Choosing a good Solar USB Charger

Solar USB chargers are all the rage these days. The most popular models are small, and many have integrated lithium-ion batteries.
But just how good are these things? Will you be happy with a small one, or is it better to supersize it?
In short, get a big one! Smaller solar panels just don't output enough current to make them really worth the price.
Links to my recommendations:
BigBlue 28W Solar USB Charger: amzn.to/2qhCoJ8
EC Technologies 22400maH USB Power Bank: amzn.to/2qhBTP9
For more techie tips, see: scottiestech.info

[@Jaden-up3bg]

Dude your voice is so chill I forgot how stressed I am for a solid 10 1/2 mins

[@alanaspopo1955]

Just tested mine during the power outage from Hurricane Irma. It works as advertised. I kept 2 battery banks 1x20000 mah and 1x10000 mah topped off as well as my cell phone, trike headlight Cateye 700 candlepower, two different tail lights for my trike and trailer and a little top off for one 20000 mah Sentey battery bank that was only slightly down to 92%.

[@TestTest-zr7ks]

Shot man. I bought the 40watt SunPower version (Humless) has 1x 2.4Amp output for USB but also has one 18v dc output @ 2.2amps. That can also charge or power laptops or connect to an proper Solar charger or MPPT that has other outputs for 12V bigger battery's or USB ports etc. Which you can then connect an 12v inverter to... to power 110v or 220v appliances). Works pretty good.

[@MikeNeri1]

two things to mention: 1. if you're carrying solar panels, you can go to a smaller Power Bank (I carry a 10k) and still charge all your electronics directly. 2. carrying the panels on your pack only works if you keep the sun behind you; that's hard to do unless you're lost and hiking in circles.

[@mahalkita8189]

i have same solar panel which is bigbluel 28W. that thing is really cool. 👍🏼

[@georgeseriani2482]

One good solution is to mount the solar panel outside connect a long usb cable and run that into the house to charge your battery bank

[@AnaHDelToro]

Dear Mr. Scottie: Thank you so much for your video, I'm a complete ignorant on tech stuff and I didn't know about the importance of the size of the solar panel, sounds very logical :P Thank you for teach us something new once again =) Have a nice week!

[@kerriemills1310]

This was the introductory KZbin video from which I found your channel on and It's fantastic! I decided to have a look back over it again today, and it's still so very relevant to me, as I've checked out Goal zero panels. The big blue seams to hold a bigger punch. Thank you again for such information on your channel Scottie and co-host Cletus. 💥💫👍😌 The USB power bank you introduce has been the best for me too,thank you.

[@snowymatrix]

This is very good information. I am sold on this one now and I will be using it on a 3 week backpacking/thru-hike trip through a remote area with no possibility of electricity to recharge my power banks (my power banks will last me about two weeks before needing charging so will hopefully top them up with this). I do carry a map and compass but this is the 21st century and a smart phone with the view ranger app and maps of the area downloaded onto the phone only needs GPS signal to work brilliantly and keep you on track. So now I hope you see why the need to strap it on to a backpack because I know you pulled a funny face when you talked about that! Thanks for the review! :-)

[@user-rp8nf3mk8p]

The best I have tried is goal zero I have had three of their solar panels. What makes them better than a lot of the other ones is you can chain them together so taking two small ones would be enough to fit in a backpack for camping chain them together, and you have plenty of power and can charge one of their battery banks, a few hours easily

[@karolinalindqvist4351]

I have been looking for such a one, now I got a big promotional discount on big blue, so I ordered one. Thank you for your review.

[@frankzappa2451]

This was a big help Scottie. I was on the fence between lighter weight vs more charging power. Planning a month long backpacking trip so I am worried about weight. But in this case it seems like a no brainier. I'm going with the Big Blue 28w and an external power bank. Thanks ✌️

[@orgilmas]

Another info for that fancy power bank with solar panel is I checked it from Alibaba years ago they stated that solar panel as an Emergency power source... so it does not do what we assumed originally...

[@sunflowerenvy11]

With the big Bigblue 5v 28wfoldable out door solar power charger u can charger your phone n your power bank at same time out in sun when u donot have power . It good to have both for hurricane n power outrage

[@ciscokid1999]

Bravo, I've looked at many many video's around this topic and you knocked it out of the ball park. Thank You ! Going with the big blue. I believe from hearing other comments on these type units, is if you're charging and hit a shady spot, its my understanding that you need to re-plug in your device. Thanks again!

[@Aurumane]

This guys is amazing he answered all my question tank you man !

[@matthewjackson9615]

Yes, the small solar panels are a joke from what he is saying. So, the answer for me is to get a fairly large power bank that can recharge my phone for about 5 days or more in the event of an emergency.

[@manmaas]

Personally, I'd go with the three-panel charger as it would sit better on a backpack collecting power whilst on the move, which is how I think most people would be looking to use these.

[@Singularity2039]

Actually most people buy these to hang off of their tents (or hammocks) when camping.

[@manmaas]

@@Singularity2039 Ah yes, fair point. I'm pretty much always on the move so would prefer to collect power as I'm travelling.

[@JillofAllTrades2]

Just stay away from any bushes and low hanging branches if you want to avoid damaging your solar panels. Stick to sidewalks and you’ll be OK hanging it from your backpack. 🤣🤣🤣

[@electricety]

you did a good job at this video a little slow at beginning but well worth the wait you can tell you know what you are talking about

[@JillofAllTrades2]

I skip forward, rewinding as necessary, until I get to the meat of the video (including with this video). Some ppl simply like to hear themselves talk; not necessarily saying that about Scottie and Cleetus but there are plenty of them on KZbin. And in real life.

[@100000111011]

Haha, your face when thinking about the modern 'offgrid' hiker! XD On a long distance hike through a rugged landscape we tried hanging a solar from the backpack. I hated it. It forced too much focus away from the beatiful scenery and towards the panel with worries of it getting enough light or of potential damage.

[@Jaden-up3bg]

It literally made him lose his train of thought 😂😂

[@bencarter8324]

Once I saw your work desk I knew that you understand this stuff well

[@Sergio_Loureiro]

Seems a little bit out-of-date. Now you should do the comparison with more actual ones: Link Solar, Solar Camp, Anker, SunSlice, Blavor, etc.

[@alanchant8594]

Hi Scottie, did you notice that the Big Blue solar charger that you are showing us, is named 28W, but it can't actually produce 28 Watts (5V x 4.4A = 22W at its maximum). I think that this is a bit deceptive of Big Blue as I expect most people would probably think that they are buying a 28 Watt solar charger when they aren't. I made that assumption as have many other KZbinrs. Excellent video, thanks.

[@ScottiesTech]

Yeah, they all seem to do that... Marketing at its best! ;)

[@LeRoy313]

Hi. Maybe a comparison of portable charges? Why do you recommend EC Technologies over others such as Anker and Auker? Looking forward. And thanks for this info; glad I found your channel.

[@EKEACRES]

Thank for your review

[@carennorthcutt7724]

Taught me what I needed to know! Thank you!

[@zaednovideo]

It's tough to actually recommend one, because there are a megaton of them and some of the powerbanks are great, some turn out to be junk. I myself look at amazon and people's ratings, pictures and commentaries. Sometimes, you can find auctions in ebay with these and win with software like ebayGenie and others and get a really good deal...

[@100000111011]

Why do they name it the '28W', if the total output is 4.4A? V*A=W would make it 22W @ 5V, not 28W. Using the maximum output of the three usb ports instead of the panel amps would give: (2.4+2.4+1)*5=29W. Wait, what? That can't be! That would be misleading information! Well, here's Anker's 21W: The specs say it has a total output of 3A, so that would be 15W@5V. Again, using the usb ports instead of the panels it changes the calculation to: (2.4+2.4)*5=24W. Strange, this is no calculation of their specs gives their advertised 21W, unless you consider the 2.1A usb standard, then it would give a nice 21W. Third example is RavPower's 16W. They list both ports as 2.4A, and a total panel output of 3.2A. Using the ports would give 24W, but using their panel rating gives an actual 16W! This is about as misleading as Hummer advertising their vehicles as 'environmentally friendly' because they don't use any gas at all --when turned off. Of course it's possible that the advertised ##W has nothing to do with the ports and is the actual panel-watts corrected by a efficiency-loss percentage for converting it to usb-5V. But they still list 4.4, 3 and 3.2 amps total output respectively. In almost every review out there, the Rav get's dismissed as 'weak' and 'underpowered', and the Anker and BigBlue get hyped, simply because of the product name. Most reviewers simply copy the listed specifications, not even wondering why two almost identical panels, using the same and same amount of SunPower cells would give different output depending on what brand-logo they printed on the cover. Unless we measure every reviewed panel in comparable conditions it's hard to say which one is better. The things we do know however: they all use SunPower panels, they are all made in China and they are all sold under a 'US/EU brand name'. * I love it when a page-long rambling eventually boils down to: buy whichever, they're all the same anyway. XD

[@ScottiesTech]

Yeah, the numbers are always iffy. That's marketing for you!

[@100000111011]

Haha yeah, that's right. I'm the kind of person that doesn't lie, not even on a job interview. Also I live under a rock. So both marketing and it's reason, money, I never really understood. :D Nice video btw.

[@Bmxmusikian]

Great review mate...

[@JoannaMaGrath]

!!! THANK YOU !!! ...I ordered through your Amazon link the USB Powerpack and Solar Panel.

[@JoannaMaGrath]

UPDATE... I am very pleased with your recommendation. THANK YOU. I will be traveling to Costa Rica with them I hope. Still haven't contacted the airlines yet.

[@dinglo23]

@@JoannaMaGrath hi, did you get the larger ones in this video and are they good at charging mobile phones etc? Thanks

[@JoannaMaGrath]

@@dinglo23 I purchased for myself the EC Technology battery pack (looks like a long wallet) and the BigBlue 28W Solar Charger for me. I have been very pleased with my purchase. I keep them in a faraday cage (just in case) so I will always have the availability to them. I use them A LOT! I love technology!!! These are my go to when I go anywhere where I think there will not be electricity hookups. I use it for my cell phone and computer.

[@dinglo23]

@@JoannaMaGrath thanks for your reply, yeh, I currently have no access to electricity but need to charge my phone without asking other people all the time, I have used the small solar battery packs but they seem to be rubbish with solar at least, hopefully I'm happy with this instead.

[@JoannaMaGrath]

@@dinglo23 I can empathize with you totally. I saw all the choices online. I was on information overload. I saw this video and stepped out on faith. He seemed like a very honest KZbinr. The battery pack is heavy but that is because of the batteries, lol. The Big Blue is big but fits in my briefcase, suitcase or carry on. I will put it in the direct sunlight and work directly off it in the shade. Very happy happy happy.

[@julielast5372]

Scottie can you please update this video? Everyone of these i purchase is that it does not hold a charge! Waste of money! Help.

[@j5892000]

Not to mention solar panels performance decreases the hotter it gets. Would be nice if the solar panel battery bank has space between the oabt and batter back so as to transfer less heat to pack. But still it's not good

[@NR-nf1il]

I have a pkny battery charger that charges two devices at once. 1 slot is 1A and theother one's 2.4A. I almost bought a 4patriots solar power cell. I think I will stick with what I have.

[@skyeplus]

Li-Ion battery also degrade slightly each recharge cycle loosing it's maximum capacity. Another point why a power bank with solar panel could be a bad idea, but I'm not sure how does it stand in practice. Maybe it's not that bad, who knows.

[@carlchaovski8542]

Thankyou so much, you just saved me 70.. Legend, good video 👍

[@MrLabradorwildman]

Great Video I am still learning I was told even with a solar panel you need a battery pack has well so the panel would charge the pack on my backpack then use the charger to charge my spot-x, cell phone I do not own a smart phone is this a good way well that I have heard ant info would be great thanks dave

[@ricktompson9453]

Great job.

[@alpenjon]

Sound advice, thanks for saving me from a dumb purchase :)

[@Sir-Kay]

This was the video I needed before I wasted my energy and time on the tiny ones size of a wallet that won't charge an earpod even.

[@tinyhousegreece4923]

Good advice. So I guess if you going solar? a cheap 6v SOLAR usb charger. Higher current faster charge in a shorter amount of time. I hope this is correct.

[@BOOSTEDLASER]

Time has passed what do you like best these days? The BX has both Ravpower 24 and Big blue 28 for a good price. Any thoughts? Semper Fi Gunny

[@santiagosalcedo7653]

Good content, thanks for sharing

[@tysesty]

Good video. Do you know which solar charger would be good for car? Thanks

[@johnfitzpatrick2469]

Thank you.

[@Corcioch]

Nice video, thanks.

[@TheMrjack69]

What is the brand of the larger solar charger?

[@AlessandroCussino]

What you think about the X-DRAGON line of power banks with multiple foldable solar panels ? (maximum 5 panels per power bank).

[@erichepperlewp]

Thanks Scottie! Just discovered your channel and SUBSCRIBED! I'll be going to Panama City to help rebuild the computer & data processing infrastructure at a hospital after #HurricaneMichael and there is not yet any consistent power supply on the grid. I need something that I can use to charge my phone via solar if I can't get to AC power. I love the detail and insight in your review here about what not to get and why and it looks like that BigBlue one might work, but amazon is currently out of the 28W ... Could you do a review on the 21W vs. the 28W to compare them?

[@fa1576]

Hello sir, could you please inform us which solar power bank is the best one to use it in Africa, especially abou the battery issue, because the battery damage fast by the hot weather....thank you

[@thanamesny7807]

Hey Scott! I was just wondering what kind of solar panel you would recommend for intense travelers? I have a friend who does a lot of missionary work, and I was interested in getting them a good solar panel for their trip to Africa. Perferably, a portable panel, hopefully one w/ multiple uses.

[@ScottiesTech]

Well, it really depends on their needs. This one is great for charging gizmos via USB if that's the only thing needed. My other panel is a bit older, and it outputs 12V but is quite clunky and very heavy. Bigger panels are always heavier, especially the really big ones that use glass. To get more power output, the panels will need to be bigger. So, there's a definite limit to what a portable panel(s) will be able to power. I would say to just get one like the Big Blue , possibly also with a power bank. That's what I'd do, anyway!

[@juangomez2695]

What it's the name of the bigger

[@mirop8864]

man get at least basic mat right 5v by 4 amp is max 20W panel,bud the size looks like 15W panel.

[@pmg1180]

Will the solar panel charging the power bank highest mah and use the power bank during the night if needed?

[@ScottiesTech]

That'll work, but a large power bank takes a LOOOONG time to charge.

[@thetopnacci]

How do you like it now?

[@ScottiesTech]

Still great!!

[@pexustete2400]

I have a Goal zero Sherpa 100 battery and it is 98wh (8800mah@11v),=26,400mah@3.7v) 20 watt panel provided with it takes 2 days to charge it, can I daisy chain the big blue to it? I already have a 8amp 12v to USB adapter? Then I will have a total of 48 watts setup for my hiking trips.

[@ScottiesTech]

I don't think so. It looks like the Sherpa 100 can't be charged via USB. The 12V -> USB adapter can't be used in reverse (generally speaking). I wouldn't use the Big Blue with a 5V -> 12V converter anyway to charge the Sherpa since then you'd have more power losses due to the 5->12 conversion. Prolly better to get a bigger solar panel with 14-22V output, up to 3A, 45W max.

[@pexustete2400]

Thankyou for the reply.

[@lexihinds3881]

you should try the wilderness its a nice place i did liker your vido

[@carlchaovski8542]

ok.. i dont know if you reply back on comments or not. But i'm curious if you know if there is a difference between the FLOUREON 28w and the BigBlue 28w solar chargers? i see that the price range or value of the BigBlue 28w is holding it's value way better than the FLOUREON 28w.. i only ask you because you may be able to make sense of the specs way better than i can, Thanks for your reply, if you do reply, if not, well okay haha. My problem is because they don't have any comparison of these two products online as far as i can see. Cheers.

[@ScottiesTech]

They may be comparable in terms of power output based on number of panels and size alone, but you never know. Solar panels are not all created equal, that's for sure. I picked the Big Blue because of reviews I could find. And then I tested it, so I can definitely recommend that one.

[@shantelleadeline6053]

I did something similar with Avasva solutions.

[@lisahenkes]

Are you in the netherlands?-

[@computergroup256]

Thank you....someone *finally* pointed out that sun is good for solar panels, but not batteries....keep the panels in the sun and use a charging cable long enough to keep your battery or device *out* of the sun while it's charging from the solar panels.

[@bislig2alabama]

protect my debit/credit card from whatever/whoever?

[@ykb946]

weird...How did you know Bob's my Uncle???

[@ScottiesTech]

Yours too?!

[@daniela_dundel]

do not buy it, coz its shit. calculate

[@shovington67]

So, it would seem that Miss Del Toro's request for a solar charger comparison has been answered. You Mr. Scottie are not stupid. Although, I wonder what took you so long in the first place, lol.