This thing is a beast. It’s not just another mobile power brick. Sure, it’s that, and packs a 30000mAh rechargeable lithium battery, which is quite large for a mobile battery pack.1 So you can charge smartphones, iPads, camera batteries, or probably even your laptop multiple times over.
It’s the RAVPower RP-PB055 30000mAh 100W 3-Port Power House. RAVPower calls it a portable power outlet, and that’s just what it is, with USB ports and even an AC-out port. The folks at RAVPower sent me one to try out, and here’s my take on it after using it for a while.
But the party trick of this battery is that you’re not limited to charging only USB devices. That’s because it comes with a three-prong AC outlet as well. So you can also charge 110V devices up to 100W that only have an AC plug. And to be clear, that’s charging from the battery via an AC plug. I’ve found that particularly useful for laptops that have their own AC power adapter. It’d be nice if all laptops could charge using a USB-C cable, but there are many laptops that don’t have that feature and only charge with an AC adapter. The same goes for camera batteries–many can charge via USB, but not all. So it’s nice to have the extra flexibility.
In Use
The Power House is very simple to use–basically the same as a regular mobile power brick. There are three USB ports, a power button, and an AC socket. On the front is a row of eight small blue LED lights that serve as the charge status indicators2.
The USB ports are:
- One PD port (which stands for Power Delivery), a two-way power port with a USB-C socket that can handle up to a maximum of 45W input and 60W output.
- Two iSmart output ports. One can output up to 18W; the other outputs up to 12W. iSmart is RAVPower’s self-adjusting USB charging technology that adapts to the requirements of different devices and cables. These use a standard USB-A port (i.e., the older, more common size) and are output-only.
So, for the USB ports, the highest available output is through the PD port, at 60W. The AC port can handle an even higher output of up to 100W.
As both a safety and power-saving precaution, the AC port is not automatically activated. That’s where the power button comes in. Press and hold the power button for 3 seconds to turn on the AC power port. It will shut off automatically when the attached device is fully charged. Or if it remains unconnected, it will shut off after one minute.
To get the charge status of the battery, press the power button once.
As with most battery and power devices, it’s normal for the device to get a bit warm during use, and I found that it does. But a lot of the reason for the larger size of the Power House is that it has some built-in space for airflow and heat sinks to dissipate the heat away.
One thing it doesn’t have is a way to charge the Power House directly from AC. That did strike me as a little odd—it doesn’t come with an AC power cord, and there’s no AC-in port. So you’ll need to charge it using the USB-C PD input. You can use a standard AC wall adapter for that, but to speed things along—it’s a rather large 300000mAh battery, after all—you’ll want to use an AC adapter or USB-C power hub that can output at least 45W. I’ve been using the RAVPower PD Pioneer 90W 2-Port Wall Charger RP-PC128, which I’ve found to be a very useful fast-charger for several of my devices and cameras and makes for a very good combination with the portable Power House.
What’s in the Box
- RAVPower Portable Power House
- USB-C to USB-C cable
- Soft pouch
- Semi-rigid carry case
Specs
These are the power specs taken from the included manual:
| Model | RP-PB055 |
|---|---|
| Battery Capacity | 30000mAh / 111Wh |
| PD Input | 5V⎓3A, 9V⎓3A, 12V⎓3A, 15V⎓3A, 20V⎓2.5A PD 45W Max |
| PD Output | 5V⎓3A, 9V3A, 12V⎓3A, 15V⎓3A, 20V⎓3A PD 60W Max |
| iSmart1 Output | 5V⎓3A, 9V⎓2A, 12V⎓1.5A 18W Max |
| iSmart2 Output | 5V⎓2.4A 12W Max |
| AC Output | 110-120V/60Hz 150W Max. 100W Rated |
| Rated Capacity | 5100mAh, 20V⎓3A |
| Weight | 847.2g / 29.9oz |
| Dimensions | 13.8 x 7 x 3.5 cm / 5.4 x 6.7 x 1.4 inches |
| Warranty | 18 months limited warranty |
Wrap Up
This is significantly larger than the typical USB battery packs I take with me when traveling. But it’s also more flexible. The AC outlet, in particular, is especially handy for any devices that don’t have USB charging available. So charging a laptop on a plane or at the airport is no problem.3
In short, it’s an attractive option if you’re looking to take one mobile charging station that can handle a bunch of different devices.
Where to Find Them
You can find them at Amazon.
- A previous version of this device shares the same model number but was 27000mAh and 85W and came with two micro-USB cables. And it might have also come with an AC wall charger, which is mentioned in some of the documentation, but I’m a bit unclear on that. The version I’m using here is 30000mAh and 100W and comes with one USB-C cable and no AC wall charger. ↩
- Each of the eight indicator lights corresponds to about 13% charge. ↩
- As usual, this is a device that you’d put in your carry-on, not in checked luggage. Airline and FAA rules mandate that large spare lithium batteries not go in checked luggage. ↩
Related Posts
Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2023-05-29 at 16:26. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
