REVIEW – I probably have a dozen different brands and type of power banks, with each newer one having better specs and more capability than the previous one. I love the convenience of power banks and I am always interested in the ones with multiple powering options and well-designed versatility. The  Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC Power Bank is the latest to join my collection. Let’s see if it is worthy of membership into my Power Bank club.

What is it?

The Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC Power Bank is a slim, sleek and powerful 100AC, 94.72Wh Power Bank that is equipped with features like wireless charging, high-speed Power Delivery, USB-C in/out ports that can power and charge phones, tablets, DSLR cameras, laptops, and other devices.

What’s in the box

1 x Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC Power Bank
1 x USB-C to USB-A cable
1 x USB-C to USB-C Cable
1 x Micro USB to USB-A
1 x Lightning to USB-A
1 x User Guide
1 x AC Wall Adapter

Design and features

Specifications
Charge times:
USB-C PD Source(60W): 2.5 hrs.
Wall charger(45W): 3 hrs.
USB-A (2.4A): 9 hrs.
Nomad 14: 14-28 hrs.
Nomad 28: 7-14 hrs.
Boulder 50: 4-8 hrs.
Battery:
Cell chemistry: Li-ion NMC
Cell type: 18650 by LG chem
Single Cell Equivalent Capacity: 25600mAh @ 3.7V
Lifecycles: Hundreds of Cycles
Shelf-life: Charge every 3-6 months
Management system: Charging and low battery protection built-in
Ports:
Wireless Qi (output): 5W max
USB A ports (output): 5V, up to 2.4A (12Wmax), regulated
USB-C PD ports (input/output): 5V,9V,12V,15V,20V up to 3A (60W each,100W max), regulated
AC inverter US (output): 110V, up to 0.9A (100W max), 60Hz, modified sine wave
AC inverter Int (output): 220V, up to 0.45A (100W max), 50Hz, modified sine wave
Solar charging port (input, 8mm diameter): 14-22V (50W max)
Weight: 2.0 lbs. (898 g)
Dimensions: 7.5 x 1.0 x 5.68 in (19.0 x 2.54 x 14.4cm)

Features

• • Two High-Speed Power Delivery Ports: At 60W each, these USB-C Power Delivery ports provide rapid power for laptops, phones, and more.
  • Integrated 100W AC: Take the outlet with you, on the plane or in the wild, for serious power anywhere you need it. Perfect for keeping cameras and laptops charged.
  • Qi Wireless Charging + 2.4A USB: No matter the phone, there’s a wicked fast, convenient charging solution designed for you. USB ports are useful for devices with proprietary charging (fitness trackers, watches, etc.).
  • Interactive OLED Display: Check power in and power out, get detailed port information, and even set roles for ports.
  • Four Rugged Cables Included: Included are the cables, you need to get the job done, and an incredibly easy way to store them for later. Includes Lightning, Micro USB, USB-C, and USB-C to USB-C.
  • Recharge from the sun: Connect a compatible solar panel. Charge time is dependent on the size of the solar panel. The Nomad 28 Plus will fully recharge the Sherpa 100AC in about 7-14 hours.
  • Use included cables: Recharge from a USB source in 8 – 10 hours. Fully recharges from the wall in about 3 hours using the Sherpa Power Supply accessory (not included).
  • Recharge from your car: Recharge from your car 12V adapter in about 3-5 hours.

On the front of the device, there are all of the connectivity ports and the display. From left to right as shown below, there is an 8mm DC input charging port, 2 in/out USB-C Power Delivery ports, the LED Informational Display, 2 USB-A ports, and the AC port.

On the back of the device, there is a cooling fan and on the top flat surface of the device, there is the Qi Wireless charging interface.

On each of the two sides of the device, there are short connectivity cables that are housed in slots designed for their storage and safekeeping. On one side there is a USB-C to USB – C cable and on the other side, there is a USB-C to USB-A cable.

Goal Zero also included a wall adapter that has 2 built-in ports that include a 45W power delivery port and a USB-A smart port. The prongs for the AC plug can be folded in for storage.

Performance

The Goal Zero Power Bank comes well packaged and is basically a plug and play device. When I received it and plugged it in to charge, it was already charged at over 90%. I left it charging for an entire day and when I checked it, the charge was 99%. At first, I was surprised that it was not at 100%, but it has achieved 100% after subsequent charges.

The photo below shows the LCD display during charging.

The display provides a lot of information on status and input/output as well as the options as you toggle through the screens that provide information for the customizable functions. In the photos below the first one shows the display when there is no load, and the last one shows the display hours later after using a tablet while it was plugged into the AC port.
You can click here to read the user guide and get more information including details of the customizable options.


I really love the Qi wireless charging this device offers in addition to all of the other power/charging options. I use it every night to charge my iPhone 10X Max smartphone.

I use the ports exactly as they were set up when I received the device since they meet all of my needs as they are. I like the individual buttons to turn on/off the Qi wireless charging function and the AC power, etc.

My only concern with this Power Bank is shown in the photo below. If you are using a wall adapter that is wider than the device then it is no longer level, and the bigger the adapter the higher off of the surface the device will be.

What I like

• The build quality
• The versatile connectivity ports
• The sleek design
• The power delivery capacity
• The Qi wireless charging

What I’d change

• Maybe the ability for the built-in AC port to be able to swing upwards to accommodate larger AC adapters.

Final thoughts

A few of the power banks that I own are quite versatile, but none as versatile and portable as this Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC Power Bank. The dual in/out USB-C power delivery ports along with the regular USB ports and the AC port make this perfect for my use. The Qi wireless charging takes it over the top for me. The only minor issue that I have with it is that the obvious way to use it is flat on a surface, and since the AC port is slim and fixed, anything AC plug that is thicker than the device raises it off of the surface and puts the weight on the AC plug. It can also possibly make using the Qi wireless charging difficult if the level that it is raised to is too steep. Otherwise, this Power Bank is a win and gets a well done and two thumbs up!!

Price: $299.95
Where to buy: The Goal Zero website and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Goal Zero.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Batteries and Chargers

Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC Power Bank review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 6, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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REVIEW – Charging your devices is a necessary evil and usually rears its head at the most inopportune times. The best plan is plug in and steal a few minutes of charging when we can. There are multiple solutions for charging out there and we’re going to take a look at two specific USB-C chargers from Aukey that are optimized for efficiency in two unique ways. They are the 60W PD Wall Charger with GaN Power Tech and the Dual-Port 36W PD Wall Charger with Dynamic Detect. Long names aside, there’s some cool here.

What are they?

The 60W PD Wall Charger with GaN Power Tech is a wall charger that uses advanced gallium nitride technology to reduce weight and size for the same output. The Dual-Port 36W PD Wall Charger with Dynamic Detect is a wall charger that is able to tell if one or two devices is connected and intelligently adjust output for both devices to be as efficient as possible. Both chargers utilize the ‘Power Delivery’ charging standard that enables compatible devices to charge at a higher power and therefore faster speed than normal which helps in those quick charge scenarios. Check the stats on your device if you’re unsure of your compatibility.

What’s in the box?

Each of these are sold separately, so the bullets below are per product.

• 60W Wall Charger, Manual, Warranty Sticker
• 36W Dual-Port Wall Charger, Manual, Warranty Sticker

Hardware specs

60W PD Wall Charger with GaN Power Tech

• Model Number: PA-D4
• Input: AC 100–240V 50/60Hz
• USB-C Output (Power Delivery 3.0): DC 5V 3A, 9V 3A, 12V 3A, 15V 3A, 20V 3A
• Max Power Output: 60W
• Dimensions: 64 x 60 x 29mm / 2.52” x 2.36” x 1.14”
• Weight: 122g / 4.3oz

Dual-Port 36W PD Wall Charger with Dynamic Detect

• Model Number: PA-D2
• Input: AC 100–240V 50/60Hz
• USB-C Output 1/2 (Power Delivery 3.0): DC 5V 3A, 9V 3A, 12V 2.5A, 15V 2A, 20V 1.5A
• Max Power Output: 36W
• Dimensions: 64 x 60 x 29mm / 2.52” x 2.36” x 1.14”
• Weight: 115g / 4.1oz

Design and features

The first thing you’ll notice is what these two wall chargers have in common.
They share the exact same enclosure design and size.

The share the same folding prongs which fold back with a satisfactory ‘SNAP’.

The faceplates share a power indicator logo and LED, but the 60W has a single USB-C port while the 36W has two.

Setup

Both of these wall chargers are BYOC or Bring Your Own Cable. So grab your favorite cable and make sure it’s got a USB-C end for connecting to one of these two chargers. I used the Apple USB-C cable that came with my devices for my review.

Performance

Charge time is a pretty good metric for measuring performance. I used Netflix on my iPad Pro until it flat shut off. Killing the battery on my work laptop is never all that hard as there’s always more work to do. I ran that down to 1%, then killed all the apps and let it blackout in a non-sleep setting. I then plugged both of them in and started a timer on my phone.

Using Aukey’s 36W charger, it took 129 minutes to charge my iPad Pro 11″ from zero to full (above right). This is about an hour faster than using the adapter that came with my iPad. After reading through some of the info on their website, this charger is set to max out at 30w when using a single port. If you’re using two, each will top out at 18w, so just note that the charge times will vary depending on what and how many devices you’re connecting. It may be bigger than my iPad charger, but it’s smaller and faster than both my iPad and iPhone chargers together. I call that a win.

The 60W charger (above left) from Aukey took about 90 seconds to get my MacBook Pro 15″ (2017) to a grey screen and recover, and then 123 minutes to charge from zero to full (leaving it alone). This is slightly slower than the larger (87w) power brick that came with my Mac, but not enough to outweigh the size and weight reduction. Take a look at the size difference.

There’s not all that much else to know. The LEDs are super low key which I appreciate. You’ll need to rely on the devices themselves to tell you if they’re charged which is simple enough. The prong orientation makes it block the second position in a standard wall outlet, but if you use the lower position, you can still squeeze a regular cord in. That’s about it.

What I like

• The diminutive size of the 60W charger
• USB-C positive cable connection
• Charging speeds
• The fact that they’re both the same size makes packing/traveling easier

What I’d change

• Need a power strip if you want to plug more than one of these into a single wall outlet

Final thoughts

These chargers are fast, small and priced well. Whether you’re looking to reduce the size of your laptop charger or carry less chargers all together, these are a solid bet if you have PD compatible devices.

Price: $39.99 (60W PD), $35.99 (Dual-Port 36W PD)
Where to buy: Aukey and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Aukey.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Batteries and Chargers

Aukey 60W and Dual-Port 36W PD Wall Charger review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 28, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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