Nestout Outdoor Battery 5000N
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Elecom NestOut is the toughest power bank I’ve ever tested, available for $45.
- It features the best mechanism I’ve come across to protect the USB ports.
- Its extreme durability is overkill for day-to-day use.
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The toughest situation most people’s power banks will endure is a drop on the floor — maybe a spill at the coffee shop. But some people demand a lot more from their power banks.
If you work outdoors, are a member of the emergency services, or just incredibly clumsy with your gear, you need a power bank that can survive the worst Mother Nature can throw at you.
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I just happened to find one such product, and it’s at the top of my list for toughness: the Elecom Nestout Outdoor Battery 5000N.
These power banks come in a rage of capacities – 5,000mAh, 10,000mh, and 15,000mAh — and they are IP67-rated (completely dustproof and tested to resist immersion in a meter of water for 30 minutes). They also pass the rigors of MIL-STD-810G, a demanding set of tests performed by the US Department of Defense covering various environmental stresses such as shock, vibration, extremes of temperature extremes, and humidity.
The lithium-ion cells holding the power are protected from knocks and water by a hard outer shell and inside that is a soft silicone cushion to absorb impacts and vibration.
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The outer shells come in a range of colors, and there’s a screw cap with a silicone O-ring protecting the USB ports. The 5,000mAh version has one USB-A port capable of a maximum output of 12W, and a USB-C port that handles input and output to a maximum of 15W, with a combined output with both ports of 15W.
There are five LEDs around the top that show battery capacity, a switch that turns the power bank off and on, and allows it to be put into 12-hour continuous output mode (Elecom make a range of accessories that fit on the power banks, things like fans and lanterns).
Extreme abuse leaves little more than a few scuffs on the power bank.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
On the bottom of the power bank is a 1/4-20 screw thread for attaching it to a tripod and such, which can be handy around camp, especially if the power bank is being used with one of Elecom’s accessories.
But it’s the toughness where this power bank really stands out. I’ve had this power bank submerged for several days, out in the heat and rain of the UK summer, thrown it about, and it just keeps going. The polymer of the shell is very robust, and while it certainly does scratch and scuff, there’s no real damage.
Here it is after a lot of harsh abuse.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
I dropped bricks on it, hit it with a metal bar, and even drove a tractor over it (where it just dug itself into the dirt) but at least it stayed intact.
The screw cap over the USB ports is a cool feature, and much better than the little flaps that you get on a lot of outdoor products. It’s a super secure way to protect what is the most vulnerable bit of a power bank.
ZDNET’s buying advice
The Elecom Nestout Outdoor Battery 5000N is built like a tank, and while I’ve tested a number of power banks that are tough, this is by far the toughest. It feels utterly bombproof, and is without a doubt overbuilt for day-to-day use.
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But for situations where you’re going to be relying on a power bank in the wet and cold, and a dead unit could mean the difference between success and failure, this is the power bank to take.
Best of all, it’s not as expensive as I expected. When I test things, I try to avoid knowing how much something is until I’m done. While I was testing this, I was expecting it to cost something in the region of $75 – $100, so I was surprised to find that it was $45, with the larger 10,000mAh unit being $55, and 15,000mAh one coming in at only $67.