The LIGHTEST power banks in the WORLD (or that I could find…) || One FAILED on my thru hike
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ค. 2024
- If the Nitecore NB10000 really is the lightest powerbank, would that make it the best powerbank for backpacking? Let’s compare it to the Anker PowerCore 10000, my tried and true powerbank for backpacking, to find out.
🔖Bookmarks🔖
0:00 Intro
0:42 Is the NiteCore NB10000 the lightest powerbank in the world?
2:29 The Anker PowerCore 10000
3:14 The NiteCore NB10000
6:26 Help decide what gear I should buy, test, review, and give away!
8:08 Which 10000 powerbank is the best?
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⚙Gear Links⚙
-$20 Powerbank: amzn.to/49KtKbo
-$60 Powerbank: amzn.to/3UQs63V
-3-in-1 USB charge cord: amzn.to/48vNy1o
-USB Digital Meter: amzn.to/49KtZ6i
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-NiteCore Website Listing: www.nitecorestore.com/Nitecor...
-Anker Website Listing: www.anker.com/products/a1263?...
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⚙Gear Links⚙
-$20 Powerbank: amzn.to/49KtKbo
-$60 Powerbank: amzn.to/3UQs63V
-3-in-1 USB charge cord: amzn.to/48vNy1o
-USB Digital Meter: amzn.to/49KtZ6i
Help Support AND Shape Dose of Dirt through Patreon: www.patreon.com/DoseofDirt
Some of the links above are affiliate links. Buying things with the links doesn’t change the amount you pay, but helps support the channel since Dose of Dirt would receive a percentage of the sale. Using the links is a free and easy way to support Dose of Dirt so I can continue bringing you great content!
I appreciate a product review where real measurements are taken. Nothing frustrates me more than seeing words like “lightweight” or “it’s great” thrown around.
Ya, those general terms get used a lot without any real numbers behind them. I’m not a fan of that either. Thanks so much for your comment!
Well done. As an electrical engineer it's always good to get a dose of reality and hard specs to quantify claims. Thank you!
Much appreciated! If someone wants me to pay 3 times as much for something, they better be able to back it up! Thanks for your comment, I'll admit I felt a bit out of my element with volts and amps and all that!
Good to see your stance on free gear, given the cost of branded gear its going to be an expensive choice but worth it for the viewers. Seeing other channels its pretty clear they are tainted by the free stuff they get, even if just subconsciously. I don't have the funds to support your work but am very grateful for the videos, keep it up, thank you!
Thanks, Sam! Your comment is support enough! Sincerely appreciated!
The VEEKTOMX Mini Power Bank 10000mAh weighs only 6.07oz (verified weight) and includes 22.5 watt fast charging
Nice option! I'll have to check it out!
Great review, I have one Anker and one Nitecore. I do prefer the Nitecore due to not having to carry a micro USB cable and having two outputs. Having a USB-C output allows me to only carry one cable to charge and recharge everything I carry. For weight, yeah, it's not appreciable by itself. The only thing is that if I have 20 items in my pack and they all weigh 30 grams more, I'm almost a pound and a half heavier. That said, $35 to save 30 grams isn't the best bang for the buck and if that was the only difference I would probably stick with the Anker.
Thanks for sharing this perspective! I know some have had issues with the Nitecore. Sounds like yours has been all good though?
You're absolutely right that if every gear item you take is 30 grams (or 20% heavier than a cheaper option) you end up with a heavy pack QUICK! Maybe I'll feel differently in a few years if I've converted more to USB-C. I'm glad the Nitecore works for you. Thanks again for sharing your perspective.
I have both, as well as an older Anker 20K battery. The Nitecore is a lot thinner, which comes in handy if you're carrying it around in an every day carry sort of bag, like a 2L waist bag or sling. Especially if you have to carry a personal phone and a work phone (you never see sling bag reviewers do that, which I think is much more common than they realize, I'm required to have my work phone available during non-office hours, and if I don't answer it, I can get in trouble ... ). 2 such phones, a battery pack, tissue or a bandana for those hots days, etc. The weight doesn't add up, but the *bulk* does. You end up with a very lumpy waist belt or sling ...
The peanut butter made me 😂😂😂. So hyped that you're doing Patreon! I'm sure people can do honest reviews of gear they've gotten for free, but to me it feels more legit when people buy it just like everyone else would have to. It's not just ethics, I think having to actually hand over the cash makes estimating the value of an item easier. Like, of course I'd use all the super fancy stuff if it was free lol.
Glad you liked the PB bit! 😂 Thanks for being excited about the patreon! I'm excited to do things that way as well! Nothing against the channels that get free gear, I just don't like doing things that way. I agree with you that having to actually pay for it (and weighing it against other things you could get with that same money instead) makes it just feel a bit different. I always look forward to your comments!
I bought Nitecore NB 10000 GEN 2 and was very disappointed. It is a very nice and small device. But three things no one mentions. 1. When I use 20w charging for a phone or tablet, the power bank gets extremely hot. I estimate the temperature to be over 55°C. 2. Because the power bank heats up like this, its efficiency will not be good, but I did not measure the efficiency. 3. When the last LED started to light up, the voltage of the powerbank started to drop from 12.03v to approx. 11v and then shut off even though it wasn't fully discharged.
The usb-c charging is a big plus for me... ive only used the nightcore, I've had great luck with mine. I like that it's a lot slimmer so I can stick in any pocket I basically want. I've had to use the lock on feature for charging my headphones alone.
Nice! Glad it's working for you. I know there are a lot of people that love it, so Nitecore must be doing something right!
Excellent video. I really enjoy your style; you're level-headed, detail-driven, firm-but-fair, and an overall down-to-earth guy. That's what makes me want to help out all the more with the evil mAh misconception that plagues any kind of discussion concerning battery banks. I really did try to do this with as few words as I could...
Power (measured in Watts, with the symbol W) = Volts (V) x Amps (A). mAh (the common but misleading measure of a battery bank's capacity) is a measure of (thousandths of) Amps over a number of hours, i.e. mAh = 0.001 x A x h. However, Work (Wh) = W x h = V x A x h = V x 0.001 x mA x h. You can see how the work a battery can do is only partly represented by the Ah, but completely represented when you also specify the voltage. In other words, a battery bank's capacity is meaningless unless you also know the voltage at which it operates.
When these awesome battery bank companies (and they ALL do it) quote their bank's capacity of 10,000 (or whatever) mAh, they neglect to tell you that that is with respect to the voltage of the cells within the bank (typically cylindrical 18650's, hence the shape of the Anker bank) which operate at 3.7 V. However, as the Nitecore bank instead uses pouches operating at 3.85 V, that's why you see a 38.5 Wh rating on the Nitecore bank = 3.85 x 0.001 x 10000 x 1.
This actually goes a long way to explaining the difference in weight between the banks. Using the lower-voltage steel-encased 18650's makes the Anker slightly heavier, but they're much more readily available, hence much cheaper. No criticism here, just two different ways to build a battery bank.
When charging the banks, you will always see more juice is required than this rating (to fully charge them) because of the losses (to the environment in the form of heat) incurred during charging (and also, in fact, during discharging). Why then do we see (at the 9:50 mark in your video) that the Nitcore only took 8926 mAh to charge it fully? That's less than 10000 mAh, right? Yes, but it took (in the same shot in the video) 44.67 Wh to charge it, which is 16% more than it actually holds. How does one explain this? Well, I truly expect the Klein numbers to be very accurate, and when you appreciate that that the charging voltage was actually ~5.14 V (that was just the final voltage-the voltage would actually have varied slightly over the course of the charging process) then you can see that you come out to ~45.88 Wh, almost exactly what was shown on the display. Does this tell us how much the bank holds? No, it really only tells us how much it took to charge it, but it is a good indicator (at least we were in the ballpark). BTW, losses anywhere from 10% to 20% are normal (less being better).
So, what does that mean when comparing your charging results? Well, they're really pretty comparable. The fact that the Nitecore bank took a little more juice to fully charge it COULD mean it actually holds more (but necessarily). The fact that the Nitcore charged markedly faster, though, that is a positive takeaway for me.
I think you made a very meaningful and useful comparison video. You really could choose either bank and be happy with your decision methinks!
I hope this helps you and some of your viewers! Keep those videos coming!
Great topic thank you!
Thank you! I couldn't help myself after seeing the price difference and just how small of an actual difference in weight and performance there really is (at least in my opinion).
I've had a 20k mAh Anker for like 6 years, some how still going strong no lack. I bought a 10k mAh Anker about 2 years ago and it's going just as hard as my first. That alone has made me an Anker fan. Nightcore is for lightweight heavy hitting headlamps. I own both the old and new nu-25 and love them forever, best lightweight headlamps.
Can't go wrong with an Anker powerbank! I love these 10K mAh I've got. Haven't lost any capacity over the years and I've never had a single issue with them out in the field. Completely agree with you on the NiteCore headlamps. That NU-25 is THE lightweight headlamp. I haven't found anything that rivals it.
well-timed video. I was just about to buy a new power bank, and now I'm going to use your link for the Anker. I trust Anker and I've used a heavier 8 oz 10k anker in the past, so I'll stick with the name I know and get the lighter one. Ounces are pounds!
Perfect! Thanks for using the link! This power bank has been so incredibly reliable. I seriously love it!
Thanks!
Seeing as I could buy 3 anker powerbanks for the price of 1 nitecore, I am sure for the same money, I would have tons more charging capacity. Although, it would come at a significant weight penalty. I would still choose the anker. I have heard of others having issues with the nitecore. I would rather carry a tiny but of extra weight knowing something was going to work vs. Something that may not be reliable.
COMPLETELY agree! Anker gives me a lot more confidence and that is well worth the 30 grams. There are also much cheaper ways to save 30 grams than spending an extra $40 on a powerbank (that I have less confidence in anway)!
A Great feature to have is "pass through", so it allows you to carry an even lighter PowerBank, such as a 5.000mah, but along with a 130grams cheap semi-flexible solar panel of 9W, will give you endless hours of electricity. Since with pass through, you charge or devices while your micro powerbank charges from the sun! It works. Give it a try!
I tried the NB10000 and after it left me stranded with no power I quickly returned it. If the power button is pressed for 10 sec it will shutdown, requiring external power source to power up. The button was pressed in my pack while hiking and was very frustrated to find I had no power for the remainder of the trip. Nitecore also knows about this flaw, I mean hidden feature and has no plans to fix it.
I replaced this with the Anker Nano, a little over 7oz, but has a built in USB-C cable along with an additional USB-C and USB-A and still cheaper than Nitecore.
Anker for the win.
DANG! That sucks. You're not the first person I've heard from where the Nitecore left them stranded without power for one reason or another. Insane they know about the issue and won't fix it!
I had the 20k Nitecore carbo. Used it for 3 charge cycles, and it died. Returned it with GGGs awesome customer service, ordered the Anker 20k
I have the Anker. I was planning to buy the Nitecore until I realized the Anker was practically the same weight. No reason to spend $60 then.
Completely agree! I was excited about "the lightest power bank in the world" until I realized the Anker is basically the same. Weight of 6 starbursts! 😂 I have heard of others having problems with the Nitecore as well. I trust Anker!
I prefer to buy a power bank box and flashlight that both use a 26650 rechargeable battery. That way I get to purchase the features I want and the best quality of battery possible and maintain both devices over the years, instead of throw them out when the batteries don’t work well any longer. Two of those batteries are 10,000 Milliamps 😊 Thank you!
This is an excellent point. I recently got a headlamp (and bike headlight) that use the rechargable 18650 batteries. I am definitely a fan of that set up. That way I always have a charge and don't have to wait for something to REcharge.
I will not tell your wife you did that to her kitchen scale!😁
hahaha! Ya, I should probably get my own scale for the gear cave... 🤣
I would pick the Anker
Sounds like we're of the same opinion!
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Aoguerbe 10000 mAh. Weighs 180g, has a MagSafe wireless charging option, and is available for about 18 USD if you search for the cheapest option.
Nice. Would be interesting to see how the capacity compares. Thanks for sharing!
Anker link shows its 2007 tech: micro usb. Their 523 is usbc, 6.9 oz
oops, other site says it's 7.5 oz
I was just shopping for power banks and comparing weights, and realized how insignificant the savings are with the nitecore. Theyre negligible as well compared to my iniu powerbank pound for pound with the 25000 mah powerbank. Even size wise its not that niticably smaller if you were. To stack them up
Totally agree. I mean, if every team counts then nitrcore is a little lighter, but for me it’s just not worth the price. I can save 30 grams in so many other places for a lot less money!
It's not that the actual number of mAh it holds is less than advertised - its the actual amount it can deliver to your device as it depletes due to loss in conversion when you pull power from it.
The power bank for sure holds exactly the advertised amount - as do all legitimate and non-fake power banks.
I'm certainly no expert, but the meter seems to say differently. Either way, at the end of the day you're right that the power delivered from the bank to the device you're charging is what really matters, which is why I measured both.
The best choice is the nite core carbo 10,000 :) it doesn’t have sharp corners that this other nite core power bank has!
dang! $90! Looks like some bad reviews online. Has yours had any problems?
@@DoseofDirt no problems yet but I’ve heard of them failing when it first came out! Wow didn’t know it was $90 I got it for xmas! Yea that is pricey for what it is..
I have a different perspective. If you receive a piece of gear for free, and you haven't promised anything other than an objective review, I think that is the optimal situation. If you buy something with your own hard-earned money, we may subconsciously prop up that gear so we don't feel like we wasted our money. What are we more likely to toss? Something we got for free, or something we researched tenaciously, and developed some feelings about it even before we used it?
Interesting perspective. I don't think I've thought about it that way, but can definitely see where you are coming from. I know lots of channels and others who review things get free gear, I'm just not a fan of doing things that way.
@DoseofDirt I think the difference is reaching out to companies for gear to review (and potentially paif for the review), vs accepting free gear (non payment) with no promises of any review at all, but if a review does happen, it will be objective and include pros and cons.
hey check out this one.. I use it, its been fine...VEEKTOMX 10,000 mAh. its 165g and has USB C bidirectional port as well as USB A and micro USB... $25 USD
Nice! Thanks for sharing!
garmin watches need the low current mode
Interesting. Mine doesn't seem to need that. I have a Fenix 6 (I think). I've never had a problem charging it without the low current mode. Sounds like maybe you have a watch that requires it?
Anker is a well known name in power storage.
Yes! I forgot to mention that important point in the video, I think! They are a long standing and trusted name in powerbanks. The confidence that gives me is well worth the 30 grams!
@@DoseofDirt I see you're also a Virginia boy.
@@GarryCollins-ec8yo Yessir! Haven't been here too long. Recently moved from out west. I love the trees and the green!
@@DoseofDirt Well I've scoped it great places to backpack in VA and WV so hit me up if you run out of ideas!
@@GarryCollins-ec8yo Nice! Thank you very much! There are some beautiful places around here!
Mmmm... Peanut butter.
HAHA! YES! You can't just waste a perfectly good serving of PB!!
If the Anker was USB C at roughly 180 grams I’d be sold
Ya, I know the micro USB is a deal breaker for some. Anker has a version that includes USB C. but it isn't as light.
Isn't 30g 20% heavier? Most people carry about a hundred items backpacking. If each one weighed 30g more, that's 3kg = 6..6lbs. Otoh, paying $40 to lower the weight of each of those hundred items by those 30g would be $4,000, so the comparison might not be perfect? But it's not just the weight that makes Nitecore better, it's that its USB-c is "PD" (Power-Delivery), meaning it can figure-out the optimal voltage and current to utilize both when charging and when being charged. Fact is, if DoD had a better wall-charger, he should be able to charge the Nitecore from zero to full in 1hr and 36min. With similar advantages charging other devices. Where this author loves the Nitecore is when accepting power from a solar-panel, because unlike lesser power-banks, Nitecore recognizes it's being charged and sucks-in every electron being fed by the solar-panel.
Have walked-out of the wilderness after 9-days and into town carrying a tiny 2W solar-panel with every device and the Nitecore fully charged. Attribute that (essentially) infinite trail-power capability to the Nitecore. May run out of food, but will never run out of power.
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Regarding the trickle-charge function, Nitecore shuts off automatically when a phone or other larger device is full, in order to save the power of feeding an already full device. However, some small devices can appear to be full when they won't accept much current. If you find your small devices weren't being fully charged, trickle-charge will ensure full-charging. User has to look for it, because everything appears normal upon initial plug-in and even when charging ends, but the small device may not be fully charged. Maybe it's only half-charged? It's worth checking.
Otoh, leaving a device on a lesser power-bank may unduly deplete the power-bank? If say, someone were to leave a watch or earbuds on that Anker when they went to bed, they might find they'd lost a portion of the small device's capacity in the morning, and without even noticing. Leaving a larger device loses even more power. It's bad for the device and the user wonders why he's not getting as much out of his battery-bank as he expected.
in the UL community you can't just say 30g is almost nothing. it is more than a third of the weight of my backpack (86g, a Salewa Vector 25) ;-)
You are absolutely right. There are some for whom 30 grams is a BIG deal, and paying an extra $40 to save that weight for similar (better?) performance and benefits would be a no brainer. That's just not my take on it. And I think for most backpackers out there, the cost savings is worth the additional 30 grams. But as with all things, we all have our own thoughts and approach. Thanks for being willing to share yours! Also, impressive that you get it all into a 25L pack. I am going to try using my 20L UD fastpack this summer for a few trips. We'll see if I can fit everything or not!
in the warmer months it's not a huge deal, but in winter... I need 55 liter ;-) this is NOT Florida, this is northern Germany 😀@@DoseofDirt
@@couchcamperTM ya, winter always brings out the bigger pack! Northern Germany is probably beautiful backpacking area with all the forests, etc. (or maybe I"m way off on my understanding of the landscape there!).
where I live, we have wet meadows ;-) But some nice forests are not too far away, at least by car. @@DoseofDirt the landscape is very flat, maybe that's why biking is more popular than backpacking. The highest mountain in the area is a whopping 180ft - almost 😀