Fuel Rod Portable charging batteries available now at WDW kiosks

disneygeek90

disneygeek90

Well-Known Member
Bairstow said:
For the same reason not everyone has sunscreen with them- not everyone knows how much they'll need it or remembers to bring it.

Personally, the last several times I've visited a theme park I've had a battery pack with me, since I use my smartphone as my only camera and tend to shoot a lot of pictures and video. The battery packs that Fuel Rod offers were acceptable in 2016 but are now far outstripped and outclassed by more recent packs from Anker and other companies. On my last trip I carried an 11,000 mAh pack that was just strong enough to get me through a full day of photos and other usage.
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I bought an 11,000 pack nearly 5 years ago and it is as reliable as ever. I can get 4-5 full phone charges on that thing in one charge. If I'm going to the parks for anything more than a couple hours, I always toss it in my bag.
 
GlacierGlacier

GlacierGlacier

Well-Known Member
disneygeek90 said:
Why aren't people just buying their own on Amazon and charging each night?
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These guys are much smaller, and are theoretically infinite. Sure, it's an 1040ish mAh battery, but when there's 34 location in WDW (5 in MK, 1 in AK, 2 in HS, 3 in Epcot, some in the water parks, and the remaining split between resort hotels) you can just swap it as you go about your day. And you don't have to remember to charge it each night (though you can if you want to).
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
GlacierGlacier said:
These guys are much smaller, and are theoretically infinite. Sure, it's an 1040ish mAh battery, but when there's 34 location in WDW (5 in MK, 1 in AK, 2 in HS, 3 in Epcot, some in the water parks, and the remaining split between resort hotels) you can just swap it as you go about your day. And you don't have to remember to charge it each night (though you can if you want to).
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True, but the problem is that at their fullest possible capacity, the amount of amperage supplied by the Fuel Rod batteries is too pitifully small to be worth the "convenience" of swapping them out. It would be like paying for a service where you can get unlimited soft drink refills from all the quick service restaurants but they only give you a thimble-full at a time.
 
GlacierGlacier

GlacierGlacier

Well-Known Member
Bairstow said:
True, but the problem is that at their fullest possible capacity, the amount of amperage supplied by the Fuel Rod batteries is too pitifully small to be worth the "convenience" of swapping them out. It would be like paying for a service where you can get unlimited soft drink refills from all the quick service restaurants but they only give you a thimble-full at a time.
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Yeah, they need to pump up the amperage. My phone can only trickle charge but as I mostly keep my phone in my pocket it's ok.
 
Gabe1

Gabe1

Ivory Tower Squabble EST 2011. WINDMILL SURVIVOR
Bairstow said:
For the same reason not everyone has sunscreen with them- not everyone knows how much they'll need it or remembers to bring it.

Personally, the last several times I've visited a theme park I've had a battery pack with me, since I use my smartphone as my only camera and tend to shoot a lot of pictures and video. The battery packs that Fuel Rod offers were acceptable in 2016 but are now far outstripped and outclassed by more recent packs from Anker and other companies. On my last trip I carried an 11,000 mAh pack that was just strong enough to get me through a full day of photos and other usage.
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I beyond the rod have a stick and a Anker by far the Anker wins however I love the rod in parks. Too many times I forgot to charge the stick at night or left without it. The rod just never leaves my park stuff It has worked well for my family.

I highly recommend Anker for power emergencies it has lasted days for us. It is a good one but so much heavier than the rod.
 
Gringrinngghost

Gringrinngghost

Well-Known Member
GlacierGlacier said:
These guys are much smaller, and are theoretically infinite. Sure, it's an 1040ish mAh battery, but when there's 34 location in WDW (5 in MK, 1 in AK, 2 in HS, 3 in Epcot, some in the water parks, and the remaining split between resort hotels) you can just swap it as you go about your day. And you don't have to remember to charge it each night (though you can if you want to).
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The insides of the FuelRods are 2600mAh (18650sfor those playing at home'not sure if it's the 20A or 40A Variant.) For those who don't know, most 18650 cells are rated for between 300 and 500 cycles, so A fuelrod that might last a guest one per day can last upwards of 2 years at Disney, however I am unsure what their replacement program is like. For the remainder of this post, I will quote my lengthy post on it.

Gringrinngghost said:
Another issue is battery degradation, Because even know you are replacing the battery. You don't know how many times the batteries already been charged. Manufacturers take a conservative approach and specify the life of Li-ion in most consumer products as being between 300 and 500 discharge/charge cycles. Although a battery should deliver 100 percent capacity during the first year of service, it is common to see lower than specified capacities, and shelf life may contribute to this loss. In addition, manufacturers tend to overrate their batteries, knowing that very few users will do spot-checks and complain if low.

While battery degradation and cable length are issues, another one is that for $30 you can get something infinity better. I have trusted sites I use that honestly I can get a battery that holds 800% the capacity of the ones for $20.
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ppete1975

ppete1975

Well-Known Member
I'm still shocked these aren't Disney branded yet (at least from the pics ive seen). You think magic bands and pins are popular if you had these with Wall-e Wreck it ralph mickey Donald etc.. then had ones for every festival special event.. people would collect them.

I know id have a couple if they did.
 
GlacierGlacier

GlacierGlacier

Well-Known Member
ppete1975 said:
I'm still shocked these aren't Disney branded yet (at least from the pics ive seen). You think magic bands and pins are popular if you had these with Wall-e Wreck it ralph mickey Donald etc.. then had ones for every festival special event.. people would collect them.

I know id have a couple if they did.
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These are not owned or operated by Disney. The batteries are swappable at non-disney kiosks. As such, these batteries are remaining generic so they can be swapped without sudden Disney characters popping up in regional airports or other amusement parks.
 
ford91exploder

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
wdisney9000 said:
I will second what @GlacierGlacier said in terms of the fuel rod giving your phone a full charge. I also just keep my phone attached to it and swap out when its empty. It was a great investment for the one time fee of $30.
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I have both fuel rods and a big rechargeable battery that will keep my phone going for days, The Fuel Rods are great for travel as I can get a fresh one at each airport after my flight without needing to find a outlet for my charger.
 
ford91exploder

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
Gabe1 said:
I beyond the rod have a stick and a Anker by far the Anker wins however I love the rod in parks. Too many times I forgot to charge the stick at night or left without it. The rod just never leaves my park stuff It has worked well for my family.

I highly recommend Anker for power emergencies it has lasted days for us. It is a good one but so much heavier than the rod.
Click to expand...

Having BOTH is the only way to go, Charge the big one at home leave it charged for emergencies and use the fuel rods for daily trickle service on flights and at the park.
 
wdwmagic

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
note2001 said:
You know what works as well as Genie? Posted time boards. Easy to update and conveniently located. Bonus: they don't drain people's phone batteries.
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They have been deploying those as well
DSC05837-1.jpg
 
monothingie

monothingie

Nakatomi Plaza Christmas Eve 1988. Never Forget.
Premium Member
AshaNeOmah

AshaNeOmah

Well-Known Member
Is FuelRod swapping free again? I signed up for Founders, so I still get free swaps, but trying to charge for it was guarantee failure.
 
Tom P.

Tom P.

Well-Known Member
Realistically, how difficult would it be for someone to decide to leave their phones in their hotel room and remain electronics-free throughout a day in the parks?
 

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