Customer Reviews

Energizer XP4001 Universal Rechargeable Power Pack

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have found this to be a great way to carry a load of portable power when I'm in "road warrior" mode. The two USB connectors can be used simultaneously to give both my phones a top-up, and in a pinch I can even use it to recharge one of my smaller batteries (Kensington K33442, 1000mAh and DLG DLA52527, 1200mAh) that attach to my iPhone.

There are a few disappointments. That gray grip that looks so much like rubber is really just gray hard plastic, so it's not non-slip. The charge indicator, as far as I can tell, is one LED. If it comes on, there's power. If it doesn't, well, I guess there isn't. The manual doesn't explain further.

The "Free Tips for Life" deal is bogus, too. Yes, they'll send you free tips (up to two per year), but you will pay a shipping and processing fee on EACH of them (even if they ship together) that's more than the cost of the tip and probably ten times what they cost to ship and "process."

All in all a great product, but some deductions must be made for the lack of a workable power gauge and the bogus "Tips for Life" scam.

Very high quality, light weight, loads of power, and will charge 2 devices at the same time. I've kept this power pack in my topcoat pocket and had portable power where ever I go. I've used it on airplanes, airports, conferences, restaurants, etc. When others are tied to, or desperately searching for an outlet I'm browsing, talking, and charging in peace and tranquility. It easily fits in my neoprene laptop case and while a little too large to be unnoticed, it will fit in a sport-coat or jacket pocket as well. At 4000mw it may be overkill for my iPhone, camera, and GPS, but I bought this over the 2000mw unit in anticipation of using it with an iPad. For an iPhone alone the 2000mw unit would be even easier, i.e. less noticeable, to carry in a suite-coat pocket.

What a great idea. The Energizer XP4001 Universal Rechargeable Power Pack is just an ok execution.
The cheap low quality cables are this products glaring weakness. The 2 cables that shipped with my unit do NOT maintain a good enough connection to charge anything.
If I place my device in my bag the the OEM cables connected to the Energizer XP4001 I have no idea whether my device is charging or not.
Just moving around in my bag the connector is more likely than not to maintain a good charging connection.

When I plug a better quality USB A to Micro cable into the Energizer XP4001 no problem. A charging connection is maintained and the Energizer XP4001 Universal Rechargeable Power Pack performs pretty much as expected. I can't say how my 24" USB A to Micro cable is affecting the efficacy of the XP4001. I would not be surprised if it creates a greater drain n the XP4001, but hey it works.

With the cheap cables that ship with the Energizer XP4001 Universal Rechargeable Power Pack alone, I would give the XP4001 1 star and I'd be shipping the unit back to the manufacturer. The fact that the manufacturer chose to use standard USB A port on the unit gives it back 2 stars keeps it useful and in my possession.

My intent in purchasing the battery was to have something for backpacking and for business trips. On the first charge I was able to charge the following over the course of 24 hours:
0% to 100% iPhone4 in about 3 hours
low charge to full charge 3rd gen iPod shuffle in 2-3 hours
50% to 98% iPhone4 in about 1.5 hours

It was dead after that. I am pretty happy with these results. I don't mind the grey area not being rubberized. I am concerned about shock from being dropped or handled roughly so I may look for a case like you would use for a GPS unit to go on it. I do wish it had a power meter of some sorts.

Now that I have a smart phone, I am constantly checking game scores online while at the college football games. By the end of the game my phone would be about dead. No place to charge up my phone while sitting in the stadium. Tried this out for one game and loved the extra power boost. My phone re-charged about as quickly as it would have plugged into an A/C outlet. Got one for my daughter as well. She plays in her college band at the games. On the long road trip to away games, her phone is usually dead by the time they get back on the bus to go back to campus. She now uses this charger on the bus to keep her phone fully charged. She has plenty of juice to last the entire game, and then uses the charger again for the return trip. Used it again this past weekend at a game. Our friend's phone was just about dead, and was able to charge up both of our phones at the same time. We don't travel anywhere without this charger any more! Love it! Definitely worth every penny.

My first smartphone was a Droid X, which did not hold a significant charge. Knowing that I enjoy day trips to destinations such as Pittsburgh, NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, etc., I knew that I needed a solution to my battery woes for photography, social media, and streaming radio purposes.

Enter the Energizer XP4001 - a lightweight, cost effective solution to my problem. Shortly after my purchase, I switched to an iPhone 4, which had substantially better battery life than my Droid X. Even with that being the case, I still needed the ability to go beyond the iPhone 4's battery strength. This power pack enabled me to do that. When my phone was near death, I was able to cycle two full charges through it. Yes, that's 100% on the iPhone's battery to 0%, back to 100% again, drain to 0%, and back to 100% again, all without connecting to a power outlet. And the Energizer unit doesn't get hot while it's charging my device. Even when you're charging the Energizer unit it doesn't warm up! This is fantastic.

I now have the iPhone 4S. I just got back from a trip to NYC, where I took numerous pictures. I also listened to some streaming radio throughout the day, uploaded pictures to Facebook, and kept up to date on the news. When my battery approached 20%, I just connected my iPhone to this Energizer power pack. I slipped my phone into its compartment in my messenger bag, all while being connected to the power pack.

I can say with 100% confidence that you WILL be satisfied with this product. If you need your phone to last an entire day under heavy usage, this is the product for you. You don't have to wait until your phone gets to 0% to start charging; you can plug in right away and go about your business. However, most people don't like the idea of having their phone connected to a battery pack while they're using the phone, especially if you're out in a public setting.

If you're on the fence, I encourage you to pick this up. I've never had to use both USB ports at once, but if you're with a friend or significant other and you both have smartphones, this is an added benefit. Keep in mind, if you both charge your phones from 0% to 100% simultaneously, at the end of the cycle the Energizer may be fully drained. Therefore, I recommend this particular unit for one person who needs to have the ability to use their phone heavily for a full day.

So whether you have a BlackBerry, Android, or iPhone, I definitely recommend this unit; it's perfect for all smartphones, and keeps you going while you're on the run. Never worry about battery life again!!!

I like this because I can just keep it in my briefcase or take it skiing or whatever.
It seems to charge my stuff well.

I think that it doesn't automatically turn off, and may waste battery life if you don't catch it once it's done.
Also, some items like my Blackberry Bold 9700 will not charge from it using a regular USB cable. You have to use the funky included one, I'm not sure why. It charges my HTC EVO 3D just fine.

I think it was a mistake for it to require a proprietary wall wart charger. Come on guys...

It can charge your items while it is charging itself, so that's cool.

The cable and tip system of the XP4001 is worth 5 stars. I haven't found a small electronic device that I can't charge with that setup, though I did have to take advantage free tips for life program (that's free plus a small shipping charge). So I recommend this device for the cable and tip set. But there are two serious problems with design of the battery: First, there is no way to know how "full" the battery is. There is a little green light to tell you there is some charge, but it could be anything from 100% to 1%. When the light goes out, the battery is dead. This makes the battery very hard to manage. Second, after all the trouble to make a universal tip and cable system for the output, the input charger is proprietary with a weird concentric tubular connector. So you need to carry one more wall wart if you are going to travel with this thing. The wall wart output is 5v at 1.5 amps. I have several USB chargers rated that or better which are physically smaller and lighter than the supplied unit, but I can't use them unless I'm willing to get creative with a soldering iron.

I travel a lot and have been on the hunt for the ideal Li ion charger for my small electronics. The best battery I have found is no longer made, but was from a company called APC. I own and use several. It is a great battery, but has compatibility problems with many, especially newer, devices. That battery and the cables and tips from the Energizer XP4001 make just about the ideal portable charging system, if you can get those things together.

I gave this to my daughter for Christmas and all my other kids wanted one too. We used it the next day when we went to see family for a few days. It was great not to have to drag everyone's chargers with us!

This power pack does everything it says. Its so convient. I use this instead of my wall charger even when I'm home. Its great! There are a lot of tips included and if yours isn't there it states they will give it to you free of cost.