REQ: High efficiency 18650 empty power bank case

I’m looking for a so called lipstick powerbank.
I know Anker makes great 3500 and 5000 versions.
But what I’m looking for are empty ones I can use the many 18650 (and 21700) cells I have in.
It’s very easy to find ones for 18650’s (on Chinese sites), but I’m looking for something with high efficiency.
The output must be at least 2A @ 5v

So:

- 18650 powerbank case.

- High efficiency.

  • 2A out.

In my view by far the best power bank to fulfill these specs is:

ThruNite C2 Mini

I think I got mine on Amazon, and it seems to far exceed anything I have come across in terms of build quality, looks, versatility and power output V/A. It’s quite pricey though. There are a couple of informative videos on YouTube.

Good luck with your search.

That’s the type of thing I was looking for. The specs are perfect.
But I’m confused by the conflicting test results:
Good: Thrunite C2 Review - Portable 18650 Charger/Powerbank
Bad: Test/review of Thrunite C2 power bank and charger

Well, the later of the two reviews says:

and from the discussion in the review, it sounds like they continued to improve the performance over several releases.

That explains the difference. AND that I more urgently need glasses than a power bank :slight_smile:
The product seems to be discontinued. It’s still available at some places bundled with a flashlight. I found one place that sells in separately, but no version number…

Edit:
On the site that still sells them the PB has SN:ZM0100988 on it.
On the negative review it shows SN:ZM0100508
Nothing visible on positive review

Assuming the SN is really that, instead of a type, the PB did sell well or the shop that has them is stock has the old version.

ZoomieFan -Just make sure you get the v3 and by the sounds of it you should do it asap. I did notice that there were not to many about on sale.

How do you tell the difference?

V3 understood.
But how I know if the description of the product doesn’t state it?

Aye, there’s the rub. How would you know which version they’re selling? How would they know?

I can’t recommend the Thrunite C2 mini. The V1 is one of the best single 18650 I’ve tested in terms of fast charge/discharge and recommended it to some of my caving buddies. Unfortunately, out of the 4 (I think v2), 2 of them stopped working in less than a month. My V1 also stopped working. Same with armytek handy C1, stopped working after a few months.

I’d still recommend nitecore F1 for reliability. Despite the slower charge/discharge, it has the ability to charge almost any size li ion, works well with usb solar panels and mine is around 3 years old and still reliable.

That reminds me of my Liitokala charger that also doubles as a PB. Effiency isn’t that good.
Maybe that of the F1 is better.

Thanks for the recommendation of the Nitecore F1 handling solar charging.

I’d recommend the XTAR PB2S.

It takes 2 18650 or 21700 cells and can charge them and work as a power bank. Works with USB-C and it supports quick charging. It just manages a 26650 cell too with the cover off, so it’s a pretty good all round 2 bay charger too. It wouldn’t work with a shorter cell though. I’ve used it with a solar panel (it restarts fine) and to charge things at tens of mA too.

There’s a few reviews on it if you want to know more.

XTAR have a couple of others in the range too

And the 4xAA BC4 charger/powerbank if you wanted the same for AAs (doesn’t do 14500s).

I love my PB2S too, I take it with me on road trips and camping because Ill be carrying a ton of 18650s anyway and I can use it as both a charger and power bank.
I would avoid getting the PB2, I am not sure about the PB2C as its quite new but the PB2S makes more sense imo.

reviving and older thread. I had my eyes on the PB2S for a while, but procrastinated. I didn’t know about the PB2C until your post. Tempting for a 18650-only charger / power bank. I guess the PB2C is half the price because it lacks any of the display info. Maybe less complexity is a good thing? I’m seeing a lot of reviews of the PB2S saying it failed after a short time.