Review: XTAR SC1 PLUS – 3A Charger Power Bank
XTAR is an electronic company specialising in products such as chargers, power stations, batteries, and more. The XTAR SC1 PLUS is an essentially a power bank powered by a 3.6V / 3.7V Li-ion rechargeable battery. SC1 PLUS retails for US8.90.
Specifications
| Type-C Input | 5v-3A Max |
| Constant current | 4.2V-3A x 1 Max1.45V-2A x 1 Max |
| USB Output | 5V-2A |
| Cut-off voltage | 4.20±0.05V / 1.45±0.1V |
| Cut-off current | ≤150mA |
| Operating Tempeature | 0-40ºC |
Unboxing
The XTAR SC1 PLUS slides out from its packaging which reveals the following:
- SC1 PLUS Charger / Power Bank
- Silicon strap
- USB-A to USB-C cable
XSTAR kindly sent a wall-charger for charging as well for testing purposes.
Build quality
The plastic used on the XTAR SC1 PLUS feels pretty good. The spring enclosure where the battery is meant to be held has good tension and slides smoothly. XTAR SC1 PLUS can fit up to a 26800 battery. I like how there is a silicon strap to hold the battery in place.
The size of the XTAR SC1 PLUS is just right. At a height of 12.5cm and thickness of 3.5cm, it is very portable and should slip in easily in any bag compartment.
Usage
Operating the XTAR SC1 PLUS is very straightforward. As long as you have the compatible battery installed, it is a simple plug-and-play. According the XTAR, the SC1 PLUS is compatible with the following batteries:
| 3.6V/3.7V Li-ion | 18650 / 18700 / 20700 / 21700 / 22650 / 25500 / 26650 / 26800 |
| 1.2V Ni-MH | D |
Once the battery is inserted, you can either choose to charge it or output power from it. XTAR SC1 PLUS is charged via the USB-C input, which cna be as fast as 15W fast charging as long as you have the right power adapter. While charging, you can monitor the four blue LEDs to track its progress.
To use it as a power bank, you have to use the USB-A port which offers up to 10W of charging speeds. Battery does feel warm while in use, but does not feel too got to be alarmed. Besides, XTAR SC1 PLUS is designed with anti-short circuit to prevent overload for safety.
Conclusion
I see the XTAR SC1 PLUS as a great companion for individuals who often goes on hikes and wants a power bank that is small enough to carry around. Being battery operated allows the battery to be used in other outdoor devices such as torchlights. And at just US8.90, it is a really a low risk purchase.
Review: XTAR SC1 PLUS – 3A Charger Power Bank
XTAR is an electronic company specialising in products such as chargers, power stations, batteries, and more. The XTAR SC1 PLUS is an essentially a power bank powered by a 3.6V / 3.7V Li-ion rechargeable battery. SC1 PLUS retails for US8.90.
Specifications
| Type-C Input | 5v-3A Max |
| Constant current | 4.2V-3A x 1 Max1.45V-2A x 1 Max |
| USB Output | 5V-2A |
| Cut-off voltage | 4.20±0.05V / 1.45±0.1V |
| Cut-off current | ≤150mA |
| Operating Tempeature | 0-40ºC |
Unboxing
The XTAR SC1 PLUS slides out from its packaging which reveals the following:
- SC1 PLUS Charger / Power Bank
- Silicon strap
- USB-A to USB-C cable
XSTAR kindly sent a wall-charger for charging as well for testing purposes.
Build quality
The plastic used on the XTAR SC1 PLUS feels pretty good. The spring enclosure where the battery is meant to be held has good tension and slides smoothly. XTAR SC1 PLUS can fit up to a 26800 battery. I like how there is a silicon strap to hold the battery in place.
The size of the XTAR SC1 PLUS is just right. At a height of 12.5cm and thickness of 3.5cm, it is very portable and should slip in easily in any bag compartment.
Usage
Operating the XTAR SC1 PLUS is very straightforward. As long as you have the compatible battery installed, it is a simple plug-and-play. According the XTAR, the SC1 PLUS is compatible with the following batteries:
| 3.6V/3.7V Li-ion | 18650 / 18700 / 20700 / 21700 / 22650 / 25500 / 26650 / 26800 |
| 1.2V Ni-MH | D |
Once the battery is inserted, you can either choose to charge it or output power from it. XTAR SC1 PLUS is charged via the USB-C input, which cna be as fast as 15W fast charging as long as you have the right power adapter. While charging, you can monitor the four blue LEDs to track its progress.
To use it as a power bank, you have to use the USB-A port which offers up to 10W of charging speeds. Battery does feel warm while in use, but does not feel too got to be alarmed. Besides, XTAR SC1 PLUS is designed with anti-short circuit to prevent overload for safety.
Conclusion
I see the XTAR SC1 PLUS as a great companion for individuals who often goes on hikes and wants a power bank that is small enough to carry around. Being battery operated allows the battery to be used in other outdoor devices such as torchlights. And at just US8.90, it is a really a low risk purchase.
Xstar 11000mAh Power Bank A11 Review
In this post, I am going to review the Xstar 11000mAh Power Bank A11.
About Xstar
Xstar is an Indian brand based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Xstar is known for manufacturing power banks, chargers and USB cables.
Specifications
Micro Input: DC 5V 2.1A Max
USB1 Output: DC 5V 2.4A Max
USB2 Output: DC 5V 2.4A Max
Design Build
Xstar 11000mAh Power Bank is built of plastic. It has a compact design which allows you to carry the power bank easily.
It feels solid in hand and doesn’t get scratched. It’s not only good looking but build quality is also great.
The dark black colour of this power bank also adds some extra stars on the design side. The Power bank has curved corners which provides a more secure hand grip.
It has an Xstar branding on the front side. On the backside, there is input/output voltage, current and capacity info on the bottom side.
Xstar 11000mAh Power Bank has two 2.4A(5V) USB output ports (fast charging). 4 LEDs indicate the battery level charging indication, i.e. 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%.
It comes with a 2.1A input port (5V) and power check button. Using the power check button, you can check the remaining power in the power bank.
You don’t need to switch on/off this power bank because it does automatically when the device is connected.
Performance
I charged the power bank fully before using. It makes use of Lithium-ion batteries. It can deliver around 9000 mAH capacity out of 11000 mAH.
During the test, this power bank charged my Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1(5000 mAH) for less than two times. It has a 2.1A (5V) input port. The charging time depends on your wall adapter.
The Xstar 11000mAh Power Bank has two 2.4A (5V) output ports so it can quickly charge your phone compared to others. I felt minimal heating of power bank during the use.
Conclusion
For its asking price, Xstar 11000mAh Power Bank is excellent. I am impressed by its design and performance.
XTAR SC1 Plus
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XTAR SC1 Plus review: battery charger
XTAR SC1 Plus specifications
| Input | USB-C QC3.0 |
| Input Voltage | 5V 3A |
| Max charging current | 3A |
| Number of slots | 1 |
| Max charging current | 3A |
| Battery chemistries | Li-ion / NiMH |
| Cell compatibility | D18650, 18700, 20700, 21700, 22650, 26650, 26800 |
| Review date | June 2022 |
Introduction:
In for review we have another XTAR charger, powered by USB-C. This one is XTAR’s latest single cell charger, supporting even the very long 26800, charging at a fairly impressive 3A current.
These cells are gaining in popularity, so it’s great to see XTAR respond to the market with chargers that take longer cells.
We’ll also be testing the USB power bank functionality that the SC1 Plus provides.
Package quality.
The SC1 Plus comes in a very basic plastic and card package, without a box, bag or many accessories.
- XTAR SC1 Plus charger
- Silicon strap to hold cells in place
- Manual
- USB A-to-C cable
XTAR also sells the SC1 Plus with an optional power supply and an optional cell. Mine came with a 3600mAh 18650 cell.
Quality Warranty
The SC1 Plus is made of rugged plastic. It’s lightweight but feels more robust than chargers that came free with budget flashlights.
The SC1 Plus has power bank functionality and a silicon strap, so it seems like XTAR intended for it to be used on the move. Chances are it would be fine loose in a bag with a cell in it but personally I would want to be more cautious, in case the cell got knocked out of place. It’s certainly suitable for keeping in a and as a test I tried carrying it on a short walk, using it for its power bank functionality to charge my phone.
Warranty: XTAR provides a 15 free replacement warranty and a 24 month free repair (but charging for parts)
Xtar 3600mAh Battery Test:
The Xtar battery capacity is tested with a discharge current of 300mAh and cut off voltage at 2.8V
Total capacity: 3488mAh
Basic Charger usage:
Officially, I should probably recommend that you read the manual that comes with the SC1 Plus. Unofficially: you can plug the charger’s USB-C port into any USB source, put in a battery (the right way round) and it will start charging. Simple. There’s no buttons to press or options to choose from, just plug in and go.
The SC1 Plus can be powered from a USB-A power supply with the provided cable, or you can use a USB C-to-C cable and power it from a USB-C port.
There’s 4 blue indicator LEDs:
- 4 flashing: battery reversed
- 1 on, 3 flashing: 25% charged
- 2 on, 2 flashing: 50% charged
- 3 on, 1 flashing: 75% charged
- 4 on: 100% charged or no battery inserted
When powered, 4 blue indicator LEDs light up on the charger to show it’s ready but not charging yet. When charging, some of the LEDs will stay on to show current charged % and some will flash to show it’s charging.
Charging is at 3A for most of the charge cycle, then the current slowly drops as the cell gets close to full voltage. 3A is probably fine for most cells but if you really care about battery life then for 18650 cells you may want to use a charger that supports a lower current, to get a few more charge cycles from the cell. Or use the SC1 Plus with a lower current power supply.
You can take the batteries out while they’re charging, or wait for them to finish. When charging is complete, all 4 LEDs stay on.
Advanced charge usage
Power bank functionality
The SC1 Plus can both charge and discharge cells, thanks to its 2 USB ports. Whilst a cable in the USB-C port always charges the cell, plug a cable in the USB-A port and you have yourself a USB power bank.
This charges at 5V, up to 2A. It doesn’t support charging via USB-C or protocols like QC or PD.
I found that some devices didn’t activate the power bank functionality immediately with the SC1 Plus. In these cases, unplugging the USB cable and plugging it back in again a couple of times fixed it. The “Have you tried turning it off and on again” approach seems to work well here. This is something XTAR is aware of, so it may be fixed by the time you read this. I found that 1 unplug-plugin cycle often fixed it but on the rare occasion it took 10 attempts. Fortunately this didn’t cause any major issue and it’s easy to see when it’s working, due to the indicator LEDs.
The 4 blue indicator LEDs stay on solidly to show the current cell charge state, whilst acting as a power bank:
I managed to get up to 2.2A, which is pretty good for standard USB-A.
Unfortunately you can’t use USB-C out from the SC1 Plus. That means you have to pack more than just USB C-to-C cables.
Unlike the XTAR PB2S, my USB tester showed no support for QC2 or Samsung/Huawei’s fast charging protocols.
Passthrough charging
Another trick the SC1 Plus has is passthrough charging. Connect the SC1 Plus to a power supply (via USB-C) and a device you want to charge (via USB-A) and then the SC1 Plus will charge the cell whilst also passing through some current to the device to charge. This is handy if you only have a single wall charger.