AUKEY 30000 mAh Power Bank

I’ve been experimenting with various power banks over the past years. What this means is both recharging my devices with portable power banks, and also trying to switch my devices over to USB rechargeable.

Without a doubt, this AUKEY Power Bank is pretty damn impressive. It’s got 30000 mAh, which means about 15 phone charges for my Samsung phone. Comparatively, those smaller ones you see that look like a lipstick container can probably recharge the phone once. This AUKEY Power Bank can very easily fit into my day bag and is hardly any heavier than most other power banks out there.

Specs

Capacity: 30000mAh
Micro-USB Input: 5V 2.4A
Lightning Input: 5V 2.4A
Output 1 (Quick Charge 3.0): 3.6V-6.5V/3A, 6.5V-9V/2A, 9V-12V/1.5A
Output 2 (AiPower): 5V 2.4A
Dimensions: 5.9” × 3.3” × 1.1”
Weight: 20.46 oz

Off of Amazon, this will cost $60 CAD.

A common question I always field about a mobile power bank is basically: why? Why do I need to carry this when there’s almost always power somewhere out there I can plug in to. The answer is really an understanding of where one finds power. For instance, if I’m on the road.. let’s say on the ferry. I can wander the ferry for 15 minutes looking for one of those power outlets that’s definitely going to be out of the way, stretch my power cable over whoever is undoubtedly sitting right next to it, and then sit there with my phone as it charges up… -or- I can just plug right into my power bank that’s in my day bag and continue enjoying the beautiful day on the ferry without much inconvenience.

Needless to say, living life as a nomad, with electronics (phone, camera, speaker, flashlight, tablet) having a power bank is indispensable. Nobody wants to be stuck running out of time, power dying on the phone, and the only directions to the place tonight is on the phone.

To charge the Power Bank, I plug the Power Bank itself into the microUSB connector end of a cable, and the other end goes right into a charge source (likely a wall plug or car adapter). Nearly the exact same as a smartphone. You can even use a phone power connector (unless you’re using an iPhone). Charge time will take about ~ 6 – 8 hrs from a wall socket, depending on the capacity of your charge connector you’re using. Remember, when fully charged, this can recharge a smartphone about 15 times.

The benefit here comes in the fact that one charges up the Power Bank so that it can be used whenever devices run out of power. So, if I were to fully charge my phone and camera with it, then leave the Power Bank plugged into the wall while I went out to get groceries or a walk along the river, I could still have my electronics (fully charged at this point), and be recharging the Power Bank at the same time!

I like to think of this as a paradigm shift in how we use electricity, but perhaps for a lot of us it does sound very logical already. The availability of power storage is the basis of all my future electronic considerations.