Joined on 11/28/01
An elegant solution to a road warrior’s problem.
Pros: Upon opening the impressive packaging, I was pleased to find a elegant solution to a problem that plagues most road warriors and frequent travelers: How do you keep all you devices charged when on a long flight or a long road trip? I have my Asus Slim Laptop (19 Volts), my Nexus 5 phone (5 volts), my Nexus 7 tablet (5 volts), my wife’s Nexus 5 (5 volts) phone and her Asus Transformer tablet (12 Volts). As you can imagine keeping these powered up on international flights posed quite a dilemma. I had to carry several different external battery backs and was a hassle keeping track of what charged what. I researched battery backs for a while and finally stumbled upon this unit on Amazons site. I have had great luck with Ravpower in the past. Everything I have purchased from them has worked as advertised and was competitively priced. I am a “brand loyal kind of guy” and decided to give this unit a try. The specs are impressive: 23000 Mah at 5 volts and programmable higher voltage outputs (9, 12, 16, 19 and 20 volts) to power tablets, netbooks, notebooks, portable DVD players and the like, all in one inclusive package. This unit is a traveler’s dream package. Included are various tips to fit the more popular devices as well a neat “Travel Blanket” case to hold the unit and misc cables, tips and wall charger. The “bench” test results were impressive. I was only able to get an output of 16050 mah over 3 average charge/discharge cycles. I used a "Watts Up" meter and a 1.75 amp load to fully drain the battery pack. The advertised output of 23000 mah is accurate based on this pack supplying ~70% efficiency or so (16050 mah) over three complete cycles. The overhead of converting voltage is responsible for the ~ 30% loss of output. This is normal and to be expected with all power banks. In “real world” testing I was able to completely charge my Nexus 5 from 5% to 100% approximately 7.5 times before this pack needed a recharge itself. I was able to charge my Nexus 7 from 5% to 100% 4 times before the pack was empty. The included wall charger was able to recharge the power bank from 0% to 100% in 3 hours 45 Minutes. This quick re charge is an awesome feature and a real plus in my book. Included is a built in digital battery fuel gauge that is very accurate and gives a 0-100% indication of power remaining. This is extremely convenient because you always know exactly how much power is left in the battery bank.
Cons: None.
Overall Review: Excellent product that is vital to anyone needing constant power while on the road.
Good Concept. Bad Software
Pros: Great Concept. Sleek Looking. Hot Swap
Cons: Horrible Software. Would not find raid card in Vista 64. Multiple phone conversation with tech support could not resolve issue with software not working. Needed to run RAID 5 but could not because required software would not launch therefore no RAID 5. Had to return for refund and look else where. Tech support tried to up sell me to a better card for $ 150-200 more. Declined and returned.
Small size, Big Power
Pros: RAVPower has consistently provided portable power packs that exceed my expectations. I needed a small but powerful pack that I could take with me during the day. My phone can barely make it through the day without needing a recharge. This pack is the real deal. It charges my Nexus phone with ease and provides me with the power boost I need to continue using my phone during those long conversations. It is very compact and is easy to carry. In my testing, this pack provided approximately 4300 mah of usable power. This equates to about 71% efficiency and is above the average for these type of devices. The % loss is normal and due to heat and power conversion. It is easily charged using any phone charger or standard USB type wall adapter. Another great product in the line of great products from RAVPower.
Cons: None to speak of.
Awesome
Pros: I gave this to my nephew to use in conjunction with the TaoTronics® Universal Windshield & Dashboard Car Mount Cradle Holder to keep his phone charged and in held in place while using the Navigation feature on his phone while driving. He delivers Chinese food while away at school to earn extra money. While using the Navigation, the battery on the phone is quickly depleted and this unit solves the problem. This charger simply plugs into any cigarette lighter plug and supplies two USB power sources. The phone is always at 100% capacity and ready to go when he unplugs it. Economically priced and quality construction makes for a great value.
Cons: None
Great things do come in small packages
Pros: I was impressed at the overall size of the unit. It is very small and easy to carry in your pocket, brief case, luggage or back pack. This unit is very travel friendly. The available Android app “RAV FileHub” is a great tool designed to get the most out of your new device. Simply download it from the Google Play Store and install on your Android phone or tablet and you can unleash all the great features that this device as to offer. There is also an iOS version that is available but I have only have Android devices. I cannot comment on its performance with regard to iOS devices. The feature set is quite Impressive: 1) A 6000 mah portable battery pack: In my testing, I was able to get about 4250 mah from this unit after three test cycles, this equates to about 70% efficiency. This is slightly above average for this type of device. The 30% loss of usable energy is normal and is due to power conversion and heat. ( I was able to charge my Nexus 5 phone ~ 1.75 times before depleting the battery bank) 2) Media file server: Standard USB connection and Micro SD slot are available and allow unlimited expansion of my personal media. I tested both an external 2.5” hdd and 64 GB Micro SD card. Both performed flawlessly. I was able to stream a 1080P movie, encoded @ 6000kps without stutter or voice sync problems. I tested three streams at once (Two Nexus 5 phones and one Nexus 7 Tablet) and had no performance issues whatsoever. A pass-through feature can also be used so that you can surf the internet or check email while connected to the FileHub. 3) Wired to Wireless access point: I plugged this unit directly into my router and it became a wireless access point to extend my wireless coverage to my pool area in my backyard. It was a quick and easy way to create a wireless connection where there was none or simply extend the reach of your home wired network. 4) Bridge Mode: Using the “RAV FileHub” app you can join the wireless signal of the FileHub and then have the FileHub join your wireless connection and begin surfing the web. This works great to extend the wireless signal of your home or even a hotel room. I did a speed test and noticed no loss of performance. The range was increased of my home wireless signal using the FileHub in bridge mode and became a range extender. I am so impressed by the performance, price and feature list of this unit that I wish I could rate it higher than five stars. It met all my expectations and even exceeded most of them. A real winner in every way.
Cons: Doesn't come in black.
Overall Review: Another great product by RAVPower.
A subtle way to illuminate anything
Pros: Living in Florida, my wife and I have the luxury of using our Jacuzzi year round. I recent added a Gazebo to our yard to cover the Jacuzzi. I was looking for a low cost way to illuminate the roof of the Gazebo and this fits the bill perfectly. It was easy to install and gives a nice subtle glow that is very easy on the eyes at night. Installation was a breeze and took only a few minutes. I powered them by a photo cell that automatically comes on at night and shuts off during the day. Effortless and greatly adds to the appearance of our home. I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to add a subtle glow to a tree, roof line or other backyard fixture without breaking the bank. Job well done!
Cons: None