Jul 3, 2020
RAVPOWER PD Pioneer 20000mAh 65W Power House REVIEW | MacSources
A worthy option for remote power, but needs updates to product information.
In the world we currently live in, you have to be flexible — adaptable — and you have to be ready to work remotely at a moment’s notice. So, what happens when you have to grab a laptop with only 20% left to work in a remote location? We all know that 20% goes really quickly and then you are left with a brick and no way to continue working. This is what the RAVPower PD Pioneer 20,000mAh 65W 2-Port Power House was designed for.
DETAILS
The Power House is a large capacity portable battery that is built specifically to charge laptops. It offers a 2-prong AC outlet with a power supply on/off indicator. This AC outlet is designed for devices that require up to 50W of power. With the 65W Power House you also have the option to charge two devices simultaneously. The charging tower houses a large capacity battery of 20,000mAh, which is enough to charge an iPhone 11 Pro 6.5 times. The 65W Power House features advanced protection and keeps connected devices from overcharging, short circuiting, and power surges. The USB-C port provides 5V/3A of output power delivery to connected devices.
Capacity: 20,100 mAh (according to product page on RAVPower.com)
1 x USB-C input/output port (5V/3A)
1 x USB-A output port (5V/2.4A)
1 x AC Outlet
Dimensions: 7.4 x 6.8 x 3.4 inches
Weight: 1.85 pounds
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
The Power House comes in a standard RAVPower white and green box. There is no image or illustration of the product on the box, but the name “RAVPower PD Pioneer 20000mAh 65W 2-Port Power House” is printed on the front. The box doesn’t provide a lot of information about the product, but it does include the model number and some contact information for RAVPower. Inside the box, you will find a travel case (semi-hardshell) that contains the Power House, USB-C charging cable, travel pouch, and user manual.
Usually, this is the point where I leave the unboxing process and move into the testing phase of my reviews. But, with the Power House, I had a few quality control issues that were discovered and because it mainly has to do with how the item was packaged and/or listed on RAVPower’s website, I thought this was the best place to discuss.
User Manual: As I began writing out the device’s details and features, I was looking at the user manual that was included with the Power House. At one point, I flipped it back to the cover and noticed that the user manual actually belonged to the 80W version of the RAVPower Power House charger. What is particularly deceiving is that both versions of the Power House have the same model number (RP-PB054).
Lack of DC Charger: As I was reviewing the information on the product page for the 65W Power House I noticed that the information on RAVPower’s website about the 65W Power House indicated that the devices come with a DC charger. “The 19V/1.6A DC input allows for faster recharging than almost any other portable charging device.” It does not. The way you recharge the device is to plug in the USB-C cable into the USB-C port and then plug the other end into a wall charger (not included).
- 1x RAVPower Portable Power House (RP-PB054)
- 1x USB-C to USB-C Cable (60cm/23.6in)
- 1x Carrying Pouch
- 1x Storage Box
- 1x User Guide
What’s Included List: The list of items included in the package varies depending on the source. The product page for the 65W Power House does not include any list while the 80W version does. The user manual for both versions of the Power House do list out items, but they are incorrect. The 65W user manual (found online through RAVPower’s website) states that it should come with 2 Micro USB cables and the 80W user manual doesn’t mention the storage case. As it turns out the list from the 80W Power House product page on RAVPower’s website is correct.
Capacity: The box, user manual, and product all indicate that it’s a 20,000 mAh capacity, but the product descriptions on the RAVPower website state it is a 20,100 mAh capacity battery.
FORM
One of the things I was first struck by was the size of this device. Yes, it is designed to be able to charge laptops, but I still found its case to be extraordinarily large. It measures more than 6 inches high and weighs almost 2 pounds. To me, that’s not the most ‘portable’ battery. Now, I do want to know that the Power House has an internal fan to help keep its heat regulated. The fan kicks on when a device is connected and begins charging. There don’t appear to be any specs about the fan or its operation in the user manual or on the product page. I do like that there are two different LED indicators on this devices — one to indicate the power level (5 blue LEDs on the side of the tower) and one to indicate the AC outlet on/off operation. I like the easy access there is to the ports and outlet and the soft feel of the exterior of the charging tower.
FUNCTION
When it comes to function of the the Power House, I’ve been pretty impressed. In order to charge a device, you simply plug it into one of the ports (USB-C or USB-A) and the device will automatically start charging. As I noted above, the fan will also kick on inside the case of the Power House. To use the AC outlet, you do have to press/hold the Power button for 3 seconds until the green on/off indicator light comes on. Once you are done charging from that outlet, you simply press/hold the Power button again until the light turns off.
Charging the Power House was a little bit of a challenge at first because there is no wall adapter included with the unit. According to the 65W manual, a 24V/1A power adapter is required to charge the Power House. The 80W manual states that a 30W PD 3.0 charger is required. I pulled out the RAVPower PD Pioneer 90W 2-Port USB-C Wall Charger and attempted to charge it directly from a wall outlet. The Power House never got above 40% according to the LED indicators. Even though the 90W wall charger should have provided more than enough power for this task, I pulled out a 65W wall charger with PD and the Power House charged right up.
When it came to charging devices, I decided to try charging my 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro. This machine requires a 61W power adapter and it was on the compatible list on RAVPower’s website. So, I charged the Power House to 100% and then plugged my laptop in to charge using the USB-C port first. I let it charge for approximately 60 minutes and then calculated the charging rate at 0.52% per minute. I did notice around the 43 minute mark that the power indicator on the Power House dropped to 4 and then 11 minutes later, it dropped to 3, which meant the battery was between 41–60% power level.
Next, I plugged the laptop into the AC outlet using a wall charger and charged it for approximately 32 minutes. During that time the LED indicator dropped to level 1 meaning there was 20% or less battery life left. The charging rate was much better with the AC outlet at 0.9% per minute. While I was charging the laptop, I was still working on it, but I wasn’t doing anything that was too power-hungry. I was doing moderate tasks like word processing, internet browsing, and listening to music. I also had a USB-C hub plugged in with two dongles attached for my wireless keyboard and mouse. While these things might have affected the charging rate, I don’t think it would have dragged it down too badly.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Despite the quality control issues I found when it came to product details, the Power House is an intriguing charging device. It does what it is designed for — charging laptops — but it does seem a bit large for extensive travel. I do appreciate the built-in fan to help dissipate heat (and it works!), which I’m sure contributes to the size of the device. While I would like to recommend this to people who frequently work remotely, I’m hesitant to do so because of the inaccuracies of the information available on the product. If RAVPower can reevaluate the information provided for the device and ensure that it’s all accurate, then this is a wonderful option for travelers and those who work remotely.
Originally published at https://macsources.com on July 3, 2020.
