The sound of a rope being pulled taught was heard just before a shrill shriek pierced the silence. A red object blazed through the night sky and struck the stone and wooden structure. Soon thereafter, there was another shriek this time followed by a yellow blur and breaking through the structure where the first could not. At first it seemed that the impact was minimal as the structure was still largely intact. Then ever so slowly, the strucutre began to tip and lean precariously, until finally a wood beam tilted over kicking off a chain reaction and causing the structure to collapse on itself, creating quite the ruckus.
An eerie silence replaced the cacophony... but wait, what was that noise? I listened intently for a few seconds until I heard the subtle but unmistakeable laughter of a pig. A green pig nonetheless... mocking me for my failure to eliminate him. Before I could tap the retry button, my phone shut off abruptly, finally succumbing to the complete depletion of its battery due to my marathon gaming session.
Even if I had my charger on me, I didn't have access to an outlet as I was outside thus I wouldn't be able to repay that cursed pig for his slight until my phone had sufficient juice again!
I'm sure I'm not alone in having my phone run out of power during an activity be it while talking on the phone or playing a game (Angry Birds in my case if you haven't already figured it out). Poldera's Power Bank Engergy Holder was conceived as a solution to this very issue:
While other portable chargers exist, what sets the Power Bank apart is that it combines a flashlight and portable USB charger into a single device. Given the main audience on this forum, the focus of this review will be on the flashlight (I will however cover the charging aspects as well).
MFG SPECS
MSRP: $79.99 USD
Weight: 73.10g
Dimension: 23.70mm x 107.40mm
Battery capacity: 2200mAh
INPUT: 5V/500MA, micro USB
OUTPUT: 5V/1A, USB2.0
Power of LED: 1W
PACKAGING
The Power Bank arrived in a box shaped like a gold brick of which the color corresponds with the device itself (either gold or silver):
Additional items included in the box:
- 3 feet universal USB cable
- 120/240V USB charger (US plug)
I also received a print out of the Instructions/specs sheet that was in the package and not within the Power Bank's box:
DESIGN / FEATURES
The Power Bank features a cylindrical shape and save for two circumferential grooves near either end of the unit, there are really no other design elements to speak of:
The flashlight end bears a TIR lens with a power LED behind it (which I've yet to identify):
Unfortunately, the bond wire is noticeable in the beam (check Tint & Profile section for details)
The body is completely smooth w/no knurling nor any engravings, it does however feature the device name and what I feel are unnecessary "This end up" labels in large bold print:
I don't care how technically inept one may be, but if an individual can't identify one end from the other then I think there are more pressing issues to be addressed than learning how to use this device.
The other end features two USB receptacles (a standard A and micro B), a dual function soft-touch power switch / LED charg-er/-ing indicator:
The switch is not recessed and thus can be accidentally activated (more on this in the Size / Handling section).
Both ends are perfectly flat thus allowing it to tail stand for use in candle mode and given the lens extends slightly beyond the black holder, as a night light of sorts and the ability to see if the light is on or not when placed head down:
Shot in middle was intentionally overexposed to simulate what can be seen by dark adapted vision.
SIZE / HANDLING
From L to R: RediLast 3100 | Sunwayman V10A | Poldera Power Bank | SureFire L4 | Sunwayman T20C | XENOLED G10v2
The Power Bank is just slightly larger overall than the 18650 battery housed within (which is not removable). I measured the dimensions as: 4.21in (107mm) by .91in (23.2mm) which is right about what the mfg quoted in their specs.
The smooth finish may be a bit slippery to hold on to but given its small size, should allow one to get most of their hand around the light for a decently secure grip:
As mentioned, there is a soft-touch electronic power button that is 5.2mm (.2in) in diameter. The small size reduces the likelihood of accidental activation but does also make it harder to operate intentionally. The easiest way for me to activate the light was by using the tip of my index finger's nail but I was also able to activate it (albeit w/some difficulty) w/my thumbnail or by applying sufficient force w/the fleshy part of my thumb:
FIT & FINISH
To keep things in perspective, the Power Bank was never conceived as a dedicated flashlight that us flashaholics are accustomed to and as such, shouldn't be held to that standard as it simply wouldn't meet them. As such, there is no mention of lumens rating or impact/water resistance but suffice to say, given the open USB receptacles it should be kept away from any water and handled with the care bestowed upon other electronic devices.
With that said, the overall fit and finish is reasonably good. There were some rough finishing on the plastic edge of the charging end as well as what looks to be glue residue on the other (however these are more about the nitpicks of the aesthetics given if I run my finger over the finish, I can't feel any roughness):
The charging end also looks to be painted so it remains to be seen how durable the finish is in the long run.
Upon firing up the flashlight, I noticed what looked to be fingerprints on the inside of the TIR:
However, unlike the bond wire, it didn't contribute any artifacts to the beam.
Speaking of the lens, given it sticks out from the plastic holder, it may be prone to scratches/nicks:
Last but not least, on my sample there looks to be an incorrect print of which end is which:
It's very subtle but noticeable from certain angles/lighting condition.
While the tube itself is made out of Al, there is plastic on either end and should survive the occasional knock/drop but I'll report back how this holds up in the long run.
UI
There really isn't much to say about the UI given that there is but a single mode. It's just simple on/off. The flashlight is activated by depressing and holding the switch for at least two seconds and likewise to shut it off.
This, coupled with the small switch should greatly reduce the likelihood of accidental activation if the light. The charger however is another story since it only requires a quick tap of the switch. However, upon activation, the charger will auto-shut off in roughly 30 seconds if no device is connected/detected (more in the charger/charging section).
TINT & BEAM PROFILE
The beam is fairly typical of one projected by a TIR lens in that there is a giant hotspot with minimal spill. The tint on my sample is cool white but more closer to the tint projected by a 5mm LED and there is a subtle greenish/yellowish corona surrounding the hotspot:
[PIC]
As previously mentioned, the bond wire is noticeable in the beam:
[PIC]
INDOOR SHOTS
For details of the shots and comparo vs. many other lights, check here.
CHARGING/CHARGER
[To come]
RUNTIME
I generally attempt to test mfg claims against whatever methodology they use. Since Poldera didn't specify this, I listed the runtime achieved based on ANSI FL1 standards.
As can be seen in the chart above, the light seems to be using some type of boost driver given the slow upward curve from the middle towards the end of the run. I was able to achieve 8.3hrs before the light dropped to 10% of original ouput measured after 30 seconds when first turned on. The light emitted at this time, while not very bright, was still usable and lasted a total of 10.63 hrs before it was fully exhausted (started flickering on and off).
INITIAL CONCLUSION
This is an interesting product in a segment that is still maturing. It's likely that we'll start seeing other multi-function USB charging devices before long. Again, given it was not designed from the ground up as a flashlight, it's hard to assess it purely as such. With that said though, here are some of my key impressions thus far:
turboBB-licious
- compact all in one unit
- simple operation
- decent output/runtime
- ability to charge and/or run myriad of USB devices (provided power requirements are met)
turboBB-cautious
- exposed lens prone to scratching
- potentially insecure grip for some due to ultra smooth body
- button difficult (impossible?) to operate with gloves on
- not water resistant
- universal cable missing a few standards and can't be used for data operations
turboBB-wishes
- multi-level capability
- swappable battery/LED (or lens/reflector)
- attachment point for wrist strap/lanyard
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Disclosure: Poldera Power Bank Engergy Holder provided by Poldera for review.