Hi folks!

After more than 500 books and 1000+ hours of reading on my Kobo Touch, I dropped it and cracked the screen, rendering it unusable.

As a result, I'm looking for a solution to keep me going with the ebooks on my list.
I have a few options and limited budget (not more than �70)
I loved the fact that Kobo supported Epubs, and as a result my current library is loaded with a few hundreds e-books on that format, so am trying to find a device that supports that format, as I assume it would take ages to convert those e-books?

So, here are my options:
1. Changing the screen. Costs about �30 (the price of my e-reader back in 2013) but limited functionnalities compared to current models
2. Replacing the Kobo with a Kindle. Would cost me �60 at current Amazon prices for the baseline model. I don't need the Wifi or 3G as I'm old school and transfer my books from the PC :-)
3. Splurge and replace my current Kobo with the Aura or H2O versions (�100-120), but I'm unsure whether it would be worth it given how long my Kobo touch lasted.
Any thoughts on this one?

What "extra functionality" offered by current models do you need? If you are happy with your current e-reader, seems like replacing the screen for �30 is the way to go.
Other than that, from what I can find in google, Kindle support for epub is limited, i.e. you will need to convert your current books first or jailbreak the kindle, so if you prefer buying a new reader, a new Kobo makes more sense.

It's actually pretty easy - check out Calibre.

It will probably take as long to install the Calibre software and get the files ready for processing as it will to run them through the converter.

There are also online e-book converters, but that will take longer since you'll have to do them one at a time.

Extra functionnalities would be stuff like:
-Night reading a plus
-Smoother reading experience, the Kobo touch felt sluggish at times and the e-ink screen was fragile
-Extra storage
-Better library management software
-ad-free

If your epub's aren't drm'd, Calibre indeed is an easy way to convert them to a format that the kindle will read, and it's easy to sideload them to a kindle using the software too. If they are drm'd, well, that takes a little more work, but even then it's not that big a deal if you look in the right places.

For that matter, since you say you transfer books from your pc anyways, I'd strongly suggest looking into Calibre just as a way of organizing what you currently have anyways, even if you go back to using the Kobo.

Thanks everyone for your replies!

Most of my e-books are not DRM'ed, there might be a few but not more than 20.
Calibre looks cool to manage libraries, I'm definitely tempted to have a go at it once I make my choice on which e-reader to choose.

Any thoughts on Kobo vs Kindle? :-)

Personally I'm actually doing most of my reading on a tablet these days, even though I initially hated doing it that way (it helped once the dpi on tablets got high enough). I know a lot of people get worried about getting locked into the Kindle ecosystem with no way out, but I also know from some authors I listed to, they're finding that a ridiculously high percentage of their sales are through Amazon and not through other sources (to the point where some of them don't even bother with the other stores these days because it's not worth it to them). So I'm not sure getting locked in is necessarily quite the detriment that it was, and even then, there are tools to work around it anyways.

I did use a Kindle Keyboard model for a long time and really liked it. My wife eventually broke hers, and since I'd started using the tablet, she started using mine. And that eventually died on us on our last trip, so we ended up picking up one of the paperwhite models for her. (So that's one dead through physical damage, and one that just died, I felt we got our use out of them, not sure exactly how long we owned them though.) My biggest complaint with the current kindle models is the lack of page turn buttons unless you go with their real expensive model. But other than that, I think the current Kindle models are pretty decent.

Of course, all of them are pretty much going to be just as vulnerable to dropping and breaking.

As far as any real new features, the only thing I'd really think would be that much of a difference would be having the light source built into the device. Looks like the Kobo models all do now, which means the bottom one of those is probably relatively equivalent to the kindle paperwhite, and fairly equivalent in price it seems. If you don't need the inbuilt light, the basic kindle is probably adequate and cheaper (the screen is a lower res than the other models, but I'm guessing it might be relatively equivalent to what you had on your old kobo - I'm pretty sure the resolution is similar to what I had on the kindle keyboard, and I never had a problem with that, seems less an issue with eink than with lcd).

I can't comment on the Kobo, since I've never used one, but I've had an older model Kindle for about 6 or 7 years.

I rarely use my Kindle any more. About a year ago I started using the Kindle app on my tablet and phone, and just kind of ghosted the Kindle. The app is easier to use, automatically syncs last read position with my online account, and when I begin reading a piece it is downloaded local, so I can continue reading when I have no continuity (such as on a plane when I'm in airplane mode). There is even a desktop version of the Kindle app for PC and Mac, if you want to read using a laptop.

The best part of all this is that you don't need to buy a Kindle to use the Kindle app, you just need a free Amazon account. Download the free app onto your phone or tablet, create an Amazon account (if you don't already have one), and download a few free pieces for test reads.

Hint: Configure the app to use white text on black background. It's easier on your eyes and uses less power than a brightly lit white screen.

Only makes a slight difference in power usage if your phone/tablet has an OLED screen. I think the only OLED tablets are some of the newer Samsung ones.

I see more battery savings on my phone, a newer LG V20, than on my tablet, an older Samsung. In both cases the difference is very slight, however, so I should have mentioned that in my original post.

I also should have mentioned that the Kindle app on my Android devices is a power HOG. On a full charge, I get maybe 4-5 hours of reading time on my tablet. I'm not sure about the phone; I typically read on the phone in shorter bursts, such as over lunch or while waiting for an appointment.

My older e-paper Kindle is a battery BEAST, however. I can read continuously for several days on that baby, and it gets weeks of standby time on a full charge. Leaving wireless turned on cuts that by at least half, so I generally keep wireless off unless I'm downloading or syncing.

For everyday situations, I read on my phone at lunch, and if I dent the battery, I top it off at my desk, where I have a cradle. At home, I read on the tablet, since I keep it on the charger while I'm at work, giving me a full charge when I get home, and if I run out the battery, I have a cable next to my sofa so I can juice up while I'm reading.

Despite the battery issues, I prefer to read on the LCD devices, because they can be seen in dim lighting, whereas my older Kindle needs an external light source.

The Kindle is significantly lighter than the tablet, though. Coupled with the longer battery life, that makes it much more suited to certain types of travel situations, where you need to limit the weight of your travel kit and you might go all day without the opportunity to recharge.

I guess all of this probably isn't helping OP choose between Kobo and Kindle, but I hope that it's at least peripherally relevant.

LG V20 has an LCD screen.. so no power saving at all with black vs white. If the screen on it's on. Devices with OLED leave pixels off for black hence the slight power saving.

OP, I would get whichever one is on sale next week for black friday. If you're going for one of the more basic models I don't think there's much difference. I've been happy with my paperwhite and calibre for book management.

I stopped using my kindle years ago. I have the original one with the keyboard (before it was called the Kindle Keyboard). My biggest complaint was that Amazon didn't go with the epub format and while I can convert with Calibre I've found that sometimes things don't convert properly. I now just carry a 7" tablet around and read with that instead of the kindle as I read magazines more than books.

My wife has a Kobo and dealing with content is so much easier as I find a lot of stuff will have an epub but not azw.

Amazon is not only becoming a monopoly but a monopsony as well in ebook matters and as a matter of principle I refuse to support them ebook wise.

Not ages at all. Download Calibre (free), use it's bulk convert option. The slowest part of it is that Calibre stores each book in it's own directory, you'll have to round up all your files afterwards.

If you have loads of epubs, Nook Glowlight 3 (though probably not easy to find outside the US) supports epub and has night reading mode.