INTRODUCTION

   With winter just around the corner many people (myself included) are already arranging hiking trips far away from home. Believe it or not there was a time (just over two decades ago really) when we had zero need for electricity while on the go. Of course, back then we had no cell phones, tablets, music players, bluetooth headsets, smartwatches and generally anything portable that required electricity (regular quartz watches excluded). Today however we all have them so when going on a hiking trip (or any trip for that matter) packing a portable powerbank with us is always a good idea. The problem however usually has to do with capacity and so out of all the hiking trips I’ve been (and again trips in general) only twice did the powerbank I packed last till I was back home (or to a place with an electrical socket). Extremely high capacity powerbanks have been around for quite some time now but they keep getting bigger and bigger with even higher capacities and today we'll be checking one such powerbank model and more specifically the Universal Powerbank AC-42K EU by Enerpad (Samlife).

   Samlife Technology (Enerpad) recently launched a new series of Ultra-Slim High Capacity AC Power Bank. Supplies up to maximum capacity 80000mah with AC output power to 300W. The series using Japan premium cells can fully utilize high performances and powerful output power. The products pass BSMI rigorous testing, safety design certificated for EU/USA and Japan PSE regulations. Samlife General Manager, Mr. Yang Fui, emphasis that battery cells is the main key of these high output power products. Typical lithium battery cells were drop efficiency to 50% after 500 times cycles. The Japan cells we used will only slight attenuation after 1000 cycles. Beside Japan cells has a safety auto power-off design which provides safest protection. Although it will increase costs we not allowed to be discounted in safety. It is request from our company’s persistence over the years. All series of products are produced in Taiwan. Under precise production processes will efficiently increase product quality and marketing in MADE IN TAIWAN worldwide. Samlife Technology has been focusing on energy application design and development for many years. Full product range can experience at Enerpad Counter on 2F Syntred. Samlife Technology had also designed unique backup power solution equipment for medical and educational fields used. The latest version AC-40KD slim as laptop with only 940g. So, portability and conveniences for consumers to carried. The capacity of 40000mAh that is under airline regulation of 160wh which capable to carry aboard. Nothing to worry on lack of power while on business travel or tourist.

   For the AC-42K EU model Enerpad has used grade A lithium-ion battery cells (3.7V made in Japan) that add to a total output of 41600mAh and feature several electrical protections against overcharging/overload and overheating. The total output of the AC-42K EU is actually quite significant since it means you can carry this powerbank model with you even on an airplane (up to 160Wh/43000mAh powerbanks are allowed on airplanes - some airlines however require getting approval first). Leaving out the total battery capacity the second strongest selling point of the AC-42K EU is its two 220V AC sockets (the US model has 110V AC sockets) with an output of up to 200W (single/combined). This means you can plug one or more AC powered devices on the powerbank as long as they don't exceed 200W total under load (such as fans, TV's and even small refrigerators). Needless to say, the AC-42K EU also comes ready with two fast-charge USB 5V/3.4A outputs and a single USB type-C output for use with portable devices like notebooks, tablets, smartphones, cameras, smartwatches, bluetooth headsets, music players and more.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Enerpad ships the AC-42K EU inside a black box that has just their logo at the front.

Contact information is printed at the rear of the box so not much here either.

The powerbank is nicely packed inside the box right over another cardboard box which includes the rest of the bundle.

Along with the AC-42K EU and its wall adapter you will also get a carrying/storage synthetic cloth pouch and the user manual.

THE AC-42K EU

The housing of the AC-42K EU is entirely made out of "regular" plastic and thus doesn't feel very durable (this however applies to most non-rugged models in the market).

In terms of size the AC-42K EU is massive and so it measures 222mm in length, 160mm in width and 52mm in height (purely for comparison purposes we placed it right next to the AL390 18000mAh by Xtorm, AL420 9000mAh again by Xtorm, Ultra Compact Powerbank 10000mAh by CHJGD and the PL3 10400mAh and PL2 6000mAh models by Luxa2).

A battery capacity status LED is placed at the top of the enclosure right next to the on/off/status button.

The USB type-C output port is located on the left side of the enclosure right next to the DC input and an 30mm exhaust fan.

On the right side we find two perforated areas and two rubber feet (this means you can place the powerbank vertically).

At the front of the enclosure we find the two AC 220V sockets and their on/off LED and switch and the two fast-charge USB 5V/3.4A outputs.

Turning the powerbank over we find 4 rubber feet and a sticker which contains its electrical specifications.

CONCLUSION

   The AC-42K EU power bank by Enerpad is a beast not only in size but also in battery capacity since it's 16 internal rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (2600mAh each) add to slightly less than the advertised capacity of 42.000mAh (around 41600mAh according to Enerpad). Now although it's certainly very useful to have two 3.4A/5V USB outputs (plus a USB type-C output) but at the end of the day quite frankly you will never get to come even close to the advertised capacity of this powerbank. As we've mentioned many times in the past this of course is largely due to the voltage conversion (and then there's also a slight conversion loss) between the internal batteries (3.7V) and the USB ports (5V) so after 2 full weeks of testing with our two USB testers we recorded up to 28200mAh (we decided on measuring all over again every single powerbank we have here so from our next review we’ll also be adding charts so you will all know at a glance what you are getting in terms of total battery capacity). Now although we did expect slightly more (conversion loss was obviously a tad more than expected so we do hope Samlife/Enerpad looks into that) this is by no means a small number especially considering that it's almost twice as much compared to what we got from our last powerbank review of the Zendure X6. Of course the 2nd selling point of the AC-42K EU model (just like with similar models) are the two AC ports (200W total output) which allow you to use the powerbank with a plethora of electrical devices such as fans, TV's, desk/floor lamps, laptops and even small refrigerators (we used a couple of large fans and one 32 inch LG TV without issues).

   Even though Samlife (Enerpad) is doing extremely well in China they have zero presence in the USA and EU markets so here (at least for now) they actually act as the OEM manufacturer for other "local" powerbank brands like Chargetech and Xtorm. So, At the time of this review the 42k model by Chargetech retails for USD220 inside the USA (Amazon.com) whereas the AL490 model by Xtorm currently retails for 263.75Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) and yes it costs quite a bit. Still considering that you're getting almost twice the battery capacity of for example the Zendure X6 (which is still considered a very high capacity model) along with two AC sockets featuring a total power output of 200W and honestly, I’d say things look pretty good. Overall, we were very satisfied with the performance of the AC-42K EU powerbank by Enerpad, sure it may not be the best all-around model out in the market today but it offers exactly what most consumers looking for an extremely high battery capacity would want and for that it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality (Premium Grade Battery Cells)
- Extremely High Capacity (41.600mAh)
- 3 Fast Charge Ports (2xUSB 5V 3.4A / 1xUSB Type C)
- 2 AC 220V Sockets (200W Max)
- Available Protections (Overcharge / Overheat)
- LED Status Indicator
- Available Capacities (42/54/80k mAh)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Availability Outside China (OEM)