ArtPix PowerBox

It is a power bank that was designed as a gift first and a charger second. A USB to Type-C cable is included, so nothing else has to be bought to use it.

What 20,000 mAh Means

In practical terms that is four or five full charges of a typical phone, or one of a laptop that charges over USB-C. It is also close to the upper limit airlines allow in cabin baggage, which is worth knowing before packing it. Anything larger has to be checked with the airline, and this one generally does not.

Wood Rather Than Plastic

Almost every power bank is a black plastic slab that looks like a component. A wooden shell changes what the object is, and it is the reason this one ends up on a desk rather than in a drawer with the cables. The weight is the honest cost of the material, since wood is heavier than moulded plastic. In exchange it stays warm to the touch and does not scratch into a grey mess after a year in a bag.

A Box as Well as a Battery

The form is a box, not a brick, which is what makes it work as a gift: it is handed over as an object rather than as a component. For anybody who has ever received a charger in a blister pack, the difference is obvious. It suits a graduation, a new job or a father who travels often, where a useful gift is wanted but a dull one is not.

Charging and Everyday Use

Type-C carries power in both directions, so the same port fills the bank and empties it into a phone. There is no separate charger to lose and no older cable standard to keep hold of in a drawer somewhere. A full charge from empty takes a few hours on a reasonable adapter, and the bank holds that charge for weeks rather than days when it sits unused at the bottom of a bag. Keep it out of a hot car in summer, since heat is the one thing that shortens the life of any lithium battery. Beyond that it asks for nothing and lasts for years of ordinary use, which is more than can be said for most of the plastic ones.