Looking for Cheap, Reliable Power Banks

• 

  KitchenSink on 15/07/2017 - 00:59

  Not affiliated with either store, but you typically get what you pay for but here's a cheap one from TGG.

  OW has slightly more expensive Comsol for $12.88 in colours

  Lots of ebay "fakes" out there that will advertise much much higher capacities. I'm not so sure with TGG or OW either - but just be aware you get what you pay for.

  Just FYI, generally the capacity of a powerbank doesn't reflect what you get. You normally lose about ~10-30% of the capacity (which depends on the quality of the circuity and other things) since it has to boost the internal batteries average voltage of 3.7V to USB interface of 5V to charge devices.

  (2200 *3.7)/5 = 1628mAh is roughly the real capacity of a 2200mAh power bank

  • 

    Lions44 on 16/07/2017 - 18:54

    Thanks for the suggestions, going to go with TGG as we live rural and they look half decent and should get here quicker. Thanks everyone for their suggestions.

• 

  jason101 on 15/07/2017 - 01:16

  +1

  DIY it, grab some 18650's and you're away. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Metal-5V-USB-Power-Bank-Case…

  • 

    altomic on 15/07/2017 - 08:29

    +1

    or buy a 5 18650 battery case like this one and have more than enough power. I have 2 of these and a 8 battery one and they are great. I got my batteries from old laptop batteries. took them with me to Japan. carry one in daily commute bag.

    unfortunately OP needs them in a few weeks time.

    have a look at Aldi. I picked up some 5000mAh (?) power packs for $5 each.
    I've also noticed my local woolworths has some inexpensive power packs on clearance.

    which airline are they flying? many airlines these days have USB ports available for each seat.

    • 

      Lions44 on 16/07/2017 - 18:52

      Thanks I wish I'd seen the build your owns sooner, otherwise would've been a great solution.

      • 

        altomic on 20/07/2017 - 23:33

        I just picked up 4 laptop batteries from hard rubbish collection last week. already cracked them open and scored 24 18650 batteries. have ordered a few of the DIY power banks.

• 

  Fiximol on 15/07/2017 - 09:38

  The irony of buying a cheap powerbank for people going to China. :p

  Good guys has the laser 2200mah on sale for $6.40 each (I think cheapest has been $5 or so at HN but this is an ok price.) Multiple colours available.

  edit: just realised KitchenSink already linked the good guys power bank, though the $7.96 one includes a cable and the $6.40 one does not.

  • 

    peterpeterpumpkin on 15/07/2017 - 12:00

    +1

    That was actually one of the things that surprised me about China.

    I imagined/hoped that China would be like eBay/AliExpress in the physical world, and you would be able to walk 100m and find exactly what you're looking for at a fair price (with higher margins expected for low volume sales).

    In the touristic areas I frequented the nearby stores were very boutique-y with inflated prices. For a low cost item, it felt counter-productive waiting to get to the land of manufacturing and then spending an hour or more getting to "the place" to get what you want after spending a few dollars on transport.

    Like everywhere else in the developing world, you then find that listed prices (let alone promo prices) aren't really a thing and you spend more time haggling down to below Australian retail prices (for something that may be a fake anyway).

    This might not actually apply to power banks specifically but buying cheap gadgets in China was a real let down for me.

    When I was in China I noticed that the average person on the train had a better phone than the average OzBargainer. And everyone seemed to have a popular brand (and not just local brands). But after visiting poorer SE Asians countries recently (e.g. Indonesia) it seems that everyone had a AUD $250+ phone but me, even the waiter in Bali that told me he made AUD $200/month.

    • 

      Fiximol on 15/07/2017 - 12:19

      It's the same everywhere. Just gotta go to the right places. There are large multistory computer malls in China and Hong Kong that would be what you are after. If you go to their equivalent of HN or Myer (as expected in tourist areas) you will be paying those prices.

• 

  cupcake on 16/07/2017 - 08:17

  Minoso Japan have great power banks.

• 

  cheepwun on 16/07/2017 - 16:36

  It's Australia, mate.
  You get them a card that costs as much as a powerbank. That's the way we do things here.

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  mrjtaw on 24/07/2017 - 12:55

  definitely Xiaomi is the way to go ~$20 for 5,000mah ~$30 for 10,000mah

  • 

    cheepwun on 24/07/2017 - 16:50

    definitely Xiaomi is the way to go ~$20 for 5,000mah ~$30 for 10,000mah

    10,000mAh and 20,000mAh respectively (if you are referring to the recent deals here).
    I still don't know what cells they use..

• 

  mrjtaw on 25/07/2017 - 08:19

  +1

  All use Samsung or LG more recent modes exclusively LG.
  Been using them and selling them in retail for 3 years now I've had one come back out of about 500 units for apprently not working (It does work and work still in use today, customer had no clue).