Choosing USB Battery Packs on amazon, what a mess, so much lying on capacity
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I needed a USB battery pack that would output at least 70Wh output capacity. 80 to 85Wh would have been fantastic. And the total pack shoudl have batteries at or below 99Wh due to the TSA limit. Hoping for 85Wh output out of 99Wh of batteries is optimistic but totally possible.
In real life, I got 9 packs from amazon, all of them lied about the battery capacity, some by a lot (up to claiming it was 60% higher than real), and between claimed capacity and actual output, most packs barely gave half in output, or even less. It was a complete shit show.
After a week of testing with professional charger/discharger, I tested how much energy I got out (typically at a 2.5A draw, but when I tested at 1A draw only, it didn't make much of a difference). And then I checked how much eneergy I had to push back in at 1.5 to 2A over USB to recharge them. None of them took more than 94Wh, some took 75Wh while claiming to be 145Wh!
Here is the result:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09NKVCJ15 Seller RETMSR
Name: RETMSR Portable Charger, Power Bank 30000mAh Battery Pack with 22.5W Fast Charging, 4 Outputs External Charger PD 20W USB C for iPhone, Samsung, Pad Mini, and More
Claimed capacity: 30000mAh x 3.7v = 111Wh
Usable Discharge Capacity: 56Wh, Energy to recharge: 83Wh. Real Battery Capacity: 70Wh? Capacity Lie: 137% of real
Comments: it's much bigger than other packs for only 56Wh of use. Doesn't even have a real battery meter, just 4 dots
Return: seller reimbursed me after reading my review and analysis
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09NKVCJ15 Seller huiyuetongus
Portable Charger Power Bank 30,800mAh LCD Display Power Bank,25W PD Fast Charging +QC 4.0 Quick Phone Charging Power Bank Tri-Outputs Battery Pack Compatible with iPhone,Android etc(Black)
Claimed capacity: 113.86Wh
Usable Discharge Capacity: 58Wh, Energy to recharge: 74Wh. Real Battery Capacity: 66Wh? Capacity Lie: 143% of real
TSA compliant: No due to the 113Wh lie even though the battery is likely only 66Wh
Comments: it's a reasonably compact battery pack for 58Wh, but lying that much about capacity is not ok
Return: No, I'm very annoyed at the capacity lie (43% extra of real), but it's otherwise a usable pack
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0915T91JN/ Seller HEJING-US
Wireless Portable Charger 30,800mAh 15W Wireless Charging 25W PD QC4.0 Fast Charging Smart LED Display USB-C Power Bank, 4 Output & 2 Input External Battery Pack Compatible with iPhone, Samsung etc
Claimed capacity: 113.86Wh
Usable Discharge Capacity: 54Wh, Energy to recharge: 61Wh. Real Battery Capacity: 57Wh? Capacity Lie: 150% of real
TSA compliant: No due to the 113Wh lie even though the battery is likely only 57Wh
Comments: One of the biggest capacity lie: 50% over the real battery size
Return: Yes
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0915T91JN/ Sold by: TENGJIADA
Portable Charger 38800mAh,LCD Display Power Bank,4 USB Outputs Battery Pack Backup, Dual Input USB-C Phone Charging Compatible with iPhone 14/13 Pro Max/13 Mini/12,Android Samsung Galaxy/Pixel/Nexus
Claimed Capacity: 99Wh
Comment Product claims a totally fake 38800 or 143Wh, but the new version sold by TENGJIADA now only claims 99Wh to be TSA compliant. See https://www.amazon.com/messaging/880687751187454166
Usable Discharge Capacity: 70Wh, Energy to recharge: 94Wh. Real Battery Capacity: 82Wh? Capacity Lie: 118% of real
Return: No, capacity lie is minimal, TSA compliant
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0915T91JN/ Sold by: SANJIAYI-US
Claimed Capacity: 143Wh
TSA compliant: No
Comment Product claims a totally fake 38800 or 143Wh, but the new version sold by TENGJIADA now only claims 99Wh to be TSA compliant. See https://www.amazon.com/messaging/880687751187454166
Usable Discharge Capacity: 70Wh, Energy to recharge: 94Wh. Real Battery Capacity: 82Wh? Capacity Lie: 143% of real
Return: Yes, big capacity lie and non TSA compliant
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BMVFV9N9/ Seller amazon
FEELLE Power Bank Portable Charger - 27000mAh USB C in & Out PD Fast Charger QC3.0 22.5W 4 Outputs External Battery Pack Compatible with iPhone, Samsung, Google, LG, Tablet and More
TSA compliant: Yes
Claimed Capacity: 99Wh
Usable Discharge Capacity: 51Wh, Energy to recharge: 60Wh. Real Battery Capacity: 55Wh? Capacity Lie: 145% of real
Comment: Good for not lying about capacity past 99Wh, but 45% lie on capacity is not ok
Return: Yes, 45% capacity lie, that's bad.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BWD9YVQ Seller Seven times seven
Power-Bank-Portable-Charger - 40000mAh Power Bank Support PD 30W and QC4.0 Fast Charging with Built-in 2 Output Cable and LED Display for iPhone and Android Phones and Most Electronic Devices
TSA compliant: No
Claimed Capacity: 40000mAh*3.7V = 148Wh
Usable Discharge Capacity: 60Wh, Energy to recharge: 82Wh. Real Battery Capacity: 71Wh Capacity Lie: 152% of real
Comment: Very big pack, but only a measly 60Wh usable and one of the biggest capacity lies in the packs I tested
Return: Yes, 52% capacity lie and non TSA compliant
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B916NM1 Seller IBEV / LOVELEDI Store
Portable-Charger - 40000mAh Power Bank QC 4.0 and PD 30W Quick Charging Built-in LED Display 2 USB 1Type-C Output Compatible with Most Electronic Devices on The Market
TSA compliant: No
Claimed Capacity: 40000mAh*3.7V = 148Wh
Usable Discharge Capacity: 64Wh, Energy to recharge: 82Wh. Real Battery Capacity: 73Wh? Capacity Lie: 151% of real
Comment: Very big pack for 64Wh usable, nice multi voltage output, but 51% over capacity lie is huge
Return: Yes, %51 capacity lie is unacceptable and non TSA compliant
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C2423BW9 Seller Sidlin / LOVELEDI Store
Bank - 40000mAh Power Bank PD 30W and QC 4.0 Quick Charging Built-in Bright flashlight LED Display 2 USB 1Type-C Output for Most Electronic Devices on The Market(Carbon Black)
TSA compliant: No
Claimed Capacity: 40000mAh*3.7V = 148Wh
Usable Discharge Capacity: 57Wh, Energy to recharge: 75Wh. Real Battery Capacity: 66Wh? Capacity Lie: 156% of real
Comment: Very big pack for 57Wh usable, nice multi voltage output, but 51% over capacity lie is huge
Return: Yes, %56 capacity lie is unacceptable and non TSA compliant