Best Portable Charger

Lets be honest Eric there are very very few things in life that DON'T go kaboom in the wrong circumstances.

Everything from flour to aerosol cans can give a mighty kaboom in the right wrong circumstances but you don't see folks asking for flour to be stored in a special container.

You do have some good points, my problem is that my pretty extensive experience with lithium batteries does match your rather over dramatic scenario's.
Things like "loose bats", i have not read anyone suggesting it would be a good idea to have loose cells rolling round your rucksack.
You can get plastic holders for next to nothing, a small elastic band over it and i've NEVER had one come open in my rucksack or EDC bag and these bags have been banged around a fair bit.

If you buy good quality batteries, a good quality charger, if you supervise your cells as they are charging and look after the cells when they are not then the risk is very very minimal.

I was speaking to a friend of mine over in the US earlier this year, he is a fireman and attended a conference on the risks electrical devices pose.
The speaker gave statistics that there was at least 1 fire every day the previous year that was caused by a laptop.
Laptops left charging, laptops that were being used in bed only for the user to fall asleep, the quilt/blanket blocking the vent ports causes the laptop to over heat to the point where the cells go into thermal runaway.

Electrical fires as a daily occurrence.
Mobile phone fires although no where near as bad as say 5 years ago are still common enough for national fire services.

Then there is the transport we use, thousands of deaths on the roads each year, obesity, heart disease, cancer, even the risk of getting shot in the US is dramatically higher than you getting burnt to death by a unprotected cell.

So i do understand your caution, but i don't agree with your over dramatisation of the risks and your fearful attitude.

Take sensible precautions and using a non-protected cell will be safer than the drive to the start of your hike ;)

If you buy good quality batteries, a good quality charger, if you supervise your cells as they are charging and look after the cells when they are not then the risk is very very minimal.

mark …

these may be "sensible" to folks who know (and remember) them … just like keeping down dry when its wet … or not getting hypothermic outside

yet even BPLers get their down wet sometimes, or go hypothermic

and if they are not knowledgeable, they may not even know its an issue

lets be honest folks … how many here have left their laptops, iphones, and even regular rechargeable bats recharge and walked away for awhile … ill raise my hand as ive done it

how many folks have carried their alkalines/nimh AA/AAA bats in their pockets before … again ill raise my hand

how many folks have gone out and bought cheap bats and chargers for their "regular" batteries, or for their iPhones/laptops off these ebay/amazon … again ill raise my hand .. not to mention that there are fakes all over the place

the protection doesnt mitigate all the above … but brain farts do happen … chargers have been known to go faulty …

it simply gives an extra bit of protection … which is why all quality consumer devices have it built into the electronics, however most dont expect you to take out unprotected bats

if theres one thing that climbing has taught me, its that even the best and most vigilant folks will screw up sooner or latter … especially if they are cold, tired, hungry, wet and in the dark

the cost of that extra bit of protection is around few grams (especially if you miller charger mod works well), and 2-3$ …

whether that price is too high, thats their call …

however this is BPL where we think nothing of paying quite a bit extra smackaroos for a dead bird or patagucci … but balk at a minima cost for a protected bat !!!

;)

edit … heres a story about my dramatization …

when i show new folks climbing skill … i use "and yr dead " alot

for example i was supervising a new climber belaying recently … and everytime he took his hand off the brake strand (which is how folks get dropped) … i said "and yr climber is dead" …

some folks will argue back … "no theyre not man, its OK, i could have caught em, evenif i burned my hands" … and i tell em this is the absolute wrong attitude to take … when you make fundamental mistakes you dont assume its "OK" …

for newer climbers (and older), it often takes a bit of "dramatization" to reinforce basic safety protocols and for them to take it seriously

so KABOOM !!!!

I have an S3 that I use as a camera, emergency phone, emergency GPS, and backup flashlight. I also have 4 different battery chargers of different capacities/weight. I use NONE of the chargers on a backpacking trip. If the ONLY thing that you need to charge is your phone then you CANNOT beat the weight of spare batteries because there is no inefficiency of charging. Replaceable batteries are one of the great attributes of the Samsung Galaxy line. I use the ones from Anker which actually have a slightly higher capacity than the stock Samsung ones. For the S4 you can get 2 2600mah batteries plus a wall charger (to charge them outside of the phone) for 20 bucks or less from Amazon. If you need to charge other things then this may not be an option.

The point is Eric that in the situations you describe a protected cell will offer diddly squat extra protection to the user.

If a cell is physically damaged the protection circuit does absolutely nothing.

In fact i've had to convert protected cells to non-protected because the protection circuit has been damaged.

As i said before the protection circuit is there more to protect the cell than the user, the only real exception to this is the over charge protection, but if the cells are being supervised and a good quality charger is being used this is really surplus for most uses.

Think about it, what are likely to cause a battery to catastrophically fail?

Physical damage – Protection circuit does nothing

Over charging – Protection circuit will help, but supervised charging and a quality charger will see this prevented (i.e. i've never had a lithium battery fail while charging in 15 odd years and at least 2 or 3 chargers a week)

Should also say that the VAST majority of lithium battery failures i've seen didn't offer any flame what-so-ever, they just smoked a LOT.
The failures you have seen in the videos are as a result of the cells being dramatically overcharged.

Even with the fires i've witnessed the cells smoked a LOT before they flared up (again flared up NOT exploded), so if supervised it's very likely you would be able to intervene to prevent your rucksack burning.

So in real world terms the benefits are not that dramatic.

End of the day we are all adults here, the op now has moreeeee than enough information to draw his/her own opinion.
If i bought my Mum (who has zero electronic sympathy and understanding) a 18650 torch then i would buy her protected cells.

For ne personally i use both types without fear, asi say i adopt a few sensible precautions and i'm happy.

Your money, your batteries, your choice, but please don't try to infect other users with your irrational fears.
Yes protected cells have their place, but in real world use your scenarios are unrealistic and over dramatic.

I think that I agree completely with Mark.

If an 18650-type battery is damaged such that the concentric battery layers get mashed together, then that causes lots of these high energy problems. Simple: don't put your battery in a position (like biting it between your teeth) where it is going to get mashed that way.

Airlines once had a problem with these batteries catching fire in the cargo hold of airliners. Then they developed shipping package standards so that the batteries won't get mashed except in the most horrid accidents.

Check on the current TSA standards for these batteries. You can't check loose batteries to the airliner baggage compartment, because if they got mashed there, nobody would notice until it is too late. However, you can carry them into the cabin. It would be wise to have them contained in something simple, just to avoid tempting fate.

I noticed that for the last four 18650 batteries I've received in the mail, the simple package of cardboard and foam seemed very good.

The reason that we read about these battery accidents is almost purely yellow journalism. It sells news.

–B.G.–

I have a fair few of those cheap plastic 18650 cases, the hinge failed on a couple so a bit of old MTB innertube and they're as secure as you can get

and we can "argue" the point over and over again mark

what you do is your own business

simply put my view is that there is no real reason NOT to use a protected cell outdoors … you dont need the high current draw, you really arent too worried about the extra two bucks a protected cell costs you, and the extra 3 grams or so aint gonna kill you

what is the price of using protected cells ??? … how much is it going to cost in terms of weight, money???

its absolutely minimal …

just because its "never happened to you" doesnt mean it doesnt happen … i know folks who havent gotten into any accidents in decades of driving, does that mean they dont wear a seatbelt in the car? … nope

i guesss that its now "irrational fears" if i suggest to folks to use a protected bat, follow safe handling and charging protocals, and buy quality bats/chargers !!! …. thats BPL for ya now !!!

If i bought my Mum (who has zero electronic sympathy and understanding) a 18650 torch then i would buy her protected cells.

im operating on the assumption that there are plenty of "mums" (or "dads") here who are not "elite level 100 experts" in electronics like yourself …. on a non-electronic forum thats dedicated to backpacking, its not a bad assumption to make at all

well since it charging incidents never happen to you .. ill post up a few irrational incidents which you dont have to read of course … two of them happened last week, the other last last year

A toddler could have been killed after an e-cigarette exploded 'like a firework' inches from his head, his parents said today.
Alfie Worthington was playing in a bedroom when the e-cigarette, which was re-charging on a table, burst into flames and flew off 'like a Catherine wheel'.
His mother Frankie Worthington, 22, from Norwich, said the explosion could have killed her 20-month-old son.
She said: 'Thank goodness the table was in the way. If it hadn't been there in the way Alfie wouldn't be here now. That's the frightening thing of it – that took a lot of the blast.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2799944/toddler-killed-charging-e-cigarette-exploded-like-catherine-wheel-just-inches-played.html

An East Tennessee woman says her home caught on fire after an e-cigarette exploded while it was on the charger.

"If this charger is putting out too excessive voltage, it'll blow that battery," he says.

http://www.local8now.com/home/headlines/Oak-Ridge-womans-e-cigarette-blows-up-while-charging-288744041.html

Kent Fire and Rescue have issued a warning after a Kent man suffered burns after his e-cigarette exploded in his child's bedroom.

"I dread to think what could have happened if I'd left it charging and gone out or if we’d been asleep. It could've killed us and gutted our home."

http://www.courier.co.uk/x/story-25881573-detail/story.html

time to check myself into the BPL "irrational" asylum !!!

Seems to me that the common denominator there is e-cigarettes and there is no mention on if they were protected or non-protected cells.

So my advice is don't smoke, it seems it's dangerous for both you and your family ;)

the common theme is charging lithium ion bats

as to ecigs … its not like buying a name brand consumer product such as a phone or laptop … there are no universal standards or regulation of the devices

but you know what … those cheap chargers that you buy off ebay/amazon might not have any "standards" as well or regulation either …

not to mention that new folks who use ecigs may not be cognizant of "safe" handling and charging practice … just like folks new to li-on on BPL …

you can read about the ecig industry safety here …

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2014/12/14/china-cigarette-boom-lacks-oversight-for-safety/UFaLQ5t0ltA6zzIwwqHV5O/story.html

and just so folks dont think its all about smoking … heres the exploding li-on e-bike last month in toronto …

A Toronto man is warning other e-bike owners after he says his new battery caught fire while he was charging it in his apartment.

"It exploded right in front of me," said Andrews. "When I turned over my head it looked like I was staring into the sun."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/it-just-went-boof-e-bike-batteries-can-cause-fires-toronto-man-warns-1.2865471

heres another one in bend, oregon last fall …

Investigators say an exploding lithium battery on an electric bicycle caused a house fire in Bend.

Derlacki says there have been five lithium battery fires in Bend in the past 16 months.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2014/09/exploding_battery_on_electric.html

obviously one shouldnt ebike either ,… especially when toking an ecig …. or live in bend, oregon for that matter !!!

KABOOM !!!

I'm really struggling to see any logic behind your fears Eric.

You are "recommending" that people don't use unprotected 18650 cells.
Yet the ONLY experiences you offer is second/third hand experiences of a tiny tiny portion of E-cig and E-bike users, and these reports don't even state if protected or unprotected cells were used !!!

I respect you having your opinion, but if "advising" others, i think it's important to stick to the facts that relate directly to the use we are talking about i.e. power banks or more specifically the Miller ML-102.

Do you have any experiences or even second/third hand reports of non-protected cells "exploding" in this specific use?

As i say i have have been using this exact product daily for a couple of years now, both with protected and non-protected cells.

At the risk of blowing my own trumpet i've also stated my pretty extensive first hand experiences with lithium based cells and their risks, i've also witnessed many many cell that have catastrophically failed and they don't explode when not inserted into a sealed tube (which the ML-102 certainly is not) as i've also stated many do not even ignite they simply smoke.

The ML-102 uses an extremely reliable TP4056 IC for charge regulation
http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review%20Charger%20TP4056%20UK.html

I would still advise that they are not left charging unsupervised, but i would advise that with ANY battery, laptops, cell phones and even AA or AAA included.

As i say there is some truth behind some of your points, but i personally believe you over dramatise both the risk and the consequences, if you turned the drama down from your current level of 9 (from 11 obviously) to say 4 then i would not have responded.

As it is though you have offered no evidence to show that using non-protected cells in a ML-102 poses a significant risk

A brieft moment away from explosions and fear and we're-all-gonna-die rhetoric…..

IF there is decent sun exposure on your trip, you may consider the rather light-by-comparison Suntastics-5 solar charger. It has NO battery storage (so it's lighter – just the solar panel and a USB plug). The way I used it on the JMT (VERY sun-drenched of course) was to prop it up in the morning during my breakfast stop, top something off; prop it up at lunch, top something off – dinner was usually past any good sunlight time, but I found I never needed it.

I was surprised at how much I liked it – my friends all had the solar panels strapped to their packs, trying to fill up the storage during the hike – and during breaks – but they all ended up borrowing my panel by the last half of the trip.

I could charge my entire iPhone (never really let it get below 20% or so) or my camera battery with a lunch break, my nook or delorme during breakfast, whatever. I found I never wanted for power – and I had plenty of time to lend out the panel for someone else to charge something during the breaks.

I BELIEVE it weighs about 6 oz, but don't hold me to that just yet. But I'm PRETTY SURE it won't explode……

Anyway – back to your regularly-scheduled fear mongering. Thanks eric!

Eric,

After your first couple of posts I went back and spent too many hours on candlepowerforums making sure that I wasn't doing something stupid using unprotected 18650s. I'm comfortable with my choice of using unprotected bats as long as I use good equipment, monitor charging, don't short the bats out, and keep them dry. You have said numerous times that a protection circuit on the bat is "better than just relying on protection on the device (charger, phone, Steri-pen etc). In one sense you are right. It is called "belt and suspenders ". It seems that one of the main things I've gotten out of BPL is that I can be safe and comfortable using belts and forgoing the suspenders. Suspenders are your fears.

By the way you missed a recent headline that just came out this weekend

"BPL man actually uses unprotected 18650 cells for 15 years and does NOT end up in the ICU with a breathing tube!"

More news at 11

Mark

I found this thread interesting because I knew nothing of the difference between protect/unprotected.

The second post in this thread (by Mark) made passing reference to keeping them dry and not loose. A bunch of subsequent posts by the community highlighted their advantages, bUT no one elaborated on the risks that necessitate an educated user…. until Eric chimed in.

In fact, it seems that in 4 pages of thread, Eric is the only BPLer to provide balance to the discussion (I would never have known the importance of precautions – ie. fire risk and not just drained batteries if they touch), even if some feel he's hyperbolic in style

And, we all know the "BPL pile-on effect' when Eric takes the time to post links to SAR events in the news…… blasphemous, right?

So, +1 for Eric

Jennifer,

I think for very light electronic users solar panels are worth looking into, i've tried several for my uses and found that even over here in sunny Greece above the tree line i'm struggling to get more than 500mA a day out of them.
As i say for a light user that might be enough to top up their phone/GPS etc but for me the weight and hassle just were not worth it.

Mark,

Wish i could say i've not been in the ICU in the last 15 years :(
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on if you a glass half empty kinda person) it was from motorcycle injuries rather than 18650 cells though.

Kevin,

I've said a few times there is some foundation behind Eric's dramatisations, i personally don't believe he is giving a true picture of the risks and consequences though.
There is a line between giving prudent advice and scaremongering and IMO Eric has gone over to the other side by a fair margin.

YES there is a risk using lithium cells, these risk are dramatically mitigated if we use:
Prudence in selecting quality cells
A good quality charger
Good quality devices
Supervised charging
Basic common sense

But as i say i would recommend those precautions for ANY battery.

But i've never used waterproof containers for any of my cells, many of which have been 100% submerged many many times, again i've never seen or heard of a 18650 cell failing as a direct result of getting wet.

Yes water conducts electricity, in reality though it's an extremely poor conductor and the distance between the + and – connectors on something like a 18650 cell is greater than the conductivity of the water, so nothing happens to the cell.

In fact i have a old 2200mAh 18650 cell that fell into a local lake while night fishing (torches, night, tired, alcohol and doing 2 jobs at once isn't a good mix sometimes).
2 weeks later i returned to the same spot, but bought my swimming kit to spend 30 mins looking for it.
Oddly enough we found the battery and out of curiosity put it into my torch (after drying it off of course), surprisingly (to me at the time) it still held it's charge and i still have the cell after what must be 3 years, still works.

For the record it would be better to keep them dry but more as a concern against rust/corrosion.
Only exception i'd add is salt water, again though a quick dousing it unlikely to have the cell exploding, but it's likely to corrode a LOT quicker.

(solar cell) "i'm struggling to get more than 500mA a day out of them."

What voltage?

Or, putting it differently, can you get 5 watts out of a (rated) 10-watt panel?

–B.G.–

"As i say for a light user that might be enough to top up their phone/GPS etc but for me the weight and hassle just were not worth it."

Not to put too much into this (but it IS BPL, so what the hey…), I actually wasn't a light user at all. I used WAY more than I wanted, or planned…but what I said was that each day I topped off what I had used. I had the Delorme sending tracks every 10 mins, I listened to my ipod at times (the iPhone), I read the nook every night, and i only had 2 camera batteries yet took more than 2500 photos.

My point was that the suntastics-5 seemed really, really fast topping these things up – in 10-20 minutes I could charge that delorme about 40-50%, and I could completely fill the battery of my camera from empty at my lunch/nap break (45 mins or so…).

Anyway – it was just super surprising how fast that suntastics worked.

Prudence in selecting quality cells
A good quality charger
Good quality devices
Supervised charging
Basic common sense

– a quality cell can be a fake, the reseller might not even know themselves …

http://budgetlightforum.com/node/32793

– quality chargers are faked as well … think it only happens in china? … well china sells on the internet as well !!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=098SLzIyWyI&x-yt-ts=1421914688&x-yt-cl=84503534

– even reputable manufacturers can have recalls of li-on chargers/battery packs … who is doing the recalls for some of these "internet only chinese brands" ?

The battery packs can overcharge, overheat, bulge and melt the battery pack’s enclosure, posing a fire hazard and risk of property damage.

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2015/Goal-Zero-Recalls-Battery-Packs/

– even folks who should know better make mistakes … common sense or not, anyone can have a brain fart

As embarrassing as this is, I've decided to post this so others don't make the same mistake I did.

As I stood in line half awake, I started feeling something . First I thought I got stung, then I thought I was on fire. I still had no idea what was going on so I put my hand in my pocket and instantly burned my finger. Luckily it wasn't that bad. The plastic melted from the outside all over my keys. Then I heard and felt a slight "pop". I grabbed some napkins and pulled out everything quickly – here's what the battery looked like:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-vaping-discussion/447311-how-my-high-drain-18650-battery-exploded-warning-all.html

– as to water … in another thread i issues a friendly challenge for folks to try changing the bats on their aluminum single cell headlamp in the shower blindfolded to simulate changing the bats in the rain (cannot seek nice and try shelter in a storm one belays/rappels in the dark ) … im not going to suggest you try it with a li-on loose bat light as many of these lights have the electronics exposed when the battery compartment is open … but it is likely a bad idea to have a wet battery and electronics … should you be brave enough to try it, do so at your own risk !!!

for a "waterproof" case … i use this, everyone here recognizes these match stick cases … just be aware that if the bat needs to vent there is a KABOOM risk … same as in yr IPX8 waterproof lights … at least its not an explosion in an aluminum tube though!!!

as a parting note before i go climbing today … would like to leave BPL some "advice" on chargers in general … this is especially relevant IMO as some of you might use USB chargers for your new shiny li-on packs/devices

http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/gadgets/how-safe-is-your-phone-charger-1.1690485

On first examination the small white plug that arrived in bubble wrap in the post appeared perfectly innocuous.

Fire chiefs confirm that the problem is growing.

so dont cheap out folks !!!

mark …

remember that folks just like yr mum might be on BPL … while on BPL we are all "elite" level backpackers …. many of us might be pretty new to the li-on loose bats, not "experts" in electronics and safe handling procedures, and we all make mistakes

remember a protected bat costs 2$ more and weights 3g more .. and for normal use theres no real disadvantage

anyways back to our regular scheduled irrational KABOOM scarefest after i do a few laps at the crag ….

Not sure i'm getting through to you Eric.

I've said a few times now that you are posting quotes and secondhand reports about incidents that have NOTHING to do with what we are discussing.

AGAIN where in those reports did they say they were using non-protected cells?
If that pretty essential information is missing how can you then use it to further your point?

You see where i'm coming from?

Likewise how would a protected cell stop a charger from melting in it's wall outlet?

How would a fake protected cell be any safer than a fake non-protected cell?

I also fail to see how someone shorting out a battery that's loose in his pocket with his keys and spare change is much of a lesson.
It's not like a protected cell would not have melted his keys, even protected cells can easily put out over 2 amps, that's enough to cause a hot pocket and melt plastic.

So i say again, where is your evidence that ML-102 chargers have "exploded"?
Where is your evidence that shows that a protected cell is safer than a non-protected when used in a ML-102

What you are effectively doing here is "don't use lithium batteries because people crash cars"
Not really applicable in this topic.

At the risk of offending some members i'd also say that using smokers as an example is pretty poor.
Smokers aren't exactly the best target to use for common sense, if they were they wouldn't be slowly killing themselves and those around them with fag smoke.

And i'm speaking with the women i love dearly in the next room with a fag on

As an aside, mannnnnnn E-cigs are more dangerous to your health than smoking normal fags.

Should probably point out to my colloquial cousins that fag is a slang term us Brits use for cigarettes, i mean no offence to our homosexual friends

What you are effectively doing here is "don't use lithium batteries because people crash cars"

no mark ..

i use lithium bats myself … mostly in headlamps

what am saying is

be aware of the risks, consequences and proper safe handling procedures … as well as the "quality" of the charger/bat and fakes … and that ANYONE can make mistakes

i would be that at least some folks here werent aware of em …

ive said over and over again what you do is your choice …

if posting incidents articles and folks experiences is telling people not to use the bats …

then i must be telling folks not to go climbing … because i do that all the time on climbing forums !!!!

if you refer to the OPs post … it asked about portable chargers in general …

anyways ive decided to go for a short hike … its a bit damp to climb

ill be back with your latest "exploding dangerous fag story" that produces mass BPL hysteria in a few hours !!!

btw … i have never found individual smokers to be dumb, or even lack common sense … many grew into the habit when young around smoking parents … its an addictions … the "fags" are as smart as anyone else around

Have a good one mate, stay safe

Like Jennifer, I really like the Suntactics sCharger-5. Mine weighs 8.4 oz on a postal scale.

In good sun it will charge my iPhone 4s from around 15% to 100% in two hours.

Here is their estimates of charge times: http://www.suntactics.com/faqs/long-will-take-charge-device/

I'm a gadget guy, and would love to find a good solar charger that was light and worked well. Is there anything better than the Suntastics5 out there right now(excluding diy stuff)? That one seems pretty popular on BPL. As it stands now, I can carry four 18650's and the ML-102 for slightly less than 8.4oz. That works out to about six full Iphone 4s charges.

Ryan

I've just published a state of the market review of 'normal' USB external batteries people may find useful when trying to pick the lightest options available.
http://www.sparkyhikes.com/2015/01/external-batteries-2015-market-review/

Nice review, thanks!