzkmzyc>. A youTube channel that I find interesting, Wendover, did a piece in 2017 explaining the rise of the Chinese manufacturing industry. It includes a visit to Shenzhen, tour of the Anker factory and an interview with the CEO. The company, which was disclosed to have sponsored the trip, was used as a case study in the incredible electronics supply chain there. It also speaks to the branding issues there and long-term threats. While the video may easily be considered advertising and / or propaganda, at least it speaks to Anker's intent to be a long-term player amidst a world of disposable Chinese brands. - Evan
On Wed, May 20, 2020 at 03:01:42PM -0400, Evan Leibovitch via talk wrote:
In my experience there are a lots of Chinese "brands" but few have much longevity. Anker is one of the few that have stuck around, Ravpower is another that has been OK for me, they have a reputation to maintain. A number of other longtime brands such as "tronsmart" are common in places like AliExpress and Gearbest but not Amazon. In fact you;d be surprised how many different accessories are made by Xiaomi, mainly known globally for phones but in the Chinese market they have a massive product like that is exportable (in fact there are Xiaomi stores in malls across China with the whole range).
The bought-on-Chinese-sites gear often offers better value and similar reliability to what Amazon carries, with the trade-off of (sometimes MUCH) slower delivery time (1-2 months is typical). OTOH, stuff valued under $50 or so is almost never stopped by customs which means no HST is assessed.
Unless it's a name with a few years on it (like one of the above), consider any Chinese "brand" you get to be warranty-free, by the time you can make a claim the brand will be dissolved and restarted under a new name. To some (including occasionally me) it's been worth the risk and I've yet to be seriously let down. Only one device of many I've bough this way -- an Anker 6-port USB wall charger I've head for years -- has underperformed over time. (like Lennart's experience, some USB ports broke before the electronics did).
I have a 6 port anker charger that I have used quite a while. Never had an issue. Only a power bank (which was not anker) had usb ports break. I think it was a monoprice, but it might actually have been one I bought at costco. Hard to remember. :) -- Len SOrensen
participants (5)
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Evan Leibovitch -
Giles Orr -
lsorense＠csclub.uwaterloo.ca -
William Park -
William Witteman