Power bank (batteries) and charging

[dinatural]

Hello everyone, I'm a big fan of the videos but first time writing on the forums!

I have a newbie question because I have no real knowledge of current. I bought some external USB battery pack from eBay for long hitchhikes or weekends in the woods. My friend says to always use an "outlet-usb thing" converter (the ones that come with your phone or you buy cheap) to charge it cause it has better amperage.

I have read at lots of places on the net that those little converter boxes are usually very cheaply made and could even be "dangerous". So I always charge with a computer USB port, because those have been around forever and we have them already and I think the current in them is "better" than the converter boxes. I know it sounds weird but my brain could be broken.

So who's right between my friend and I? An expert opinion would be greatly appreciated
Thanks in advance

[katzohki]

Your friend has a point, you get what you pay for, but you can still get really good USB chargers if you spend the money. Best advice is to look at some reviews and pay attention to the current rating of the charger / hub.

Lightweight and batteries don't go hand in hand though. What kind of battery did you get and what are you using it for? Just curious as I too like to go hiking. 

[IanB]

Computer USB ports are normally limited to 0.5 A output current. For larger batteries this will slow down the charging rate.

USB chargers that you plug into the wall may provide from 1.0 A to 2.5 A or more, so they can charge things faster.

But it is true that many wall chargers are cheaply made and dangerous, especially if you get them from eBay from from the dollar store.

However, buy a quality item from a reputable source and it should be OK.

[AG6QR]

IanB is right (as usual).  The advantage to a wall plug-in USB charger might be faster charging.  That's only true if the wall plug-in USB charger supports a higher charge rate, and if the device you're charging can accept current at the higher rate.  Furthermore, fast charging isn't necessarily better than slower charging.  Obviously, fast charging is better if you don't have time to wait, but slower charging generally heats things up less and may be a bit gentler on the batteries.

Generally speaking, we're talking about a slow rate of about 0.5A, and a fast rate of 1 to 2A.  The difference is a factor of 2 or 4.  Not huge, but definitely noticeable if you're standing around waiting for the charge to finish.

If you're not in a big hurry, and if the computer would be switched on anyway, you're not doing any harm by using a computer.