Top 3 Solar Panels for Your Devices - My Picks from Testing Over $1000 Worth of Portable Panels

[@Ferno209]

More of these solar panels! Very informative for these solar panels!

[@RogerRoger3000]

It’s great having alternative energy. Did you ever do a video on solar powered generators?

[@bigmeany1184]

This would be great to we from this guy but it’d be expensive for sure.

[@RogerRoger3000]

@@bigmeany1184 true

[@Paa375]

Would generators really be considered daily tech accessories I’m sure you could find a ton of KZbinrs that do generators…no

[@aifresnofresno]

Would you recommend pairing these panels with a Portable Power Bank? Charge the power bank with the panels and charge your devices with the power bank?

[@GT--BTS]

You can charge your devices straight on the Renogy. In fact, the Renogy IS a power bank on solar power. Or am I wrong?

[@amalayum]

Picked up the Renogy for $51.45 on Labour Day sale. Got a further 7% off searching for a discount code, so that brought the total price reduction to -45% off. Also still managed to get free shipping. I think for this price it's a steal. Though there is a massive 64cm 100W panel currently going for $100 which is normally $220 but it's 4.4Kg and I can't fit it in my bag haha.

[@RFC3514]

A lot of those brands seem to sell exactly the same sets, just under different names. Also, some models seem to disappear after a couple of months. I guess the actual performance / quality you get depends a lot on luck (i.e., who did they happen to source their panels from that week).

[@adriftatlas]

Panels without USB-C PD capability (supporting 9V, 12V, 15V, 20V, etc.) are e-waste. Limiting output to 5V/2.4A is inefficient, especially for panels theoretically capable of 30W or more. Panels should deliver at least 75% of their rated capacity under good conditions, but some of these smaller panels struggle to even reach 30%. This inefficiency likely stems from using buck converters that only reduce voltage to 5V, lacking effective Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT). Charging a smartphone directly from these panels is risky due to potential output instability. A safer approach is to charge a power bank. Using a small portable power station with a real MPPT in conjunction with a small panel that provides standard DC output would be more efficient.

[@zungaloca]

Any recommendations? For phone charging?

[@adriftatlas]

@@zungaloca Likely the Renogy 30W combined with an inexpensive power bank like the INIU B62. I would never plug a phone directly into one of these solar panels due to output not being stable.

[@lawrencefoster5608]

I have bought four 40w solar panels and one , solar flex,didn't work at all after less than six used another one,a Chinese brand,soaked up condensation in on panel and only one UBS would work the third one powerness will only charge one UBS . The last one is the jackery and I haven't had any problems.

[@daylus4358]

Dude excellent review and exactly what I was looking for with a real USB-C output. I have Renogy panels on my Jeep so I know they're solid.

[@dsleet1123]

Would love to see you review the solar plus battery set up, like Anker’s

[@GT--BTS]

Ordered the Renogy, because of the higher chance of things going bad in the world. Might be handy being able to charge and recharge our phones (and storm lantern). Thanks for the helpful insights.

[@4toes1nose]

I ordered the Renogy G using your link……. Monty, looking Goood !

[@duratoke]

My aunt lives up in the snowy north (CT) and has worries about a blizzard killing her power and then she's not able to call out due to having a dead phone. So last year before looking into solar stuff, I had bought her a little power brick with a solar panel attached. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Yes apparently these take somewhere around a week to charge.... Now I can send her a Renogy 30 which she can actually use before starving! Plus they're now down to around $50, thanks for a good and helpful vid.

[@dupre7416]

How did Anker do? I saw it on your desk but didn't hear you mention it. I guess it was somewhere in the middle of the pack.

[@GeneralKato]

Never charge a modern phone directly off of the panels. Charge a power bank and use that to charge anything. Lay the panels in (direct) sunlight and use a long cable to a power bank laying in the shade.

[@kashaNorth]

Thanks very informative as I'm currently looking at a compact solar set up for camping remotely 👊

[@gryphon123456]

Can you install any of these on top of a shed to charge your mower batteries between uses?

[@shailukov7440]

You didnt mention anker at all. How come? Also the bigblue seems to be the winner and was rated as 3rd. Can you explain? Thanks much

[@adriftatlas]

The Anker PS30 is an $80 panel that produces 10 watts on average. It only outputs 14W in near perfect sun when the panel itself is cold.

[@shailukov7440]

@@adriftatlas so i understand that you do not recommend it? Should i stick with bigblue 28w?

[@shailukov7440]

B.t.w Which panels support the daisy chain? Did someone check it?

[@adriftatlas]

@@shailukov7440 I don't know anything about the others so I cannot recommend anything. However, I feel that the entire class of USB solar panels is mostly overpriced junk. If you have a portable power station you're better off getting a standard solar panel with MC4 (or XT60) connectors. They are much more consistent and use less creative marketing. An average panel should produce at least 75% of its rated power in good conditions.

[@shailukov7440]

@adriftatlas I guess you are right, as long as there are market of nomads that look for portable solutions it will be like that. The question would be which product gives the best value and performance.

[@Thomasr435]

agree to disagree; having tested panels since 2019. BOTH of Big Blue's 28W panels back in 2020, I found them disappointing with only USB A available and Wattage ratings that simply don't MATH out. The panels are also using technology that is half a decade old in comparison to new panels. Big Blue's newer SolaPowa 10, 20, and 30 W panels are much more efficient and compact. X-Dragon panels, were tested back in 2020 and again are old tech, and slow charge compared to new panels. Goal Zero panels have disappointed me since they were sold in Costco, and have consistantly under performed in testing. How they get their numbers is either by Magic or Just creative. In Modern panels I ALWAYS want a USB-C port, and one that is rated higher then 10Watts to charger solar generators. USB-A Ports are almost ALWAYs limited to 2.4Amps or about 12Watts. Where as USB-C ports in good units can go up to 60W, and I have a couple of panels that do 100W from the USB-C port, in ADDITION to the DC charging ports

[@siggyloenders3071]

indeed the BigBlue SolarPowa 30 looks interesting :)

[@TheEragoon]

Hey! Lux is a measurement of light intensity, not directly correlated to "available" solar power specifically. You can use solar radiation w/m2 (measured commonly in watt per square meter) to get an accurate estimation. This is also what solar pv plants are using as well because the visible light (lux) is not the same wavelength as the radiation that PV are absorbing to work. Thanks for the video!

[@mikemcgee6810]

What’s your thoughts on Dark Energy brand?

[@C0RRUPT3R]

Please do a review on dash camera’s, for your car! :)

[@donaldgrump5393]

Yess dash cams next, they came a long way

[@ThogXX]

Hi do the best iPhone 15 screen protectors and cases also apply to iPhone 14 and 13

[@factsmatter1172]

Dc output is good for your mini fridge in the car right?

[@HR-wd6cw]

Keep in mind many of these panels are probably designed to charge soloar generators more so than devices directly (at least the ones with DC-Output like the second panel). 18W may be the maximum output of a USB-A port that does not support some sort of power delivery (I don't think any USB ports actually support this, or if they do it's only from a more powerful source like a car or AC outlet). I do see the 18W USB-A limit though on a lot of stuff ,even cigarette lighter adapters so it may just be a limitation of the general USB-A spec.

[@maskedweird0329]

im confused why does the last charger have a usb C port? does the usb c charge a powerbank to usb A or what?

[@mbburg2149]

Can you daisy chain the big blue panels???.

[@investmass]

Renogy...what do you recommend to charge a small power station like Anker 522?

[@leugim-h2u]

What could you recommend, durable two ports 20w good with any weather and compact like your 1st and 3rd choose, and if one panel is covered or better broken it continues to perform? Price doesn’t really matter.

[@misabigaming]

Any of those compatible with one of those emergency batteries?

[@XLance2020]

What is the best USB C hub that works with Android phones? For $100 🙏🙏

[@Paa375]

Try watching previous videos 🤔

[@stefanschz7589]

hey man is that Lagotto Romagnolo in the background :)

[@patrickkelly3645]

I have the scosche powerup32k but im unsure what panels to get.

[@Roadshome]

Great clear review

[@speedracer9132]

$1000 worth of panels, so you reviewed 3 or 4?

[@desypher8721]

you dont have much of an attention span, do you?

[@mukiker]

I am looking for a Watt per gram comparison. The weight matters.

[@shawnstoik]

Hey Great video!!, Fellow Neighbour, I'm from Edmonton. I'v been watching your videos for a while now. I want to buy some 100 - 120W portable solar panels for my a DJI 1000 what do recommend is best ?!

[@BrotherGiles]

Your link also gave me £20 off the number 1 Renogy E.Flex 30W Portable Solar Panel

[@jjcoolaus]

The math is right, 4.8 amps max x 5 volts = 24 watts which is right for a panel rated at 28 watts. I have one of these, its a great unit

[@JinsTechh]

Does it charge fast? The big blue

[@ryanmcdougall22]

Great video, thank you!

[@st33ldi9ital]

good to know, thanks!

[@peterhuh]

That's one patient dog.

[@Gab-o7r]

Cant get Renogy in Australia,

[@steven469]

Wow that’s awesome.. I had no idea they invented battery chargers that didn’t have to be charged ahead of time. So now you can have power on longer trips. I guess you could even recharge your battery packs lol. So I guess these are mainly for phones/tablets but do they have the ability to recharge a laptop battery I guess around mid day? Idk why you would need a laptop but I guess it’s just math?

[@g2h0]

just what i was looking for

[@amitap77]

Where you at bro?

[@bsfatboy]

nipple Clamps?

[@goldsteez3485]

Magsafe cooling charger video

[@danielranger1610]

why are you so vascular?

[@MaxMansfield]

Damn of course you just put out a video on this

[@vhol93]

Cool!

[@Raubgraeber]

but no kickstands...

[@jefftc14]

IMO the Blue is wayy better

[@fedya4445]

I’ve tried a few a your reviews and I give up within the first 20 seconds. I’m sure that many people enjoy the fast paced style, active speaking style, constant motion as you quickly cover gobs of material. I’m not one. So, I leave you and yours to yourselves. If you could recommend a reviewer with a slower style I’d appreciate it.

[@Hellothere149able]

Watch him at .75x speed with captions lol. Helps me.

[@jayhome2715]

So you got a Goal zero in the video and you don't even review it............????

[@joseg7090]

El perro actúa de que lo esta escuchando pero no , mientras el Humano habla esta comprobando que la teoría de la relatividad general de Einstein es correcta.

[@Chrstoferli]

Why do you pet the dog? It is true that the video is much more interesting, but the dog is suffering beca

[@matthewmclean9583]

Great video! Thank you