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Review on ๐Ÿ”† Topsolar 20W 12V Solar Panel Trickle Charger - Portable Solar Battery Maintainer for Car, Motorcycle, Boat, Marine RV - Includes Cigarette Lighter Plug & Alligator Clip for Easy Charging by Paul Gravely

Revainrating 3 out of 5

It doesn't suck, and neither do suction cups

So we've been using this panel long enough to tell you how it works, and while the results have been pretty positive, suction cups really do ruin any chance of greatness. In short, they don't suck much which makes them pretty lame. The first day I used this, I properly attached the suction cups to the fairing through the grommets, attached them to my pickup truck's passenger window with the fairing facing south under the hot, bright Virginia sun, and popped them into the Always -on socket in the dash, and left it there to see if it helps keep the truck's battery fully charged. Three days later I noticed that the panel was no longer in the window. I found it in the bottom of the passenger footwell, with the top two suction cups dangling loose. The panel itself wasn't cracked, but it deviated significantly from the direction of the glass, likely due to the heat. I reattached the suction cups and reattached them to the window pane, this time after cleaning them with glass cleaner. Two hours later he was only attached to one. It was reattached, and this time it fell off before I could close the door. Those suckers that come with this panel just don't like the heat of our bright Virginia sun. After two more attempts, including cleaning the cups with soap and water and buffing the glass with Power Buffer, I still couldn't get them to stick for more than 4 hours. Now I just leave the pad on the dash (and it's slowly losing the curve it had) but that only gives it optimal sun around midday. The truck appears to stay charged (it's only used once every few months), but it's too early to be sure.

Pros
  • nice thing
Cons
  • weight