Chatterbox CBXBICHRG XBi/XBi2 AC Home Charger Reviews

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List Price: $15.99
Sale Price: $13.59
Today's Bonus: 15% Off

I do a lot of motorcycle riding, and my Chatterbox is a great way to communicate with fellow riders without stopping to chat. I keep one charger at home and take another with me so if our ride is extended a day or two extra, I can keep my system charged all the time!

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Cheap Soladec Hybrid All-in-One Portable Solar Power Charger and External

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List Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $78.80
Today's Bonus: 21% Off

The concept of this Soladec Hybrid All-in-One Portable Solar Power Charger (SD4000LP) is good. Essentially, it is a battery-powered USB charger sized like a typical 7-inch tablet. Its internal Lithium-ion rechargeable battery can be recharged either using the solar panel, or through external USB power port. Once charged, you can then use this unit as a portable charger for other USB-powered devices. The unit also features a powerful 6-LED flood light.

Since I'm an engineer, I just HAVE to open the case to see what's inside. I'm quite impressed by the high-quality components found (see the photo I uploaded to 'Customer Images' section):

The internal Lithium-ion rechargeable battery is rated 3.7V 4100mAh (the product description says '4000mAh')

The LEDs are mounted on an aluminum-backed PCB. This is great for thermal dissipation (but you don't see this very often due to high cost)

The battery charging/discharging operation is controlled by an 8-bit microprocessor (again, you don't see this often due to high cost). This is very important because, without the correct charging algorithm, a Li-ion battery can be easily damaged by over-charging.

I then tested the unit electrically, and found it to work more or less as expected:

When you recharge the internal battery through a computer USB port, the charging current is at 500mA. This is limited by the current capacity of a standard USB port. So the charge time is around 8-9 hours.

When charging through an external 5V 1A USB power adapter, the battery charging current increases to 0.69A. That means the charge time is reduced to around 6-7 hours.

When charging with the solar panel, the highest charging current I can get is ~350mA. This is under optimal test condition of bright summer sun at noon time, with the panel perpendicular to the sunbeam. In real life, it will take at least two full days of direct sunlight to recharge the internal battery. Also note that if you place the solar panel inside your car, the charging current is cut by half because the car window filters out most of the UV light.

Next, I tried to use this Soladec unit to recharge different types of USB-powered devices. The outcome varies according to the power requirement:

When charging a low-drain USB device (such as the Philips GoGear Aria MP3 Player), the USB device is powered up correctly, but the Soladec's LED indicator light does not cycle to show 'charging in progress'

When charging a medium-drain USB device (such as the Nintendo DSi XL), the device is powered up correctly, and the Soladec's LED indicator cycles to show charging in progress.

When powering a high-drain USB device (such as the VIZIO 8-Inch Tablet VTAB1008), the Soladec's LED indicator still cycles normally, but its output current fluctuates wildly because the maximum current limit is exceeded. This may cause the receiving device to get confused as it constantly enters and then exits charging mode. Actual maximum output current I measured is around 0.81A, even though the product manual says only 0.5A. So at least the product is performing better than specified.

When ON, the LED light draws 200mA from the battery. This means a runtime of 20 hours. However, I'm skeptical about the advertised light output of '170 lumen', as it requires an amazing efficacy of over 200 lumens per watt.

On the other hand, I have noticed some major design flaws with this Solardec charger:

1. There is no on/off switch. The push button switch beside the LED light does not turn off the whole system, only the light. The system is constantly drawing a 3mA standby current from internal battery. Simple calculation shows that this standby current will drain a 4100mAh battery in less than 2 months. So although the product description says the built-in battery will "hold a charge for up to 2 years", in real life you have to recharge it every single month, if you intend to use it in case of emergency.

2. The case is not weather-sealed in any way. In particular, there are no rubber caps for the two USB ports on top. So if it rains, water can easily get in through those openings. That makes it dangerous to leave this solar charger outdoor exposed to direct sunlight. The only safe way is to place it underneath your car's windshield. But doing so also cuts down the solar power by ~50%. So now it takes 4 days to fully recharge the internal battery by solar panel.

CONCLUSION:

The Soladec SD4000LP is a good attempt with quality components inside. But unfortunately, the two major design flaws mentioned above make it less useful either as an emergency power source or as an outdoor solar charger. It does work well as a LED work light, but that can hardly justify its high price tag. That's why I can only give it a 3-star neutral rating, meaning "It's Okay".

[Side note on capacity]

Is the capacity of internal battery (4100mAh) sufficient for you? That depends on the USB device you intend to recharge. For example, my POLAROID 7" INTERNET TABLET has an internal 3000mAh Li-ion battery. So on first glance, the SD4000LP contains more than enough energy to charge up my tablet from empty to 100%. However, the battery charging process has to go though two conversion steps. First, the 3.7V from internal battery is boosted to 5V at the USB port. Next, the 5V is stepped down to around 4V to recharge the tablet battery. Even if each conversion step is 85% efficient, you still lose 30% of energy in the process. That's why you always need 1/3 higher capacity than the device you want to recharge.

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This new Soladec Hybrid solar powered charger, has Outdoor Chef Kurt ,ready to hit the outdoors,with confidence.

The new Micro-B USB type port allows the unit a wider variety of charging options. The distress signal from the LED light,could save your life, in all sorts of instances, if needed.

The new charge indicator, lets you know when to charge up, the unit . The electronics inside the charger ,that makes it work , have been super charged, for better efficiency overall.

Pros/// Dependable power when you need it most ,quality construction for durability.

Cons// price is a little higher ,but it is well worth it ,with quality and dependability ,and maybe your life at stake. When outdoors, in remote places.

it is important to have a dependable product , that will harness the suns power,that is why I give this new Soladec Solar Charger my highest reccomendation. 5 ***** {FISHGRILLER APPROVED}

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The biggest problem I found with solar chargers is they never get your phone past 50%, this is the only charger I have found that will take it to 100% in the same amount of time as a wall charger. The battery in the solar unit takes 7 hours to charge plugged in and 12 hours to charge using solar, and it never has any problems keeping up with any of my devises.

I'm a hiker and I'll use the GPS on my iPhone 4S to navigate through to wood in the Sierras, and for all of you iPhone 4S users out there you know how short the battery life can be, it actually drops off on average a percent a minute so I needed a heavy duty solar charger. Even with the high power consumption, as long as I stay plugged in my phone never drops below 100%, even at night when I'm using the GPS and the rediculiously bright light all nigh long. The light is also amazing, from a 12 hour charge it will run 18 hours and will stay bright the entire night. So to sum it all up, I actually couldn't pull more power than it could put out, it always felt like there was a wall outlet in my tent becouse no matter what I did I couldn't kill the thing! It was well worth every penny spent

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I violated my rule, which is "Never purchase a product or deal with a company that does not provide a phone number for Support."

After spending $80 to $90 on this, it lasted a little over 1 month. It was beyond the Amazon return period, so I couldn't return it. It is now the classic "brick." My only option is to deal with the company, which is in Korea no locations in the U.S. and no phone numbers in the U.S.

It worked great while it lasted, but I was shocked that a product which has no moving parts would die after approximately 40 days. The quality of work on the solar charger was apparently sub-par; and I will just have to eat it. The company should be ashamed of itself.

I will be more careful and not do this again. My recommendation to persons considering this product is to consider that this is not a company with a U.S. address or even a phone number. Thus, a 1-year "warranty" is actually worthless just like this charger.

Don't buy it . . . or caveat emptor Let the buyer beware!

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Compact, portable, saves energy, and does the trick! Got this to take on a trip and charged my Kindle Fire and iPhone. Worked like a dream. Love that it can be charged in multiple ways.

Buy UPG D1730 Sealed Lead Acid Charger (12V Dual-Stage with Screw

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $19.95
Sale Price: $10.60
Today's Bonus: 47% Off

What can I say? I bought a sealed lead acid battery and a 5 volt USB converter so I could use my iPhone gadgets while kayaking in the wilderness. This charger, uh, charges the battery like it's supposed to. It's handy to have the red/green LED's so I know when the battery is fully charged.

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This battery charger works perfectly to charge my 12V battery for my ice chest cooler radio. I have it four stars but would have given if it charged a little bit faster.

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This charger works quite well for smaller applications, but it simply doesn't have the amps needed to effectively charge my 8ah sealed lead acid battery. It takes over 16hrs to fully charge my battery, but i knew this ahead of time. This charger does get warm during operation which is surprising given the miniscule current draw. The "charged/Charging" light is nice, but doesn't have any indication as to the voltage nor the charging current. The charging red light will slowly fade to off hours before the charged light comes on. (keeping in mind it takes 16hrs to charge my 8amp/hr battery)

This charger is wonderful when used properly, but didn't fit my needs.

I recommend this product, but it could have improvements.

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Got this to recharge a SLA batter I got to power some small EL wire setups for evening parties and such. It works great. Just plug it back in to the batteries when the morning comes around, leave it to charge, and they're good to go the next night.

Good that it's dual-stage so it treats the batteries relatively well (as well as a $10 charger can).

Best thing, though, is that it has indicator LEDs unlike some other cheap chargers, so you actually know when the pack is ready to use.

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It gets very hot when used, but it does seem to work. It is slow on larger batteries, and it looks as though it overheats after a while (not sure about that, so I'll keep the review at 4 stars).

Cheap Humless Sentinel Portable Lithium Based Generator

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List Price: $1,943.50
Sale Price: $1,379.99
Today's Bonus: 29% Off

I purchased this Humless Sentinel as backup power for power outages and for the eventual major earthquake in the Palm Springs Area (I hope this one doesn't happen). What interested me was the long life lithium based battery and all the controls in one box. I had made a lead acid based battery system years before and have also read many reviews about the negative aspects of using "car/RV batteries". I wanted a clean system that would hold a charge for a very long time and really be ready when the need arises. It's a 50 amp hour system so it is not designed to make up for the loss of power to major appliances, but it runs lap top computers, small TVs, LED/CFL lighting, fans and basic necessities quite well (up to 1000 watts continuous).

This product, although pricey, is well built and performs as described. I also purchased two 90 watt solar panels and some cabling from Humless directly (from their web site at Humless.com), that allow the system to recharge during longer power outages. The panels fully charge the Sentinel in about 4 hours, and are plug and play meaning the twist-on connectors hooked up in seconds without any hassles at all. This means I can use the device during the day and still have some power for the evening hours. I still have the portability and it stores in a small closet space with the solar cables running up to my roof.

The Humless team in Utah was very helpful answering questions during a few telephone calls to verify that coupling the Sentinel to their solar panels along with my "install skills" would get the job successfully done. I'm happy with the purchase and results.

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I purchased this for an off grid recharable backup capability in the event of utility failure. As advertised it is limited to 1000 watts max continuous and a charge providing 600 watt hour. The 1000 watt continuous limit means it will not run my 26 cubic foot side by side refrigerator which pulls about 1340 watts full on. It will work for my upright freezer, although the 600 watt hour limit means about 40 minutes of full run time from a charge. As long as you know this going into it, it is excellent. I sucessfully tested it running my whole house gas furnace and calculated it would provide 60 minutes of run time. 15 minute of run reduced charge by about 1/4 so I think my calculations were correct. An easy way to run the furnace was to turn off the circuit breaker to the furnace, make an extention cord with both ends male, plug one end into the Sentinel and the other end into a receptable at the furance (receptical was on the same line as the furnace). Worked fine, but circuit breaker MUST be OFF or you will destroy the unit if power comes back on. The charge limit means LED TV's will run hours longer than LCD, and CFL and LED lights will run hours longer than incandescent. The light weight is a big factor. I checked an acid gel unit that would handle my refrigerator, but it would weigh 200 pounds which is more than I wanted to deal with, even on wheels, and lithium doesn't have to be recharged every two months like other types. Also competition was modified sine wave, not pure sine wave as the Sentinel has. Pure is is better for electronics. I can use my gas generator to recharge it and then have power quietly at night. I also purchased two 145 watt solar panels to connect to the Sentinel through its 12V input Anderson connectors. I haven't tested that yet but expect full recharging within just a few hours.

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Delivery was on time, packaging was great, I have charged the generator multiple times from zero to full charge using my 100 watt Ramsond solar panel and it charges and works beautifully. Well worth the money and I know that when the power grid goes out someday that I can depend on this to power everything in my room all night: a 32 inch Sony TV, lamp, xbox 360, and a laptop as well as charge my iPhone and other devices.

Also I would like to add that the customer services people are great and answered the questions I had as well as mailing me an additional cable that I needed. Very satisfied with the product, company, and customer service.

Honest reviews on Humless Sentinel Portable Lithium Based Generator

I own two of these generators. I brought the first one for a camp trip in Mexico, last spring. After the first full discharge of the battery, It would not fully recharge. It barely charged at all. I thought it was bad power in a Mexico hotel. So when I got back, they sent me another one. I just fully discharged this one last night and, again it is not fully re-charging. It has been charging for 20 hours and is nowhere near fully charged.

The company, located here in Utah, seems to have disappeared or is not responding to any inquiries on my part, so I guess I can forget any warranty hopes.

Buy EZOPower Dual Battery Charger Travel Kit for EN-EL14 Battery, Nikon

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List Price: $49.99
Sale Price: $21.99
Today's Bonus: 56% Off

You get what you pay for is the first thing I can say about this.

First and foremost, it works. Batteries charge and I suppose that's the most important thing for a battery charger to do.

Construction feels light. I'm still not 100% sure if I think it feels "cheap" or if it feels "portable"; it IS designed to work as a travel charger too and includes a 12v DC adapter for car charging.

The charging indicators are simple enough, but also confusing. There are 4 red LEDS that blink and vaguely indicate the progress of the charge. They remain constantly blinking though, which is a sign of error on just about every other battery charger I've ever owned. I can't really hold that against this product because it does what it does reliably, but it also seems to ignore convention and I'm not sure I like that.

I've used both Nikon batteries and aftermarket batteries in this and both charge. I will note, however, that the batteries don't fit perfectly. In the worst case, I actually have to put a book on top of them to keep the contacts of the charger and battery together. Nikon OEM batteries have this issue too, so I consider this a problem with the charger and not the batteries. Something claiming suitability for EN-EL14 batteries should be able to allow for variations within that model of battery that the manufacturer themselves allow for.

But then again, you get what you pay for. Aftermarket single chargers cost $10 more than this and single OEM chargers cost more than double. For the convenience of charging two batteries at a time (I have a camera grip that uses two at a time, so it's not just a matter of "rotate them"), I'm actually okay with it's quirks.

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Worked for less than a month. I hope my original four star rating did not mislead people. It worked 'allright' out of the box, but then ceased to function. More Chinese junk for my landfill.

SEE UPDATE: I changed my rating from 4 stars to one.

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I bought this for Nikon batteries and it does not work properly with them. Also, they are willing to take it back but at your expense and it cost as much to ship back as it di to buy the product. I would suggest not buying this product.

Honest reviews on EZOPower Dual Battery Charger Travel Kit for EN-EL14 Battery, Nikon

Amateur Photographer, Cinematographer

uses: DSLR photo and video stationary and mobile battery charging

Shipping was prompt and on point. Thank you Prime! Package was received undamaged.

I lost my charger for my Nikon d5100 and decided to buy this instead of looking harder for the single battery stock charger. I have two Nikon Brand batteries 7.4v 1030mAh 7.7Wh. when the charger arrived, I opened the package, plugged into the wall. the charger does a self check for the plates that go on top of it. I clicked in both batteries, and they began to charge.. I like the led indicator feature. also wanted to note that one battery had more of a charge than the other, and it recognized this and charged accordingly. Both batteries fit into the base snug and i did not have any connection or fit issues.

I will be getting a couple of off brand batteries soon and will write an update then on fitment and charge. Also looking forward to using the car charger. a must for on the go.

**Note to Manufacturer, How about some charge plates for GoPro Hero 3 Camera batteries? :) searched everywhere, cant find any. Ill take two

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I purchased this charger as an accessory to my battery grip. It charges both batteries simultaneously, so there's no need to charge one and wait to charge the other. Perfect if you want to have a spare battery (or 2) charged and ready.

Belkin 2 Outlet Dc/Ac Inverter Reviews

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List Price: $44.20
Sale Price: $35.84
Today's Bonus: 19% Off

We bought this item so that we could use our laptop in the car and also to be able to plug in more items in our RV. I like that it has two outlets.

Some people have said it was "loud" but I didn't understand that at all. Yes, there is a quiet "whirring" sound from the fan, but if you're driving down a highway or have the radio on low, you'd never hear the fan.

I think it was a good purchase. Worth the money and I'd recommend it to a friend.

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I purchased the Belkin AC power converter for my cross country trip from california to virginia. I am half way done with the trip and the power converter has worked extremely well. I am able to work on my laptop while my wife drives and the kids watch their portable dvd player in the back. This was a great purchase and I am also able to save by not having to purchase separate car chargers for my cell phones, they just plug into the power converter.

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This Belkin inverter is much louder than the 140 watt inverter (which is difficult to hear at all). You can easily drowned out the noise with your radio but the pitch was a little too high for me.

The 300 watt unit is only a little bigger with a second outlet than the 140 watt inverter. It comes with an automotive type fuse (30 amp) which does seem to be very useful if your car lighter fuse is 10 or 15 amp.

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Worked great for me on a recent trip to Florida. Only used one of the two outlets to recharge my laptop computer battery. Fast and efficient recharge--way cheaper than buying an extra battery and performed flawlessly. Some reviewers thought it was loud, but I could barely hear any noise at all, just a very low fan noise, which is necessary to cool the inverter. Excellent supplier through Amazon--received fast and in perfect condition. Product does everything it's supposed to.

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Bought Belkin F5C400-300W 2 Outlet Dc/Ac Inverter and it was the best buy. I have used it on road trips for my kids computers, hand held games, my Curling iron (no I wasn't driving)but was great when I was running out of time and needed to do my hair on the way), a crock pot for potlucks (we wanted to keep the food hot on the way to the party), Cell Phone charging (my son does not have a car charger), etc. The thing as you can tell has come in handy for many things as you can see. It has been such a great item I am purchasing another for my Mom. There are some reviews that say it is noisy but I am not sure which one they are referring to. The one I have listed above is very quiet. It is hard to hear the slight hum of the fan which keeps it cool. I have had it on with no radio on and you can hardly hear it. It is a wonderful inexpensive product, a great gift for the person hard to buy for. I am quite certain they will love it.

Belkin F5C400-300W 2 Outlet Dc/Ac InverterBelkin F5C400-300W 2 Outlet Dc/Ac Inverter

Discount Battery Mart 12 Volt, 7 Ah Sealed Lead Acid Battery with F2

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List Price: $32.90
Sale Price: $15.27
Today's Bonus: 54% Off

Update 1 year later: My FIOS BBU is beeping again, indicating that the backup battery is not holding a charge. This battery lasted less than a year but only has a 90-day warranty, so I'll be looking elsewhere for a replacement.

(original 5-star review below:)

This is an exact replacement for the original FIOS BBU battery, but at about 2/3 the price of others I've seen. Switching the batteries takes 5 minutes or less and can be done without turning off the power or the FIOS router. If your FIOS BBU is beeping, this is the cure!

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Like many people in our neighborhood, our Verizon Fios back-up power unit battery went dead after about 3 years. This battery works as a replacement, and we've had solid results so far after about 3 months of continuous use.

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This battery was dead on arrival. Seriously. Dead as a doornail. Would not buy this again and would not order from the merchant again. I should have spent the time to get a return, but I just never got around to it. You can get *charged* units like this from your local Radio Shack, I've discovered... AND, if you are using this to replace your Verizon FIOS unit, try calling Verizon first. They came out and replaced mine for FREE.

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Ordered and Received this battery for replacement for the 5 yr old Verizon FIOS (Fiber Optic) backup battery mid Aug 2010. It is now coming up on mid Nov 2011. The battery is dead. Terrible life. Terrible battery. Not worth your time. Never again.

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The batteries I ordered were packed well and arrived safely and quickly. I'd definitely buy from them again. Thanks!

Goal Zero Escape 30 Solar Panel Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $299.99
Sale Price: $239.99
Today's Bonus: 20% Off

These 30w folding solar panels are a folding "briefcase" and are very sturdy and heavy (15 lbs each). They have rubberized handles and have built in prop stands (2) on the back which makes them very easy to get setup either outside on the ground or on top of a flat surface. They are 30w each, and I have two if them that chain together (need a combiner cable that is extra for 10 bucks)for 60W. These panels are designed to work with Goal0 batteries like the Sherpa 120, Scout 150. To charge Goal0 larger batteries like the Extreme 350 or yeti, you need an short adapter cable to go from 4.7mm to 8mm fittings. I like these units because they are meant to be for portal mobile use with large basecamp tents or RVs so you do not need a gas generator making noise at night and pissing off your camping neighbors. When you move your camp, you fold em up and the external case is very sturdy and protects the solar panels inside. I have used these to charge a Goal0 Scout 150 batt and they worked great. I also got the accessory that allows you to charge standard 12v RV batteries, using a 12v batt controller and alligator clips. My True North OSV trailer has two 12v RV batts on front yoke and that is what I use the Briefcase solar panels to trickle charge during the day. I also have a Goal0 Sherpa 120 batt that gets charged at same time thur a DC outlet in the trailer, and is handy to have outside at camp tables to power or recharge cells, gps, etc. Note that all of the stuff I have described is NOT for backpacking, this is a solid basecamp/RV/Vehicle solar solution. g

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The briefcase design of this unit is sheer genius as it serves a two-fold purpose by first, in closed mode, protecting the delicate solar panels when transporting and storage, and; secondly, when opened, with the built-in legs serves as a tripod to position your solar panels accordingly.

When the built-in blue light blinks, this solar unit is receiving enough sunlight to do it's thing--even when the solar panel is indoors near a window, too.

If you plan to use this product with the GOAL0 (Goal Zero) 350 Batteries, make sure you get a "Goal0 4.7mm Input to 8mm Input" adapter cable. For your convenience, I reviewed that product separately on Amazon.

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BOUGHT THIS ITEM TO CHARGE SEVERAL UNITS THAT USE IN THE FIELD. THIS PANEL WORKS BETTER THAN I EXPECTED. VERY USEFUL AND RUGGED. AM VERY PLEASED. I ALREADY HAD A BATTERY UNIT AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE AN ADAPTER SO IT WOULD CHARGE FROM SOLAR PANEL.

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The briefcase unit worked better than I expected. Teamed with the Escape 150 Explorer Pack, the system allowed us to charge cell phones, laptop computers, and several tablets. We were even able to run a 12v evaporative cooler at night. Perfect for camping next to our airplane.

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A bit pricey compared to other panels with the same power capability but I really like the portable briefcase design.

Uniden 16-Mile 22 Channel Battery FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio Pair Reviews

Customer Ratings:

These walkie talkies were purchased for my 8 year old son for his birthday. They are replacing an exact set he had previously but misplaced. They really do work great. I can't speak to the mile range because he just uses them here around the house and in the yard but they work excellently for that.

The sound is clear and pretty much static free. They use 3 AAA batteries, which were included. I know from the other set we had that the battery life on these is pretty impressive.

If you are considering buying some toy walkie talkies for a child, I would avoid those. They are incredibly staticky and really no fun for kids at all due to the static and crappy reception. Spend the 5 more bucks and get these instead!

For the adults, I think these would be great to use while shopping or doing outdoor activities.

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The kid loves these.... I bought these to replace some cheap ones my 7-year old had that were practically worthless.

The important stuff:

1. NO Way does this get the 16 miles it claims. OK, we haven't taken it out to stand on a hill without any buildings, so maybe that's the problem. We do, however, get about 1.5-2 miles in suburbia around houses, trees, etc. We tested it in a car moving away from the house a couple of times. so that's good enough for us. We also found it reached a little farther in a park by the house with less buildings in the way.

2. Beware the 'belt clip'. Once it's on, it's quite difficult to get off which wouldn't be a problem, but it's nearly impossible to change the batteries with it on. We've decided to keep the clips, but not put them on the radios unless we feel we must.

3. This model uses batteries. I like this because I've had issues with some items that will recharge. Also, I can use rechargeable batteries. Another point is that I can take extra batteries with me to change immediately if needed -and I didn't want to spend a great amount on higher-end radios just for that feature.

4. Battery life seems ok/normal. Again, I'm using regular batteries: Duracell Ultras. With good use a couple of hours a day/2-3 days a week we had to change the batteries after a month.

All in all, my kid's happy. They are clear and have enough range for our use.

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These are AWSOME in all aspects except the fact that they chew thru batteries within 5-15 minutes of being turned on! The range is great! The clarity on nearly all channels is as well, great! The only problem I have is I cannot afford to use them as it gets incredibly expensive changing six batteries, (3 per unit) every 10 min... I believe this is a manufacture defect, but so far have not had any luck getting a response from the seller. Humm...

Honest reviews on Uniden 16-Mile 22 Channel Battery FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio Pair

Here's why I gave this product a 5 stars. Have fun with them, I like them, they are small, great for kids. For the price well worth it. All I need them is for close range when I'm with my two little kids. (3rs, and 5yrs and mom). They have fun with them period. I use them when I go shopping, at mall, supermarket, on my vacation in the Bahamas, they work great. ONE MAJOR disagreement with all two-way radio manufacture is what they advertise. You will NOT get a long distance range on any product sold similar to what they advertise. So for those who complain that these units don't have the range. That's cause you don't know the FCC regulations on two way radios. Hence why you will never accomplish over two mile is any with this type of radios. THIS IS NOT A SOURCE OF COMMUNICATION IF YOU NEED SERIOUS OR LONG RANGE. THIS IS NOT FOR A BUSINESSESS WHOM MIGHT NEED THEM FOR COMMUNICATION OUTSIDE THEIR FACILITIES. This product or any similar are meant for close range. Sample, from the parking a lot of a walmart to farthest point in the store. The parking lot of a baseball stadium to the nose bleed seats. And this is only for open space. Nevermind city blocks or high rise building. Trust me, I work in 4 buildings equipped with repeaters and professional radios and even they don't communicate as well.

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We purchased 2 sets of the Two-Way Radios. We used them on a cruise. There were 8 of us on the cruise, and these Radios kept everyone informed of where we were and what was happening.

They are wonderful. People on the cruise wanted to know how well they worked. They were going to get them for their use at a cottage.

We would highly recommend them.

Discount Hunten Outdoors Small 6-Volt Mono Crystalline Solar Panel

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This appears to be the same panel as the Primos, but it's a few dollars cheaper, the metal-clad cable is painted black, and it's IN STOCK. Additionally, the cable terminates in a 12v barrel plug, but also comes with as 6" pigtail with alligator clips, so you get a choice. I figured I'd have to cut off the barrel connector and solder my own alligator clips on, so this was a nice surprise.

See my photo, showing how I hooked it up in series with a Primos 6v battery and Primos camera. Mounting is unclear from the packaging, as it's got an angled bracket that gets attached to the panel. This apparently is to keep a good angle to the sun. Since I didn't want to screw it to my tree, I screwed it to a scrap (pictured, I'll paint it camo prior to next hunting season), so I could just strap it to the tree along with the camera and battery.

I don't have any data points for performance yet. It's the dead of winter here, and I've got it out in the snow. The 6v battery showed 85% on the first day, and has held steady after 5 days, "so far, so good". I will update my review with performance info, as I get more data. My plan is to have this camera up year-round.

Note that without performance data, I am comfortable with 5-star rating based on reviews of the similar Primos unit, which based on photographs, has the same panel.

Update 2/09/2012: It's been up more than 3 weeks, and the camera has taken over 150 photos, mostly at night. The battery is still showing 85% at night, 99% during bright sun. Essentially no change since when I hung it up. It's the dead of winter here, I'm very pleased with the performance.\

Update 2/18/2012: Up more than a month, nearly 400 photos, still fully charged.

Update 4/14/2012: Despite my advice posted in this review, I mistakenly bought the Primos unit when I needed another one. I have painted it black, should have sanded it first, and now the paint is flaking off! GET THIS UNIT (Hunten), it's got a good paint job, and it's a couple bucks cheaper!!

Update 12/7/2012: Nearly a year later, thousands of photos (sometimes 50/day) taken, battery still full. And it spent all summer in deep hardwoods. I had pointed the panel to the sun when I put it there in the spring, and thought I'd have to move it out of there when the foliage came. Nope. No problems. We put an 8 GB memory card in it last week, so it would click away all winter for us. Awesome buy.

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The quality is great. The price is right. Wiring is shielded with black metal flexible conduit type material, aluminum I think, no need to paint or camo. Plugged right into my Wildgame Innovations camera. Now I just pull the memory card and slip in another, never have to open the battery compartment or haul or charge batteries. Streamlined my run around the woods and continues to save time each trip. Did have to supply two washers for the mount screws, no biggie.

Best Deals for Hunten Outdoors Small 6-Volt Mono Crystalline Solar Panel

I received this panel quickly and as others have noted, it comes with mounting hardware and the alligator clip adapter for the cable.

Before I go any farther, let me suggest something people should do if they want this to last many years. Contrary to another review, the panel is not truly sealed. The plastic case that holds the panel has holes in it that I assume will let any water drain. However, that also will let water get in. But instead of trying to seal the case, I suggest you remove the 6 screws that hold the case together and use something to seal up all of the soldered connections on the back of the actual panel. I used some 5 minute epoxy on all of the connections, diode, etc., including sealing where the wires go into the cable shield. I'm confident there will never be any corrosion issues. I then put the case back together without using any other sealer on the case.

The mounting bracket is nice, but it can be tricky to find a way to mount it on something like a deer feeder that has tripod legs. But you can bend the bracket if necessary to get the right angle. Just don't put any undue pressure on the panel or you might break it.

A quick test shows it will output about 60ma in full sunlight. That should be more than adequate to keep a feeder or camera battery charged.

Also as noted by others, the cable is shielded which should keep any critters from eating through it.

The bottom line this is a good panel for the price. I would recommend it.

Honest reviews on Hunten Outdoors Small 6-Volt Mono Crystalline Solar Panel

I used and tested this solar panel on 6 volt fence chargers. It proformed better than the factory replacements through a number of different conditions including Hurricane Isaac this year. Including the shipping cost these panels are cheaper in cost than those from the fence charger's manufactor. The panels are sealed at the factory and do not require addition sealing or gaskets for water tightening as the manufactor's panels. If you decide to use these panels on your fence charger, using heat shrink or liquid sealant to ensure water tight connections.

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Work real well, and have order one more for a new trail cam. It well pay for it's self in just a few mouth buy not having to buy battery's.

Cheap Premium Car Charger For HTC EVO 4G Shift

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I was a little skeptical because of the cost but it has proven to be a good product. Still using it well.

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Well, it's priced to work for only a short time. Ours came apart, so it does not hold up to normal use well. I was able to wrap tape around it, but I don't expect it to last long. If you only have one phone type in the family and you don't unplug it much, then it may be fine for some time.

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needed something to keep my phone charged while on the road. it was ok it did what it was suppose to do. arrive on time in good condition.

Honest reviews on Premium Car Charger For HTC EVO 4G Shift

received in a timely matter, but after two uses the dam wire pulled out the top of the charger never again will I buy charger.

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Good quality for the price. Has a long enough cord to talk with, but not too long that it gets tangled. Works great for the price and it beats paying 15 bucks at Walmart!

Reviews of Rapid Wall Home AC Charger for the Microsoft Zune HD - compact

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List Price: $29.95
Sale Price: $19.45
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I bought it 'cause I'm tired of charging via USB, and this item saves a lot of time and nerves. Zune HD is a great and this charger should come with it, not sold separetly.

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Discount ZTE Z431 Premium Quality Standard Car 12 Volt Socket Charger Adapter

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this phone charger works great and it cost nearly nothing....I love amazon. I love the way it recommends things that u actually need

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I hate it because it did not work, it looked like a good product but i is not i do not recommend it.

Cheap USB Sock-IT EG8140B FloWire Cable with Blue Lights for Micro USB

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List Price: $26.99
Sale Price: $22.66
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I like that the cable lets me know it is actually doing something by visually showing me that my device is charging, the flowing LED does add that cool factor. The best thing is when my phone is done charging, it shuts off and doesn't overcharge my phone's battery. This is a great product and I highly recommend it!!!

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