[answered] Powerbanks etc: What should i buy?

[Artzert]

Intro
I was looking for a high capacity powerbank 30000+ mAh, I realised that all powerbanks from reputable companys (anker, ...) all max out at ~25000 mAh. Looking at less reputable sellers I found some large powerbanks for a super low price.

However, looking at the advertising for them, it advertises a low amount of charges, wich would equal more or less 10000-25000 mAh.

List

I found these powerbanks that looked (partially) legit:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0897HHRR3

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000574931415.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000958856013.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001143233173.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001139059008.html
Help needed

I have no experience buying powerbanks, I am looking for someone who went trough this already or someone who knows about this.

ps: I need this powerbank for camping about 10 days, with multiple poeple. There are no poweroutlets nearby.
Conclusion

I put this here so you don't have to look trough all the comments.
Why the ~25000 mAh limit? - Airplane travel limits.
Are these real? - Some of them, the romoss one is legit but should be bought from a more reputable store.

 

What should you buy? - Below I made a little list
A - Portable generator   - Large groups using multiple recharable devices.                   - 500+W                   - Requires Fuel Source           - 150+€
B - Portable solar panel - Medium group using recharable devices.                               - 16-28W per array  - Requires Sunlight                  - 30-100€
C - Large power bank    - Small group using recharable devices.                                   - ~18W 40000mAh   - Requires charge before use - 30-150€
D - Medium power bank - Small group using recharable devices travelling airborne. - ~20W ~26000mAh - Requires charge before use - 30-60€

What is your profile picture? - It's a cat, and the round thing is the nose, I used to draw this all the time in my textbooks, it's real easy to draw.
Huge thanks to Moonzy & Origami Cactus for answering!

Edited July 25, 2020 by Artzert

[Moonzy]

8 minutes ago, Artzert said:

all max out at ~25000 mAh

this is because of the 100Wh limit when u want to bring it onto a plane

the 25 000mAh rating is for 3.7v (Li-po battery voltage)

which translate to 92.5Wh (25Ah x 3.7v)

 

of course higher capacity battery banks can exist

i've seen battery banks that are 50 000mAh for other tasks than charging phones

but you probably wont be allowed on a plane with it due to the limit

 

side note: mAh is a dumb way to show how much energy is stored imo

since i can say it's 1 000 000mAh and i would be right, since i can just deliver it at 0.001v

which is only 1Wh

[Origami Cactus]

Obvious scams, no need to even doubt it.

 

Also don't look at solar chargers, the solar panel on them is so tiny, it would take a thousand years to charge your phone.

 

If you want solar, you would need actual solar panels, not some printed on ones:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RAVPower-UK-RP-PC005-Waterproof-Smartphones/dp/B01FH2HYCW/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=solar+charger&qid=1595668888&sr=8-8

 

But the reason for the 26800mAh limit, is that it is the largest legal limit you can take on a plane, 100Wh.

 

If you want larger power banks, look into "laptop power banks":

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MAXOAK-50000mAh-Portable-External-Notebook/dp/B00YP823NA/ref=sr_1_20?crid=1NISU3SDT861Q&dchild=1&keywords=laptop+power+bank&qid=1595669215&sprefix=laptop+power%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-20

[Moonzy]

8 minutes ago, Origami Cactus said:

Obvious scams, no need to even doubt it.

not necessarily, but most of them are indeed scams

romoss powerbanks are pretty decent from my experience

8 minutes ago, Origami Cactus said:

Also don't look at solar chargers, the solar panel on them is so tiny, it would take a thousand years to charge your phone.

and it's also a bad idea to put your battery bank under the sun anyways, battery degradation, or huge release of gas resulting in... explosion

 

real question though:

is op's PFP a dog or a cat?

is the circle a mouth or a nose? it's messing me up

Spoiler

 

[Origami Cactus]

3 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

no necessarily, but most of them are indeed scams

romoss powerbanks are pretty decent from my experience

Looking closer to the Romoss one, it might be okay, but i wouldnt buy it from aliexpress, but from romoss directly or any other actual store. I've also used Romoss, they used quality samsung cells, but you never know what you might get from aliexpress.

3 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

is op's PFP a dog or a cat?

is the circle a mouth or a nose? it's messing me up

  Hide contents

The circle is a nose, that is all i can say 'bout that, judging by the perky ears, probably a dog, but im no animal expert. 

[Moonzy]

3 hours ago, Artzert said:

If you're out camping I would buy @Origami Cactus's solar charger. If there is no sun, just buy the romoss powerbank. If you travel airborne, buy a reputable one.

i wouldnt rely on solar tbh, unless it's a long camp, more than 7 days or smth

 

i always go camping and my 10 000mAh battery bank is enough for my phone, lights, and fans for 3 days

not much phone usage anyways because, well... jungle

 

also u can mark a thread as solved with the "tick" mark under the replies

 

also to add to your knowledge, u cant bring a battery larger than 100Wh

but u are allowed to bring 5x 90Wh batteries, unless the rules have changed

[Artzert]

30 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

i wouldnt rely on solar tbh, unless it's a long camp, more than 7 days or smth

 

i always go camping and my 10 000mAh battery bank is enough for my phone, lights, and fans for 3 days

not much phone usage anyways because, well... jungle

 

also u can mark a thread as solved with the "tick" mark under the replies

 

also to add to your knowledge, u cant bring a battery larger than 100Wh

but u are allowed to bring 5x 90Wh batteries, unless the rules have changed

You're completely right, if you are out camping less than 7 days, you wouldn't need solar. But I'm out for 10 days with 25 poeple, we use phones, portable speakers etc. These all consume a lot of power.

[Moonzy]

2 minutes ago, Artzert said:

But I'm out for 10 days with 25 poeple, we use phones, portable speakers etc. These all consume a lot of power.

consider a portable gasoline generator then, because solar is not only unreliable, but requires a big panel to be able to fulfill your daily use

[Artzert]

21 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

consider a portable gasoline generator then, because solar is not only unreliable, but requires a big panel to be able to fulfill your daily use

For me, a solar panel hits the sweet spot, a portable generator is too expensive, bulky, and requires fuel. A solar panel is affordable, and easy to use/set up.

[Moonzy]

1 minute ago, Artzert said:

For me, a solar panel hits the sweet spot, a portable generator is too expensive, bulky, and requires fuel. A solar panel is affordable, and easy to use/set up.

i've been working on a solar panel project for camping use

and let me tell you... it's not great

it's bulky, and fragile

say you want a 100W solar panel, which isnt a lot, even for 2 people due to inconsistent sunlight and efficiency etc

that's like... 4 feet by 2 feet of panel, imagine carrying that around without breaking it

 

you need somewhere to store the energy for night time use, which if you use a lot would require a huge battery

a 12v 100Ah battery weighs like... 40kg? and you need a charger controller to handle the charge, it's also a huge cost

 

also, you could rent a generator, not buy one lol

[Artzert]

1 hour ago, Moonzy said:

i've been working on a solar panel project for camping use

and let me tell you... it's not great

it's bulky, and fragile

say you want a 100W solar panel, which isnt a lot, even for 2 people due to inconsistent sunlight and efficiency etc

that's like... 4 feet by 2 feet of panel, imagine carrying that around without breaking it

 

you need somewhere to store the energy for night time use, which if you use a lot would require a huge battery

a 12v 100Ah battery weighs like... 40kg? and you need a charger controller to handle the charge, it's also a huge cost

 

also, you could rent a generator, not buy one lol

what are you going to do with 12v100Ah? We only need energy to charge lighters, portable speakers and phones.

[Moonzy]

1 minute ago, Artzert said:

what are you going to do with 12v100Ah? We only need energy to charge lighters, portable speakers and phones.

water pump for showering mainly, maybe a short period of hair dryer

[Artzert]

23 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

water pump for showering mainly, maybe a short period of hair dryer

we use a waterhose usually provided by the farmer who owns the terrain we camp on.

[Moonzy]

1 minute ago, Artzert said:

we use a waterhose usually provided by the farmer who owns the terrain we camp on.

ah you have some facility

normally we would toss our things into a boat and drive few minutes and camp on the riverside in the forest haha