Beware Of Fake Power Banks!

Discussion in 'General Hardware' started by Adrian Wong, Mar 12, 2013.

  1. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    And do NOT buy computer or electronic parts when you are visiting China! :haha: :haha:
     
  2. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Excellent April Fool joke! Just about time too! :haha:
     
  3. The_YongGrand

    The_YongGrand Just Started

    Buy gadgets only from authorized dealers. I don't buy those emergency battery-packs or anything like that from China.

    Only things I buy from China are bulk basic electronic components: capacitors, resistors, LEDs and LCD panels (alphanumeric, not LCD monitors). Even capacitors, sometimes I tend to buy on element14 (Japanese brands) because most of the caps from China are not so good. :)
     
  4. Dashken

    Dashken Administrator!

    I bought my Yoobao from lowyat forum but only after scanning through all the comments to make sure the id can be authenticated... :D Those Yoobao 13000 mAh for just RM90-110 are obviously fakes... :mrgreen:
     
  5. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Hmm...Based on Samsung 18650 2800mah cells, can easily modify and upgrade to better cells. :mrgreen: The cells alone will cost close to RM100.
     
  6. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    My brother-in-law's USB power bank just failed after a few use. It wouldn't charge any device at all...

    According to Mac City, they received quite a few returns so they advised him to switch to a different power bank. I wonder if it's a fake power bank...
     
  7. mypowerbank

    mypowerbank Newbie



    Most of the yooboo power bank sold in Malaysia is fake, and those power bank 12000mah and above, 99% fake MAH.

    as i was in the China sourcing market for power bank everyday. many from oversea come here to buy power bank and offer only low price. so the local Chinese here can sell anything at any price. if you look for good supplier and pay good price, you get genuine product, if you only bargain for low price, you get rubbish inside your power bank, that is true. ad up to today, i still see low of seller put sand bag inside power bank who only ask for low price.

    regards
     
  8. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    The trouble is he bought it from Mac City. Is it possible for a large retailer like Mac City to get conned too?
     
  9. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    At the recent PC Expo, I saw a shop selling what appears to be Sanyo 12,000 mAh powerbanks. But on closer inspection, what the box really said was it uses Sanyo batteries. The large Sanyo logo on the box could have fooled anyone though... LOL!

    I think the powerbank actually uses Sanyo Eneloops but according to the salesgirl, it is a lithium-ion powerbank. I didn't know that Sanyo made lithium-ion batteries... :whistle:
     
  10. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    These powerbanks most likely are not using normal AA cells. AA cells are too weak to even charge a small smartphones, and forget about tablets. Tons of different types of li-on cells around like 18650.

    Here's a quick summary of those cells from Sanyo.
    19 Batteries (Brand: Sanyo) at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping
     
  11. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    My bad... Sanyo does make Li-ion batteries! :thumb:

    Darn... I should have purchased it! Quite pricey though... :doh:
     
  12. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    But Sanyo are not exactly the best at making 18650 cells. Panasonic is the king, although technically Sanyo is Panasonic now.
     
  13. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Seriously? Damn.. I didn't know Panasonic bought over Sanyo. The entire company, or only the battery division?
     
  14. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    I believe it is the entire company, and they are laying off most of the staffs, I heard.
     
  15. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    You are right... Sanyo became a Panasonic subsidiary in December 2009! :wall:

    "By April 2012, parent company Panasonic plans to terminate the Sanyo brand, however it will remain on some of the products where the Sanyo brand still holds value to consumers."

    Since they are still selling Sanyo eneloops, that must mean that Panasonic is going to continue with the line.... I hope so!
     
  16. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    This is the cheap, made in China power bank I bought recently. It's a generic 12,000 mAh power bank sold by YesPower.com.my for just RM 69.90 (USD 22.90) at the recent PC Expo.

    Right out of the box, the power cable couldn't work. No wonder it remained half-full even after I left it plugged for hours.

    The good news is it comes with a 2-year warranty, and they even have a hotline. I called them up and they assured me that they will replace the cable at the next PC Expo since they are based in Penang.

    As you can see, I'm still charging it up. Let's hope it lasts longer than my fake Mophie juice pack air!
     

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    Last edited: Jun 3, 2013
  17. marauderz

    marauderz Newbie

    Hey cool, my login still works.

    AA cells can charge smart phones, that's what DC->DC converters are for, granted they cost money, but they might still cost less than putting actual high capacity batteries in something.
     
  18. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    True, but I can't find a decent power bank that uses AA cells. All the ones that I have are just simple 4 AA in serial to create 4.8V. I don't mind even if it costs a bit, as I have too many AA cells around.
     
  19. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Sanyo eneloop XXs cost about RM 17 (USD 5.7) per piece. If we use a dozen of them - four in series, three sets in parallel, it would cost us RM 204 (USD 68) to create a 7,500 mAh battery pack... and that's just for the batteries alone.

    Looks like it's still cheaper to go with the no-brand Chinese-made Li-Ion power banks. The one I bought is just RM 70 (USD 23) for 12,000 mAh.
     
  20. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    The big problem is these cheap power banks are never as good as what their rating says. I would be surprised if they are even half the stated capacity. Which is why I rather spend good money for proper battery pack.

    Another thing to consider is, I have tons of AA cells lying around, and I have a very good dedicated charger. To me, it is a no brainer, and I can always use flash battery if I absolutely need the AA cells, or even buy normal alkaline batteries.
     

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