Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It is tiresome and distracting to see the complaints about this item not being rechargeable or powerful enough. Be aware that people who say this about this item do not understand its purpose or correct use. This is not a day-to-day recharger for your mobile devices. This is not a substitute for rechargeable backup battery packs. Do a little thinking here, folks. This is a backup for when you do not have a source for recharging batteries. If you could recharge a rechargeable pack, why wouldn't you just recharge your device (hello)? This item is specifically designed for times when you DO NOT have a source to readily recharge devices from a car or AC power. It is EMERGENCY backup power. You know, like backup power for EMERGENCIES. For those who complain that they cannot recharge their device completely from a single set of batteries, I would offer that one can actually swap the dead AAs for afresh set and continue charging. Again, this is for emergencies, not everyday use, and if needed you can easily use as many sets of AAs as you need. While it is hip, cool, and groovy to trash AA batteries these days (as per the PC programmed mind control meme), the fact is that AA (and similar) batteries are a mature technology, and readily available just about everywhere. What this means is that you have much greater access to emergency backup power no matter where you might be, giving you greater freedom and extending the use of your devices. There is one important thing that is missing from all the reviews I have read here, which is that to best utilize this device you should use lithium AAs, not Alkaline. Today's alkaline batteries are more poorly made and leak frequently. It is not safe to leave them in stored devices for any length of time - not a good characteristic for an emergency backup device. Lithium, on the other hand, have greater power density and longer shelf life (up to 15 years), and are the best choice for using in this device. They will last their entire shelf waiting for use, and will not leak and corrode the device. I won't even consider using rechargeable AAs in this manner: if you can recharge those AAs, you can recharge your device already - makes no sense. Also, rechargeable AAs have the lowest power density of the three types discussed here, and they lose their charge rapidly in storage - they need to be recharged regularly and the shelf life of a full charge in them is measured in days, not years. So, if you want the capability of using AA batteries to recharge your mobile device, and want to have that ability reliably waiting for any possible emergency need, then you should seriously consider this device and a bunch of lithium AA batteries. I use it and love it.