Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100

[testman78]

Introduction

When we head out the door these days, we rarely do so without our mobile phone. Not only is is a digital tether to all our various social media outlets but it's a camera, map, GPS, even a two-way-radio. It's not just a matter of convenience but it's become a matter of safety in many cases. Regardless of how you use your phone or any of the other battery-sucking devices, if you want to keep them going especially in cold weather when batteries die super fast you need a power source. With all that in mind, we were super excited when the Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100 was sent to me. Let's see if it held up!



Specifications.




Packaging & Contents

The box is made of fairly thin cardboard, but it's very dense and the front fold open information flaps add a little extra weight as well.The box dont follow the typical Sandberg colour scheme that we've seen over the last couple years.




At the rear of the box we see a description of the product printed in many languages right above the contents and specifications lists.



With the front flap open you can now have a clear view of the Powerbank.



The Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100 comes with all essential parts.These include one Micro-Usb cable connector as well as user guide. User guide guides the user on all aspects of using power bank.






A Closer Look

Right out of the box the Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100 looks like a high-tech tank of a device.The Sandberg Survivor's unique industrial design really appeals. It's a large green rectangular plastic slab, protected with a arrow-patterned black jacket that's bolted into place.



This shell serves to make the Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100 resistant to an IP67 rating which means that not only will it keep out all the bad things for electronics that I just mentioned, but it can also be submersed in up to 1M of water and still come out ready to rock.



This thing is thick (just over an inch) and not the lightest either, but that's all implied. What really matters in this case is that it feels the part, and it most definitely does. Super tough hard plastic surrounds the power bank from every corner. And I appreciate that Sandberg didn't just make it a simple brick.There's plenty of rugged styling.



A shock-absorbing layer of silicone covers the battery for drop protection.It looks like the green plastic is the base casing (textured on the top and bottom) and the black material is an extra layer of reinforcement."V"-shaped ridges flank the body, and the sides are textured to assist with grip. If that wasn't enough, there's these substantial metal screws about the edges. And you bet this thing feels as tough as it looks.




There is an LED power indicator light that shows you how much charge the battery has left. Each LED shows 25% power level. After using this battery for a few hours at dinner to charge my iPad Pro, one whole light extinguished. Because the power capacity is so high, it takes a long while to run it down.




Sandberg's 20100 mAh Power Bank provides you with two smart USB output ports and a microUSB port (to charge the device itself).



This allows you to charge two devices at one time. Port 1 is a 5V/2.4A with intelligent charging, while port 2 is a 5V/1.5A port. There is a flashlight that is activated when you press the power button twice in a row. You can also switch on an SOS mode.



The IP67 rating means that it can be submerged in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. But you need to make sure that the charging ports are sealed shut. On the top, there's a waterproof lid you have to release before you can charge up.





Performance

I mentioned above the Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100’s charging capabilities so now I’d like to focus on its performance from a getting the snot kicked out of it point of view. First the claim of it being shock-proof: this is very true. On a more than one occasion I gave the Powerbank to my 5 year-old nephew to hang onto knowing that there are few tests that can match the destructive capabilities of that kid. Even with a baker’s dozen drops tallied up when I finally gave it a reprieve, the Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100 was still ready to rock.Another test that I put the Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100 through was all about the cold. As we know, batteries perform like garbage when it’s cold out.I made a point of leaving the device in my cold basement for about 2 weeks. During this time I didn’t use the Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100 and when I did finally allow the little guy to come in from the cold, I fully expected one light out of the four to light up at best (it was full when this experiment began). To my surprise, I saw four flippin’ lights staring back at me.





Charging the Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100 itself took over 8 hours (can’t be totally sure since I was sleeping) which was perfectly acceptable.
Number of charges with the Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100:




Conclusion

At $119 this thing is a solid deal and doesn’t necessarily need to be limited to outdoorsy types. With its ability to maintain a charge in adverse conditions over a sizable amount of time, this would be fantastic for emergency power in a glove box or any other place where you might find yourself in need.



Batteries are rubbish. They die quicker when they get cold and never last that long anyway. Yet we are increasingly using electronic tools in the outdoors: tablets, phones, GPS devices, smart watches. But until we can invent phones without batteries (which looks unlikely) thank goodness then for powerpacks like the Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100.Sandberg Survivor Powerbank 20100 is one of the better standalone batteries we’ve seen in some time. It’s tough, dustproof, waterproof, fast-charging, and offers a large capacity in a nice soft-touch pack.