What are some quality 10K+ mAh Power Banks/Portable Chargers? [November, 2022]

Submitted by Speckz5701 t3_z5josp in BuyItForLife

Looking around on Amazon I see a lot of options from a multitude of brands. Some might even have 4+ star ratings but even on most if not all of the ones i’ve looked through there’s always one review that says something along the lines of “Worked great for a week and then USB port broke”

I wanted to get some second opinions and see what Power Banks you guys use as a daily driver. Because honestly I don’t know what to trust and what to avoid.

I’m just looking for a Power bank I can store in my backpack to charge my iPhone 13 Mini. Just looking for a brand that’s reliable and trustworthy.

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HamSlammy t1_ixwf3d7 wrote

I’ve never gone wrong with Anker battery packs.

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CruisinJo214 t1_ixwp827 wrote

I’ve had my 10mah anker pack since I purchased my Nintendo Switch in 2018… it’s still a beast and I take it everywhere.

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Actuarial_type t1_ixxn2lo wrote

Mine is about as old. It’s done a couple hundred flights, multiple road trips. Has a chip or two but still works as good as new.

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_AleksM t1_ixzk9ie wrote

Anker is the way to go, my Powercore 20100, has gone through a stupid about of abuse, since 2017, I honestly thought it would die from being in left in freezing outdoor conditions (garden gym & motorcycle) overnight, but it's held up amazingly.

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Quail-a-lot t1_ixwgges wrote

Anker. Battery bank of choice for super-users like gps phone game enthusiasts. I particularly like the dual port models, then you can charge two devices or give someone else a charge too.

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Pix3lPirat3 t1_ixxt2x1 wrote

I’ve had my Anker for probably 5 years now, bought it for $30 at the time, it’s able to fill up an iPhone from dead and holds a charge without dying on its own.

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Spinnster t1_ixzia8g wrote

Anker or aukey is going to be your go to.

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5spd4wd t1_ixwo6sn wrote

I have the NOCO Boost+. I love it. If that's the kind you're talking about. Currently on Black Friday sale at Amazon.

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jeffreyd00 t1_ixwxnjz wrote

They want to charge their phone battery not car battery

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5spd4wd t1_ixwxup5 wrote

Gotcha. Although the thing I mentioned can charge anything with a USB.

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jeffreyd00 t1_ixwy124 wrote

Yes but not practical to carry around with you.

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1testaccount1 t1_iy57px9 wrote

Those actually are about the same size wise. But they are heavier yes.

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fazalmajid t1_ixwpepq wrote

Nitecore NB10000 Gen 2 by a wide margin.

Ankers are OK, but much bulkier.

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sunandmooncouture t1_ixyajoq wrote

>Nitecore NB10000 Gen 2

"10000 mAh"
(Rated Energy 6400mAh)

lol batteries, amiright? maybe they should start posting capacity in watthours instead

looks like Nitecore is using lithium phosphate while anker is still using lithium ion to keep costs down. is tradeoff. I wonder if anker will start making more lifepo4 batts soon

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fazalmajid t1_ixybiyx wrote

They totally should do Wh instead of meaningless mAh. A big part of Anker’s problem is they use cylinder batteries like 18650s hence the poor density.

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spluga t1_iy0u0g6 wrote

I like everything about Nitecore, except I’d prefer 5w charging for my use case. Do you know the specs for the “low current” charging feature? Does the powerbank auto detect, or can you manually enable to slow charge if you’re not in a rush?

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fazalmajid t1_iy1467v wrote

Good question. I tried charging my 12.9” iPad Pro with my USB-A and my USB-C multimeters:

  • USB-C, low-charge mode On: 5V 3A, 15W
  • USB-C, low-charge mode off: 11V, 1.67A, 18W
  • USB-A, low-charge mode On: 5V 1A, 5W
  • USB-A, low-charge mode off: same

Make of that what you will. The USB-A tests were done with an AmazonBasics C-A cable rated at 10Gbps.

You have to manually engage the feature by long-pressing the mode button. Presumably it’s mainly for USB-A since it doesn’t negotiate power like PD does, thus the risk of overload.

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spluga t1_iy1vaou wrote

Thank you for taking the time to test that for me! So the USB-A port appears to limit to 5w regardless of low-charge mode (did you mean the fourth bullet to be USB-A, low charge off?).

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fazalmajid t1_iy1vlgj wrote

Yes, corrected my post. Not sure why it isn't doing the 10W standard USB-A is capable of, even if it can't do the non-standard Apple 12W charging mode at 2.4A. I'll try again with a different power meter and cables.

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spluga t1_iy2bh1h wrote

Yes, 5W and not 10W is surprising. Looking forward to what you find, if you can!

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fazalmajid t1_iy38x04 wrote

OK, I switched to an Apple-branded USB-A to Lightning cable and Klein ET920 tester, verified with an Apple 10W USB charger that it did 5.07V 1.68A on an old iPad Pro with Lightning connector (it was 87% full so probably not drawing at its fullest).

When put on the Nitecore on, it did the same 5.07V 1.56–1.68A whether I turned on slow-charge mode or not. At this point I think it's a placebo, and if you want fast charging up to the rated 18W you must use USB-C, but on USB-A YMMV depending on the cable.

This also confirms my feeling that every power bank maker should adopt the Anker 737's status display feature, and that a USB multimeter is a must-have accessory.

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spluga t1_iy3jk8g wrote

Thanks for the follow up! Agree, agree.

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Dracomies t1_iyaz02g wrote

We found the Ultralight Redditor. jjkjkjk.

Isn't Gen 1 better based on the Excel sheet on Ultralight rn?

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fazalmajid t1_iyc8bmo wrote

How so? I have both (also the NB20000, but I don’t EDC the latter), gave my wife the gen 1, she absolutely loves it. She’s a much heavier power bank user than I am (her iPhone X battery is on its last legs) and her previous Anker 20,000mAh power bank was a real boat anchor in her purse. The UI in the Gen 2 is improved, it has those natty yellow ports and slightly higher output.

Here’s a positive review, apparently by the person who maintains the spreadsheet:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/w8mx0p/nitecore_nb10000_gen_2_power_bank/

Conversely here is a negative review:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/w848tp/my_opinion_of_nitecore_power_banks_after_1200/

He complains of durability of the ports, and I can see that. I take good care of my gear and must be the only person on the planet who doesn’t have ripped Apple charge cables despite their inadequate strain relief, whereas my wife and daughter are much rougher on their gear, so that might be worth considering in Anker vs Nitecore.

I don’t hike in the great outdoors, which seems to be the core Ultralight demographic, but urban dwellers benefit from lighter gear too.

One other good 10,000mAh power bank is the Xiaomi Pro, with its solid aluminum rather than plastic case, but that also makes it heavier than the carbon fiber Nitecore, and it’s harder to find in the US:

https://www.mi.com/uk/product/xiaomi-22-5w-power-bank-10000/

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Vojtik88 t1_ixyf44e wrote

I have bought the iMuto brand in 27000 mAh version. It is a beast, and gives many phone charges. I used it on several trips and it is surprisingly handy for home use as well

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Beren__Luthien t1_ixyghqg wrote

If you are on a budget, I highly recommend the Xiaomi 20000 mAh power bank. It is a lot cheaper than Anker products and it works like a dream. It supports fast charging, and itself charges really fast. I have been using mine for around 2 years ( I never plug my phone directly to a wall socket) and despite that heavy use there hasn't been any change in performance.

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aintnobodytriller t1_iy5ds6l wrote

Been happy with my excitrus chargers. They are small and have enough power to charge a laptop for an hour or so it you need it. Haven't had any issues thus far.

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coxy1 t1_iy6pdrv wrote

Imuto battery pack was awesome, lasted me over 4 years before I accidentally filled my bag with beer and it went to the big charger in the sky

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rib9985 t1_iy7ixp8 wrote

I have an Anker 10mAh since 2012. I still use it daily and it hasn't failed on me. It gives me a full iPhone 13 Pro charge + a bit more.

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Pollymath t1_iye1o3k wrote

Anker PowerCore charger/battery combos are cool because you can use them as a normal charger but then take the whole thing with you when go out. Unfortunately, Anker doesn't make any PowerCore Charger Batterybanks that have built in cords, which are nice.

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5spd4wd t1_ixwy3sz wrote

Yeah, definitely not.

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