We don't always have an electrical outlet readily available, most certainlyon atriptothe great outdoors. And God forbid that we don't have access to our precious devices! So what options to we have? Well, we can charge up several portable chargers and hope it's enough. Or you can buy one chargerand efficiently let the sun do the work for you.
If the latter soundsgreat but you're suspicious of the effectivenessof such solar charger a device, let me introduce the Coocheer 15W Solar Panel Charger. Imustmention that I've tried solar panel chargers before, but to no avail. They either didn't charge fast enough for the worth or just didn't work period. But when I spottedCoocheer's seemingly robust implementation, I really wanted to know if asolar panel charger could be done well. Design So what makes this solar panel chargerso special? For starters, you have not one, not two, but three considerably-sized solar panels. This translates to 15W of power output (given you have full sunlight, of course). Therefore, Coocher was able to put intwoUSB charging ports, one capable of 2.1A and the other 2.5A. In order to make the system effective, the solar panels are fairly large (slightly smaller than printer paper). At full extension, the charger is about 2.5ft wide. But you won't be carryingit around that way. Fortunately, the charger is foldablefor portability. This system is a fantastic way to circumvent the fact that you need large panels in order to make solar charging worthwhile. Yes, fully laid out, the large footprint can be cumbersome to have around. But if you're stationary (i.e. camping) or have it strapped to your backpack while you're hiking, it should work just fine. There are cutouts at the extreme corner of the panelsthat can serve as attachment points. Also, because there is folding point between each panel, you have the flexibility to change the size. For instance, if you only need to charge one device, you can shorten the length to one or two panels by folding inextra panels. The charger is made out of woven fabric material, like that is used for backpack straps. Therefore, the entire assembly is sturdy. The solar panels are protected by a plastic filmand adhered to the surrounded fabric. I feel like I can toss this thing around and it will be just fine. The base of the charger solar charger houses the two charging ports within a pocket. The plastic housing of the charging ports do have somewhat of a cheap feel, but they work. I wish Coocheer labeled which one of the USB ports is the one that outputs more power, for faster charging if your device supports it. The pocket is held shutby Velcro, so smaller devices can be thrown in there while they charge. A Velcro liningis also used to keep the charger from unravelingwhen you foldit completely up. Function I gave the charger a couple test runs, on a overcast day and on a sunny day. The results met my expectations. On the cloudy day, I wouldn't recommend plugging in two devices. For me, I just got enough juice to keep my phone's battery percentage at bay. But this is certainly better than it draining! On the sunny day, it was a much better story. At 50%, my Galaxy S6 estimated about 1 hour to charge the battery full. This is pretty darn close to Fast Charging speed! Pretty impressive for a solar panel charger. Final Thoughts I'm very pleased with how the Coocheer Solar Panel Charger worked out. Yes, it's larger than typical battery packs. But the size is a limitation of solar panel technology, not a limitation of the manufacturer. Having extendability thatmaximizes solareffectiveness, with the ability to compactdown to roughly the size of a sheet of paper, is a fantastic way to make solar panel charger practical. Also, the charging speed at full sunlight blew me away, along with the ability to charge two devices at the same time. I won't completely get rid of my battery packs, as the solar panel effectiveness is obviouslylargelydependent on sunlight. But now they can serve as backup if/when I need them. One thing's for sure, I don't need to worry about running out of battery. Coocheer Solar Panel Charger product page
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