Friday, March 29, 2024
News

Reviewed: Powermonkey Explorer 2

THESE days, most of us depend on being able to communicate via handheld electronics and keep these devices charged wherever we go.

Fishos, especially, like to travel to out of the way places where power sources for recharging mobile phones and other electronic devices are hard to come by. And if you’re travelling light – say, canoe camping on a bass creek, or mountain biking to a secret honeyhole – lugging in a portable generator is out of the question!

So if you’re after a handy power source that is easily portable and relatively inexpensive ($139.95), the Powermonkey Explorer 2 from Powertraveller could be the answer.

This little metal barrel shaped unit weighs only 286 grams and is around 85mm long x 45mm wide. Inside is a powerful dual-core, 6000mAh lithium-ion battery that delivers a 5-volt (2 amp) charge. The build of this quality product is rugged and obviously made to last. When fully charged, Powermonkey Traveller 2 is – according to the manufacturer – capable of recharging an iPhone 5 up to three times, a GoPro Hero3+ four times and a Garmin Edge 1000 four times. It’s also compatible with other 5V devices such as tablets (including iPad), iPods, digital cameras, sat phones and more.

Of special interest to fishos (and boaties, divers etc.) is that the unit features an Ingress Protection (IP) rating of 67, meaning it’s waterproof for 30 minutes in up to a metre of water when used with the supplied cable. It also stays waterproof when the unit is charging a device. The unit’s scew-in top also has a waterproof seal to keep all connections watertight.

Charging the Powermonkey Explorer 2 is via the supplied micro USB In cable and USB Out tip plugged into a laptop and takes around 10-11 hours – a USB AC charger can also be used (8-9 hours charge time). The unit’s LCD screen displays the unit’s percentage level of charge. Turning it on (and off) is done via a rubberised button situated below the LCD screen.

inline_840_https://yaffa-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/yaffadsp/images/dmImage/SourceImage/Powermonkey-610.jpg

I recently tested the Powermonkey Traveller 2 during some summer fishing/camping trips. Having the unit on hand proved very timely on the first trip as my fishing buddy had an iPhone that was prone to a flat battery after each day of use. During the trip we managed to charge his dead phone twice and my almost flat phone once (also an iPhone) and the Powermonkey still displayed a reasonable amount of ready charge. When I got home the unit recharged in only a few hours via my laptop and was ready for the next trip.

Overall, the Powermonkey Explorer 2 is a quality product that would prove very handy for fishos, especially those who regularly get away to remote locations.

More info on the Powermonkey Explorer 2, other Powertraveller products and local distributors is available HERE.

What's your reaction?

Related Posts

Load More Posts Loading...No More Posts.