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Review on πŸ”‹ 12 Survivors SolarFlare Power Bank by Jeho Odor

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Exactly what I wanted

I'm a pilot who often flies old planes over inhospitable terrain, so survival gear is important to me. My flight bag contains emergency radios, beacons, and all sorts of electronics designed to keep me alive when I hit the ground in the middle of nowhere. The problem is that a lot of what I carry with me is electronic and only works for a limited time in an emergency, and this is where the idea of compact solar panels comes in. Unfortunately, other brands I've tried have been disappointing - they underperformed to be useful, and most were too big and underpowered to rely on. I seriously doubted that most of them would survive the accident. Feature 12 Survivors Solarflare products. They are definitely game changers. First off, the Solarflare 11 is the perfect size for emergencies. When folded it's about the size of a magazine and weighs just a few grams. There are no glass parts - with the exception of the USB ports, the whole unit looks like it's made out of some sort of ballistic nylon. It's fairly durable and looks like it'll take almost any impact that doesn't kill you. The Solarflare also appears to be waterproof, although I haven't been able to find any information on whether this is actually the case and if so what are the limitations. . Thinking that might be the case, I found some small rubber plugs for plugging in USB ports. Anything that improves my chances is good for me. A small suggestion for the manufacturer would be to include something to protect the USB ports and certify these products to IP68 or some other waterproof standard. The rest of the device is completely easy to use - plug the USB cable into whatever you want to power, open it up and expose it to the sun. There are a number of mounting hooks on the back panel that allow you to easily mount the panel anywhere. I use small elastic bungee cords and they fit perfectly and hold the panel securely. There are two USB ports, and given enough sunlight there's enough power to charge an iPad and iPhone through the two ports. Almost anything that you can charge or charge from a USB port can work with Solarflare, even powerful devices (like my iPad) that require 2 amp USB connections. Capacity, even in partial sunlight. For testing, I connected the Solarflare to a strain gauge and tested it under a variety of conditions, from indoors and artificial lighting to greyish overcast days and bright sunlight. As with most solar products, unless you have a very bright spot, artificial light is not the best option. On a dark and overcast day I was able to get about 8 watts out of the Solarflare 11, and with a nice midday sun "not a cloud in the sky” I was impressed with a reading of over 14 watts, which is more than advertised. Capacity. These results were obtained in the month of May in mid-latitudes (New York). As a further test, I left the Solarflare open on the passenger seat of my car and plugged in my iPhone on a sunny and cloudy day. . Even though my car windows are quite tinted, my phone usually charges within a few hours, about as long as it would take if it was plugged into a traditional charger. After some of these tests I feel confident that in an emergency I will have no problem charging small battery powered devices like my phone, tablets, radios, flashlights etc. Also important when connecting sensitive electronics, I found that the Solarflare's output power is generally stable and clean. The USB standard states that the power should be 5V +/- 5% and Solarflare provides this. Some other panels I've looked at tend to have spikes when turned on, or a slight change in voltage as the insolation changes. Some brands actually output 6-8V at max power - while modern devices tend to be fairly robust, I'm not thrilled that any device can deliver 60% more voltage than the standard requires. My usual solution would be to put a rechargeable battery in the circuit. The solar panel charges the battery, then the battery charges your sensitive devices. I'm happy to report that the Solarflare was fairly constant in comparison, never outputting less than 4.9V or more than 5.1V in my tests - I have no problem connecting my devices directly to the panel . Of course, if you have more than one phone or tablet to charge, it will take a long time with a 10W panel. For example, I have a 15-inch MacBook Pro that I installed a USB charger for. When connected to the Solarflare 11, it takes almost 20 hours in good sunlight to fully charge. The larger 16-watt model could be better. Option for large devices. I may be unusual, but I'd rather be able to carry several smaller plates than one big one. So, for those who want more power, two or more of your panels can be connected together. Bottom line, while the Solarflare units are a little pricey, they are definitely worth the money and are the best solar devices I could find. I would recommend them to anyone who needs a reliable power source that will work wherever the sun shines.

Pros
  • Hook and eye for quick and easy hanging. Charge your devices over the network!
Cons
  • Available in white only.