Portable USB Wall Charger Roundup

Patriot Fuel Station Mini

Providing you with four total charging ports, Patriot’s Fuel Mini claims it can “charge virtually any USB device”, further stating that all of these ports will work simultaneously to charge your devices by providing you with 2x 1A and 2x 2.1A connectors. This is a major advancement when compared to normal USB computer ports, which usually transmit power at 0.5A, meaning you can charge your device up to 2-4 times faster than usual.

Coming in at $19.99 US from Amazon, the Fuel Station Mini is the middle-priced product in this round-up. In terms of safety, this device comes with a claimed built-in protection against surges, or as they call on the box –  “over voltage” and “over current”. Alongside providing protection against any leakage and short circuiting that may take place, this product will help ensure your devices aren’t tampered with by any ‘dirty power’ or nasty storms that may happen.

A great inclusion with this product is the anti-slip rubber strips running along the bottom side of the device. This is overlooked with other hub products and means you can unplug and plug in your devices without any major slippage.

Complete with a two-year limited warranty, the Fuel Station Mini is a sturdy looking device that consumes a total space of 30mm (H) x 90mm (W) x 90mm (L). Although it’s much larger than other offerings in this mix like the Arctic Home Charger 4500, you can be certain that your cables can be plugged and unplugged easier (due to the larger surface area between ports), alongside the total package of this device giving you a study and plush feel.

Taking a quick look outer shell of the Fuel Station Mini, it seems that the 2.1A ports are listed as “PHONE/TABLET” whereas the 1A ports will be “PHONE” only. This labeling is due to Tablets generally taking more power to get going when compared to a much smaller and lower power smartphone.

This Patriot product takes the cake in this roundup in the category of ‘share it with friends’. If you’re wanting to either have a long-standing home charger in a commonly shared place, or take the device with you on backpacking journeys and weekends away with friends, you can ensure that everyone has adequate charging ports with enough oomph to get you through many late nights and big sleep-ins. It also comes with a handy power cable, meaning that you don’t need to sit right next to a power point to provide charging access for your mates.

To help you judge the size of each model, we will be comparing them next to a standard Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone with a thin silicone case.