Published on August 30th, 2015 | by Sunit Nandi

STIN Jolt Box Portable 10,000 mAh External Battery Charger Power Bank Review

Introduction

The usage of rechargable batteries had been a long ongoing practice by many people. However with the advent of handheld devices and the growth of networking, and therefore the need to stay “always online”, this practice has increased several fold. Battery backup devices which provide USB ports to charge handheld devices like phones and tablets are today called power banks. I got an opportunity from STIN to test and evaluate their “STIN Jolt Box Portable External Battery Charger with Smart Port Technology- 10,000 mAh”. So after a month of rigorous usage, I will pen down my experience with it.

Specs in brief

The STIN Jolt Box Portable External Battery Charger with Smart Port Technology 10,000 mAh is a sleek little power bank that can be charged using a 2A USB wall adapter to store power and later charge mall battery powered electronics like phones, tablets, handheld gaming consoles, music players, power banks and the like. The specs on their product page claim the following:

EXCLUSIVE SMART PORT TECHNOLOGY: Exclusive to Stin, it will intelligently detect your device, and deliver the fastest charge possible. Speed up to 3.1 Amps
MULTIPLE SAFETY PROTECTION: The circuit design is that multiple safety protection, using a grade A Li-ion polymer cell and premium microchips for reduced weight and increased safety. Secured battery safety with 4 layers of smart safety protection circuit; advanced power lock technology with standby time up to 6 months after fully charged. 500+ recharge cycles over the life of the battery.
ULTRA-HIGH CAPACITY: Portable battery pack with dual USB port with 10,000 mAh capacity. Charges the iPad Air almost once, the Galaxy S5 two and a half times, the iPhone 5s four and a half times and other smartphones multiple times.
ENTIRELY COMPACT: Fits easily into any bag or pocket; Compact, portable & stylish design; Easily fits into your bag to provide instant power; Perfect for long flights, road trips, or whenever you need to charge your mobile devices; often used as a substitute for a car charger, such as an iPhone car charger, dual USB car charger and iPad car charger.
PREMIUM PERFORMANCE: Constructed with industry grade materials, premium circuitry, and a 92% efficient battery cell (10% above industry standard) ensures complete reliability for every user. Portable battery charger 4 LED indicators to show the charging and discharging status. For best results, use the cable that came with your device or use a cable that has been certified to work with your device.

Now that we’re aware of what this product offers, lets find out if it is worth the hype.

Unboxing

The STIN Jolt Box Portable External Battery Charger with Smart Port Technology 10,000 mAh comes in a small paper and cardboard box with clean and bright illustrations and printed info on the paper slideout.

Upon sliding away the paper slip, you get a brown cardboard box with the STIN logo.

Opening the box, you get the power bank facing right at you and there is a nice “Thanks for choosing STIN” message. Taking out the power bank and opening up the inner flap reveals a USB-to-microUSB cord, a pouch for the power bank and a welcome guide.

What I really liked about their packaging is that they haven’t used any wasteful materials like foam or padding and kept it minimalistic. The box itself is pretty strong to protect the charger from major damage.

Now moving our focus to the power bank, we notice that it is a black sleek and light device, which looks pretty small given its capacity and surprisingly feels much lighter than the Xiaomi Mi 10400 mAh power bank (the other power bank I own). The front panel has a microUSB port for power input. For power output, there are two ports, one 1A and the other 2.1A, which means you can simultaneously charge your phone and tablet at the same time. I liked this option a lot because manufacturers of 10k mAh power banks only equip a single 2.1A power port.

The top of the device has 4 LED lights and a button. While charging, the LED lights show the charging status of the power bank. When the power bank is not charging, but idle or discharging, pressing the button shows how much power is left. The blue colour LEDs give the device a cool futuristic look.

The mesh vinyl pouch snugly covers the power bank and protects it from dust and scratches, while also remaining open on one side to enable USB devices to be plugged in and charged.

The “Welcome Guide” has some FAQs and warranty information.

Now that we’re done with the unboxing, lets move on to the usage.

Usage

Using the STIN Jolt Box Portable External Battery Charger with Smart Port Technology 10,000 mAh is very easy. Depending on the power rating of the device, plug your handheld’s USB cord to either the 1A or the 2.1A port and it begins charging immediately. The ports auto-sense your device, so a wide range of devices can be charged from it. To charge the power bank when its low on power, connect the microUSB port to a 2A USB wall adapter.

The power bank itself charges from flat to full in under 8 hours with a 2A adapter provided you use a good quality cable. Unlike the other power banks I have used, this one doesn’t even heat while charging and discharging; it stays stone-cold throughout. I must appreciate the the fact that STIN has done a wonderful job with the heat dissipation even with fast charging.

This little power bank charges up my YU Yureka with 2500 mAh battery for 3 and a half times, thus coming quite close to the claim of 92% efficiency. It also charges my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 for 2 and a half times before becoming empty.

One more thing I want to highlight is that the body and build quality is superb. The power bank is made of really sturdy aluminium alloy and the body paint, despite being shiny, doesn’t attract oil or fingerprint marks. Moreover, it case it does become dirty, wiping with a bit of cotton dipped in alcohol makes it squeaky clean. Other power banks are relatively harder to clean and touching those make it look like I ate a plate of butter chicken before handling (haha!).

Overall I was very impressed with this product and I would happily recommend it to anyone looking for a high capacity power bank. It is a good alternative to the Xiaomi Mi 10400 mAh power bank both build quality and efficiency wise. Also, I want to highlight that this is a Li-Polymer battery, so please remember to charge it to full before first use. This power bank is also a great companion for the STIN SunPower 8W portable solar charger, which you can use to store solar power to charge at night time.

Summary

Pros

Sleek, small and light
High-capacity of 10,000 mAh
Sturdy body and great build quality
Body paint is stain-resistant and easy to clean
Dual auto-sensing charging ports – 1A and 2.1A
Charging efficiency is close to 92% as advertised
Fast charges self from zero to full in less than 8 hours with a 2A wall charger
Stays stone-cold even in high power draw situations

Cons

I really couldn’t find any.

Getting one for yourself

The STIN Jolt Box Portable External Battery Charger with Smart Port Technology 10,000 mAh can be bought off Amazon for $27.99 which is a pretty low price for a power bank of such a capacity. You can click here to buy it.

You may also check out the STIN SunPower 8W portable solar charger which is a great companion device for this power bank.

Conclusion

The STIN Jolt Box Portable External Battery Charger with Smart Port Technology 10,000 mAh is a power bank that I’d rate a full 10 on a scale on 10. Not only does it work as advertised, but also outperforms many other chargers of same capacity, in charging speed, efficiency and build quality. It is also sleek and light, has two USB ports with different power ratings, doesn’t heat and is stain resistant. If you are looking for a great quality power bank at a low price, this is the one for you.

Tags: 10000 mAh, bank, battery, Box, charger, external, Jolt, portable charger, power, power bank, STIN

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.