monita review: powerbank

15 of the best products from 2015.

2015 has been an incredible year for Gadget Girl Reviews thanks to all of you out there. We've had the opportunity to work with some great brands and companies this year who were kind enough to send us some AMAZING things to share with you all.

The way we choose our favorites is......

"Are we still using it"?

If we are still using that product months after posting the review that speaks for itself. We've been lucky enough to bring you quite variety of gadgets this year so here are our
Top 15 reviews of 2015

NUMBER 1

Drumroll it has to be..........

Rebelite Xtreme Xflyer RC Stunt Quadcopter

Wow my other half and myself had an absolute blast videoing this and it went beyond doing a review we were completely addicted flying this day and night during the Summer months; its so much fun and so easy to fly.

If you love remote controlled products you have to get this.

Axis Aerius Worlds smallest Quadcopter

Plus I have to mention one of the latest reviews of the "Worlds smallest" Quadcopter just for being the smallest it deserves that mention and being so much fun.

The next favorite is...DRUMROLL...your favorite...dear readers...this has been the most viewed review and video of 2015.

KitVision escape HD5W Waterproof Full HD Action camera

with Accessories.

If you guys follow us you will know what fun we had with this, it has to be one of the best Action cams that "isn't" a Gopro.

The "remote viewing" was so much fun to see from your tablet or phone checkout our own video footage.

This also took one of the longest reviews to put together as it had so many fun aspects to it which needed to be videoed and edited. But WOW it was worth it as you guys loved it too. We actually edited "3" videos for this review; starting with video part 1 HERE if you want to catch-up.

2015 was the year of the speaker, we got sent quite a few to show you guys but 1 of them really stood out; not just for its incredible sound but its uniqueness and fantastic build quality .

Pump Air Levitating Bluetooth Speaker

The Pump Air levitating speaker...again this review took awhile to put together as we wanted to capture the floating footage at its best and I think we did that...what do you think?

KitSound Swing alarm clock radio

We also both loved this retro alarm clock radio and still using it now. The sound is fab and it looks great too, the bright red is beautiful and the batteries last ages. Kitsound are definitely a brand that really do stand out for great products.

I am also on a mission to find the brightest and most long lasting torch/lantern as we live rurally and often have powercuts and with all our technology were also looking for the best powerbank.

ThorFire Telescopic rechargeable lantern, torch and charger

This was just brilliant, the brightness and longlastingness...(is that a word)...was fantastic. Plus its a charger.

Thorfire WF-502B 500 lumens torch

We have alot of torches but this simple torch is so bright and even knows when its losing battery power to ramp down to low mode so it lasts longer.

Rebelite Portable 24000mAh power bank

Best powerbank of 2016 is from Rebelite, this charged both my phone and tablet with its high 24,000mAh battery; plus it looks fab too.

Sometimes a product comes along that is just clever and you fall in love; especially when it helps your health.

DreamScience Brainwave-orientated Sleep Companion

by Oregon Scientific

The DreamScience is just genius its clever technology really works for anyone who has trouble sleeping or waking up plus it looks so damn sleek and cool. Checkout my full video review and post.

We also had some great ideas for the car too!

ChipEx Car Paint touch up system Review

I had so many paint chips on my gorgeous paintwork; that this paint has transformed and tidied up my paintwork. Thank you Chippex

DB Power 9 in 1 Digital Tyre Pressure Gauge with emergency seatbelt cutter and flashlight

This little gadget has also given me some more millage as my tyre pressure was totally out with each other and now this has been so accurate its actually saving me money.

Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM lens for Canon

I have to mention my latest photography toy my Sigma 50mm lens its gorgeous and now one of my favorites. The depth of field is stunning and the build quality is just gorgeous. I highly recommend this to all you bloggers, vloggers, ebayers as product images are gorgeous.

I was also kindly sent some amazing "Non-Gadgety" products this year to show you all; so some of them deserve a mention.

Peony Artificial flowers Haul and Video Review

Oh my Goodness these are just stunning and I'm using them in so many backgrounds for my other reviews; bringing nature indoors as they look sooo real.

Bird and Butterfly Wooden Storage Trunk

This charming storage trunk, it really is beautiful and deserves a huge mention of just making your home look great.

Plus dont forget weve really enjoyed the NEW Raspberry Pi 2 and we have been building new projects; catch-up with those below

WALLE and LUNA-Pi

Incase you missed our other Raspberry Pi 2 projects

ZX+3.14

check it out the complete build below.

Project PI #1 Introduction.

Project PI #2 Choosing the case.

Project PI #3 Introducing the new ZX 3.14.

Project PI #4 The Build

Project PI #5 The Build is nearly finished.

2015 in summary

Its been a great year with some great product reviews; but its also been a heartbreaking year for us here too as if you know me you will know I sadly lost my Mum suddenly 2 months ago; so you can now understand my silence for awhile.

We also lost our 15 year old dog too; who was great at reviewing the pet products we received and we will miss him lots.

So its been a tough last few months for us.

Our little ray of light however popped up suddenly online; as we weren't planning for another puppy so soon...but hey you know how it is...if it seems right you have to follow your gut.

So here's our 9 week old little German Shepherd girl Daisy!

I will be doing a proper introduction soon as Im sure she will be at our side trying to eat...er...I mean..help... with every new product.

A big thank you to all of you who are following me, that have sent emails and messages across all our social media; we love hearing from you. Plus of course a big thank you to all the brands who have kindly sent products for us to show you.

We cannot thank you all enough as its so exciting to have the opportunity to try the latest technology and ideas.

Looking forward to 2016

Rebelite Portable 24000mAh power bank

As you may know, I'm on a mission to find the most powerful power bank that I can, as we seem to get alot of powercuts where we are in the middle of nowhere. So my eyes lit up when Rebelite kindly sent me their latest and most powerful power bank they offer...24000mAh to share with you all.

With a super tech age most of us have so many devices to save time and make work and play easier...BUT...and there's always a but...the world of tech just hasn't quite caught up with the power thats needed to keep these super clever devices charged through a whole day, away from a main power source.

I am super excited to review this power bank and Im keeping everything crossed thats its going straight to my number 1 spot of power banks...

Click after the jump to see if it makes it?

Packaging
You can always tell a product from Xtreme as they have excellent packaging with good product images and explanations before you even get inside.

Love the fun logo "Got Juice", cleverly taken from the popular "Got Milk".

So whats in the box

You get your large powerbank, USB to micro USB mini cable and 2 instruction leaflets, one in English and one in French. Its nice not to have a War and Peace novel to look through, you simply have an English and a French thin leaflet.

(There is no lightening cable supplied, but you can use your own for apple products).

Description
Ok, so we have the latest Powerbank from Rebelite which is 24000mAh...twenty four thousand thats alot and it makes it officially my largest power bank I own and I cant wait to see just what this bad boy can do.

When you first get this out the box what strikes you the most is its weight, all battery packs are heavy but this really has some substantiated weight to it.

It has a Matt white finish with grey side edging which gives it a modern elegance.

Measurements
15.3cm long by 8.3cm wide with a depth of 2.2cm so its a really good size, it has to be with this size battery.

The top of the powerbank show an LED battery indicator strip so there's no more guessing how much charge you have left in your powerbank, I love this.

This lights up with 4 LEDs each one indicating the percentage left.

The back is the same design.

Showing the printed details of the capacity and outputs of the 3 ports...yes I did say 3 ports, you can charge 3 things at once...woohoo Im in gadgety heaven right now.

On the side you have an excellent quality responsive on/off button.

Here, where we have 3 output ports and something extra...a torch..then the input port to charge the powerbank itself.

Output 1 = 1amp

Output 2 = 1amp

Output 3 = 2.1amp

Outputs 1 & 2 best for phones and kindles Output 3 for tablets.

Clever Note: Unlike the box image the Output 1 & 2 faces one way, Output 3 is inverted so you dont make a mistake, or it makes you think...so dont force it.

So Im off to charge this enormous power bank and then put it to work.

Compatible with?

Any device with a USB cable can use the powerbank.

Phones, tablets, MP3 players, Kindles etc.

Use
Now this review has taken some time as its not like you simply turn it on and off and use it straight away.

It takes upto 15 hours to charge fully...18 hours the very first time.
The outer box also states it arrives fully charged but the instructions inside state it needs to be charged.
My powerbank did need a full charge and I would always check this anyway.
The brilliant thing about this charger is you get to re-use the same cable. Use it one way like above to charge the powerbank itself, then simply reverse it to charge your devices from one of the ports.

Of course you will need to use your other cables when multicharging.

This little cable is only 22.6cm long which is great for storage, your not carrying around tangled cables.

NOTE: I will always recommend charging a powerbank from a mains charger as one its faster and two you will get a better charge.

Next I just have to sit and wait until Ive flattened my phone...(which wont take long), tablet and kindle many times just to see how many times this can charge my devices to give you guys a fair review.

So to let you all know the facts.
My phone is the Samsung S4 which has a 2500mAh battery
My tablet is the Nexus 10 which has a 9000mAh battery
Its these two devices I'm testing the powerbank out on as its these that I flatten way too often lol.

I also have a battery app Ive installed onto both my tablet and phone to be able to show you a charge of the exact times its taken and any fluctuations. I use this when reviewing all my powerbanks so you get a real and fair reading.

So firstly my Samsung S4

Here you can see the powerbank has a full charge as its showing all 4 blue LED's and my phone has a 0% battery...so common for an S4 lol!

Here are just a few of the charts from my phone battery app to show you the speed of this chargers (Green is the powerbank).

The chart at the end is a charge from the mains for comparison.

I also wanted to show you some of the times when it wasn't flattened completely to see if it made any difference and by looking at these charts its doesn't seem to. You can see the same equal charging curve despite how much charge was left.
This shows the quality of this powerbank, cheaper ones show my chart all over the place.

You can see how superfast the powerbank charged before leveling off near the end; the mains power chart (number 4) shows a slow and continuous charge till 100%.

Now my Nexus 10
The Nexus is a battery guzzler if anyone has got one or had one will know; so I had everything crossed for the powerbank to be able to charge this.

My Nexus 10 however wasn't as quick as the phone obviously with such difference in mAh.

Phone 2500 and tablet 9000 mAh and it took quite awhile to charge from 0% - 100% .....approximately 14.5 hours....but it does take a long time even from the mains. But, even so you can still see its an even smooth curve with no blips.

I also wanted to point out too that the powerbank actually had 50% left (I took a photo just after it had fully charged to show you); so I knew I could probably get at least another complete charge on my phone.

Most powerbanks can only manage to charge 1 device per charge. I love that I can now get several charges or charge phone and tablet together...woohoo!

Device Variables

Obviously there will always be variables in the time and amount of charge depending on;

If you charging more than 1 device at a time?
Each device will be taking different power from it?
Each device, particularly phones are all set up differently and will be working in the background even while turned off. Its checking emails, updating files etc so will be using power at different times?
Did you charge your powerbank from the wall or PC; this can make a difference however slight?
How old is the device, everything has a shelf life, inbuilt batteries and hardware.
Screens vary in size and pixel dimensions, if the item is turned on more power lost.

The Torch
What this powerbank has that makes it a bit different is the fact it also has a torch and not just any torch its a damn good one too. Take a look at the piks, its bright and I guesstimate its about 50 lumens.

It still is a bit heavy to just carry as a torch alone, but being a charger as well its a great bonus to have. Saving you lugging around 2 products you have a 2 for 1 in your bag.

Opinion
Aesthetics - I love the white a grey design, the smooth edges allow good grip. It looks elegant and expensive and the Matt smoothness of the case gives it a nice feel.
Its sturdy and could certainly withstand bumping around in your rucksack or bag. However it is quite heavy so you really need to be based to use this comfortably, its not a powerbank to just slip in your bag unless your desperate to use portable power. Leave it in the tent or car till you get back for the day.
However if you are camping and hiking your reducing the need to carry several powerbanks and a spare torch. So it completely depends on your situation.

This powerbank managed 4 complete charges of my S4 which I felt it should have done a few more, but Im still using it and as with many chargers they need to be "worked in"....so I will update this if I can get a few more out of it.
It managed 1 full charge of my Nexus 10, which I personally feel it should have been able to do another. But again my Nexus 10 had alot going on inside.
Note: You have to remember that no power-bank or battery will ever work to its full stated power, and as I say they often need to be flattened (discharged) completely before a full recharge a few times...so watch this space..

The Apple iphones have smaller batteries, some 1810mAh so you will be getting more charges than me.
So to summarize its a fab powerbank and at such a high mAh its certainly worth keeping one in as you just never know when you may have a powercut and with a family of phones, tablets and kindles it would mean disaster to not have social media, emails or just simply phone calls.
Always be able to have many hours of music and stand-by power.

Afterall power-banks could save a life.

So here's my traveling kit; my phone, tablet and powerbank. Im not carrying it around for long distances but its perfect for in the car or staying away. Plus the torch is so useful in emergencies.

Pro's