How To Identify If Your Power Bank In Good Quality

Aug 06, 2020 | XTAR

Almost everyone has a power bank, and the capacity of the power bank on the market is getting larger and the size is smaller. There are so many power bank sold on the market. So how to judge the quality of a power bank?

When we buy a power bank, we mainly consider two points: capacity and safety, followed by appearance, size and price.

Capacity of power bank

The power bank has three basic elements, namely the shell, the circuit board, and the battery cell. As the core component of the power bank, the battery cell has the highest cost. For example, a regular 20000 mAh power bank requires about 8 batteries. Assuming that the cost of each battery is US$5, the cost of a single power bank here will cost US$40. If the price of a 20,000 mAh power bank is only US$20, this power bank must be of poor quality.

The battery cells of power bank are generally lithium polymer or li-ion 18650 batteries. For the Li-po batteries, the larger the capacity, the larger the size, and the cost is significantly higher than that of the 18650 battery. And for 18650 batteries, the larger the capacity, the more dangerous, and the damage caused is great. Therefore, when you buy power bank, pay attention to the brands, and the match of capacity and price, which can greatly reduce the chance of buying inferior power banks.

In addition, you can calculate the charging times. For example, a power bank, marked as 10,000mAh, can charge your mobile phone 3-4 times, but in fact it runs out after 1-2 times (when the power bank is fully charged), this power bank is likely to have a false capacity.

Safety of power bank

Whether the power bank is safe depends largely on two aspects.

The first aspect is the battery cell mentioned above.

The quality and quantity of power bank batteries must meet the standard. Inferior power bank batteries are prone to short circuits after rusting, which may cause explosions. At the same time, in extreme environments such as high temperatures, inferior batteries are more likely to explode. Especially for large-capacity power banks, once an explosion occurs, the consequences are very serious.

The second aspect is the shell of the power bank. The shell of a good power bank should have the ability to withstand flame retardancy and gravity shock.

Flame-retardant refers to the power bank shell can be extinguished automatically after being ignited when the power bank occurs an explosion or combustion accident, which can prevent the battery cell from spontaneous combustion and cause further harm. Therefore, generally speaking, power banks are prone to fire or explode because of the poor flame retardancy of the shell.

In terms of gravitational impact resistance, the internal battery of the power bank should be safe after it is hit by a certain weight falling from a certain height. There is a national standard for that.

Recommendations for purchasing power banks

1. Choose a big brand, a product with a good reputation.

2. Purchasing suitable products according to your actual situation. You can judge how much capacity you should buy according to the capacity of your devices. In fact, it is enough to charge 1-2 times. If you plan to travel or outdoor exploring for a long time, buy one that can charge more than twice.

3. Buy it rationally. Don’t buy from irregular businesses and channels. In addition, products with low prices and large capacity are best not to be purchased.

4. If you like DIY, or are willing to accept novel products, you can also buy a power bank with replaceable battery cell, such as XTAR PB series, which can help you perfectly bypass battery cell quality problems. XTAR PB series is a two-in-one series of chargers and power banks independently developed by XTAR. It currently has three models: PB2, PB2S, and PB2C. In addition to the lithium battery charging function, this series also has a power bank output function. You can replace the internal 18650 or 21700 battery yourself to prevent false batteries.

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