How can this powerbank be so cheap?

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Forums › Finance and wealth management › How can this powerbank be so cheap?

jbard

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#213937 19-Apr-2017 21:52

Looking to buy a powerbank and found this one at The Warehouse.

For a 10400mAh powerbank this one seems to be at least 50% cheaper than anything I could find at PB tech or other shops.

The closest I could find is this one for $69 at JB HiFi.

The only catches I can see is it charges at 1A so it does take a while to charge, and only one of the output ports is 2.1A.

Still it seems really cheap compared to other powerbanks on the market?

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Vocus

#1767598 19-Apr-2017 22:01

I can only guess that it's nowhere near the stated capacity, and/or complete garbage.

hio77

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#1767601 19-Apr-2017 22:06

ubergeeknz:

I can only guess that it's nowhere near the stated capacity, and/or complete garbage.

This would be my pick too, looks like a cheap place to pickup fresh 18650s if not though...

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Oblivian

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#1767614 19-Apr-2017 22:12

18650 cells. (2600mAh each) x4 = 10400. Although we all know with parallel draw that's all but a lie. But it's how they like to market LiON packs to make them sound awesome. Similarly it may be 8 of them doing a P/S run.

Same with bike lights with battery packs. Although I can only run my ones for about 10mins on 3/4 compared to a pack of good cells lasting 3 rides.

Probably something similar to this when opened up. http://www.globalmarket.com/product-info/ept-7-4v-10400mah-lithium-ion-battery-pack-with-protection-1978387.html or a couple of these http://www.all-battery.com/li-ion3-7v10400mahrechargeablebattery31844.aspx

But the numbers don't lie :P

lNomNoml

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#1767623 19-Apr-2017 22:27

ubergeeknz:

I can only guess that it's nowhere near the stated capacity, and/or complete garbage.

Given the brand I wouldn't be surprised if it blows up on first use.

nolanz

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#1767668 20-Apr-2017 07:24

One indication is that I think the first unit is restricted to 1amp where the other appears to be 1 amp and 2.1 amp outputs.

richms

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#1767676 20-Apr-2017 07:45

Totally possible at that price. Just not got the absurd markups that many others have on them.

All a powerbank contains is cells and a buck/boost converter for doing the charging and discharging, and a whole lot of parallel lithium cells. Moderate quality cells in the 2400 to 2600 range are about $1.50 a piece in china, dont need to be high discharge ones since you have 4 in parallel and the current is low anyway so should get near their listed capacity. Plastic box and board is a dollar at most. Rest goes into packaging and profit.

Richard rich.ms

sbiddle

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#1767697 20-Apr-2017 08:48

Why can it be so cheap? IMHO it's not. It's also very likely to be complete crap. Like most cheap devices with dual 1A/2.1A outputs I'd highly doubt it will charge any modern phone at any more than around 450mA. I find Powerbanks just like this as free giveaways at conferences and don't even bother grabbing them as they're so poor.

When you can buy an Anker 10,400 mAh for around NZ$40 incl shipping or an Anker 10,000 mAh QC3.0 charger for around NZ$50 incl shipping from AnkerDirect on eBay it suddenly looks very overpriced.

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hairy1

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#1767700 20-Apr-2017 08:55

Kiwis are being gouged for powerbanks. There needs to be a Commerce Commission inquiry.

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tchart

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#1767702 20-Apr-2017 09:01

lNomNoml:
ubergeeknz:

I can only guess that it's nowhere near the stated capacity, and/or complete garbage.

Given the brand I wouldn't be surprised if it blows up on first use.

Wow. Loads of negative comments.

I actually have several of these and they are great. I don't know if the capacity is as advertised but my kids use them with iPhones to play Pokemon go. Never had an issue with them apart from the screen printing rubbing off.

I have one on my bedside to charge my smart watch. I know the watch wouldn't draw much but I probably charge the Powerbank every two weeks.

The great thing about these is that they are always on which means you don't need to turn it on with a button push unlike my other Powerbanks. This is great for powering low draw devices like Arduino etc.

sbiddle

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#1767710 20-Apr-2017 09:14

tchart:

The great thing about these is that they are always on which means you don't need to turn it on with a button push unlike my other Powerbanks. This is great for powering low draw devices like Arduino etc.

I've tested a significant number of what I consider the biggest/best 3 mainstream brands of USB chargers/Powerbanks on the market at present - Anker, Ravpower and Aukey. IMHO Anker and Ravpower make the best stuff. Aukey comes in third.

I've never come across a single Powerbank from any of these brands that has required to be "turned on".

Yes these Warehouse powerbanks may deliver the capacity they promise and work OK. The real question is will they deliver the performance that many people now expect? If you've got a modern phone that only charges at ~450mA taking 7 hours to fully recharge rather than the 1hr30 it should take on a quality device it can be a significant disadvantage.

tchart

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#1767722 20-Apr-2017 09:17

sbiddle:
tchart:

The great thing about these is that they are always on which means you don't need to turn it on with a button push unlike my other Powerbanks. This is great for powering low draw devices like Arduino etc.

I've tested a significant number of what I consider the biggest/best 3 mainstream brands of USB chargers/Powerbanks on the market at present - Anker, Ravpower and Aukey. IMHO Anker and Ravpower make the best stuff. Aukey comes in third.

I've never come across a single Powerbank from any of these brands that has required to be "turned on".

That may be true but generally they will turn off when the draw drops below a certain level. These ones don't hence the IOT applications.

xpd

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#1767725 20-Apr-2017 09:21

I picked up one of the $10 ones over the weekend, does me fine for the price, charges my iPhone 5 to approx 80%. People like paying for brand names, even though a large amount of the gear comes form the same factory. For small sub $100 items, I'll just go cheap from the local Warehouse or Aliexpress etc, if I want large items such as a TV etc, thats when Ill start looking at brand names and using somewhere like JB.

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sbiddle

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#1767728 20-Apr-2017 09:27

tchart:
sbiddle:

tchart:

The great thing about these is that they are always on which means you don't need to turn it on with a button push unlike my other Powerbanks. This is great for powering low draw devices like Arduino etc.

I've tested a significant number of what I consider the biggest/best 3 mainstream brands of USB chargers/Powerbanks on the market at present - Anker, Ravpower and Aukey. IMHO Anker and Ravpower make the best stuff. Aukey comes in third.

I've never come across a single Powerbank from any of these brands that has required to be "turned on".

That may be true but generally they will turn off when the draw drops below a certain level. These ones don't hence the IOT applications.

That's because they're designed to charge devices, not provide a +5VDC power supply. They are two very different things, and the fact that most of the cheap Powerbanks (and USB wall socket, airline IFE etc) simply provides +5VDC rather than having any smarts to actually function is a device charger is why they're unable to charge a modern device at any more than ~450mA.

Devices from the likes of Anker, Ravpower and so are all smart chargers designed solely for charging modern devices at the maximum speed possible.

MikeB4

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#1767782 20-Apr-2017 10:47

At the price it's worth a punt. I have used expensive units that didn't last long and have giveaway units that are still going good two years on.

sbiddle

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#1767881 20-Apr-2017 13:15

MikeB4:

At the price it's worth a punt. I have used expensive units that didn't last long and have giveaway units that are still going good two years on.

Is it worth $30 though when you can buy an Anker for $40 that will be vastly superior?

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