On Aluminium

Journal No. 02.

The last entry promised the material an entry of its own. Here it is.

I can tell you the exact moment I stopped considering plastic. It was the first time I held the two side by side. One in each hand. The plastic one wasn't bad, exactly. It was light and it did its job. But it felt like it didn't mind whether I kept it. The aluminium one felt like it did.

That may sound like a lot to ask of a power bank. It's the standard I wanted to hold it to.

The cold first touch

Think of picking up a good watch or a well-made kitchen knife. It's cool for a second, then it warms to your hand. I wanted that. I wanted the first thing you notice to be a small surprise, before you've even thought about what it does.

It has a number

Aluminium isn't just one thing. It comes in alloys, and each one has a number. Ours is 5052.

It's aluminium with a little magnesium mixed in, and the reason people use it is that it copes with the world. Rain, sweat, damp coat pockets, sea air. It's the same family of metal used for boat hulls and fittings, which is why it gets called marine-grade.

I liked that more than I expected to. A power bank lives a rougher life than most things you own. It goes in bags with keys, gets left on café tables, comes to the beach. I wanted a metal that was made for being out in it, not one that only looks good in a box.

The practical reason, which mattered most

Batteries get warm when they work. So does anything that charges wirelessly. Plastic holds that warmth in one spot. Aluminium spreads it out across the whole case.

I didn't fully appreciate this until I had a sample in my pocket on a long day. It never developed the hot spot you get with plastic cases. It stayed evenly, mildly warm. It's the kind of thing nobody would ever thank you for, and I think that's exactly why it's worth getting right.

Why I like that it will get marked

This is the part I've changed my mind on the most.

At the start I wanted it to stay perfect forever. Then I looked at the things I actually love that I've had for years. An old wallet. A bag with a scuff on one corner from a particular train door. None of them are perfect, and that's the point. They look like they've been somewhere with me.

Aluminium marks softly. Fine lines, a bit of shine where your thumb sits. It doesn't crack or go white at the edges the way plastic does. The surface is anodised, which means the finish is grown out of the metal itself rather than painted on, so there's nothing to peel. It just slowly becomes yours.

The weight

It's 215 grams. Heavier than most. I went back and forth on that for a long time.

In the end I kept it, because every time I picked up a lighter version it felt like a toy. A little weight tells your hand something is solid. It also means it sits still on a table instead of being dragged around by the cable, a small detail that had bothered me with every power bank I'd owned.

What I keep coming back to

The aluminium will outlast the battery inside it. It can be melted down and used again, as many times as anyone likes. I find that comforting. But I'd rather nobody needed to. I'd rather you just kept it for a very long time.

Next, flying with a power bank. The rules have tightened, and few people are told.

Until next week,

JP