Review: Enerplex Kickr IV, Jumper Stack And Classic

Even though battery packs are in seemingly unlimited supply, available at any price point/mAh capacity and rebranded and resold to the earth’s end, there’s still room for more unique, innovate options out there. When I swung through Enerplex’s booth at CES, I was immediately struck by a couple of their offerings including the Jumpr Stack and Kickr IV. But what’s a battery accessory review without a look at something more traditional? Enerplex has something for that crowd too with the Jumpr Classic.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had the pleasure of trying out Enerplex’s Kickr IV, Jumpr Stack and Jumpr Classic battery and charging accessories and must say, they’re not your typical chargers. Also, it’s worth a few minutes of your time to check them out.

Proceed…

Kickr IV

I’ve tried a few solar based battery accessories over the last few years and while most of them do work relatively alright in the sun, it’s usually a matter of convenience that causes me to drag out the USB cable and simply recharge the battery via normal means. But this particular device is definitely not the same. For starters it folds out into a rather large spread of solar panels that together actually pack quite a punch.

Many solar accessories I’ve tried in the past took quite a bit of time over (try 4+ hours) their standard battery or AC counterparts. The Kickr IV meanwhile can juice up your gadgets in pretty much the same amount of time that it takes via the aforementioned standard methods. For iPhones that’s 1.5-2 hours, ~2-3 hours for larger (battery) capacity Android phones and ~3-4 for larger (battery) tablets. One stipulation for the fastest charging times: you need sunlight. Granted, obscured sun by way of clouds will still get you a charge, just not quite as fast. Either way, the speed at which the Kickr IV charges is in a way game changing. Instead of worrying about battery packs which themselves need constant recharging, outdoor ventures require that you only leave this out in the sunlight for power, which conveniently never runs out. As a companion to a normal battery charger, we think the Kickr IV makes a great product and very much worth your time so long as you trek around outside fairly frequently to places where battery packs and traditional AC power aren’t the norm.

$129: Kickr IV

Jumper Stack

The Jumpr Stack batteries are pretty awesome for the sole reason that you can take one that’s merely a small bump to get you through the day to a multi-stack mega battery that can power you for a week. The ingenious design makes a single battery on its own incredibly tiny. I’m talking the size of a playing card from a deck of cards and maybe 10 cards thick. Seriously, it’s small. Thanks to metal contacts on the top and bottom the one battery can be stacked many times over to form a super battery. The batteries’ colorful designs also make it stand out from your typical battery.

Each Stack battery is 1,600 mAh in size. What’s nice is that in the box Enerplex includes 3 additional Stack batteries bringing your potential total to 6,400 mAh when stacked one on top of another as they’re designed to be.

While it’s true that the big feature of the Stack is the ability to piece together multiple battery cells, each cell has it’s own hidden microUSB cable to charge devices with just in case all you need is a small bump to get you through the last hour or two of the day.

The Stack is the battery or battery pack for those constantly changing things up and expecting the same from their backup power source. Unique, cool and highly useful.

$99: Jumper Stack

Jumpr Classic

Out of the entire lot that showed up, the Jumpr Classic is the most normal. It’s simply the biggest cell stuffed within the smallest enclosure possible.

The design is nice and easy to hold and sits well in your hand. The large battery size does mean many hours of use at the trade off of more weight in your bag. That said, in most circumstances I don’t think you’ll notice the added weight. Now tossing this in a spare pocket is another thing. It’s simply too big and round for that to be comfortable (and not look stupid).

Charging the battery itself is straight forward and done via microUSB. Turning it on and off is done with the one and only button on the Classic’s chassis, which mind you is also the button that activates the built-in flashlight. Tap it to toggle the flashlight on/off and press and hold to turn the device on or off. On the underside you’ll find four blue LEDs for charge status. The only downside to how Enerplex has designed the charge LEDs is that you have to turn the unit on to see the charge. There’s no quick option for just showing charge amount.

$49: Jumpr Classic

A Nice Assortment That Covers Multiple Bases

Up until CES earlier in 2013 I hadn’t ever heard of Enerplex. And even after spending a bit of time at CES in their booth I still wasn’t totally won over. At the very least, I was intrigued though. But after a couple weeks with the Jumpr Classic/Stack and Kickr IV I must say, Enerplex is one brand that I’ll have to follow more closely from here on out. They offer both traditional and less traditional batteries and charging solutions as the Stack and Kickr show. And in a market where everyone seems to make a battery pack these days, unique applications and features will allow the true innovators to stand out from the pack.

If I had to pick a favorite out of the products above it would hands down be the Jumpr Stack. It’s small even stacked together and downright tiny when used on a single cell basis. The colors make it not so boring and it’s overall affordable.

As a runner up I’d give the Kickr IV massive props. For what it’s designed to do it does it very well. For any outdoorsy person, the Kickr IV is a life saver that will make you truly independent of AC power and free to traverse as far as your heart desires.

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