Nitecore NB10000 Review

[Drew Smith]

Companion forum thread to: Nitecore NB10000 Review

The Nitecore NB10000 is a simple portable battery charger built around a carbon-fiber platform for maximum weight savings.

[Marcus]

I have 2 of these and also had the 20k version for a bit.

The 20k was from the very first batch last year and I sent it back because it would not fast charge my phone. I think there was a minor issue with the charge sensing circuit. Also it was an 11oz brick. The only advantage to the 20k over 2x10k is that the 20k can do a 45w discharge which will power medium size electronics like an IPad. Also the 20k was slightly heavier than 2x10k per nitecore’s stated weights.

The 10k only lasts me 3 days on the trail while hiking around 10mi/day and using Alltrails to fully track my routes on my S10+. The continuous tracking adds significant battery drain. Also I take a lot of pics and sometimes play music via wired earbuds during boring stretches of trail, so phone usage is rather high during short trips when battery conservation is not very important.

One of my 10k banks just failed after about 1 year but less than 50 charge cycles. i baby my banks making sure they are not too hot, cold, or over/under charged. When stored for a long period i let them discharge to around 50-70% best as i can estimate.

The failed bank would show fully charged after only 30 mins, then fail to turn on less than 1 hour later. (I let it charge 6 hrs so I know it should be fully charged)

Nite core is replacing it no questions asked which I am very pleased with. Their customer service has been very responsive and they have offered a refund or replacement on both banks i had issues with. Even though I had a minor and major issue with 2 of their banks, I will buy again because their customer service is great IME.

One reason to get 2x10k instead of 1x20k – 2x10k provide redundancy. Aldo you can charge both in parallel (assuming you have a 2 port 36w minimum output charger) and you can Select-a-capacity/weight based on your trip length by bringing 1 or 2 as needed.

Overall I’m very happy with them and recommend all things nitecore. The NU25 is the best damn headlamp around as well.

[Robert Shepherd]

Interested if there are any mobile OS software engineers that could comment on the overnight phone charging drain that has been discussed here and on the podcast. I’ve assumed that this is not a charging issue, but is instead the phone sensing that it’s plugged in and running maintenance routines in the background. Things like indexing, photo processing, etc that chew through the battery when there isn’t an expectation of power sacristy. I assume that by unplugging when at 90ish percentage charge the phone just never slips over into running these high-power background routines when the battery is fully charged. Keen for any evidence that this is or isn’t the issue we’re seeing. But regardless, Rex’s initial observations have certainly changed by charging habits!

[Scott S]

I’ve experienced the “vampire” issue for my iPhone 8 and 12 Pro. I even plugged the phone in, and then turned off the iPhone. In the morning the iPhone was still being charged. I’d be curious to see if Android phones have the same issue.

[Ari Grönlund]

The Wh should be calculated with nominal cell voltage of 3.7V and not with 5V

[Ed D]

I’ve had the Night core 10000 for over a year with no problems. I only charge my Android s8+ while I’m cooking (back up to 100% each night). I mainly use Avenza maps (not recording) and keep the phone in aeroplane mode when I can. I check messages, news etc when in range, not many calls. I get a week of top ups (about 3 full charges) and never run out of electrons. I’m in Australia so temperatures are pretty mild and I’ve never dropped it. I recommend it, mostly for its weight and capacity.

[John S.]

u/ormagon on reddit put out this “Hiking power bank comparison 2022” a couple months ago.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-AL_bU5yGwcGXiqpIQ8qeoi4_XGkkug8HGxDbnnkkQc/edit?usp=sharing

[Drew Smith]

@Ari – I’m curious as to why Wh should be calculated at 3.7V. Since the battery charges my phone and other devices at 5V, this seems like the relevant voltage. After all, we want usable power, not theoretical power.

[Ari Grönlund]

@Drew Capacity on different cell topologies and separating switching circuitry efficiency. If we talk about 10Ah capacity, it is defined at certain voltage… Here 3.7V.

[Jerry Adams]

yeah, it’s just convention for USB power bank sellers to spec the capacity (mAh) of the internal lithium battery which is nominally 3.7 volts

since all manufacturers spec it the same, it’s a good comparison between manufacturers

the number isn’t really intuitive to most users whether it’s mAh of the Lithium battery, mAh of USB voltage, Wh, or whatever.

they also spec how many times it will charge specific phones which is more intuitive

[Ari Grönlund]

Wh is also convenient figure for travellers as eg. FAA defines Hazmat Li-Ion/Li-Poly batteries by their capacity in Wh… Which reflects roughly the amount of lithium present in battery. https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/more_info/?hazmat=7

[roger isaacs]

Nice review Drew. It seems that the power to weight ratio of 18650 batteries is similar to or slightly better than the NB10000. Furthermore I can use the 18650 directly in my zebralight flashlight, can just carry more 18650s if more power is required, I like using standard batteries in that a battery failure is a minor event, just replace the single battery rather than the whole unit. So I’m not switching yet. Thanks.

[Bill in Roswell]

I got the Nitecore NB5000 when it first came out. Worked great until I forgot to take out of my car before work on a hot August day. I found it with a huge swollen bulge and quite dead. It was about 18 mo old so I didn’t even attempt a “dumb customet” warranty claim. My trusty Anker 10000 only weighs about an ounce more and has survived more than a few hot Georgia summer days. Still, best to not subject a Li battery to extensive heat.

[Todd G]

So I got the nb20000 and have a weird issue the manufacturer hasn’t been able to clarify honestly. I’ve tried numerous cables and chargers and it’s unable to fully charge via fast usb c to usb c charging. It ends up just blinking 3 or 4 lights for days. It charges normally via slower usb a to usb c cables. The output usb c also works fine. Anyone run into this?

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