[Review] Nitecore Summit 10000 (infrared images)

Nitecore Summit 10000


At the end there will be a summary for those who like only particulars. In each topic I will bold the key sentences, so it will be easier to notice what’s the most important. Enjoy!


Check this power bank here: SUMMIT 10000



Table of Contents:

  • General parameters

  • Package content

  • Appearance, parameters

  • Ports, functions and charging

  • Special heating function

  • Waterproofness

  • Summary



General Parameters

Type Description
Material Carbon fiber
Switch Mechanical reverse switch
Power 18W max
Special Modes Heating, low current charging
Battery 10000mAh, LiPo battery (38.5Wh)
Rated Energy 6400mAh at 5V
Energy Density 226.47mWh/g
Low voltage protection Yes
Waterproof IPX5
Impact resistance 1.5m
Low temperature resistance Up to -40degC
Accessories USB C - USB C really good quality braided cable, insulated carrying bag
Size 126mm / 64mm / 15mm
Weight 172g / 6.07oz


Package content

Inside were:

  • Power bank

  • Insulated carrying bag

  • USB C to USB C cable

  • Manual



Appearance, parameters








Ports, functions and charging


Ports

1x USB type C input/output port

1x USB type A output port

Max charging 20W (9V at 2.2A)


Functions

Summit 10000 offers 2 special functions:

  1. Low current charging, for small devices (earbuds, smartwatch). Long press the button to activate. Small wiite light will turn on to indicate the function is on.

  2. Internal heating, which helps to maximize its battery capacity. It turns on automatically when below zero degrees and charging, or you can turn it on manually by pressing the button when in negative temperatures. It is called preheating and manual advices to preheat it for 15 minutes before using if in negative temperatures.


Charging

It took 6 hours to charge Summit 10000 from completely empty to full. Charger added 9409mAh to the power bank.



Special heating function

I came prepared!

It would be hard to check if the advertised heating function even works without such an equipment.





Testing methodology: Each power bank was fully charged before leaving it in freezer (-20°C) for exactly one hour, then a 1A (15W) load was applied through Fnirsi FNB58 to monitor current, voltage and capacity.
Summit 10000 was preheated for 15 minutes before applying 1A load.

Temperature after one hour


I was constantly monitoring the temperature to be at around -20°C.
In some tests a Fnirsi app crashed resulting in lost graph. Because of that I decided to not include any graphs, but only the final values and measurements.

Results:

My own 10000mAh power bank ($40):

Discharging at 20°C (room temperature):
5876mAh
29.98Wh

Discharging at -20°C :
2942mAh
14.08Wh

======================================

Nitecore Summit 10000:

Discharging at 20°C (room temperature):
6431mAh
32.94Wh


I tried to use my ZKE meter, but for some reason the power bank is shutting down when I try to discharge it at 3A. It only works when discharging at 1A. This is strange, because the power bank has no problem with discharging at 3A when connected to a cheap resistance load (this green USB thing visible on the pictures above.
But I checked and compared discharge capacity on ZKE and Fnirsi, and on both devices the results were about the same, so I used the resistance load on all of my tests (1A).


Temperature after one hour + 8 minutes of heating without the bag

Temperature after one hour + 15 minutes of heating without the bag

Discharging at -20°C without isolating bag:
4190mAh
20.09Wh

=====

Temperature after one hour + 15 minutes of heating without the bag + 20 minutes with the bag. Temparatures similar to those without heating, which means this isolating bag is doing its job.

Temperature after one hour + 15 minutes of heating without the bag + 20 minutes with the bag. I removed the bag to measure Summit temp.
It did a really good job, only -3.3°C on power bank surface.

Discharging at -20°C with isolating bag:
5163mAh
24.77Wh

==========================

Ok, we got so much confusing numbers. Let’s clarify some stuff:

  1. My own power bank is about one year old, with about 20 full cycles (I use it very rarely). Of course I understand that it is not brand new, and I’m not trying to show you “hey look, this old power bank is worse than my new one”.
    Instead, I discharged both power banks in room temp. and created some kind of baseline.

  2. My power bank reached 5876mAh at room temp, and 2942mAh at -20°C. This means it had 50.06% of its capacity when discharged at that temperature.

  3. Nitecore Summit 10000 reached 6431mAh at room temp, and 4190mAh without isolating bag, and 5163mAh with isolating bag at -20°C. This means it had 65.15% of its capacity when discharged at that temperature without isolating bag, and 80.28% with isolating bag.



Waterproofness

Declared IPX5, which means “protection from water projected from a nozzle”. So you can theoretically…wash your power bank? No, don’t do that. But it is safe to use during normal rain.



Summary

The Nitecore Summit 10000 is a fascinating piece of technology. Its carbon fiber construction, weighing only 172g, and sleek design alone could make it a commendable power bank. However, Nitecore has enhanced its functionality by incorporating a heating feature, extending the usability of the Summit 10000 to temperatures as low as -40°C. This feature is truly effective.

Do I recommend it? If you frequently travel during cold seasons, or if you find yourself in perpetual cold climates, then certainly, it is an excellent choice. And the best part is I’m being honest, and I will be for sure taking this power bank with me.



Pros:

  • Lightweight

  • Great design

  • Heating function really works

Cons:

  • Price

If you have any questions, put them below, thanks for sticking for a while :slight_smile:

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