Q: I was interested in the ChargeCard phone charger. I went to Amazon and looked at the verified buyer reviews, most of which were unenthusiastic at best. Many of the five-star reviews were one or two words or very short sentences, often a sign of fake reviews. I look forward to seeing your unbiased review of this product.
A: I just finished a two-week test of the $69 ChargeCard phone charger. When I saw the word "unenthusiastic" in your e-mail, I realized that it summed up my first impression about the product — but that impression changed the more I used it. There was no sense of excitement, but with the lack of excitement comes the realization of its understated competence. Simply put, it gets the job done.
I got a second ChargeCard for my girlfriend, and we took them with us on vacation to the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. A theme park or vacation resort vacation is a perfect application for the ChargeCard.
I have several power bank chargers that cost less, have more capacity and charge faster. A good example and one of my favorites is the excellent Coal Portable Charger, which costs around $35. Despite the capabilities and low price of a Coal charger, it is heavier and bulkier than the ChargeCard, and far more so than the phone itself. I would not want to put one in my pocket and tote it around a theme park all day.
Conversely, if you put a ChargeCard in your pocket, you probably won't even notice it's there. I use a phone wallet, so it just took the place of two credit cards I knew I would not need in the park. Even the cable fits unobtrusively.
Getting to the basic competence of the product, it charged my phone and the display LEDs indicated how much power remained in the charger. It did not charge especially quickly, but starting the day with a fully charged phone the ChargeCard provided enough total power to make it back to my room late in the evening with over 20% power remaining. Without the ChargeCard, I am sure I would have run out of power, given all the picture taking, texting and video-taking that happened during the day. The Florida sun also requires the phone screen to be at maximum brightness, which consumes a lot of power.
Something else to consider is the likelihood you actually will use the ChargeCard or any other portable charger. If it is small and unobtrusive, you are more likely to take it with you, and a small charger in your pocket is much more useful than a bigger, faster one sitting on your desk miles away when you need it.
While the ChargeCard has limitations, it will keep you powered up, and you can't ask much more of it than that. You can see and order it at theaquavault.com.
Send questions to Don Lindich at donlindich@gmail.com. Get recommendations and read past columns at soundadvicenews.com.
