Menu 0

Revolution vs E-Werk

We are often asked how the Revolution compares to the B&M E-Werk.  Here is the long version of the answer:

  • The Revolution is electrically more efficient.  That means that the Revolution will give you more power from the wheel at any given speed, or looking at it another way, the Revolution puts less drag on your wheel at any given power output level.
  • The Revolution is safe and user friendly.  The E-Werk has dials that must be set to the correct positions.  If you accidentally set it for a higher voltage it could easily break your phone.  The E-Werk also comes with a lot of different cables and attachments.  You're only going to use one or two of them, and the rest will go into the garbage, not a great feature for a "green" power source.
  • The Revolution is smaller.  Even with pictures showing it next to a pack or cards or a quarter, lots of users remark that it is much smaller than they expected.  This opens up different mounting locations, like on your stem or handlebars (I've even seen it between a rear rack and fender) where the E-Werk might not fit.  The Revolution will also take up less space in a handlebar bag or pannier if you decide to keep it there.
  • The Revolution works with more devices and doesn't need a cache battery.  The E-Werk requires their cache battery to charge newer, higher-power devices (iPhones, etc).  The Revolution has no problems directly charging those phones.  We've had several users take long tours with the iPhone 5 with no issues.  One user is even charging an iPad Mini, directly from the Revolution.
  • The Revolution is completely waterproof and even submergable.  The E-Werk claims "splash and rain water proof".  The Revolution can work while under water.
  • The Revolution has better overload protection.  This one is a bit esoteric, but...when you go fast, the dynamo can generate a very high voltage, and the charger has to deal with that.  Many cheaper products don't, and they fry on a long downhill descent.  The E-Werk won't fry itself, but when you start going about ~20MPH, it will begin to draw more and more power by itself.  As you approach 30MPH, it will eventually overheat and a thermal fuse will shut down the charger until it cools off.  The Revolution doesn't overheat and doesn't draw more and more power as you go faster and faster.  We've hit over 40 on the road and over 50 in the lab with no issue.
  • And, of course, the Revolution is much less expensive - almost half the price!