A few weeks back, I picked up up a Cyclops Ener-Pak Dual USB power charger before hitting the road into rural Illinois. It had everything that I was looking for – lightweight, compatible with both my iPhone and iPad, and at less than $80 – the price was right.
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Out of the box, the Cyclops was extremely intuitive and easy to use. A single On/Off button on the top of the unit, a micro USB input – and a pair of USB outputs. The outputs are split up based on power – a 1A out for your cell phone, and a higher 2.1A output for devices such as your iPad. Although I know I should have – I didn’t read the instructions. It’s great when a product works like it should directly out of the package.
A week ago when we had a city-wide power outage that lasted for 3 days, my cell phone was the only way to get news from the power company and city. After about 8 hours of constantly checking for updates my iPhone was starting to run dry. I remembered my Cyclops in the center console of my truck, and although I hadn’t charged it since my road trip – figured it was worth a shot. This is something that has made me skeptical about portable power up until this point. Will it work when I need it? Will it sit, and hold a charge when not in use? Let me tell you, it performed like a champ. It juiced up both mine and my wife’s phones in no time.
This past weekend, I didn’t have to think twice about packing the Cyclops in my camping gear. Like most people, my phone has also become my digital camera. And although I didn’t get cell phone reception at the campsite, by putting my phone into “flight mode” I was able to take pictures of our weekend long camping adventure with just a single boosting charge from the Cyclops energy pack.
If you’re looking for a super easy to use power solution for your phone or tablet on the go – I definitely recommend checking out the Cyclops Ener-Pak USB power charger. For more information visit their website.
