Last summer, I was very lucky to be able to take a three-week road trip with one of my best friends on the planet. During the entire trip, we both worked remotely. For the most part, we stopped in coffee shops found all along our route, using their free Wi-Fi and ordering awesome coffee while we worked. However, there were multiple occasions when our devices ran out of power on the road with no power outlets in sight. Had we brought a RAVPower Bank ($39.99) with us, we wouldn’t have needed to frantically look for a place to charge our devices in every place we stopped.
RAVPower Bank isn’t one of those devices that I need to tell you all the pros and cons of so that you understand whether or not it works as intended. You can be sure that the RAVPower bank, whichever model you buy, will simply work as needed. The only question you really need to ask is how much power do I need. I received the smaller power bank with 22000mAh and the larger, incredibly powerful 27000mAh power bank. Keep in mind that RAVPower has solutions for all your charging needs, but I’ll focus on these two items for this review.
RAVPower Ace 22000mAh Portable Charger ($39.99)
With three USB ports, this charger is perfect on-the-go and can be shared among friends. With the 22000mAh power, you can charge an iPhone 6s nearly nine times on a single charge. Have an iPad mini? Charge that about three and half times with this compact power bank. The power bank is about the size of your smartphone with twice the thickness. Four lights on the top of the power bank indicate how much charge is left, making it easy to know when it needs to be charged with a glance. When multiple devices are plugged in, the power bank distributes power at the optimal speed for each individual device, making the process safe and efficient.
I used the power bank at my desk and kept my iPhone powered for nearly two weeks on a single charge. Of course, I was charging my phone at home as well, but all iPhone charging I did at work became the power bank’s job. Personally, it’s slightly too heavy for me to want to carry it around in a pocket, but not too heavy for a purse or backpack. In fact, it would be the perfect power bank for your backpack's side pocket.
RAVPower 27000mAh Built-in AC Outlet Universal Power Bank Travel Charger ($149.99)
This power bank is for the serious traveling techie. It has the most power of any travel charger I’ve ever seen, and it includes not only two USB ports but an AC outlet for your Macbook charger too. It also includes one Type-C output for your newer Macbook and other accessories. This baby can charge your iPhone 6s eleven times on a single charge, your iPad Air twice, or your 12” Macbook over three times.
The power bank comes with its own carrying case, as well as a smaller pouch for traveling. It’s quite a bit larger than the 22000mAh power bank coming in at just under seven inches by five inches with a thickness of nearly an inch and a half. It’s certainly not something you’d want to carry around for long periods of time, but for traveling techies or preparing for emergencies, this is the power bank to get. Especially if you’re working from a laptop, this power bank will make sure you’re powered up and ready to work. I’m giving this device half a star less than the previous one, only because its size makes it perfect for a very specific type of work and/or travel and due to the price difference between the 22000mAh power bank and this one.
