Help me understand how fuel rods work

[GeneralTso]

I truly believe there will be a charge for exchanging a fuel rod in the near future. It's too much of a good thing! They can monetize this so easily.
I say enjoy the free exchanges while it lasts, because it's going to change.

The Fuel Rod idea is great and works great. Of course there are cheaper ways to do it and work around it. But for what it is--it works and it's easy. For now.
I love not having to worry about a charge and how easy it is to get a new one. Simple.

 

[mamapenguin]

I have the iphone X and used it from the moment we entered to get MP for 12 people mange those through out the day and check wait times and take pictures etc. I did have a portable charger but didn't really use it. We would usually go back to the hotel around 1 or 2pm and I would just charge it there. I think i used the portable charger once while at dinner because i had not fully charged it the night before.
I have an Anker portable charger that cost under $20 on amazon.

I have 2 Anker chargers, 1 lipstick size and one candy bar size. The bigger one has double the capacity. We usually use these at airports that charge you to charge your devices (I’m looking at you Houston). We also use them if our seats don’t have plug ins on the plane. Other than that, we mostly charge overnight and on afternoon break. I usually bring the smaller charger into the park in case my daughter forgets to plug in. She had an IPhone SE and I had an 8 plus last trip.

 

[cruisnfamily]

What kind of cords come with these? We have a a Galaxy S7 which uses the regular usb and then a Galaxy S10+ which uses something else...I think usb-c?

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I totally agree, access to chargers/electric tricity will be a bigger and bigger thing soon. Especially when you add the electric load increase with all the ECVs!

 

[StarGirl11]

What kind of cords come with these? We have a a Galaxy S7 which uses the regular usb and then a Galaxy S10+ which uses something else...I think usb-c?

It comes with a few different cords though I don’t remember the specifics not sure about usb one but I’m fairly sure one was a usb-c cord. Though to be honest the cords are tiny so I would still bring your own.

 

[cruisnfamily]

It comes with a few different cords though I don’t remember the specifics not sure about usb one but I’m fairly sure one was a usb-c cord. Though to be honest the cords are tiny so I would still bring your own.

Tiny cords are good! But I need to know it will have the right ones for our phones...I will see if I can find info on their website I guess.

 

[dina444444]

Tiny cords are good! But I need to know it will have the right ones for our phones...I will see if I can find info on their website I guess.

It comes with a lightening cable, micro usb, and usb c.

 

[EmJ]

What does it cost to "rent" the FuelRod? Debating whether it just makes more sense to buy an Anker.

 

[msteddom]

It is $30 for the initial Fuel Rod kit. You don't rent it though, you own it. You can recharge it on your own and/or swap it as needed in the parks.

 

[DharmaLou]

Has anyone stated the obvious about just buying a Mophie or Jackery and saving money and having your own for ever and ever? This isn't even $20 and you can easily get 3 charges out of it (it's what I use) https://amzn.to/2p3EIrs

 

[msteddom]

I like Fuel Rod because I always forget to recharge my batteries at home. I’ve had my fuel rod for a few years now, so i’ve gotten my money’s worth.

 

[EmJ]

Has anyone stated the obvious about just buying a Mophie or Jackery and saving money and having your own for ever and ever? This isn't even $20 and you can easily get 3 charges out of it (it's what I use) https://amzn.to/2p3EIrs

This is kind of what I'm thinking. I travel a lot for work and having a charger wherever I am would be handy. I'm looking at an $18 Anker that's about the size of a tube of lipstick.

 

[Plip]

You can buy a portable battery of similar capacity for $10. So the other $20 is essentially just prepaying for a lifetime of free (or cheap) instance charges. But only when you're at Disneyland or somewhere else with a Fuel Rod kiosk.

I have enough days when I need a portable battery, but I'm not close to a kiosk, that I've just made it part of my routine to carry a battery and top it off each night when I charge my phone. So Fuel Rod doesn't make sense for me.

But I can see that for people who would only ever need a portable charger when they're at Disneyland (or anywhere where there is a kiosk), it might be a good alternative, especially if you don't trust yourself to remember to charge a different battery.

 

[EmJ]

You can buy a portable battery of similar capacity for $10. So the other $20 is essentially just prepaying for a lifetime of free (or cheap) instance charges. But only when you're at Disneyland or somewhere else with a Fuel Rod kiosk.

I have enough days when I need a portable battery, but I'm not close to a kiosk, that I've just made it part of my routine to carry a battery and top it off each night when I charge my phone. So Fuel Rod doesn't make sense for me.

But I can see that for people who would only ever need a portable charger when they're at Disneyland (or anywhere where there is a kiosk), it might be a good alternative, especially if you don't trust yourself to remember to charge a different battery.

Are Fuel Rod kiosks common in other locations? I've never heard of them before starting to research Disneyland, but I can see where those would be a good business move. Like Redbox.

 

[Plip]

Are Fuel Rod kiosks common in other locations? I've never heard of them before starting to research Disneyland, but I can see where those would be a good business move. Like Redbox.

No, they aren't common. You can go to the Fuel Rod website and click on "Locations" to see if there are any near you. There are a few in airports and a few other high traffic places, but there aren't even any in my entire state as far as I can tell.

 

[AndrewC]

While the idea of Fuel-Rod is good, there are so many better options out there. The battery is only around 2600 mAh which is only about 80% of the battery size for an iPhone XS MAX, and there are a lot of comments about people only getting about 1000 to 1200 mAh out of it which is only about 40%. Maybe they’re not able to fully charge them before cycling them to new customers?

Anyway, a 20,000 mAh battery that’s almost exactly the same size as an iPhone (thin and flat) can be found for like $30 or $40 on amazon and would charge the iPhone at least 5 times over but possibly even 6 times. So that’s a better option if you’re charging a couple devices or are really draining power. I usually turn off WiFi but am constantly using the phone for photos and MaxPass and the Disney app, so battery life gets sucked down pretty fast. I think I would need to get three or more Fuel-Rods in a day and there just aren’t enough locations at all ends of the park for that.

 

[dina444444]

Has anyone stated the obvious about just buying a Mophie or Jackery and saving money and having your own for ever and ever? This isn't even $20 and you can easily get 3 charges out of it (it's what I use) https://amzn.to/2p3EIrs

For those of us who go bagless to Disney sometimes the fuel rod is lighter than some of these externals that have more charge. I only use my fuel rod at Disney but I’m at Disneyland almost once a week so it made sense for me to invest. It’s free to swap them at Disney, at airports and other places there is typically at least a $1 charge so in those instances I don’t think the fuel rod is worth it.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

This is kind of what I'm thinking. I travel a lot for work and having a charger wherever I am would be handy. I'm looking at an $18 Anker that's about the size of a tube of lipstick.

We have the Anker chargers that are the size of a candy bar. Have had them for a few years, and they've worked great. Between the two of us, both chargers have covered our phones for Halloween parties (photos, videos, work calls for DH), full days with MP & PP (and more work calls for DH), D23 Expo, etc. We charge them at home or at the hotel (rarely need to charge them in the parks), and they last us all day. I don't think we've ever needed more juice with both phones (both iPhones) and the 2 Ankers. We did look at the Fuel Rods because they're so convenient in the parks, but now I'm glad we went with the Ankers because I haven't seen as many Fuel Rod kiosks as I'd like, e.g. at Expo.

 

[midnight star]

I still actually haven't bought a fuel rod lol. I normally bring my villain charger. It can charge 2 phones, has a flashlight (great for walking in the dark lots at night), and stays charged for a long time. The downside is that it is sooo heavy! I've used my friend's fule rods and I like them. So it's nice to know if I ever forget my charger, I can get a fuel rod.

 

[Joeboo25]

My Fuel Rod is only useful at Disney and it has worked out well the past two trips (one to each World and Land). I've been trying some bag-less days and it really works well for me. If I didn't need a filter bottle or ponchos in Orlando, I'd probably be completely bag free.

I'll echo what others have said, it may not give you a full charge but it will definitely give you a few more hours on your phone that you wouldn't have had before. Once you figure out some of the swap points in the parks and/or resorts, dump it and grab a new one every time you walk by!

Another tip, buy your first one at the airport or from one of the machines that charges you to swap. They'll be cheaper by $5 or so. Disney charges more to cover the free swaps (for now...)

Edit: Also, bring your own cords. I use a 6" USB-C cord from Amazon that works really well. The short ones that come with it may put some extra stress on your port.