Ventura Portable Power PB80 Powerbank with Jump Start Review

We camp a lot. With modern phones and laptops and teenagers you have to have access to electricity in order to keep everyone happy, so being offered a chance to review the Ventura Portable Power PB80 Powerbank with Jump Start from Snooper was perfect for us. We also drive VW's. Volkswagen vans are excellent, but the older ones especially are notorious for being a little heavy on the battery, and on cold Winter's days or after a couple of days camping you can often find that you aren't going anywhere without a jump start.

As soon as my package arrived I knew this was something a bit special. I've used instant vehicle chargers before, and they were the size of a medium suitcase.  This box was so much smaller and lighter than I expected, and when I opened it, the smartest little bag/case you ever did see...

I've used a standard teaspoon to show the size because it's genuinely so impressive. 

Inside the bag I found another shock. 5 neat, velcro-fastened pockets keeping all of the accessories tidy and safe and where you need them - with the charger.

In the largest pocket, measuring an incredibly small 75mm x 28mm, is the power pack.

The rest of the pockets are full of accessories for charging low battery electrical devices at 5v, 12v and 19v. Mobile phones, iPods and other MP3 players, tablets, notebooks and laptops, and the all-important jump start cable with copper-tipped clips. 

Keeping everything together in the case is brilliant, and it's a really attractive package with loads of space in the bag.

The power pack will charge around 7 mobile phone batteries, 2-3 hours laptop/notebook time or jump start a vehicle before it needs recharging. It has a really clear LED display to show the level of charge in the power pack, and should even give you a couple of attempts at a jump start if necessary before it runs out of power (see the June 2015 edit at the bottom of the page!). Perfect for cold Wintry mornings. Recharging the power pack itself only takes around 3 hours.

We first tested the charger when camping, sleeping in our awning at Tatton Park VW Show. I recharged my phone during the evening. It wasn't completely out of charge, but it was clear that it would fully charge my Samsung S3 within an hour, and on returning home we charged several more phones before recharging the Powerbank.

Because it's so small and portable they've also included an LED flashlight with a flash setting in case of a breakdown or other emergency. 

The torch has proven very useful for all kinds of jobs - it's even been used for light in our loft. When camping it was plenty bright enough to light up the entire awning, despite the complete pitch darkness outside.

We were camping at Tatton Park with our friends Dave and Kate from Campertronic. They specialise in all things Camper Van and electrical related and they were really impressed with the Ventura Powerbank. It's the sort of item that really is a bonus to anyone who runs an older vehicle, or camps, making it absolutely ideal for Volkswagen Camper owners.

We're honestly delighted with the Ventura Portable Power PB80 Powerbank with Jump Start. We drive a lot of country miles whatever the weather, and having this in the van is a real level of security. Knowing you have the ability to jump start your own vehicle instantly is a huge comfort, whether it's so that you aren't late for work, or so that you aren't stranded in a field or layby in cold weather. Having the power to charge a phone when you are out, even if your engine battery is flat, is a great thing, and should remove any possibility of sitting in a broken down vehicle with a phone that has no charge, even if you were stuck in snow for 3 days.

The Ventura PB80 is so user-friendly that it should hold charge for a year, although it's recommended for best performance you charge every 6 months or obviously after use. It fits easily under our front passenger seat, and when we aren't camping we can pretty much forget about it until we need it.

I can't tell you how pleased we are with this Powerbank. Despite taking it to a Volkswagen show, we haven't yet managed to test the Jump Start, but after seeing the performance so far I do have every confidence in it, and as soon as we find someone with a flat battery I will add the evidence to this review! (We have!! See below!)

The Ventura Portable Power PB80 Powerbank with Jump Start has a recommended retail price of £99.99, which is more expensive than some other instant chargers, but it is so small, charges such a huge range of hand held electrical items and is such lovely quality that I feel it's well worth it. I have confidence in it's ability, and with equipment you may need in an emergency, confidence and reliability are worth paying for.


Features
High Quality Lithium-ion Battery
19V Output
12V Output
5V USB Output
12V 1A Input
Multi-Output Connectors
Protective Carry Bag
Jumpstart Cables with Clips

Specifications
Input – DC12V/1A
Output – DC19V/3.5A
DC12V/10A
USB5V/2A
Jump Start - 400Amp
Capacity – 12,000mAh (milliamp hours)
Weight – 420 g
Dimensions – 160mm x 75mm x 28mm
Battery Capacity - 44.4Wh
Full Charging Time - 3 Hours
Starting current - 2 00A
Peak current - 4 00A
Operating Temperature -20° ≥ 60°
Warranty - 12 Months Manufacturer Guarantee

Edited June 2015 to add - we've used it to Jump Start!! It happily jump started the van battery on our T25 Volkswagen Transporter TWICE - and still shows 4 lights out of 5, however only a fool wouldn't have charged it when they got home, so I can't tell you how much power was still left in the battery actually. I'm incredibly impressed - the Powerbank had been sat in our van without being recharged since January. Definitely as good as it promised!

Edited June 2018. Sadly it appears the Jump Start Power Bank is no longer available, but we are still using ours and very happy with it.