Review: DBPower 18,000mAh Jump Starter Power Bank

DBPower 18,000mAh Jump Starter Power Bank

8.4

Power

9.0/10

Design

7.5/10

Build

8.0/10

Reliability

9.0/10

Pros

  • Has lots of Charging ports and other capabilities
  • Can Jump Start 6.5L Gas or 5.2L Diesel engines

Cons

  • Very Large and Heavy
(Last Updated On: December 5, 2018)

Portable power is a very reliable thing to have. Of course, I’m talking about a power bank because a power bank is able to charge most of the portable devices that we use on a daily basis like our smartphones, tablets and even laptops.

With that said, there are power banks that go even further than that because they can even power devices and jump-start cars.

This is one of the main reasons why Charger Harbor loves power banks so much. It’s because power banks can be transformed for other uses and still have their regular uses of charging USB chargeable devices.

Even though there are a lot of Jump Starter power banks on the market, this DB 18,000mAh Jump Starter Power Bank has a high capacity and its capabilities of not only jump-starting cars is impressive but also its ability to power devices and charge devices is too.

RAVPower 14,000mAh Element Car Jump Starter

Power

Power Capacity:

The Output Power Capacity

The starting power capacity of the DBPower bank is 18,000mAh and you’re to be receiving an average conversion rate when you’re using it. An average conversion rate meaning about 70% of the initial power capacity that the power bank starts with.

It’s always important to remember that during charging, the power within the batteries of the power bank are going through a conversion of power, and energy is lost there.

In addition to that, when the energy goes through a charging cable, then power is lost there as well, and as a result, the power capacity that you’re actually going to be able to use is about 12,500mAh.

It’s still quite a lot of power capacity because you can charge plenty of devices with it multiple times. Let’s go over what you’re going to be able to charge.

Charging Smartphones

On the smartphone spectrum, the Output power capacity of the power bank is going to charge most smartphones 4 times or more. For this power bank review, we’re measuring smartphones that have a battery capacity of 3,000mAh.

This goes for most newer smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S7, iPhone 7 Plus or Google Pixel because they all are in the range of capacities of 3,000mAh and yet they’re going to charge 4 times to their full power capacity.

With that said, if you have a smartphone that has a lower battery capacity than those, then you’re going to get about 5-7 full charges.

DevicesDBPower 18,000mAh Jump Starter Power Bank (Output Capacity = 12,500mAh)Phone CapacityDBPower 18,000mAh Jump Starter Power Bank Left Over Capacity after One Charge

# of Full Charges for the Device
iPhone SE12,500mAh1,624mAh10,876mAh Left Over

7.6 Full Charges
iPhone 612,500mAh1,810mAh10,690mAh Left Over

6.9 Full Charges
iPhone 6 Plus12,500mAh2,915mAh9,585mAh Left Over

4.2 Full Charges
iPhone 6s12,500mAh1,715mAh10,785mAh Left Over

7.2 Full Charges
iPhone 6s Plus12,500mAh2,750mAh9,750mAh Left Over

4.5 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S612,500mAh2,550mAh9,950mAh Left Over

4.9 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge12,500mAh2,600mAh9,900mAh Left Over

4.8 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S712,500mAh3,000mAh9,500mAh Left Over

4.1 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge12,500mAh3,600mAh8,900mAh Left Over

3.4 Full Charges
Apple iPad Mini 212,500mAh6,470mAh6,030mAh Left Over

1.9 Full Charges
Apple iPad Mini 412,500mAh5,124mAh7,376mAh Left Over

2.4 Full Charges

Charging Mini Tablets with the DB Portable Charger

The usual case with the Output power capacity for most power banks is that it’s so low that charging tablets with the power bank becomes a second thought. That’s not the case here because this DBPower portable charger is going to do a good job at charging tablets. At least for Mini tablets that is.

An iPad Mini 2 is going to be able to charge about 1.4 times and an iPad Mini 4 will fair about 1.9 full charges.

If you’re charging a Galaxy Tab tablet, with most of them having a battery capacity of 4,000mAh, then you’re going to have about 2.5 full charges. So in this case, this power bank is able to charge even most tablets multiple times as well.

Charging Full-Sized Tablets

Even charging a Full-Sized 12-Inch tablet isn’t too much of a problem because you can charge one to its full power only once, and still have 2,000mAh of power left over to use.

Charging Laptops with the Power Bank

Also, something that we’ll be getting into with this power bank is that it has the ability to charge Laptops with its DC Output port.

However, it’s not compatible with MacBooks, you can still charge Laptops like Dell and HP ones. Take, for example, a Dell Inspiron has a power capacity of 5,200mAh, so you can charge it 2 full times. Or other Dell Laptops that have 7,800mAh battery capacities so those will take about 1.6 Full charges.

Jump-Starting Vehicles

The first important thing to know about the power capacity when it comes to jumping starting your car is that you must have 25% or more power capacity in the power bank in order to jump start.

With that said, the power bank is able to jump-start 6.5L Gas or 5.2L Diesel engines about 30 times if the power bank has a full power capacity.

Output Charging:

The charging power of the DB Power bank is actually quite good because one of the USB charging ports has a Max standard charging speed of 5V/2.4A and the other port has a charging speed of 5V/2.1A.

Charging with USB Ports

2.4A Port:

Use this charging port first, because it’s going to be able to charge most devices at their max charging speed. This goes for most smartphones and tablets like an iPad that has a max charging speed of 2.4 Amps. Although, this power bank does not have Quick Charge and it will not charge your Quick Charge compatible devices at their max charging speeds.

2.1A Port:

This port is a very close second and you’re going to want to use this when you’re charging two devices at once. It’s not much different than the 2.4A port, just a little slower.

DC Output Port:

The power bank has a DC Output port that is mostly useful for charging Laptops. For one reason is that the power bank comes with 8 laptop adapters and also because you can adjust the Voltage that’s being outputted from 12V/16V/19V.

Jump Starting

The starting current when it comes to jumping starting cars is 300A and the max current is 600A.

Input Charging:

For some reason, when it comes to Jump Starter power banks, the recharge method that is used is DC input. We’re not complaining though because this power bank is able to charge at 15V/1.0A. As a result, an 18,000mAh power bank is going to be recharged within 4-5 hours.

It comes with a car recharger so you can recharge the power bank in your car, and it also comes with a wall charger to charge it in your house.

Similar Power Bank

DBPOWER 300A Peak 8,000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter

Design

Size and Weight:

So the power capacity alone isn’t exactly, what’s making the power bank large. It’s also all the charging options and the fact that you can jump-start your car, so the circuitry for that has to be made as well. With that said, this power bank is really meant to be set down.

It has a length of 8 inches, a width of 4 inches, and a thickness of 1.25 inches. It weighs 2.8 pounds. Very large and heavy. So as good as its powering capabilities are, you’re going to be limited by how far you can take this thing. I think it’s best to just have it stored in your car since that’s where you’re going to need it the most.

Functional Components:

Most of the functional parts of the power bank are on a single side.

On the Long Side

On the side is where you’ll find an LCD power capacity display/power output display, a DC Output port, a power button, the 2 USB charging ports, a DC Input, a switch for the Jump Cables, and the jumper cable ports.

On the Short Side

On the short side is where there’s a LED flashlight and on top of the power bank is where there’s a compass.

How it Works

Charging automatically starts when you insert devices into either the USB Output port or the DC Output ports. With that said, the power button still holds a vital function by being able to turn on the flashlight.

Hold down the power button to turn on the flashlight, and once it’s turned on, you can tap the power button to switch between 3 versions of the flashlight: Constant, Strobe, and SOS.

The LCD screen shows the power capacity in a percentage manner which is a much more convenient and accurate way of telling power capacity than just a couple of dots. It also shows the Voltage that’s being outputted.

How to use the Jumpstarter

The jump starter ports are covered by a flap. Once the jumper cables are connected to the power button, turn on the switch next to the cables to “ON”. Once it’s on, connect the Negative to the Negative and Positive to the Positive on the battery of your car. Wait about 14 seconds before cranking your car.

You shouldn’t crank your car for more than 4 seconds as that can cause damage, also you should give a 30-second cooldown for the power bank in between cranks.

Jackery New Spark

Build

Structure and Material:

The entire power bank is made of plastic, but that’s not really a bad thing because the power bank has a very thick structure to it. It doesn’t go into the rugged category but it’s built well enough that you can place this in your car and drive, and it’ll take the bumps and hits while you’re driving.

Tech:

On the tech side, the power bank makes use of the basic safety tech to keep you and your devices safe during charging. With that said, most jump starter power banks have a common problem and that is when jump starting is taken too far, the batteries within the power bank can expand.

This is why it’s vital to heed the warning of not cranking too long and to give the power bank a cool down after a crank is done.

Similar Power Bank

Reliability

We highly recommend that you get this power bank and place it in your car. This power bank isn’t really meant to be taken to other places because of just how large and heavy it, so you’re better off getting a power bank that’s just a plain power bank.

However, with this DBPower portable charger, you can charge 2 USB chargeable devices, use the DC Output port for laptops and you can jump start vehicles. All those power options are going to be perfect to use and reliable enough for when you’re on the road.

Beatit Tech 500A Peak 10,800mAh Portable Car Jump Starter

Summary:

Power:

The power capacity is enough to charge most devices multiple times. You can charge USB devices, a laptop and even jump start cars that have a 6.5L Gas engine or a 5.2L Diesel Engine up to 30 times when you have a full charge with the power bank.

Design:

It’s very large and very heavy. It’s best to place this power bank in your car, which is where it’ll hold the most use.

Build:

It might not have a rugged build, but it does have a tough build that’s able to withstand hits and bumps. One very important thing to remember is to not push the power bank too far when it comes to jumping starting cars.

Reliability:

The lack of portability, or rather the lack of ease with it, that you get this with this power bank makes it unreliable on portability.

For everything else, though, this DBPower power bank does a great and it’s one of the most reliable devices that you can keep in your car.

All Portable Car Jumper Reviews

Specs of the DBPower 18,000mAh Jump Starter Power Bank:

  • Capacity:            Advertised: 18,000mAh           Output Capacity: 12,500mAh
  • Output:  

USB Port 1: 5V/2.4A

USB Port 2: 5V/2.1A

DC Port: 12V/16V/19V

  • Input:    15V/1.0A Via DC Input
  • LED Power Indicators: LCD Power Capacity Display
  • Size: 8 x 4 x 1.25 inches
  • Weight: 2.8 Pounds

Conclusion:

We think DBPower did a great job designing this power bank because it has all the traits that you’re going to need when you head out on the road.

Whether it’s your smartphone at a lower battery power or your laptop. If you come back to your car and it has a dead battery, you can jump start. There’s no need for a tow truck when you purchase a power bank like this and there’s no need to really stress about power in general either.

Readers like you help support Charger Harbor. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.