Powertraveller PowerMonkey Classic V2 > Reviews (1)

Powermonkey.

I was fortunate enough to receive one of these items as a Birthday gift from a friend in the USA knowing how keen I was on travelling and may be caught short whilst out and about with low batteries. Despite the fact that I was charged £11 import tax on the thing which I had to pay before it was delivered ironically the powermonkey is distributed by a company based in Alton Hampshire.

What is the powermonkey?

The powermonkey is a portable emergency power back up supply that can be used to recharge different types of electronic equipment such as cameras, MP3/4 Players, IPods, mobile phones, Blackberrys and PDA’s.

It is claimed to be 10 times more powerful than a conventional battery and the standby charge is available for up to one year which is pretty good going if you are stuck out in the middle of nowhere. However I have not had to recharge something after one year so cannot really say whether there is sufficient power left in the charged unit to give a good boost.

What is in the box?

The box is approximately six inches by four and contains the following items:
1. The power unit. Silver.
2. A universal mains charger with different socket attachments for the UK, Europe, Asia, US and Australia.
3. Different attachments for mobile telephones available for all the main brands such as Nokia, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Blackberry and Bluetooth headsets.
4. Female USB charging tips for Smart phones, PDAs and other USB powered devices.
5. An IPod connector.
6. 1 DC connector for PSP and digital cameras.
7. A travel bag pouch.

Quite an array and assortment of connectors to help keep you charged up and please the must have gadget gurus amongst us and to keep you in contact.

The powermonkey charger unit.

The actual power unit is quite small and easily stored in your pocket or back pack and is quite light at only 70G ( about 2 and a half ounces for those still using imperial measure), so no worries of heavy weights weighing you down.
At one end of the unit there is a wire and on the end of the tip you attach the connection to the device that needs charging. There is a small slide switch on the top of the unit which you slide forward to discharge the power into you device. There is an in built light which flashes red when it needs recharging and green when it is fully charged. As the power transfers into your device the green light will eventually turn red and flash on and off.

Once discharged you have to recharge the unit and this does not take long at all. I have not sat and watched it to find out how long it took to recharge.

Despite me having two batteries when I am out and about for my camera I still manage to use up all the power on them and this can be quite frustrating especially if you are sure you are going to miss your best shot. For example I was walking around the Grand Palace in Bangkok and all of a sudden my camera warned me I had filled my 2G camera chip so started to delete some photos then the battery warning came on and then the camera died.

I was gutted as I had only got half way round. Had I had this charger I would not have had to miss some fantastic shots. However the bonus is that I get to see the Grand Palace again next time I am in Bangkok.

As for mobile phones I never turn mine on unless it is for an emergency while I am away otherwise I just do not bother to use my phone. I tend to turn it on for about 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night so if there are important messages I get them then. After about 10 days the battery is flat. With this little beauty I can give it a quick boost and it will last me another week.

So how much power is in this little monkey?

The following are estimated amounts of time you get from one charge from the powermonkey:-
IPods 40 hours.
Mobile phones 90 hours.
Digital cameras 1600 pictures.
PSPs = 5 hours
MP3/MP4 units = 6 Hours.
PDAs = 48 hours.
Quite impressive don’t you think? You are advised to top the powermonkey up when you have used it to keep a constant supply in your pocket.

Where can you buy these?

You can buy them from the company that distributes them in the UK and they are available in many stockists including Amazon for around about £30.

The power monkey can be obtained from:
Powertraveller at :- https://powertraveller.com/index.php
Or
Powertraveller.
IDC Plugs LTD.
8, Delta Park,
Wilsom Road.
Alton.
Hampshire.
GU34 2RQ.

There are also lots of other gadgets available from this company including solar powered chargers.

Do I recommend it?

I highly recommend this simple and very versatile piece of gadgetry which could ultimately be a real life saver. I have found it to be useful several times on my travels and I am really impressed with it.