This thing won't even take a charge. The instructions say when you place it in direct sunlight a red light will come on, and it'll turn green when it's fully charged. I've tried for days, having outside under direct sunlight, and also placed under a daylight-spectrum bulb, but it will not take a charge. Very disappointed, and now have to go throught the return process, what a pain in the neck.
First off, let me say that this company has it right with sourcing great materials. Like using high grade mono crystalline solar panels and then having a nice non scratch/anti reflective coating.(this is a huge help when getting it to pick up even low levels of light)
Then it has a 2000 maH lithium ion battery on board that can charge my phone (which has a 1000mah battery) in the same time it takes a wall outlet. The time it normally takes from the wall is around an hour or so give or take 30 min.
For portability, it is the size of a 7" tablet or a paperback novel, so it is the smallest and most powerful charger to date for its size . This is due to using efficient materials and a methodology of keeping it simple.
User note: It has a lithium ion battery on board. So when it is a 100F out you need to cover the battery so it will not swell and blow up, or just fold the flap behind the panels.
If there is no sunlight, you still have the ability to charge the on board battery using a nokia charger that has a very thin barrel type connection. There is a rubber seal that peels off the usb and charger port to ensure it is protected from the elements. It is not water proof(submerge it in water), but it is water resistant(a light rain) and this is an awesome feature.
It has eye loops on each corner to strap this to a backpack or whatever you want to make your mobile charging platform. It is very light, robust and is half the price of similar brunton and sunlinq products(who use the lowest grade materials ie amorphous or polycrystalline solar panels). Mono-crystalline is the absolute best. Then there is nasa stuff, which is gallium Nitride, but me and you can not afford that stuff.
There is a charge indicator led on the battery pack to show the user if the battery is below 80%(Solid red LED will show) or above 80%(Solid green LED will show).
To ensure maximum life expectancy, the user should charge this manually using the nokia style charger for at least four hours. I did it over night as i do not want to sit and wait for it to be done. Then go ahead and use it as you would normally. This is not vital but will ensure you get a good base charge.
I live in Arizona so the charging results may vary slightly. As for performance, I made sure the device was completely dead by charging my phone and other usb devices. It took under 2 hours to fully charge the battery(from red led to green led)
My quick checklist:
1) High efficiency mono crystalline solar panels CHECK!
2) 2000maH battery ( twice the size of my phones current battery) CHECK!
3) Materials and workmanship is of the best CHECK!
4) If there is no sunlight, there is a backup method of charging CHECK!
5) It actually charges the on board battery and the external usb device at the same time(while exposed to the sun) CHECK! (Note: do not have your phone out in direct sunlight as it will ruin it if it is a 100F out and above)
This will fit into a purse or a glove box to ensure that you will always have a usb reserve to keep your vital electronics up and running and having to no longer rely on the wall plug(a wall wart).
Another main reason I chose this product is that I had purchased their larger 10W panel setup and love it. It is the bigger version of this and has no battery on board, two usb ports and is three times this size. To sum it up, the main reason I love this device is that this tool actually does what it supposed to and then some!. I would recommend this to family and friends and I feel that every dollar was well spent, even in this economy.
Very Important:
1) To ensure a quicker charge, make sure the solar panels are exposed to direct sunlight. For example: if the sun is directly above you at noon, lay the panel flat on the ground. This is perpendicular to the sun and means the best charging conditions.
2) Make sure it does not get exposed to anything hotter than 140F as the lithium battery will explode, just like your phone.
3)Wipe off the panels lightly to get the dust off before you fold it up again to further eliminate scratches.
4) Buy the bestek usb cable kit for like $6 on here to ensure you have all the right connections to charge this device or charge any device off this.
Buy Instapark® Mercury 4S Ultra-slim Portable Solar USB Cell Phone Charger with Built-in 2,000 mAh Rec Now
The directions for this kit are on a DVD. The DVD makes the installation process seem much easier than the actual installation itself. A piece of double sided tape was included in the replacement kit to hold the new battery in place. I used the tape to re-secure the new battery after removing the old one. What was not mentioned in the instructions was the double sided tape was too thick to allow the TomTom to be closed and the halves screwed back together. The TomTom had to be disassembled again and the tape removed before it could reassembled properly. A little more detail explanation would have helped otherwise, it would have gotten 5 stars. As it is the battery works well and my TomTom functions flawlessly.
