We Don’t Recommend FuelRods
FuelRod kiosks can be found at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, airports, and other locations. The service offers reusable, portable charging to fuel or charge your phone on the go, and then swap for a fresh battery. In this FuelRod review, we’ll cover whether the “unlimited” service is worth the money and effort.
While the headline is pretty blunt, there is more nuance to the question of whether you should buy a FuelRod while visiting Walt Disney World or Disneyland. As such, we’ll address their cost v. convenience, and weigh the pros and cons. Note that this FuelRoad review is entirely our subjective assessment of how FuelRods work (or don’t) for us. You may disagree entirely, finding a lot of value in FuelRods–and that’s fine.
For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, FuelRods are portable chargers that can be purchased in Walt Disney World parks and used to (partially) recharge your iPhone or other device on the go. You can then swap for a new battery pack at FuelRod kiosks once you’ve exhausted one. In a nutshell, our view is that FuelRods are pretty great…for people who have never heard of Amazon.com…
The general concept of these portable chargers is great for Walt Disney World. Using just the My Disney Experience app alone is a big drain that people underestimate as is browsing brilliant Disney blogs to figure out where you should eat. Suffice to say, it’s easy for your battery to die early in the day. Rechargeable battery packs have existed for some time (so to that end FuelRod is hardly revolutionary), and are one of the recommended staples on our What to Pack for Disney List.
The ‘twist’ with FuelRods is that when you’re done using them, you can trade out your depleted FuelRod for a fully-charged one at the many kiosks throughout Walt Disney World and Disneyland. The appeal is thus the ‘unlimited’ charge the FuelRods offer by virtue of swapping them out. When put that way, it’s easy to see the appeal of FuelRods.
Before we get going, there are a few interesting wrinkles to FuelRod policies. Two years ago, FuelRod planned to end the unlimited free swaps of FuelRods at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. That resulted in a ton of outrage among Disney fans and angry comments directed towards FuelRod via social media.
Even more notably, fans filed a class action lawsuit against the company. After several months of negotiation, that class action lawsuit was resolved with FuelRod creating a Founders status for people who has previously purchased FuelRods as early adopters. The FuelRod Founders status allowed eligible users to continue receiving free lifetime swaps. This was verified at the kiosks with a scannable QR code or imputing an email address, which then allowed FuelRod Founders to swap their existing FuelRods for free, even at kiosks that charge to swap.
We have to give big props to FuelRod here. Even though we aren’t huge fans of the product nor do we recommend it for most people, we still think FuelRod provides a valuable service for some guests. In short, FuelRod existing but charging a fee is better than the company going bankrupt and ceasing to exist at all.
As we’ve noted, FuelRod is a good option of last resort and we’re thus happy it’ll continue to exist at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. On top of that, FuelRod’s customer service team was diligent and conciliatory throughout this, offering refunds to disgruntled customers, and FuelRod stated that they’ve been forced to implement a swap fee to “maintain standards customers expect & ensure viability of the company.”
November 2021 Update: That’s not the end of the pay-to-swap saga! Sometime in the last few months, most (all?) FuelRod kiosks stopped verifying Founders status via email or QR code. We honestly don’t know when since we don’t use FuelRods.
We just happened to notice at one of the kiosks last month, and then started checking around to see if our friends (a couple of whom could be described as FuelRod advocates) whether they’ve had to pay for swaps recently. All responded that they have not. At this point, it would thus appear that swaps are free for all, rather than $3 each. This is great news for anyone who finds themselves in a pinch and ends up needing a FuelRod.
This couldn’t have happened at a better time, as the new Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World and Disneyland are serious battery drains. While it’s theoretically possible to go an entire day using the Genie service without recharging, it’s very difficult. Many guests will be unprepared for this, and find themselves needing a spare battery during their days in the park.
Genie uses much more battery life than its predecessors, FastPass+ at Walt Disney World and MaxPass at Disneyland. On top of that, there are certain features, like the itinerary builder and PhotoPass AR lenses, that really kill a phone’s battery. Just ~30 minutes of playing around with the augmented reality filters took my battery down significantly. Just something to keep in mind if you’re visiting soon and don’t have a backup battery packed!
For many guests, the argument in favor of the FuelRod is the same as the Disney Dining Plan: convenience. However, like the argument in favor of the Disney Dining Plan, I’d counter that it’s the illusion of convenience, rather than actual convenience. And, like the Dining Plan, you’re paying extra for that illusion.
The problems with FuelRods are two-fold. First, the $30 price is very high for a battery pack of this capacity and quality. Second, the aforementioned capacity is poor by modern battery pack standards. (Although this has improved in the last couple of years, it’s still nowhere what you’d get from something from Amazon for $30. Nor is the charging as fast.)
Let’s talk a bit more about FuelRod’s capacity relative to its competitors. Unlike virtually every other battery pack on the market, FuelRod does not indicate its charge capacity. (Which alone should set off red flags.) Scant information is available, but it looks like it can charge an iPhone about halfway, which would put its capacity at under 3,000 mAh.
Let’s give it the benefit of the doubt and say the FuelRod has 4,000 mAh capacity. This Anker charger offers 5,200 mAh for ~$22. Over double the capacity in a similarly-sized charger for half the cost. For under $30, you can get this Anker charger with 10,000 mAh capacity and high speed charging (this is the charger we currently use as of 2021–it’s great). That’s enough to charge multiple devices, and do so far faster than FuelRod.
We have recommended alternatives on our packing list that offer larger capacity, lower cost, and faster charging than FuelRod. Some of these chargers will not only get you through an entire day in the parks–they’ll charge your entire family’s devices for the day.
By battery pack standards in the year 2021, FuelRod is antiquated. Unfortunately, they’re boxed into that (literally) due to the design of the dispensing machines that require maintaining the same style and size of battery pack today as 5 years ago when they debuted. Suffice to say, a lot has changed in backup battery technology in the last 5 years.
To be fair to FuelRod, the case could be made that there’s a certain convenience in never having to charge a battery pack–just being able to swap out the existing pack ad infinitum. Or that it can be a lifesaver if you forget your charger, cables, etc. True, it does offer appeal in both scenarios. There’s absolutely no arguing about FuelRod being useful if you’ve forgotten your charger/cables.
However, the case for general convenience in everyday scenarios is tougher to make. When I get back to the hotel at the end of a long day, I hate having to plug everything in before getting ready for bed. The thing is, I have to do that regardless with my camera, phone, etc. Plugging in one additional item is (literally) a <30 second commitment that hardly poses an insurmountable obstacle between me and a good night’s sleep.
Moreover, this argument is only even plausible in a world where FuelRod kiosks are ubiquitous. Such a world does not exist, nor will it ever exist. FuelRod’s business model relies upon spontaneous purchases from consumers who either don’t do the research or don’t have a viable alternative. Outside of airports, theme parks, and similar ‘vacuums’, they will lose to competitors. (For the same reason that no one in their right mind would pay $14 for a cheeseburger at Cosmic Ray’s if it were located in their hometown.)
If you’re primarily concerned about using FuelRods at the airport, Walt Disney World, or Disneyland–that’s great. FuelRod probably has you covered. For Disney regulars or Annual Passholders, there is value in FuelRod. Again, we’re not saying this is a totally useless service or product.
Ultimately, the only people for whom I can see FuelRod holding appeal once they get past the initial idea of convenience is those who have never heard of rechargeable batteries before stumbling upon the FuelRod kiosk while in the parks. Yes, these people do exist. We see countless guests sitting in corners charging their phones in random outlets during the course of their vacations.
For those people (or people who simply forget to pack their portable chargers), the FuelRod presents a good spontaneous purchase, as the cost (in time) of sitting in a random corner everyday during a pricey Walt Disney World vacation far outweighs even the $30 cost of a FuelRod. However, if you’re reading this FuelRod review in advance of a trip to the park and have the opportunity to order a higher capacity battery pack from Amazon, that’s your better option.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of FuelRods? Will you continue to use FuelRods if they end free unlimited swaps and start charging for them? Are you a FuelRod Founder? Do you agree or disagree with our FuelRod review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Nice update, especially about the class action settlement. When I last put my 2 cents in about this in 2018, they were only 2600 mAH for the Fuelrods. Has that changed? The reason I asked was because they couldn’t fully charge 2 of our 3 phones back then. Back then, my Galaxy 7+ had a 3500 mAH battery. My current Galaxy 10+ has a 4100 mAH battery. The Galaxy 20+ has a 4500 mAH battery; the Ultra a 5000 mAH battery.
The point is that 2 things have been happening with phones: Bigger batteries and faster charging. The Fuelrod has always been an undersized undersized battery charger and has always lacked an fast charging capability. Unless those factors have changed, I see Fuelrod as an even worse choice today then what I felt 2 years ago, where I could see them being a poor but somewhat viable choice for a limited subset of people.
Or to put it in WDW terms: Fuelrod is like All-Star Sports during a cheerleading tournament, except you decided to pay a rack rate there that’s greater than the Grand Floridian, instead of going with that great bargain where you could’ve gone to the Polynesian, Beach Club or even the Four Seasons for the usual rack rate at the All-Stars.
Oh come one, Paul! You’re missing the convenience factor, firstly. It’s small and convenient, much more so than larger, heavier battery packs. Several comments about larger, better chargers. There certainly are larger capacity units, and faster charging (not really a consideration for real people) units. There are NO larger capacity units at the same size and weight. Sorry, but no matter your perception, you cannot violate the laws of physics. Yes, battery technology has improved since the original 18650 was developed. Real world differences, just like solar PV panels, are in fractions of one percent. So power density between all Li-ion devices is reasonably similar. More capacity = more weight and bulk to carry around, period.
As for your WDW comparison, I’ll NEVER stay at the All-Stars intentionally during ANY competition. They are at best a very expensive Motel 6. But for your example, it’s more like paying for a room at Pop versus the slightly cheaper AS, except you get a free room there whenever you want, forever after paying ONCE. Even if you forget to make a reservation, you can still get a room. AND if your luggage breaks, they give you a new suitcase for free on top of that.
@MRNico
You seem like a walking billboard for this brand, so I’ll ask again: What is the mAH for the current Fuelrods? Is there fastcharging capability now?
Convenience? When I was last at WDW, I was next to a woman whose one needed recharging and her Fuelrod took forever to get anything significant. I loaned her my Anker…which I then let her husband use. Quick Charge 3.0 got them fast charges for a reasonable level, all while we waited in line (the peril of not having a Fastpass for Peter Pan). I don’t know too much what happened after that, except that, except that they were both looking on their phones at portable chargers available at the local Wal-Mart and Target.
Convenience? It isn’t convenient to have to wait forever for your device/phone to charge up to a reasonable point, and then the thing can’t even fully charge your device, then you have to swap out again…and if you’re also using your phone, it’s a constant process.
Convenient is having something that weighs 8.32 ounces with PowerIQ 3.0 and 10050 mAH. For $15.99 on Amazon. Too much weight? Far less than a bottle of water, but you can get 10000 mAH that weigh 6.35 ounces for the first gen PowerIQ, 6.9 ounces for 2nd gen PowerIQ. And so many other choices are out there. Any modern battery charger from a reputable company is far superior to a Fuelrod.
Sure, it’s better than nothing, but it’s basically for the unprepared who’d never heard of portable chargers (like the family that was in line with us for Peter Pan), or for people who forgot their charger in the hotel room and don’t mind spending the cash for it in the park.
But outside of Disney and airports, Fuelrods are useless. There’s no kiosk at the local park. There’s no kiosk in the woods. There’s no kiosk at the parade. There’s no kiosk at the festival. There’s no kiosk when I’m trapped at my in-laws and am streaming shows. There’s no kiosk on the beach. There’s no kiosk at the concert. There’s no kiosk at the game. There’s no kiosk at the gym.
Convenience is a device that can charge your device very fast, twice. Without having to leave line to go kiosk hunting.
Yawn. Karen, you just don’t get it. It’s gonna be funny when you forget to charge your battery pack one night, and then are looking to buy a Fuel Rod in the parks. Energy capacity per unit weight is going to be about the same for every Li-ion battery out there. And there is no situation when you’re at WDW where you need to worry about charge rate. Plug it in and put the damn thing away in your pocket, and enjoy being in the park with your family.
The woods, really? Phones don’t belong in the wilderness. I bet you can’t even read a topo map.
I bought mine during our 2018 Christmas vacation at WDW. I thought I paid cash through a kiosk but maybe I used a credit card. Was there a cash option or just cc? Haven’t been to Disney since. And we live in Canada so no option to swap here. Only bought for Disney Trips.
Thank you very much for the info about the Founders Program. I have my receipt (bought at an airport years ago) and enjoy the last resort convenience as our regular power bricks are heavy. Saved our last trip many times as I updated Fastpass+/Dining reservations.
Thanks again for your great coverage!
I have a Fuel Rod and have had one since they first put them in the parks but in order to be “grandfathered in” I need to produce a receipt or proof of purchase. I have neither. I paid cash and did not even remember getting a receipt and If I did it went into the trash. I am out of luck. I will purchase an Anker and use that instead.
What do you need a receipt for?
Ah, I see there’s an update! Hadn’t seen that before. Would they accept a screenshot of a comment I left on Tom’s blog prior to the fee inception date?
I was watching Cory Meets World’s livestream in Epcot yesterday (July 13) and he could not find a FuelRod in any kiosk (he went to two different ones). They were totally empty. It’s possible it was a preview day so maybe they’re going to restock them when the official opening happens this weekend, but given how prepared everything else was, could Disney be slowly phasing out the FuelRods?
Rickey Salazar
June 23, 2020
Please keep in mind, now that we are living in a potentially COVID-19 Environment and quite possibly contracting this Virus, these Kiosk’s are a huge risk of contamination. How is the consumer decontaminating his or her charger when they return it back and place it in the Kiosk for another new one? Is it meeting the CDC policy as a minimum?
Much less when you go to the Kiosk to start the process purchase a Fuel-Rod? Touching the screen, reaching down into the dispense shoot to retrieve your Fuel-Rod.
Who’s decontaminating the Kiosk every time it dispenses a Fuel-Rod?
I understand the dispensed Fuel-Rod comes in a container with a charger and it’s accessories.
The issue is the Kiosk Dispensing Cabinet as a whole. No assurance of Safety for the consumer much less Decontamination Procedures for every Fuel-Rod leaving the Kiosk or coming back into the same Kiosk it just released a Fuel-Rod from a prior sale.
The Kiosk is now a sponge collecting bacteria and storing it in the Cabinet.
No Rickey, that’s not how it works at all. The ONLY risk you have using the kiosk is the touch screen, other than the remote possibility of the guy filling the new ones. The kiosk does not charge empty rods inserted. They are charged at a remote location and refilled. So there are the full kits in small containers, and then the bare rods that are dispensed. So you have LESS risk using the kiosk than getting groceries delivered.
Not only that, but as more research emerges, it’s becoming increasingly clear that transmission via fomites is highly unlikely. There was one study early on from the Diamond Princess that showed the virus was present on surfaces in trace amounts for several days and that scared a lot of people–since then, the real world results concerning actual transmission have been very different.
It’s obvious I’m not a fan of FuelRods, but I’m also not going to let baseless fear-mongering be a basis for recommending that people avoid the service. In my view, that’s dishonest.
The question is responsibility and liability that belongs to Disney. What assurance of Safety is in place? None! Cross- Contamination is highly probable due the fact of Human Touch. Once that Kiosk dispenses that open Fuel-Rod that’s not original, it’s Pandora’s Box for Bacteria due to the fact that the Kiosk is not a closed secure system under a vacuum to seal Contaminants from escaping or being neutralized and eliminated before being dispensed into the shoot to be released to the consumer. If it ever goes to court, first question that is asked is Without reasonable doubt what actions did Disney take to assure Safety to its consumers? Did Disney know the inherently Safety concerns Associated with passing along contaminated products without any form of decontamination? God forbid someone contracting COVID-19 thru a Fuel-Rod because the lack of proper management of cleanliness in the time of a Pandemic Crisis. CDC even recommends not even sharing writing ball point pens to each other for the simple fact of contamination. Glad I’m a Fire/ Rescue/ Hazmat Chief, First Responder Chief that can relate to managing Human Lives, Equipment and Life itself.
No, Rickey, that’s not how it works. The machines do not dispense anything touched by a consumer. The drained units are removed from the machine and taken elsewhere, to be recharged, reconditioned, etc as necessary. There is no place for contamination to grow in the machine, and no need for any vacuum or seal.
Furthermore, it’s a virus. Unlike radiation, which often leaves trace amounts which can possibly be tracked to a source, there is absolutely zero possible way for anyone to even remotely say with any confidence that a virus came from any particular place with the exception of techs working in a virus research lab. Even then, it would need to be something very exotic. No, Disney has no liability here. Do you use any other vending machine at all? For drinks, candy, lottery tickets? These are no different in any way.
Again, apart from the touch screen, there is virtually zero risk here. And as Tom commented, the touch screen is not even considered to be one.
We used the fuel rod at Disneyland in February of 2020 because the portable charger we had decided to no longer charge/work when we arrived. It was nice to have the convenience however, the fuel rod itself would not charge in our room overnight. So the challenge became getting a new one each time we needed it and finding the locations. It is a nice thing to have if you don’t have another choice.
Please keep in mind, now that we are living in a potentially COVID-19 Environment and quite possibly contracting this Virus, these Kiosk’s are a huge risk of contamination. How is the consumer decontaminating his or her charger when they return it back and place it in the Kiosk for another new one? Is it meeting the CDC policy as a minimum?
Much less when you go to the Kiosk to start the process purchase a Fuel-Rod? Touching the screen, reaching down into the dispense shoot to retrieve your Fuel-Rod.
Who’s decontaminating the Kiosk every time it dispenses a Fuel-Rod?
I understand the dispensed Fuel-Rod comes in a container with a charger and it’s accessories.
The issue is the Kiosk Dispensing Cabinet as a whole. No assurance of Safety for the consumer much less Decontamination Procedures for every Fuel-Rod leaving the Kiosk or coming back into the same Kiosk it just released a Fuel-Rod from a prior sale.
The Kiosk is now a sponge collecting bacteria and storing it in the Cabinet.
Good grief Rickey, just use some sanitizer. Some of us are happy with the immune system we’ve developed over the years. If you’re worried about yours, probably don’t hang out at Disneyland
No, Rickey, it ISN’T a huge risk. You do not get any of the used ones placed into the machine. Those are removed and taken elsewhere for recharging. I expect that just like all other vending machines, they are sanitized before being refilled. The machines are easily used to swap rods; you’re doing it wrong if you lick the keypad…
Dear sir, I respectfully disagree with most of the things you say. Although, I totally understand how reviews work and maybe you are biased for some particular reason. The fuel Rod that I have charges my Android phone incredibly fast, I would say faster than any other charger I have owned and I have had some doozies. I also like the fact that it has an assortment of connectors. Sometimes I carry two different phones on me and occasionally someone on the aircraft I am in needs to use one as well or one of my kids forgets their charger. I don’t know what makes you think you can’t charge it at home or anywhere for that matter. You can charge it anywhere and it charges very fast and the indicator light turns green when it is charged fully. Maybe the $30 cost scares you off. But personally I like the little plastic container it comes in it holds the fuel rod and an assortment I’m connectors. A great travel survival tool. I recommend it to anyone. Thanks for the review. But luckily I have already been using fuel rods for quite some time and you’re biased review cannot sway me.
You can get a good charger at Wal Mart for about $10.
I avoid walmart on any day, and I’m damn sure not going to leave a park to go to one to buy a charger…
I have other portable chargers, but like rhe idea of endless switching out. That is the sell point. Not the battery pack itself. I will probably purchase one from the site and then use it at disney. I don’t use my other battery packs in my everyday life as they are more inconvenient than convenient and reall are only charged for use before a hurricane. Purchasing tbe fuel rod would just add one more battery pack to my emergency supply after this. Thanks for the blog.
The general concept of these portable chargers is great for Walt Disney World. I have several great chargers, but I can’t Cary them around in my pocket with my phone.
I got one at Disneyland and love it. Easier to carry around and I live in San Diego and there are Fuel Rod stations all over, so don’t have to wait for Disneyland trip to recharge it.
RECOMMEND!!
They are 5k mAh. very convenient! We bought first one since we were at disneyland and our phones were getting low, and that day we traded in 5 times during at Disneyland no extra $$ for swapping. We charged everyones phone. They are quicker charging, plus light weight.
DisneyLand to this day doesn’t charge to swap.
Also another lie in article, you can order through the website for $22 delivered.
coords are nice and small so you hold and use phone while charging.
“They are 5k mAh. ”
That’s the biggest lie on this page. They are not even half of that.
“They are quicker charging,”
No, they’re dumb chargers. They do not have Quick Charge capabilities. Sure, quicker than plugging in a micro solar panel gimmick, but slower than most other methods.
Actually, they are 2600mAh, which IS more than half that. But the point is, they are fast and easy to swap and much more convenient than carrying around a large brick all day.
For anyone who doesn’t want to be dumb,
4x the storage for $20 and this has QC 3.0, quick charging.
Fuel rods DO NOT SUPPORT quick charge.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XW7ZVKD/
Less than 4x the charge, but more than 4x the weight and bulk. The ONLY benefit is the quick charge feature but that’s not even a big thing. And if you forget to charge the big brick, you’re screwed.
I bought a Fuel Rod a few years ago. They charge my phone slowly, and with the limited capacity I had to go hunt down exchange stations. (They are not ubiquitous.) Then I got an Anker PowerCore 13000 at the Zon. Charges the phone faster, lasts a long time, and is not a “huge brick.” It slots comfortably into a pocket of my cargo shorts, though usually I just keep it in my fanny pack. No burden whatsoever and a far superior product in the parks.
Fuel Rods make no sense for my family. We can’t charge our fuel rods once we get home, so buying our own superior chargers for half the price makes sense.
And WDW has been adding charging stations everywhere across the resort, in the park buses, in lobbies, even inside and around the parks. It’s easier than ever to charge your device.
Even without a charger, as long as you have a charging cord you can replenish your juice. Many of the large quick service have access to outlets on the walls that they’ll let you use. While you sit down to eat, charge your phone 😉
Why do you think you can’t charge them at home? Do you not have a cord? The only charger that could be called superior would be the latest generation quick chargers. You aren’t going to get anything higher capacity with the same size and weight, at any price.
WDW did have some charging locations, such as in the exit shop at Space Mountain. However, they have been removing those, not adding more. Aaaaaand who wants to waste valuable park time sitting around waiting for a phone to charge?
Do you mean table service restaurants? QS places might have a very few random power outlets, but they aren’t going to have USB outlets. And any place that does have USB outlets (which is NOT something on Disney buses) are going to be standard old-tech ports which aren’t going to charge any faster than a Fuel Rod or any older tech portable charger.
I bought a fuel rod and actually already had a similar product at home in the UK. OK, Disney and Universal are giving ‘fuelrod’ a monopoly, but when one of those devices is $35, and they’re a tenner in the UK, but your phone is as flat as a pancake, and a bottle of coke is nearly $10, and it’s hot and you’re sweaty and you’re trying to contact family on the spectacularly bad drop-any-second wifi at Disney, a cellphone boost is like a tech drink of ice-cold water!
they come with coords for recharging 🙂
and you swap right away with completely charged fuel-rod.
What makes you think you cannot charge them at home. They have a micro USB and a USB. I charge mine at home every time I get back from a trip. It charges fast and a green indicator light comes on when it is charged fully. Fuel Rod charges my Android phone extremely fast and within just a few minutes charge my phone to 90%.
I just charge my phone at night….and since we ALWAYS take a mid day pool break (as I have both a school age child and a teacher wife, so we almost always go in July/August), running out of charge is never an issue.
I always found the fuel rods a bit odd. We bought one at Walmart for $10. It’s not fancy but it usually charges our iPhones 1 1/2 times. It’s super lightweight and we can just recharge it back at the hotel. If we go to the park fully charged that’s all we ever really need anyway. We used MaxPass a lot and we still had enough charge between the initial charge and our cheap-o backup. Of course mileage may vary at WDW vs. Disneyland, not sure.
buying these are a little more but they also come with cables/adapters. And you can swap them, you don’t have to recharge them on the go, just exchange. Also you don’t have to take extra coords to charge both fuel-rod and phone, just keep in the case. Super convenient we swapped 4-5 times same day and charged all phones, and next day swapped also … was a little more to buy at kiosk, but they have lots of deals to save money, like during black friday and some holidays.
The convenience factor only kicks in if you go to the parks a lot. If you only make one or two trips a year, bring your own charger. If you’re a local AP, like me, and you go about twice a WEEK, the convenience can be fantastic. I will no longer use my Fuelrod if they go through with the swap fee, however (and honestly can’t understand why anyone would, other than out of desperation–it’s a truly crappy charger!). The entire appeal is the unlimited free swapping. Without that, I’m bringing my own charger every time.
It was convenient the first time and on every trip thereafter. It’s much smaller and lighter than anything with larger capacity. It really is that simple.
I have a smallish one that is almost 5x the capacity at 12000mAh vs the 2600 for a 18650 battery (fuel rod guts and most laptop batteries). It also weighs 5x as much. It’s only a crappy charger when compared to newer phones and chargers with higher current. It still works just fine though.
I also do not plan to pay $3 to swap. I’ll just carry the extra weight…
My friend works for FuelRod and says that their products are the bottom of the barrel made in China junk. They can’t even do fast charging, that’s how low quality they are. He says that he, himself, uses Anker, the fast charging model. He just throws it in his backpack like 90% of WDW visitors.
The main reason why I bought it It was for the free swamp convenience while at the either parks. I want to know how I can return the power bank?
Do you mean you want to get your money back? Highly doubt that is going to happen. It’s still a functional power bank for you – you can just charge it yourself
HaHaHa
I believe you about as much as I agree with the man that wrote the original critique. I use my fuel rod on a constant basis. I have two telephones, one iPhone and one Android. I’m constantly using my phone for watching YouTube or trading, watching movies, my phones are constantly going dead and being charged. I charge my fuel Rod when I get to the house and it charges my Android phone up to 90% in minutes. it is one of the fastest Chargers I have owned. Also charges fast and indicates a green light when it is fully charged. So rather than believe your alleged friend. I choose to believe what I know as fact. The fact is, my fuel rods work great!
My understanding of fuelrod, is that it is far beyond and better than the competition. To be honest I do know a person who works for the company, and works their ass off. To even consider commenting on this blog was questionable. The fact is..if you have enough time to look at this blog..your phone, tablet,computer, and etc are all charged..correct?! Stop being obnoxious overpaid, unappiative assholes that can pay 100’s for a ticket to Disney, $10 for a soda, and take to many selfies…you now can’t pay for you to get a new rod $3..please get a life a blog about important and significant shit that is actually a problem in this world we live in. Peace, but seriously get a hobby it’s people’s jobs…just like everyone else
Haha, no kidding.
Brandon the model is dead in the water, your friends are going to have to look else where to milk the disney cash cow
You might think so, and I plan to not rely on them in the future, but i’d bet enough do that they keep them for a few more years. Much like Microshaft migrating all of their products to annual subscriptions (even windows itself eventually), many folks will just pay it.
Brandon, with all due respect, I felt that your comment was a bit mean spirited. Certainly, foul language wasn’t necessary and what allows some of us to afford going to Disney is being sure we’re not spending too much on things that aren’t necessary or aren’t exactly the best choice for our situation. For my family, this product would be laughable as we all have chargers we can carry on us (if needed) and at a lesser initial cost and no further spending required. I believe the author said many will disagree with his take on it, which was respectful to both the manufacturer/vendor as well as other families that think it’s swell. I get it that your friend works his butt off, that’s honorable and proud to have a fellow citizen doing so.
However, as a person who works in the B2B industry, I can confidently state that I’ve seen people working their butts off for dead end business models, products, services too many times. What would benefit this friend, is maybe use the constructive criticism in this blog as free market research and as the opportunity that it is in making the choice of either staying ahead of trending technology or slipping into the “emergency services” category and embracing it while it’s relevant. That’s the reality of it. Nobody wishes ill will on your friend. If anything, constructive criticism can be the best thing that could happen to a business. I see it as the business version of the “tough love” we give our kids to learn the skills they need to live on their own.
And for the record: Blogging is actually where opinion pieces should exist, and it’s a viable job to have these days…not sure why “obnoxious”, “overpaid” and “actually a problem” should have had anything to do with this. It simply didn’t align with your opinion (which was graciously allowed to stay up even as malicious as it is).
Justina, methinks he’s simply tired of all of the whining. I liked the product to carry a smaller load in the parks. I do not intend to pay $3/swap even though I can afford it going forward. I have another charger with 4x the capacity and of course, 4x the weight. It’s a valid thought that most families who can come here can afford the $20 or so to use it if they already own it. It’s actually another opportunity to teach kids about budgeting. Of course, making them carry their own stuff in the parks can teach them responsibility too.
I can’t believe my parents were able to bring us several times as public school teachers and it has gotten much, much more expensive. Many can’t come at all but most who do, can afford the swap fee. That’s all.
This person works for FuelRod, username checks out.
I run a power bank business in the uk and thisnhas been invualable feedback. Please drop me your address and i would love to send one in the post to you.
Doesn’t it seem ironic to you that you took the time to write this rude comment and are preaching about having better things for the blogger to do?
Furthermore, the math is laid out above. FuelRod is not “far beyond and better than the competition”. Anker has made a name for itself among the tech community as having great products at great prices. There is no argument here: if one unit charges $30 and another unit has DOUBLE the capacity for HALF the price then that is the clear winner.
This whole narrative has turned toxic with people on both sides. I bought Fuelrod for the unlimited power not the battery. Our family of 4 has used Fuelrod extensively, we do not care about the battery quality given we keep it a couple of hours. We don’t need fast charge since it charges sub second as I swap it. Fuelrod is in the power business not the battery business much as McDonalds is in the real estate business not the burger business . Once you respect that you understand how they make money. Anker doesn’t supply a battery + unlimited swap and charge. I have a drawer full of 18650 batteries,
Bottom line is this unlimited power deal was too good to be true , I certainly made my money back and then some. Now they want to charge more the numbers change but not significantly. We as a family of 4 allow a 2k budget for a weekend at Disneyland, this is a fraction of a percentage of that.
I do hope the folks stop being so toxic and understand the real business model. Everyone to his own .
As a business traveler who spends 2-3 days a week in an airport and a Disney World pass holder the fuel rod is a perfect solution for PORTABLE back up power.
If you can’t afford the seao charge which is only $1 at airports maybe you shouldn’t have an $1000 phone or stay off it and enjoy your time at the park with your family
Amen, brother!
Seems similar to the $9 Disney ponchos: an expensive solution for the ill-prepared.
Well stated. I bought one on a day when I had left my Ankers in my hotel. But as of November 1, Disneyland will be charging three dollars every time you need to swap out your FR. So I will take great pains to make sure that I don’t forget my Ankers in the future.
I don’t recall the exact math as it was in 92, but when I was in the College Program and those yellow Mickey ponchos were something like $4.25, we figured they probably made at least a quarter million profit per day just because it rained a bit.
Some people buy the Disney ponchos as souvenirs. Fuel rods are not souvenirs. After reading about the expensive fuel Rods some time ago, I bought my second Anker charger. All those Disney apps will drain my phone quickly. I would never pay that much to partially charge a phone!
I bought one of those fuel rods and used it a lot because I had a phone that’s battery didnt stay charged very long at all. Since we live local I charged it at home and used it or if we stayed at a Disney hotel we charged it at night. I just had to be careful how much I used my phone. I recently got a new phone, I can go to a park, stay a good 8 hours and come home and still have 80 percent on my phone, so I am contemplating not carrying the fuel rod with me any more. I certainly would not pay 3 dollars for a newly charged one , I’d go to a local department store and buy one for 5 bucks that will do the same for you. My husband has a charger that will charge 3 phones but I already carry enough stuff to make my bag heavy, that charger weighs a lot
For safety’s sake, a few years back, I invested in the lithium batteries, for me and the wife’s vehicle, that can actually jump start your car. And yes they do. So I have always carried one of these with us anyway. Now that my teenager has a newer, larger phone, this is perfect. It can give up to 3 full charges to any Iphone 8 or newer. Some even come with the phone plug types adapter, jumping clamps and cigarette lighter adapter to run your other 12 volt items. Like my electric fridge. But each battery only gives about 60 to 90 minutes run time.