Portable USB Solar Panel Charger Review / Tests - Part 1

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In this video I test 11 portable / folding USB Solar Panel Chargers to see how well they perform.
* SunKingdom 39 Watt
* ChoeTech 19 W Portable Solar Charger - astore.amazon.com/m0711-20/det...
* RAVPower 15W Solar Charger (with iSmart) -- astore.amazon.com/m0711-20/det...
* Smart Tech Apollon P15 15 Watt - www.buykorea.org/product-detai...
* Anker® 14W Dual-Port Solar Charger with PowerIQ
* All Power AP® Solar Foldable Charger 7W
* Voltaic Systems 6.0W "Fuse 6W"
* Smart Tech Apollon P5 5 Watt
* SUNKINGDOM™ 5W 5V
* Voltaic Systems 4.0W "Amp"
* Voltaic 2.0 Watt Solar Panel
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[@gerry6777]

Hey man. Would love an updated version of this video. Cheers!

[@leduynhat92]

*Absolutely perfect for what we use . **Generater.Systems** for Our 500wt power station! Love it!!!!*

[@kushalphoenix1]

This panel can put out close to 100 watts kzbin.infoUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.

[@rnkim2564]

LOVE your most excellent, analytical, detailed pros and cons reviews and the fact that you actually tested the equipment and share your opinion on general things like cords and battery packs, heat , ( some reviewers dont????)and you shared really good info on ease of use, likely longevity of device, and possible devices that may have compatibility issues. il be buying from you when I figure out what I want and very much appreciate your hard work. I knew next to nothing about this subject and after 40 mins( which I really didnt want to spend with some non analytical prepper guy jumping from subject to subject and data to opinion with no rhyme or reason)...I find really understand quite a bit about the subject. THANK YOU!

[@StraitClownin909]

This guy is legit. Just what i needed!! Thanks so much for your hard work

[@Pharesm]

Now that's a worth while review on these things! Much thanks for going to this level of effort! Subscribed!

[@__WJK__]

Well done... truly appreciate how thorough you are with your tests!

[@harishgupta46]

This Video deserves a million views for the amount of hardwork that he has put into it.

[@BasicPoke]

Great job on this. Was very helpful for me choosing an emergency charger, assuming these models are available. Even so, I learned some of the issues to look for. I can tell you did a lot of work on this. I had a hard time getting over you leaving out both i sounds in "thin film" but that's my problem, not yours. Thanks.

[@robertcalkjr.8325]

Thanks Martin. I appreciate the videos and helping us save money by not buying junk.

[@GeekfromYorkshire]

Came here via accident from your battery+solar combo video. Great you are MEASURING the products so giving MORE confidence in a product. I bought the Choetech product off your Amazon page from reviewing, my focus was more weight conscious for an efficient product of a panel which still could charge a phone in weaker light. A comment overall on your testing methods, they contain a flaw. I notice you are reviewing just ONE product from EACH, and as such the manufacturing VARIABILITY which is going to be significant can UNDERMINE any results. I know that unit variability is smaller than product differences, so I know that a LARGE product difference isn't going to be undermined by a unit but if you were to add a +/- range to each in the spreadsheet, it helped me to determine more confidently. I know this linearly increases your effort. I also know if you review multiple units if they are from the same batch they may have a common flaw, but anything you can do to use multiple unit samples will add to the weight of your measurements.

[@jeffgendron1959]

Great part 1 and part 2 video series! I have been researching the whole last week to try and find a very small and lightweight solar charger that does not use a battery pack for my lightweight backpacking kit and this video series helped so much, especially the amazing spread sheet you made! Even-though I also don't like the false wattage advertising, I bought the Choetech 19w. It seems to be the only affordable solar panel that is 16oz in weight and can still produce 2amps charge to my smart phone. Also it seems that the electronics used in the USB ports seem to be one the most compatible with many phones and tablets. Seems like the only other option for me would have been the RavPower but it is just a little too big and twice the weight. I only wish that Choetech made a camo version or a light color. The black gets so hot and makes no sense to keep your device in while charging. There is one report of the Choetech 19w warping in the heat on a Amazon review, now that was 1 person out of thousands so who knows what they did, If mine warps I don't care as much as it will be packed in my backpack all the time so I'm willing to take that chance.

[@romantashevRT]

The background is giving you so much credit. Without that background people would think that you don't know what are you talking about............Good job mate.

[@rvvanlife7077]

Love your work MJ, thank you for making these vids

[@Rekmeyata]

Your video was the most informative video on portable solar panels on KZbin, thank you! It was your video that helped me to decide on the RavPower, but the only one I could find was a 19 watt 3 panel system, however since RavePower was no longer going to sell them under their name I bought mine for only $49! I also got an Anker 10,000 mah Powercore Slim powerbank due to it having less weight and bulk then others I looked at. I use this system for bicycle camping/touring, I charge my iPhone using the powerbank, then I'll charge the powerbank with the solar charger as you recommended, it does work better doing it this way with an iPhone. I also charge my bicycle lights directly with the solar charger. What I found amazing is that in direct sunlight my lights will charge just as fast with the solar charger as they do plugged in at home! The powerbank suggestion was a good idea, because on cloudy days I just simply charge my lights up with the powerbank, later when the sun comes out the next day charge the powerbank. The small powerbank I got will charge my SE about 5 times, and the lights dozens of times, but I never had more than one cloudy day in a row, so the powerbank still showed all the charge indicator lights on. There's enough reserve for a small phone and lights to last a very long time before it would go dead. Remember I'm using this for bicycle camping/touring, I don't carry a iPad or some sort of notebook, etc, so 10,000mah is more than enough for me, plus the more mah you get the heavier it becomes, and more weight is something you don't want backpacking or bikepacking. I believe Anker has taken over the RavPower charging system because they look identical to each other except now Anker claims 21 watts instead of 19 or 15. I've used mine now for 3 years and it works flawlessly. Again, thanks for the wonderful review, sorry it took so long to comment but I had trouble finding your KZbin video, and then I ran into it accidentally today.

[@roguesciencesguy7256]

Loved and subscribed....!!! I just found you and now am on a binge...! Keep it up man...

[@davidroshbach5426]

agreed. this was a great breakdown and i learnt a lot.

[@kjensen6281]

You sir, know how to make informative quality reviews. Thank you for all the effort you put into this!

[@MattLesak]

Excellent job as usual! Solar panel to batteries is my preferred method. Just make sure the battery pack you're using can charge and discharge at the same time. That was a lesson learned from my testing. Hope you're doing well. Will watch part 2 later today.

[@rvvanlife7077]

+Matt Lesak Thanks for your tip Matt , I'll keep that in mind

[@HondaATC330R]

Awesome work! So glad I found this video before I buy a solar panel! Thanks!!!

[@Bagman57]

BTW you explain this very well. Thanks for making this video.

[@ilanbenyes6595]

Thank you for taking the time to make this reviews. Really usefull info.

[@sssPUNKyyy]

THIS is what you call a review. Thank you!

[@thisisadebrown]

Thanks for all the work you put in

[@hippyraverocker]

Brilliant videos, thanks for spending the time to make these.

[@stevearno100]

superb review - i am going to watch part 2 really good mate - thank you

[@valdislode9778]

By far the most useful solar panel review!!

[@jamz3243]

Not even half way through the video. This is a lot of wonderful information. Subscribing.

[@martinmuldoon603]

You are the best only noticed you today when I seen a small phone power bank claiming 3000000mh storage, I knew that was crazy, you cleared that very quickly.

[@papilyon]

Thank you for a very nice comparison video. If possible, it would be great if you could also make a comparison of the updated foldable solar panels.

[@skepticalmechanic]

Best review on KZbin! Thank you!

[@theskyspire]

I am watching your videos at 2x speed and find that I can still hear and understand very clearly.

[@whatsupbudbud]

Some people are phlegmatic, that's just how they are. I usually prefer those when learning a lot of new stuff, whereas with fields that I'm already familiar I prefer a faster speaking person.

[@RobFos]

I really love this video. I love how you expose bogus companies making bogus claims. I appreciate that from you. Now i know there is someone out there looking out for us and making sure we are not being taken for a sucker these companies making bogus claims, and thats why I subbed to your channel :) from these companies making bogus claims for the name of capitalism. - Thank you very much for this video. :)

[@DCMOCO]

THANK YOU for doing all of this!!! That is awesome man!

[@grat2010]

I've been looking at solar panels for camping/hiking. After watching both parts of this video, decided on the Cheotech as it is currently cheaper , and will use your Amazon link to purchase to say thank you for such a thorough review.

[@j.b.335]

Awesome awesome awesome !!! ... Learned so much from watching this !! Thank you

[@jjcoolaus]

Yes please do an updated version of this video as I’m sure the tech has improved in the last 8 years (I understand it’s a lot of work and you have to buy all the panels)

[@nitehawk68]

Excellent technical review and comparison of various brands and models. Thank you! As I am deciding between Anker 15w & 21w using SolarPower panel. Can you help to test its performance and compared with Anker older model using traditional solat panel? Thank you!

[@straydoggio]

Good stuff. Great to do research and find interesting and useful test and review videos before buying.

[@ShivaSharifi]

Thank you for creating this was very helpful

[@gptrix]

A lot of great information! Thank you for your Top 4 video.

[@macpants]

Hi Mark. Love your incredibly informative videos and this one was very useful. I am generally a fan of Goal Zero solar products and it would have been nice to see how their, more expensive, kit compares to these panels. Perhaps a Goal Zero test sometime? I know you can't do everything but they get good reviews from people with a lot less knowledge than you. Keep up the good work anyway.

[@paulsmith3266]

Nice review. I've been looking at the Anker 3 panel 21w with a dc/dc converter up to 14.4v. Btw I noticed that you have the same Citizen eco-drive watch as myself. Nice timepiece.

[@NMarkCastro]

What you're doing is fantastic!

[@luisr.2746]

Thank you so much for your video!!!! The information was right on. I now have a much better idea of what I need to buy!!!! Once again thank you!!!

[@hobs0nski]

Thanks a lot for this awesome review/test! Finally a great explanation and technical explanation. I bow to you #mjlorton !

[@jasonvoss1984]

An idea for future tests like this: you could keep one panel always testing side by side with every panel. It serves as a calibration to ensure none get an unfair advantage or disadvantage.

[@mproulx028]

Wow now that’s a serious review! Thanks for this vid! 👍

[@davidpratt5456]

thanks for creating this. great work.

[@morphos9056]

I have a Sun Kindom 39Watt panel. My test was in Tacoma, WA, March, full sun, sun at about 60 degrees from the panel, which was on the ground. Not sure of the temp, maybe 60 degrees which is hot for that time of the year. They were lying on black asphalt. I checked output from the 18 volt outlet with a USB adapter. It put out a steady 3 Amps.

[@thingyee1118]

Awesome. Love this series.

[@supermunaf]

Great video! Very informative.

[@electricsavingmoneys]

wow this is awesome.. this is very essential for camping.. great job..

[@Vazgen_Ghazaryan]

Deeply grateful for your work :)

[@donnacampbell6967]

Very Helpful and informative video thank you

[@shilohpacheco682]

Best videos about solar panels

[@inkooh8]

Comprehensive and informative. Thanks.

[@Jogibaer_universe]

Very interesting part starting from 36:00 regarding the charging behavior. Thank you very much. :)

[@noshrinkingviolet007]

Just found the vid - thank you for your work on this. Been trying to make a decision on solar paneling to charge some USB devices and it's a jungle out there trying to figure out what is legit.

[@joserios2640]

I learned a lot. Thank You!

[@mattburrows2615]

Very concise and accurate information thumbs up from me. Thank you.

[@artfx9]

This is a rather lengthy video, but it is perfect for understanding how to pick a decent charger on the market. Cheers!

[@NugeFireball]

Great reviews, I looked for a charger last year but opted to wait. Glad I came across your video. Have you looked at any of the Panels by Goal Zero?

[@williamgardiner5469]

very cool! I'm glad I stumbled across this :-D

[@thevitalityproject]

This is outstanding work.

[@mustang65fan]

you're the man martin, great work.

[@skateborg]

Great information here. Much appreciated! - Cheers :-)

[@DCJNewsMedia]

Your awesome. Thanks.. great job.

[@justbanter8727]

Great info as usual, thank you. I have two Panels similar to the 14W Anker you have here, however my original one (used often) is now beginning to form 'small' bubbles in some areas ! which is slightly alarming as I haven't been able to test it as yet to see if that is affecting performance? I must say though that so far I have been very impressed with the performance even in low/fluctuating light conditions - and I always use a output monitoring USB Dongle when Charging items. p.s. Mine have exactly the same Panels as the Anker but with the dual intelligent USB Outputs like on the RAVPower, which might have improved the performance somehow?!

[@mankee2211]

tricked by optics... I first thought they were much smaller, when you pointed with the pen on them. Thank you for this review!

[@jeromesims]

Thanks for the effort. Good job. Do you think placing a light diffuser (or translucent white sheet) between sun and solar panels would reproduce the effect of an overcast sky and thus enhance their performance?

[@JenniferRobinson91]

Very informative!

[@gabrielglouw3589]

Nice review video. Greetings from a scattering of Africa in the USA.

[@skepticalmechanic]

Excellent video!

[@Riho_Alla]

very useful video. thank you!

[@EMMLUFLF]

Thanks for the very useful review and the time you must've put into this video. Great that you put a public adress with "BTC donations" underneath the video so we can donate something.

[@Cuamoros1]

Very good information.

[@redhedkev1]

Biolite SolarPanel 10+ ? Very informative video, thank you.

[@MilledSteel]

Great analysis

[@ziongite]

As far as creating a steady output, even when the sun levels are changing, you only need a high capacity capacitor to achieve this, connected in parallel with the output positive and negative. This will even out the voltage, smoothing it. If a cloud comes over and the voltage drops, the voltage will drop in the capacitor also, then when the cloud is gone and the voltage rises, the capacitor will intake the new surge of current and allow the phone's charging circuit to have a few seconds to think it's stopped and started (restarting it's circuitry to charge). You could make a small plastic box with USB on either end, with your capacitor in there, it would be a convenient way, plug panel into it, then phone into it. I personally find it a waste, to buy a lithium battery, and it's only purpose is to charge it, to then use it to charge another battery. I think a lithium battery is just too good for such a counter productive use and life. Because your power bank will be used generally often, I think it would be wiser to use the common NIMH batteries, these are nowhere near as valuable, and it's entirely rational to use them for this purpose. The NIMH also are tough when being charged, so they can absorb all the chaotic voltage if you are plugging the panel to them. A power bank composed of 6 NIMH cells, that are 2000mAh each, would equate to a 14.4Wh batter, which will fully charge any phone battery easily.

[@Excityboy63]

I recently purchased a 10watt Powerfilm folding panel off the back of other internet reviews.... do you have any data on these? Reall informative review by the way. Subscribed.

[@rbish907]

Could you please provide a more current up to date comparison video with more recent models. Would be greatly appreciated!

[@Captain3pips]

Good presentation. However, what are your views on the Eceen 10 Watt Solar Charger?

[@capulazza]

Great informative video, very well put! can you pls give a rough indication how long the Chloetech would take to charge x4 original Samsung 18650 3400mAh batteries in a sunny mediterranean country (Malta)? I am aware there are very many variables to take in consideration, I want extra battery juice for a 5 day kayak trip to charge, phone, gopro etc and considering wheater to purchase the solar panels, to sit on top of the kayak, vs just buying extra batteries to use as needed....thanks you!

[@joshcurry8952]

wish i would have watched your video before i bought one. unfortunately you didn't review the one that I bought (Aukey 20w) was hoping you would review mine. great info and great video

[@StriderAngel496]

Great video, a lot of information! One question is still roaming through my mind though... what if instead of using them directly to charge devices you pass them through a power bank? Wouldn't that solve most of their weird quirks with inconsistency, fast charging etc? I mean you could leave it plugged into the power bank all day long so it charges it with however much it can (100 mA, 500mA, 2A, whatever :D) and then charge from the power bank. Am i missing something here? Also, what would be the loss (in the power bank charging and circuitry) is you used this method?

[@ginofoogle6944]

I appreciate the fact you took your time in making this detailed video but maybe for people who don't have 40 mins to spare.. you could do like a 5 min nutshell version of this at the beginning before starting with the detail. just a quick tip.

[@stonesu5014]

Very good!!

[@shiruba2004]

I would be interested to see the BioLite solar panel tested. It is only rated at 5 (0r 10) watts, but the construction is a bit different than the ones you have tested here.

[@rudib4353]

Monocrystalline has a distinguished shape with the cut-off corners, due to the manufacturing method. The Sunkingom panel exist of rectangle shaped cells, so i doubt they are Monocrystalline.

[@JohnSmith-rx3on]

Is it possible to run a low wattage grow light from the wasted upwards light been collected by solar panels? Then ran try battery's and inverter

[@ridovercascade4551]

Hero regarding solar panels

[@ridovercascade4551]

Subscribed

[@96radster]

Sub and like your review on multimeters and this solar panel thank you from Los Angeles .

[@freeweed]

Just got the Choetech. Smaller,lighter,magnet closure,zipper pouch, and same power = winner!

[@aznbang]

I just bought mine , i will get it tomorrow

[@annamichael509]

nice I think Im crying Its that engaging

[@vdog570]

hi great videos!! i got a question, i have a 21w panel and i plug two rechargeable lanterns in it that draw 5w each, but i can also charge devices off the lanterns like my phone. my question is, is my phone drawing watts from the panel or the lantern when connected?

[@ZOMboyfish]

Nice review! I have a question, when you said you"ve combined the two outputs to one cable, is it smart to make your own usb cable? I have bought a 21W solar pannel from Aukey recently, with 2 usb outputs. The performance is quite good, these panels have improved quite fast over the years. Is it smart to make my own usb cable, and connect the two outputs together? Regards, Michiel.

[@PointBomaN]

Have you done any reviews on GoalZero?

[@darrenvictor2648]

great vid, thanks for all the info! But where is P2?

[@erikmetal666]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pH_Reo2bdsaUec0

[@AndreaGabrieli]

Hi! I have a question: Which panel could I use to charge the Voltaic V72 power bank (14-20 Volt and 1.2A in input). Is it the RavPower 16 W with only smart usb suitable? Thank you.

[@TinderboxUK]

Great Review. I have an Cozy Pony 24W 4 panel folding type, does the red led on the usb ports being lit mean there should be some voltage output as i am getting 0 volts, it is an overcast day in the UK, and i have the panel hanging on my window, I have a couple of the usb power meters, neither show any life while connected. If there is not enough power for the regulator to give an output then why is there a red led? it seems a bit stupid to me. Thanks John.