The RAVPower Luster power bank is one of nicer looking external batteries we’ve come across. It’s small, has nice weight to it, come in a nice variety of different colours and packs a 3,000mAh battery. Lets see how well it actually performs!

The device is 4.3 inches long with a 0.9 inch diameter, and weighs just 2.57 ounces. We’ve seen this design of portable battery before, and the cylindrical shape makes it a lot more portable than bigger square packs.

The body of the Luster is manufactured from aluminium with a brushed finish. Just under an inch from either end there are 2 silver bands as well. There are 5 colours available: black, blue, gold, silver and pink. On one end you’ll find an glass covered LED flashlight which has 3 different modes of use: 2 different brightness modes and also a flashing/strobe mode. I was pleasantly surprised at just how bright the light was and definitely didn’t expect it from such a small product.

The opposite end is capped with plastic which I was a little disappointed with as it doesn’t really flow with the rest of the device. You’ll find a micro-USB port which is used for charging the device, a USB port to charge other devices and also a tiny button to activate the flashlight. You can charge the battery unit as well as another device at the same time and as long as the cable connectors aren’t to bulky you should be able to fit them both in at the same time.

There is no sort of power indicator that lets you know how much charge is left which is something else which is very annoying. The only indicator included is a small LED for when your charging the device. It’s glow red when charging and blue when its finished.

In the box you’ll receive a metal clip and also a micro-USB cable. The metal clip allows you to attach the external battery to your pocket or something similar while on the move and works relatively well.

The 3,000mAh battery added just under 5 hours extra battery life to our own iPhone 5s, which to be completely honest isn’t great, seeing as the internal battery is the same size and last much longer. With the port outputting 1-amp you can charge tablets, but it will be a little slow.

Our Verdict

The RAVPower Luster normally retails at £29.99 which we would say is a reasonable price, but if you were to spend a little extra to could get a little more for your money. Over at the RAVPower website at the moment you can actually grab the Luster for just £13.99 which is an absolute steal.

Putting aside a few annoying things about this product and you’ve got a really nice external battery.