What you are about to read is an untraditional review. We are not going to be discussing one or two products like a traditional review, but rather three products that are all classified as the same subject. It is as if they were all made to be bought together.
Daily visitors of Tech Support Forum Articles will be no stranger to our large collection of RAVPower reviews. In fact, we have a full review lineup of almost all of their products and some of them have attracted our highest page view count. For those who are unaware, RAVPower is an electronics company that specializes in battery packs as well as USB charging wall ports.
I know what you may be thinking, how many battery pack reviews can be interesting? They are all fundamentally the same, are they not? You’d be right, battery packs differ only slightly in capacities and design, and the insides are the same. However, hang in there, because this is an untraditional review that covers three products at once and they cover practically any user.
A rugged external unit covers the lifestyle of the traveler inside you. Water and dust proof, the charger will travel along with you to your destination without giving up on you. With maximum compatibility and strength in mind, the Turbo model in this review will keep all of your devices powered, including USB-C. Then, when you are at home, the small compact USB wall port monitors the required amperage your device needs to ensure perfect output.
While reviewing these three products, I quickly noticed that three separate reviews wasn’t going to do justice for these products, because alone they don’t standout; together they are how I go about my daily life. Now having them, it’s hard to imagine what I did previously when my portable devices were out of power.
Welcome to my review of RAVPower’s latest ‘Power Your Life’ lineup including the RP-PC006, RP-PB044, and RP-PB043. Throughout this review, I will be discussing the following topics: the design, functionality, and my final thoughts. A special thank you to RAVPower for providing these devices to me for this review.
Design
Beginning with the smallest unit and working our way up to the largest, the RP-PC006 is the USB Wall Port that contains a two USB layout. Wrapped in a glossy plastic body, RAVPower offers this unit in either Black or White and the branding around the unit is subtle. With a rectangular shape in mind, the size of the wall port is thin, allowing it to be plugged into an outlet without interfering with other objects.
A quick tour shows the two USB ports in the front, an engraving and silk screen branding on the sides and bottom. On the back is a U.S. plug that does not require a ground connection. Moreover, it folds into the body for easy storage.
Moving on to product number two, the RP-PB044 is RAVPower’s latest rugged external charger. Constructed out of a dense rubber and plastic material, the rugged charger can take quite a beating. The size of the unit is about the size of my hand and I can nearly get a full grip around the whole thing. That said, there is some significant weight to the unit.
To protect against water and dust, the charger includes a rubber seal on the bottom of the unit that covers the two USB ports, an LED flashlight, and the Micro USB recharging port. On the top of the unit is a rubber handle that allows you to connect it to a backpack or other clip. Personally, I would have liked to see this made out of a hard plastic as I can easily see this rubber handle becoming damaged and ripped with moderate usage, but it has lasted me nearly two months without issues.
Lastly, we have the Turbo+ Series, the multifunction and high capacity unit. This unit is considerably larger than the other two products here in the review. With a massive 20,100 mAh battery, the Turbo+ can handle three products charging at once. The front contains two USB ports one of which is a quick charge, a USB type C and a Micro USB for recharging. This product, unfortunately, doesn’t have a light.
Even though it’s larger, the weight of the unit isn’t anything near what you’d expect it to be. The plastic body may not help if you drop it from height, but it does help with traveling weight.
Functionality
Returning to the top of the list, the USB wall port is the simplest unit here. The first thing you will immediately notice is that one of the USB ports is green in color. This is to represent a quick charging (QC) port that is controlled by a Qualcomm processor inside. By pumping more amperage than needed through a battery you can get it charged quicker; think of it as a 5 hour energy drink for your body. Although, like those 5 hour energy drinks for your body, constant reuse of a quick charger can harm your device. I found it best to use the quick charge technology when I had very little time to get ready, like in the morning when forgetting to charge my phone overnight. Or when running home for a quick change of clothes and turning right around. Expect only 30 minutes of charging to give you a significant boost in battery capacity.
As for the second USB port on the wall charger, this uses RAVPower’s iSmart technology. By detecting the component connected to the USB port, the wall charger can correctly and precisely output the correct amperage to your unit, up to 2.4A. This will ensure a perfect charge without overworking your battery.
For performance, the USB wall port was average in my mind. When compared to my OEM Samsung charger, I didn’t see a massive increase in how fast my phone would charge. However, the 2.4A maximum output was a plus for charging my Windows tablet.
Following order, next is the rugged external charger. A quick peek inside reveals that the internal batteries are either an LG or Panasonic battery cell. This was a pleasing thought as many rival battery banks will cheapen out on the battery cells, whereas RAVPower stuck with a reliable battery supplier.
Speaking of the battery, the 10,050 mAh battery keeps up with your outdoor life by lasting quite a while before needing a recharge. I got about two full recharges of my Galaxy Note 4 smartphone before needing to recharge.
You won’t find any quick charging USB ports here, but the two USB ports do support the iSmart technology discussed earlier. Likewise, there is the single LED behind the cover. Unfortunately, this LED is adequate at best. Even in darkness, the light beam doesn’t travel far and you need to hold back the cover, otherwise it will block any beam of light. To make matters worse, if you accidently forget that the light is on, then you can close the cover and leave it running, slowly draining your battery.
Where this rugged charger saves itself, is in its water, shock, and dust protection. Rated at IP66, this offers full dust protection and water resistance from high-pressure water for three minutes. In terms of shock resistance, a moderate drop will cause no harm to this unit.
Last, but not least, is the Turbo+ Series and this was my personal favorite of the three units. Again, using LG/Panasonic batteries, the Turbo+ contains a massive 20,100 mAh battery bank. This battery size is perfect for those who tend to be away from home quite often whether at a friend’s house or a hotel. To put this battery size into perspective, you can recharge an iPhone 6s Plus from 0% to 100% a little more than seven times over.
The Qualcomm quick charger returns for this model alongside the new USB type C connector for newer phones and tablets. For those wondering, yes you can power the new Macbook on this battery bank. Furthermore, the USB ports again use RAVPower’s iSmart technology. Charging performance was average with nothing exciting to mention.
Accessories for the battery banks are included in the box. The rugged model comes with a carabiner with an attached compass as well as two USB micro cables. Whereas the Turbo+ comes with one charging cable and a mesh carrying case.
Each unit discussed here also includes RAVPower’s internal controls for overvoltage protection, over amperage, and a temperature monitoring system to prevent any damage to your host device.
My Final Thoughts
These three products work very well together because they are all so different. Having all three allows me to have something ready for any application. The USB wall port gives me a charger for home, the rugged for outdoor events or vacationing at the beach, and the Turbo+ for away events. Prices for reach unit include $15.99 for the USB wall charger, $25.99 for the rugged model, and $59.99 for the Turbo+. If you could only pick one, then I’d choose the rugged model. It allows for the best mid-ranged model with a good price and the flexibility to go everywhere you go.
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