OUTXE Savage Power Bank 10000mAh - An Outdoor Battery for Rough Tour in the Field
Here is the OUTXE review on the blog freiheitenwelt.de. Thanks, Martin.
Please check the Germany version at the following Link.
It's amazing how many electronic devices I use today. On my travels, I marvel again and again at how the space requirements for my electronics seem to steadily increase. Nevertheless, in the end, everything usually fits together. Today, for example, on my walks, I’ll often carry my not-so-small Montana GPS with it and, most likely, my smartphone. Both devices often need a power outlet. Now, on longer tours (e.g., on weekend) this is a problem. But the small "Rugged Power Bank" from OUTXE is supposed to help a lot.
With such a battery pack, I could have had some great experiences on my Latin America trip. Before my departure, I spent an enormous amount of effort to make myself as self-sufficient as possible in terms of energy technology. It worked very well too, thanks to my main energy source – the motorcycle battery. At that time, I had a much larger battery than the OUTXE with me. Whoever wants to read about my tinkering can do so -> HERE < However, the whole system went down the drain when the battery went bathing in hurricane rains. It was not particularly protected and immediately stopped working. What can I say? My journey continued, even without the high-end luggage loading system. After 3 years, I had procured no replacement. I didn’t miss it, either. With the motorcycle, there was always enough juice coming from the on-board sockets for the cameras and my laptop. And besides, it's not like you never see a house with a power outlet.
In the trips above, I missed having a small energy source. That's why OUTXE's offer came in handy when they wanted to send me one of their power banks. I’ve had the device for the last three weeks on a few cold walks. I was not very hard on the device, nor did I do any extreme shock tests. It was just in my pocket, and if I wanted to listen to music for a bit longer or if the phone battery had given up again, I just plugged it in. It wasn’t really more than that.
Here are my thoughts:
First impressions
After unpacking the device, I headed to a wall socket. The unit is delivered at half capacity and it takes almost 3 hours to fully charge the battery. With the unit are two practical loops and a small snap hook, which makes handling very nice. A USB cable is also included. There is not much to say about Ready-To-Go here. By no means does the OUTXE look cheap!
In practice
My use of the OUTXE at home was far less "rugged" than my adventure trips. Thus, I deliberately threw the device into the snow and let it get soaked by rain. In the last test on the ice, the kids wanted to use the OUTXE as a puck for ice hockey. I honestly wanted to almost let her do it, and I think it would have happened. But who knows - children break everything. ;-)
The OUTXE is sold as “waterproof", but this only applies if no cable is connected. The three connections on the top are protected by a rubber cap. The flashlight is activated on the back with a (perhaps) two-second click. The light can also blink. About six green-yellow-red, I think, very chic LEDs – next to the button allow you to check the battery level. That really works well. Over the weeks I had mostly charged the device to 1-2 glowing LEDs, which took almost 5 to 6 hours.
The solar charger can be thought of as an emergency charging source at best. OUTXE indicates a charging time of at least 35 hours under optimal lighting conditions. But if you really want to stay in the pampas, it could be a way to charge a phone in an emergency.
The pictures for the text were taken yesterday on the ice. Despite constant use, I can see no real signs of wear on the battery pack.
CONCLUSION:
The OUTXE savage power bank made a solid impression on me. The workmanship is very harmonious and robust, although I would still not want to throw the device in the next river. A heavy rain or a few snowflakes or ice does nothing to it.
The handling is easy, and the strap makes it simple to always find a place for the device. As with all these devices with a solar module, one can expect no miracles. Without a power outlet, it is by no means possible.
Generally, I found the size pretty amazing. My former XT battery had twice the capacity and was easily three times the size, and a corresponding weight. The manufacturer indicates an iPhone battery could charge up to 3.5 times. I do not have an iPhone, but on my Motorola, the fourth charge cycle was definitely over.
The flashlight is a nice gadget, which will certainly prove useful at some night in a tent. So you have my recommendation – especially because the price is absolutely OK.
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