A few weeks ago, I was contacted by BirkSun founder Noah Applebome who asked if I’d be interested in reviewing one of his products. If you don’t know the company, they’re a relative newcomer to the space and make a range of solar-paneled backpacks and messenger bags, along with associated batteries. The BirkSun Plus Power Bank is the largest in the BirkSun line with a 10,000 milliamp hour capacity.

Specs
Weight: 9.5 oz
Dimensions: 2.5 x 5 inches
Capacity: 10000 mAh
Connectors: 2 USB

The BirkSun Plus Power Bank is about the size of an Apple iPhone 5c with just a tiny bit of added thickness. The lithium polymer battery comes encased in a brushed aluminum skin with subtle branding and even subtler labelling. Across the top are the three USB connectors. The center connector is a micro USB for charging. The other two are standard USB – one outputting at 1 Amp, the other at 2 Amp. BirkSun includes a USB cable but no wall charger. Although not a problem for us, those that don’t have an overabundance of USB chargers will be disappointed and possibly scrambling for one on Amazon.

Our BirkSun Plus Power Bank arrived with a partial charge and within about two hours came to full when connected to a wall outlet. Four bright blue LEDs indicate a full charge.

BirkSun claims the ability to recharge a mobile phone up to six times from a fully charged battery. Of course, that depends on the phone. We found that we could consistently get 3.5-4 full charges on our Android phones from the BirkSun Plus Power Bank. That’s nothing short of amazing given our experience with some of those other no-name battery products.

When connected via the 2 Amp outlet, the BirkSun Plus Power Bank also put out sufficient juice to operate and charge a new iPad. That’s another impressive feat since that’s even hard to do with anything other than the official Apple-brand wall adapter. Nicely done, BirkSun.

Thanks for reading another outdoor gear review from GearGuide. And thanks to Birksun for providing product for this review.