Product Review: Brunton Pulse 1500 Power Booster

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

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What Is it: The Brunton Pulse 1500 Power Booster, a portable battery that can charge your electronics without an outlet.

Price and Where to Buy: At the time of writing, the device was on sale on Amazon for $17.44, or you can buy it on Brunton’s website for full price ($34.99.)

Pros:

This is probably the lightest and smallest portable battery we’ve ever tested
Charges any device that uses a standard or micro USB
Will hold enough power to fully charge a smartphone
Comes with Brunton’s “You Proof Promise,” meaning the company will replace or fix your Pulse no matter how you break it

Cons:

The included USB cables tuck into the case of the Pulse to keep everything neat and organized, but they can be hard to get out (we had to use a pen to pry the cables loose the first few times)
PowerGrid uses a USB cable to charge itself, not a plug for easy wall outlet charging

How it Rates:

Usefulness: 10/10. Quickly charge your electronics while camping, flying, or while in other places where you don’t have easy access to power
Portability: 10/10. The problem with many portable backup batteries is that they add so much weight to your bag, making them not so portable after all. The Pulse is tiny, weighing just 2 ozs and taking up just 2.75″ x 2.75″ x 0.5″. It easily fits in the palm of your hand.
Value: 10/10. Amazon has it for almost half off, which is an amazing value, considering the lifetime guarantee.
Cool Factor: 10/10. Everything about the Pulse, from the size to the design to the colors available is cool.

Final Verdict: A great price, the ability to charge your dead smartphone, and it’s about the same size as a pack of chewing gum? This is our new favorite portable power source!

Editor’s Note: Reviews are based on usefulness, portability, durability, value, and “cool factor.” Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product. If you have any questions or comments concerning our reviews, or would like to suggest a product for review, please email us at [email protected].

(Photo: Brunton)

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