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Zendure A5 16750 mah crush proof power bank review

The Zendure A5 power bank is the largest we’ve had the pleasure to review in every dimension including capacity. It comes in with an almost unbelievable 16,750 mah capacity. This is even more impressive when considering that it’s their second largest power bank. The honor of largest belongs to their A8 which adds Quick Charge 3.0 and has a capacity of 26,800mah. We were also sent their lovely reversible 2 sided micro USB cable and weatherproof case to review along with it.

The power bank itself ships in an attractive package which has a door on the front to view the power bank. All of the important specifications are written on the back of the package. In addition it has a list of items it should be compatible with. One stand out feature is “Charge Through Technology” this allows the power bank to charge a device while being charged itself. I made a mention of this in my review of the Yi camera as this could be used as a cheap BBU as well. 

Port arrangement and charging

IMAG0748 - for some reason we don't have an alt tag here

Zendure has equipped the A5 with a slim selection(a mere two ports) however their arrangement is excellent. The zen+ charging ports are rated for 2.1amp each or combined are on opposing sides of the charging port. The only change that would improve their arrangement would be moving the charging port to the opposite end. This would make using the “Charge through” feature easier to use with large USB plugs. Full charge time from empty comes in at roughly 12 hours which is quite good considering its massive capacity. Charging was done with their double-sided usb cable and the bank was observed pulling 1.3 amps on average during. The output when measured was typically 1.2-1.6 amps on each port, a bit lower than the maximum 2.1 but sufficient to charge my old htc m8 from dead in three hours.

The cable and case

usb cable - for some reason we don't have an alt tag hereThe reversible micro USB cable is something I wish had become more popular prior to the introduction of USB type c. It worked well for charging and I didn’t notice any difference between it and a standard micro USB cable. It does claim to be QC3 compatible however the only QC3 device I have iy my HTC10 which is also USB-C so I was unable to test this.

There’s not a whole lot to say about the case quite honestly. It feels like it’s made quite well and easily fit the Zendure A5 plus a few cables. I wouldn’t suggest it with any banks larger than the A5 however the larger A8 might be a stretch. Some cursory testing showed it splash resistant but I wouldn’t recommend submerging it as water can still penetrate the zipper. Overall it is light and was a convenient way to keep the power bank and cables together.

Crush test

The bank claims to be “Crush proof” in some of the marketing material, they even show a picture of it being run over by a car. So how better to test this claim than running out over ourselves!

The car used in this test was my 2012 Chevrolet Cruze which has a listed curb weight between 3011 and 3155lbs. Depending on the exact weight distribution I estimated that the powerbank would be subjected to 25-30% of that depending on the exact weight distribution. With the addition of the driver this works out to 900-1075 pounds under the tire. The Zendure A5 was as depleted as possible prior to testing as a safety concern. Under slow motion we can see the rubber belt flex some as it absorbs the weight of the car.

IMAG0929 e1487003879921 - for some reason we don't have an alt tag hereOther than some scratching the bank appears unharmed. I was able to fully recharge it and use it the next day with numbers. In line with our pre crush results. Although I’m hesitant to call something crush proof as eventually something will be large enough to harm it I have no qualm agreeing that the Zendure A5 is highly crush resistant. I’m planning to send the bank off to be crush tested further some with larger vehicles than I have access to personally and will post an update with those results when available.

Final thoughts

It’s not every day running a review sample over with a car is part of the planned testing. Zendure has made a durable product in an attractive design. I would have prefered that for it’s low cost at minimum the reversible cable was included with the A5. The weatherproof case was a nice accessory and something I’d certainly consider a welcome addition. The A5 itself is available here on amazon at 52.58 currently, certainly a premium price but this is an excellent bank for anyone who needs the added durability or capacity.

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Daniel Smith

Daniel Smith is a full time IT administrator at a medium sized private business former FRC coach and technology enthusiast.

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