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I haven’t done many powerbank reviews recently, because once you do one, all the others are the same. I can’t think of any that have been bad, so as long as it meets your specs and is well priced, you should be fine.
20,000 mAh battery packs are ubiquitous, and it is my goto size for everything other than carrying it around in my pocket. While smaller pocketable ones are superb, I am rarely in a situation where I need one because the Huawei P30 Pro has comfortably all-day battery life in most scenarios.
So when I looked at the Crave product line up, the one device that stood out was the Crave PowerPack 2 – a power delivery battery pack that has a monstrous 50000 mAh capacity, 150% more than anything I have used before. If that wasn’t enough to make it stand out as unique, this can also handle 60W power delivery.
The 60W PD is possibly the essential aspect of this charger for me. I have two laptops that use power delivery, the HP Envy X2 an ultra-portable Windows 10 on Arm device that I only use when I want to keep the weight to a minimum. Then a Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1 which is my go-to laptop for all press trips due to its lightweight nature and moderately powerful i5-7300U CPU.
All of the 20000 mAh chargers I have can do 18W PD, and the Crave has an 18W USB-C port as well as the 60W port.
18W PD is enough to provide juice for the HP Envy X2, and it will work with most tablets like the iPad. The Dell Latitude 5285 is more power demanding and has a minimum 27W power requirement as the i5-7300U has a TDP of up to 25W. The supplied Dell USB-C charger is 45W, so when I try and charge it with a 27w to 45w charger I get a warning that it may not work at its best, any lower than 27W it just won’t charge at all
Using the Crave 60W port, I get no warnings at all, and the laptop charges as if I was using the proper 45W wall plug.
The downside to all this is the overall size of the Crave charger. It is an absolute unit and it is so big I wouldn’t particularly want to be carrying it around in a bag all day, so it is not necessarily ideal for press trips when I am on my feet all day.
However, it does give you that flexibility of being able to charge anything anywhere. While I would prefer not to take it to an event, if I know I have work to do and getting a plug socket is going to be awkward, I don’t have to worry about it anymore. I can also take it to hotels and use it as my primary charger without being tied down to where the plug sockets maybe. I have also taken this on a train journey with me, I wasn’t booked onto a table seat so there was no plug socket.
It is so big, I am unsure how long it takes to charge. It comes with a 45W charger, I tried to give it a quick charge before I had a long drive somewhere, but it looks like it shipped with little or no juice, and my short charge wouldn’t work. Following that, I plugged it in when I got home when I checked it the next day it was fully charged. I have not had it long enough to fully discharge the monstrous battery as it has the capacity to charge my Huawei P30 Pro 12 times over.
This is also the most expensive charger I have used, it is not available in the UK yet, but in the US it is $199.99 so around £155. The size and price of this make it a very niche product, but it will no doubt be appealing to some users. I can’t find any comparable products to this, most normal powerbanks cap out at 26,800 mAh with a few offering up to 45W PD, all of which are more affordable, but if you need this specific set of features, this is the best choice on the market I can find.
Crave PowerPack 2 50000 mAh power bank Review Rating
Summary
Unrivalled power delivery performance also with almost no competing products offering a 50000 mAh capacity. The sheer size of it makes it impractical for a lot of scenarios, but if you have no access to a plug for extended periods of time frequently, this could be what you are looking for.
Overall
78%-
Features/Performancs - 95%95%
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Practicality - 70%70%
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Price - 70%70%
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
