Hey gang, Valkor here. When it comes to reviewing tech items, especially ones that are similar to the types I’ve reviewed before, I still go in with the mindset that there's still something unique about it – same yet not the same. Case in point is a newcomer to the Val-Cave Cheero, who've brought along their latest battery pack, the Power Plus 3. And right off the bat, the product looks very familiar, but, at least, it has a little something different about it that makes it worth checking out.
From the jump, the Power Plus 3 looks almost exactly like Kensington’s 10,400 pack – at least by its shape and placement of its power button. But what separates the Power Plus 3 from the Kensington first is the color, which is white. Next are the two USB ports – one quick charge 5V 2.4A and your standard charge of 5V 1A; in betwixt the two ports is a microUSB for charging the pack and on the left of the ports is the power button. What also separates it is the placement of the indicator lights, which for the PP3 is on the face of the pack just above the company name. Inside the Power Plus 3 is a 13,400 battery capable of multiple charges (the company touts it can “charge an iPhone 5 up to 5 times”). But we'll see how well it handles as I put it against the powers of the Nexus 6 and Nexus 7 tablet.
So I kick things off by plugging the Nexus 6 into the quick charge port with 44% life left while I plug the Nexus 7 into the standard port with 82%. And after letting them charge for roughly 2 hours, the Power Plus 3 brought the Nexus 6 to 95% and completely filled the Nexus 7 to capacity, showing two dots left of power in the pack. That’s pretty decent and I’ve seen similar numbers using other packs for the same duration when dealing with a dual port option. I also think the Ventev Powercell 10000+ has spoiled me because I would prefer their LED readout, knowing exactly how much power my pack has left as opposed to the LED dots. But that’s just me. Now, on to the breakdown!
The Bang:
With portable battery packs increasing in capacity, yet remaining compact enough to carry around, I’d say it’s a wise investment in picking up Cheero’s Power Plus 3 battery pack; it’s just the right size and fits into any bag with ease or sits well on your desktop, allowing you to charge whilst you handle other business. Now it used to be the largest capacity battery pack you could get would be a 10k mAh, but now we’re starting to see larger sizes and Cheero is right there; 13,400 isn’t exactly 16k like Monoprice’s Select Series, but it still gives you more than enough to get you through the day, especially when you’re running low. Finally, the PP3 is great to take along on your commute or travels - business travelers especially will get a lot more mileage out of this type of pack because it gives you more power to charge multiple devices before you hit the “E” on the pack itself. Well done Cheero, the Power Plus 3 is a worthy choice out of a long list of portable packs out on the market.
The Slack:
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You can find out more about Cheero, the Power Plus 3 and other products from the company by clicking on that logo to the right. But as it stands, if you’re in the market for a portable battery pack either for yourself or looking for that perfect gift to give to someone, then consider the Power Plus 3; it’s a nice, slim design and a great capacity to keep your mobile devices running for the duration. And out of TOV 5 stars, I’m giving the Power Plus 3 a 5. And it’s been Valkor tested, TOV Approved.
