List Price: $299.95
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus: 20% Off
Wow. Incredible. So simple. Durable.
Too many adjectives for such a brilliant product. I do own over 20 different solar charging products, nearly ALL of them disappointed me. Many offer battery supplemented solutions which are useful until you realize that the solar portion doesn't put out power directly to the USB ports, they come from the battery.
I've used a Goal Zero Nomad 7 kit and I must say I do like their products, I do admire them for coming up with some nice stuff BUT Suntactics has gone several steps beyond them. First the construction, the Suntactics changers (I own both the 5 and 12 models) are covered in a very durable coating similar to what the military uses on their circuit cards to weatherproof them. The cells they use are very high quality. Don't just buy into the hype about MLC stuff, not all MLC cells are made the same. The 5w version is very small, comes in a simple and neat bag. It's very lightweight, great for ultralight backpackers or military. Cost is reasonable, you pay just a little more for a lot more quality and performance.
Being military I used it in Hawaii during a range fire exercise and many people were shocked at my chargers, nearly 100 people at some point picked them up and said "Wow, this is so bad***!" I had 2 cell phones, both iPhone 4S, mine was completely drained with no power, the other had 11% power left. Mine was connected to the sCharger-5 while my buddy's phone was connected to my Nomad 7. Mine completed the charge 15 minutes earlier from a dead battery than with the Nomad 7. This proves that advertising power ratings matter less than what the actual power output of each charger really is. I'm not saying the Nomad 7 is junk or a substandard product, it's a very good product, but Suntactics simply made a BETTER product.
Our range fire day was mixed with a portion of clear sunny hours along with complete overcast with some drizzle.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
I have tested several good solar panels but this one out performed the others by charging my wife's iPhone faster and under varying solar conditions. On a nice sunny day, but with clouds randomly blocking the sun, I was able to charge an iPhone 4 in 2 hours and 15 minutes from 17% to 100 percent. This solar panel has a lot of unique features and I put together a video to show you the product's features and how my test worked. A picture (Or video) is worth a thousand words. The video is long but I wanted to bring across the powerful features of the solar panel and how to use it.
This solar panel is powerful enough to charge an Apple iPad or any smart tablet or smart phone as quickly as using an AC wall adapter. I am continuing to charge other devices and I will document the results and post them into this written portion of the review. The solar panel is made using Grade A monocrystalline solar cells that are bigger and more efficient and produce more current than other solar panels that I have tested. The panel can produce 12 to 14 watts of power which is 5 VDC at 2.5 Amps to 2.8 Amps. It features two USB output ports and it can charge two items simultaneously.
One of the ports is the manual port and it is designed just to be a solid USB charging output but it will not try to restart the charging process with your device if the sunshine is interrupted. Some products like this port better than the automatic restarting port which is ideal for Apple products. The other port is the Auto port that will sense when the sun in interrupted and it will restart the charging process to your device automatically without your assistance. This is a major improvement on other solar panels. Products like the iPad and iPhone will stop charging and display an error message if the sun is behind a cloud or even if someone blocks the sun with their body for a few seconds. Other solar panels stop charging but this smart solar panel restarts the charging process and gets the job completed quickly without your assistance. During my testing the iPhone beeped multiple times as the charging process was interrupted but despite that fact the iPhone still charged in 2 hours! This is a very nice and powerful improvement over other solar panels.
What's in the box?
* There is an instruction manual.
* There is a very nice carrying bag to put the solar panel into for carrying or storage. The bag is nicely designed and also has a zipper pouch to carry other cables or accessories you may want to take with you. (Don't forget to take your cables with you for your specific smart devices)
* The box contains the solar panel itself.
* There is a male to female USB extension cable.
* A charging time chart for various smart products
* A set of information sheets on the advantages of Suntactics.
This solar panel is actually two panels connected together and they are encased in a thick clear plastic sealing layer on the top and the bottom. This makes the solar panel water resistant up to a depth of 40 feet and it is also corrosion resistant. The solar panel is also rain resistant. The USB ports each have a green LED that indicates when the port is powered. The output charging current is so strong that you can actually charge your device while you are using it.
I have found in my testing of many solar panels that tilting the solar panel so that the sun strikes it at 90 degrees improves the charging performance. It is also very important that you remember not to lay your smart devices directly in the sunlight. The heat will severely damage or destroy your LCD displays and batteries very quickly. I usually put a white towel over my smart devices and if possible cover them also with a cardboard box or other similar item. Don't think you can lay the solar panel on top of them to protect them as the solar panel will get hot. I actually measured temperatures of about 140 degrees F on the backside of the solar panel! This is important to remember.
Here is a list of typical charging times for various devices:
* All iPhone models in 1.5 to 3 hours (1420 mAh)
* iPad 1 & 2 will charge in 5 to 10 hours (6944 mAh)
* iPad 3 in 5 to 10 hours (11560 mAh)
* 10 inch tablets 5 to 10 hours
* 7 to 8 inch tablets 4 to 8 hours (Kindle Fire 4400 mAh and iPad Mini 4490 mAh)
* Android, HTC, and Samsung phones in 2 to 3 hours
* GoPro and other USB charge cameras in 1.5 to 3 hours
* USB battery 1500 to 2500 mAh in 1.5 to 3 hours
* USB battery 5000 mAh in 2.5 to 5 hours
* AA/AAA rechargeable cells in 1.5 to 2.5 hours
My test results using and iPhone 4 and starting at 17% of a full charge:
* 45 minutes iPhone at 42%
* 75 minutes iPhone at 60%
* 105 minutes iPhone at 82%
* 135 minutes iPhone at 100%
This is an excellent product and I rate it as a 5 star product. It is ideal for campers, people who work outside and it is well made. The fact that it is water and corrosion resistant is an added bonus and the Auto restart port is ideal for use with Apple products for example. I recommend this product as first class.
I was supplied a sample for test and evaluation and I promised to provide a fair and honest review.
++++++++++
Update on charging an iPad 2 on 7-26-2013
Start on an iPad 2 at 9% charged on a sunny day that has overcast (intermittently) and clouds blocking the sun. I used the auto port as the Apple iPads are very sensitive to losing the charging status with lower voltage and current. The iPad 2 has an internal battery capacity of 6944 mAh. Here are the charging results:
* 30 min 20%
* 60 min 29%
* 90 min 38%
* 120 min 47%
* 150 min 50%
* 180 min 59%
* 210 min 67%
* 240 min 74%
* 270 min 82%
* 300 min 88%
* 330 min 94%
* 360 min 98%
* 380 min 100 % fully charged
This is a good result when you consider that I could hear the iPad chirping every few minutes due to clouds occluding the sun's rays from reaching the solar panel. The auto circuit worked like a champ and kept the charging process going when other solar panels would have caused the iPad to stop charging and it would have required human intervention to start the charging process probably 100 times during the day. This is a great result for a solar panel and this is the only one I have tested that would have succeeded in a continuous charging process under these conditions.
Best Deals for Suntacatics sCharger-12 High Performance Dual Port Solar Charger
Durring my highly active outdoorsy lifestyle, I have a very high demand for energy on the go for my eleronic devices. I've purchased many solar chargers, including one that is 3 times larger, and much heavier than then s12. Absolutly nothing can match it. The s12 is certainly light enough that I carry it on a rack mounted on my back wheel of my bicycle. It powers my 2 watt bicycle speakers and my droid at the same time. Charges 2 USB devices just as well as a wall outlet on sunny days, and still charges considerably well on some of the gloomiest of days. Direct sunlight is not absolutly necessary with the s12. In fact I have charged my droid II with a 60 watt grow light bulb one night when my wall plug was missing.. this is a no nonsense charger and well worth every dollar especially in any emergency situation where power of any other kind is unavailable.Honest reviews on Suntacatics sCharger-12 High Performance Dual Port Solar Charger
I have been without electricity for a week in 2 different disasters, and I have bought a number of solar gadgets over the years, and all have eventually underperformed, and then simply crapped out. This time, my husband insisted on a solar charger which did not require a battery pack to charge a cellphone /iPad.By the time an emergency rolls around, batteries will have died, and you can't just put in new batteries You have to toss the whole panel...
I read every review I could find on solar cellphone chargers and this is the best direct cell phone charger that I have found. On a cold sunny day, my sCharger-12 gives a 15% charge to my iPhone, in 15 minutes, And it can charge 2 phones at a time!
This purchase has proved to be worth every penny, AND as a bonus I really enjoyed the opportunity to buy American.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Suntacatics sCharger-12 High Performance Dual Port Solar Charger
Claims 2.8Amps at 5 Volt max, but it does not deliver. I bought in July and was testing since (it is September now) in direct sun outside multiple times, with full sun and overcast. It will charge an iPhone from 10% to full in 2-3 hours in the mid day on full sun, but may never charge it if there is the slightest cloud. I was never able to charge my iPad, it would constantly go on/off every few minutes and typically add to existing charge level 20-30% at most during whole day. I wasn't going to give up on this beautifully manufactured product, so I bought a Anker 2nd Gen Astro3 12000mAh External Battery PowerPack, which charges from a 5Volt 1.5Amps source. The powerpack would not charge at all in full sun mid day in September, completely empty after a full day of charging. The claim of 2.8Amp is not even close to true in real life. I am considering returning and buying something that actually works for devices needing more than 1Amp of current. I would rather have twice the size, twice the price, but functional device.Update 2013 Oct 6: The vendor kindly offered a replacement unit with a free shipment, so I accepted. Thank you Mike P. Unfortunately last few days we had rain and dark clouds, could not test it. In response to the comments. I fully understand that clouds will interrupt charging and what the smart re-start does. I was talking about charging in full sun, without clouds on horizon. I tried both the smart and manual ports both with iPad and with Anker power bank, none would work. Seeing the success others had I am thinking my unit was defective, that is why I agreed to test another one. The vendor definitely stands behind their product, which I appreciate a lot.
Update 2013 Oct 11. We had few sunny days here in Milwaukee area and I was able to charge an iPad in two days, 4-5 hours of charging each. There were minor clouds, one day 90% sunny, the other about 75%. The tip I received from the manufacturer is to dim the background light, because when a re-start event happens the screen comes on for few minutes and discharges the battery while lit. That helped I believe. I am working out my issue with Anker battery, but in the meantime did increase my rating by one star.
No comments:
Post a Comment