5 Best Solar Power Banks: I'm Unimpressed!
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- Опубликовано: 11 июл 2024
- I bought 5 of the best solar power banks and put them to the test! The results were...underwhelming.
🔋 SOLAR POWER BANKS TESTED IN THIS VIDEO
• Blavor - amzn.to/3FKOD9D
• 4Patriots - amzn.to/3QuVQ2h
• Anker - bit.ly/ankerSPB
• QiSa - amzn.to/3snlPke
• Survival Frog - amzn.to/3FP8OmM
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Solar Charging Test
1:07 Battery Capacity Test
3:09 The Flaw
4:03 Charging Ports & Other Features
4:35 The Winner
5:21 I'm Unimpressed.
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I tested how much solar energy all these solar power banks collected after being left outside for 2 days. Then I charged them up and tested how much battery capacity they actually have and compared it to their listed capacity. I also talk about a flaw present in the current crop of solar power banks.
Note: Listed capacities came from the solar power banks themselves. In the case that the power banks only reported their capacity in milliamp hours (mAh), I calculated their watt hours by multiplying their milliamps hours by a voltage of 3.7V (the nominal voltage for the Li-ion batteries used in most power banks) and then dividing by 1,000.
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Some of the links in this description and in the comments below are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on one, at no extra cost to you I may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 
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Products tested, in no particular order (affiliate links):
Blavor - amzn.to/3FKOD9D
4Patriots - amzn.to/3QuVQ2h
Anker - anker.pxf.io/AW5P97
QiSa - amzn.to/3snlPke
Survival Frog - amzn.to/3FP8OmM
I forgot to mention this in the video, but even the ‘winner’ gets the most lukewarm recommendation possible from me. It’s just hard to trust the long-term quality of cheap power bank brands - let alone one whose actual capacity is so far off from its listed capacity. So buyer beware.
A better alternative is probably just buying a dedicated solar charger and using that to charge a regular power bank. That way you can keep the battery out of direct sunlight. Not to mention, solar chargers tend to have bigger solar panels and thus output more power.
Well said
Can you recommend a couple dedicated solar chargers? Thanks! Great video, very informational.
Yes please, which solar chargers are you referring to and which power banks are compatible with solar charging?
God i absolutely love these no fluff type videos. went straight into it with nothing but measuring tools and realistic expectations.
Yes , salute to him
Thank you for making me take away the idea of buying one... ,,✌️
Thank you for the thorough testing of these things.
Your video was the most helpful so far. Finally what I was looking for!
dude thanks so much for the info man
Awesome vid, thank you mate
Thanks for the tests. If anyone is looking for a good battery bank, without integrated solar, I really love my Goal Zero Sherpa 100. I've had it for a couple years and it's been nothing but solid for me.
Superb examination and explanation thanks for this
Thank you for actually testing these
Great video
I thought that they wouldn't charge fast due to small surface of those cells but still results surprised me how bad it is.
Almost bought 4patriot… thanks for the review … it REALLY helps
Thx for this Video,
The last used A insted of watt
I have the Addtop which is a similar design and performance to your QiSa and Survival Frog. Once you're relaistic about what such small panels can do, they are pretty useful. It means you can keep a smart phone going off grid - because when you're camping or hiking, it's normally pretty convenient to just leave a small unit outside all day, or hooked to the back of your rucksack.
nice. simple short informative
These types of chargers are not for average person. They are however invaluable to someone who goes outdoors, hiking or camping or whatever out far from civilization. In the event of an emergency being able to charge your power bank in the middle of nowhere and then your phone is invaluable, even if it takes hours. Its better than nothing.
Yeah but that's the issue. It's probably easier to just carry a panel and your phone for this reason. A 10 watt or 20 watt will take hours but that's the difference between an emergency call being available to you that day versus not. I argue it's easier to just carry the panel and a few battery packs or just the panel itself and charger if space is a serious concern. This is less than ideal though, because you can only charge your phone if it needs a battery charge in the daytime. Personally I carry two battery packs, and a slightly better panel than usual for this reason. You want to set realistic expectations because they can get half their rated watts at times. Your average iPhone takes about 20 watts to charge. If you have a 10 watt panel and it's only getting 5w, you can see how this really takes hours to get a few percent on your phone. Get a larger panel than you expect you'll need in my opinion in all cases. I have two packs because I can switch them out as i need to use a power supply. One is used to charge a phone or other small devices, or is on standby for that purpose, and one is always charging. Thats good for two reasons, having uninterrupted supply of power during the day and extra battery pack means extra power available to me.
Very informative video. Thank you!
You bet 👍
Thanks for the review. I almost bought one. Living in AZ it’s always sunny and hot and the part about the battery never came to mind until now.
Many thanks for the video)
Great video. No surprise that no cell met it's capacity when you're discharging - you shouldn't discharge a Li-ion cell more than 80% of its capacity or you will permanently damage the cell. The 70% number you are seeing is probably the discharge cutoff to protect the cells and give them a little buffer. Agreed that it is really dumb to leave a battery in direct sunlight.
Thank you!
Another main reason why you won’t ever get that capacity in the real world is due to inefficiency in the buck-boost converts and such in the power bank.
Absolutely right to the point ❤❤❤ love it thank you.🙏🏻
GREAT VIDEO!!! This might be the best review vid I've ever seen. Patreon?
Good clip, I like that the fact that the battery included aren't superlarge since most people already own 1 or 2 battery packs. :)
Well made video, thanks!
you're welcome :)
Great presentation 👏
Thank you 🙂
I’m glad I watched the full video before buying the survival frog after 2 mins. I’ve been wanting a solar panel to charge radios and gps. What would be your personal recommendation if price was sub $200 and portable in a rucksack?
All ethical professionals who know how to properly design, build and test these devices will all say: "You are one of us for exposing the truth with unbiased evidence. Congratulations!"
Cool vid 😎✌️
Do you feel the same way with say... something like BigBlue 28W SunPower? It seems like an upgrade of these tested units.
Exactly what I was looking for! Imma hold off on buying one of these for now. I wanted to prep incase war breaks out here in west europe but this doesnt seem to be the way to go.
Im wondering if the emergency solar powered radio I bought is actually charging properly
Thanks, very informative, I won't be buying a solar charger anytime soon!
THANK YOU!! This information is exactly what I was looking to find. Real information on what these solar charging battery packs actually do.
Thank you for taking a heat measurement. I wondered about how hot they would get. To hear how much heat was created in 73 degree temperature gave me a ton of information.
I do not see a real use for these. Seems to be marketing.
I would be better off to purchase a power bank and purchase a separate travel solar panel. THANK YOU for this information. It is so much what I was looking to find. :-)
What a damn good video ! No bullshit included all facts
Finally some non beating around the bush review
Can these charge using any light source or only sun light ?
I get most of these are marketed for the day hiker or as an emergency.
What about someone that has a travel trailer not connected to power or goes backpacking for multiple days.
I don't mind spending more money to get the most adequate, do you have any reccomendations on a portable that is backpack size that might be of higher quality. I would be willing to spend up to $200 bucks. I just want it to be backpacking size and efficient.
Hi, what is the tool you’re using for measuring the Whrs?
USB power meter
Well done.
Thank you :)
I’m just buy a jackery and call it a day
And that's why you should buy a regular powerbank with a compact solar panel
ain't that the truth
Yep.
do you have a recommendation of solar panel?
I have the BigBlue solar charger which is popular and well-reviewed by sites like Wirecutter and OutdoorGearLab. So you could look into that one. I haven't tested it alongside other solar chargers, though, so I can't give it a full recommendation yet.
This is making me think I should do a review video on 'best solar chargers'... 😄
I’m sorry to reply about a different video but I have been watching your “easiest diy solar lights” video and I was wondering if there are any other lights that would work with a usb because the one you have is only about 6ft in length and I need double the size. Thank you!
Hmm… I’m not sure. You could look for longer USB lights on Amazon, of course. Or as an alternative - and this is a little challenging to explain in a comment but I’ll give it a go - you can get 12V LED strip lights that use a barrel connector (a 5.5mm x 2.1mm DC plug) and then buy a compatible DC plug “pigtail”. Then all you’d have to do is connect the pigtail to the lights and then connect the pigtail’s wire ends to the load terminals directly. Best of luck!
@@footprinthero thanks so much!
Watching during hurricane
That’s why solar charging fitting in your pocket is a difficult problem. The reason is power. That why I’m designing and building a solar power bank with 3D printing and it’s the size of a small tablet that still fits in your pocket and makes 10+ watts which is way more than these ones shown in the video
AWESOME! Will you sell it or post DIY options?
@@smartblonde1976 I can post parts list, but I dont have a well made STL file yet
@@cameraman1234567890 anything will help--I am a pure novice at this stuff, and my husband thinks I am a little wacky, though I expect he'll thank me one day. 😉
I use mine for when I go camping or when I go for a hike, I hang 3 panels off my backpack, and the forth panel, the one with the battery attached. Goes I to the bag so it doesn’t get hot, lowers my collection rate but the battery doesn’t overheat , gives me the little top off I need at the end of the night
Smart, that sounds like a good way to use it
Great video! However I've noticed a little mistake: micro-usb and usb-c are not directly connected with certain charging technologies, though ofc there are some specs but it can be almost any charging tech inside, especially with usb-c.
Usb-c could have like qc 1.0 or 3.0 :D it depends on the manufacturer will and the price point. The same logic as with data transfer: it could be anything from 1.0 to 3.2 gen 2x2 inside usb-c.
Ahh good to know!
These aren’t for everyday use. Just emergencies or long hikes, camping trips. Great for backup purposes.
Agreed!
Wonderful to know I just bought the worst one.. really should have watched this first lol
I really want something like this for long backpacking trips, but yeah I wonder how well they will last if using solar charging often.. do you think there is a better compact solar charging device for backpacking?
I'm thinking maybe buying the Anker and a small 40w foldable solar panel 🤔
Good question. I'm a backpacker myself and have looked into this before. There are lightweight solar chargers out there that are targeted towards backpackers. One thing to consider is that they work terribly on trails with lots of tree coverage. So I'm not sure where you'll be hiking, but that pretty much rules out every backpacking trail in the eastern US lol. Out west, though, the trails tend to have much less tree coverage and solar chargers work a lot better.
They are like the same price as a non solar one though should i still not buy 1 lol
I’ve tried a few. They all fail and the batteries take damage laying out in the sun. The ones with integrated panels start bukging
cool 😎 power banks
I bought one of these too and found it was basically worthless.
The solar is for emergency. Just enough to turn on your phone and make a call.
My big big big problem ive had with the 4patriots solar charger bank is i didnt use it after i got it. I tested it but never really used it a lot so it sat around in my bag as a "just in case" low and behold i go on a 4 day hike and whip it out and... it charged so so so slow, and then just got so slow it just didnt really do anything... tldr: if you leave it (and im sure others) for to long then something in it degrades and just kaputs... so sad i never got to use it properly...
Dang that's a bummer
@footprinthero I also forgot to mention that it also turned the light on and it never turned off. So the little juice it did have, had just gone to waste🤦♂️ missed some good photos cause my phone was dead lol
You dont really need the solar panel. it's more just a way to keep it topped up while hanging from a backpack or sitting next to a window.
I have one solar panel battery bank, and i just leave it next to a window for weeks or months at a time, and it's sitting so long that ots usually full every time i use it.
Unrelated, but I think solar panels on cars makes a lot of sense, because you cannot obscure the panels for very long, and that could mean if you park your car in the sun you could both charge your car a few miles and keep your car climate controlled as long as you want. Plus if you don't charge your car for a few weeks instead of coming back to a dead car it's still got a charge unlike a tesla which can drain its own battery to dead over a few weeks if unplugged
Yes I'm a big fan of solar panels on cars too! If you park outside I think they can be a great add-on. I thought the Prius with the solar roof was super cool
@@footprinthero it's a cool idea even if it takes away the sun roof lol
You say you charged them overnight but were they fully charged?
Yes :)
Avoid charging multiple devices at the same time with your power bank and never leave a power bank in direct sunlight or in a hot car. It will put a strain on the battery and increase the risk of overheating
I don't believe they work very good. I tried one & as it "charged" in the sun the blinking charge light drained it.
Yikes that's not good
Honestly, for a powerbank I just need "just in case", even 0.7Wh a day is good enough, considering I would need one maybe once a month and it eill be sitting next to the window the rest of the time.
Would I rather have one of these if I was lost in the woods with a dead phone battery, than not have one? Absolutely.
Do I think the fold up copy paper size arrays that will fit in a backpack are what you should be packing as you venture into the woods for a camping trip? Absolutely.
Yeah those are definitely the best use cases for these at the moment imo
Odd question but could I make my own solar battery bank using my own solar panel? I just want to do it for fun.
Most likely yes, but I need some more details to better answer this - Do you mean buying a power bank and a solar panel and then using the panel to charge the power bank? Or do you mean doing like a more involved DIY electronics project where you attach a small solar panel to a power bank? OR by solar battery bank do you mean a larger battery, such as a 12V battery, that is charged via a solar panel?
I have my own panel and my own bank, I was thinking I could make my own. I just don’t know what to do
If your solar panel has USB ports, you can just plug the power bank's charger in those. If you have a panel with MC4 connectors then you'd need quite a bit more equipment and it's too involved to explain here. If you have a small panel with just a couple wires coming off it you might be able to use a 5V DC/DC buck converter. I have a blog tutorial on this that I wrote a few years back which should give you some inspiration. Google "footprint hero diy solar charger" and it should come up. Hope this helps!
What i find ridiculous here is that you're putting the solar panels - that same panels that require sunlight and receives tons of heat - next to the batteries. Maybe insulation is present but im not sure how long till it starts affecting the batteries inside.
The typical design fail of trying to have an oven and a refrigerator attached together, doing a lame job at both jobs.
mine is brand new. It charges nothing at all. It has 4 panels like the orange one. It is useless and i took the first one back because it wont charge off the wall. This one wont charge from solar but will charge on the wall
Dang sorry to hear :/
@@footprinthero it's a powertech brand. I'm surprised you got a reading. I have left this in the sun for 5 days and nothing charged at all!
QiSa all the way
😯
The survival frog one is great for me…kinda. I live in Alaska. Summers daylight is about 20 hours a day. However, in winter, only have about 4 hours of sunlight at peak times 😂
'They heated up a lot though'. So don’t lie them on a metal plate when charging them
It's foam
Iphone pro max takes 22 watts of power to fully charge.
At 8.91 watt/h that would only take 2 and half hours to get to 22 watts, meaning that panel should be able to charge the phone multiple times in 1 day.
I'm dumbfounded how you come up with only 67% of a charge.
That math is super wrong 😅 An iPhone pro max has 17.32Wh of capacity. That is not the same thing as W/h. W/h means how many W you charge in a hour.
4PATRIOTS 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲 lol
🫡🫡
Great
It would take like 6 months to charge the power bank lmao
Fkn useless
These things are garbage.. purchased 2-3 of them thinking I got a defected one.. they simply don't work.. false advertising