Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Full disclosure, didn't buy this from Amazon. However, I know many will look for reviews of this product here before buying in a physical store.
If you want a portable solar panel that works fast (as solar goes) even in relatively low sunlight, this is the charger for you.
If you like products that come without any documentation, directions, warranty cards, compatibility lists, other any thing but just the product, the packing, and what's written on the outside packaging, this is the charger for you.You might conclude that it's a roll of the dice if this will work with your device. And if so, you'd be correct.
If you have a usb-to-(your device) adaptor, that you absolutely, positively know will work with this product (despite them not providing a detailed compatibility listin the packaging or on the website), then this is the charger for you.I plugged in my ipod 5G and even in moderate light it started charging. However (I bet you saw that however coming, didn't you?), my newer ipod, an ipod touch, wouldn't charge with these panels.There wasmuch sadness. I looked on the Brunton web site (and also did the old Google search) to see if it needed a special adapter beyond my genuine apple usb-to-synch cable. None seem to exist. So, if you have an iphone or, like me, have an itouch, or if your device doesn't come with a usb adaptor, you're out of luck. I think it's important to note that this product was released in 2010 - so you think they might have heard of these iphone/itouch thingies - possibly in some obscure news article or whatever-- by now and would want those customers and make the usb compatible with them.
If you only plan to recharge your devices during the day, this is the product for you.Don't confuse this product with similar looking ones that store a charge that you can use to recharge your device later on. With the Brunton Explorer you're just buying solar panels with a usb connection. No other connections. No battery pack. Period. Full stop. When there is no sun, there is no juice.I mention this because the store salesperson didn't seem to understand this and when she pushed this product on me, she assured me it held a charge. She also told me it would work with my iTouch. So, that should tell you a lot right there.
If you like having to buy additional pricy products to make the stuff that's not working (maybe) work, then this is the product you've been waiting for.If you buy one of the Brunton batteries, this product is supposed to charge it for you to use with your device later.These batteries range between $40 and $700 though. From the reviews I've scanned, not clear if the usb charging ability/compatibility is any different, nor are they apparently sturdy, but I digress.
If you don't mind adding two extra pounds (plus up to 5 lbs more if you buy one of the larger Brunton batteries) to your backpack, then this product is awesome to bring with you packing and camping. It folds up and takes up about as much space as a medium-thick magazine folded in half long-ways.
If you're going to lounge around your sunny camp while your stuff recharges, or if you or aren't afraid your stuff is going to get boosted, or your electronics getting rained on, or all of it blown away if it's windy, then you've got a cool little power station going.
But if you went hiking so you could actually go mobile during the daylight hours, and if you (an added bonus) want to look like a dork, you can connect a couple of carabineers to the grommets on it and drape it down the back of your pack, and have wires running from it to your device dangling around on the trail while it charges and you hike around looking like Solar Man.Think about the dimensions of a Playboy Centerfold hanging off your pack (the paper dimensions, dude, not the girl, grow up). Now, don't get me wrong, if you're Jack Bauer and you have to make a planet saving call - dang, I hope Jack doesn't use an iPhone - and, you know, you have to tell the President that his daughter was kidnapped and the girl in his house is really a clone planted by mad scientists, and clone-girl is the mole who sold the nuclear codes to the terrorists, then, by all means, dork up and make that call. Save the world, man. Otherwise, unless it's sort of a 9-1-1 situation these four solar panels are a lot of real estate flopping on your back, and you will, indeed, get some double takes and raised eyebrows.
So, all said, this appears to be more of a car camping solar array. However (yeah, you saw it coming again, you're good), why didn't you just buy a $14 dollar charger and charge in your car on the drive up to camp?If you're using the solar panels to save the environment, that's cool; but go buy the really good array and not the one that's supposed to be portable - that's my point. This appears to be marketed at backpackers, hence the name "explorer" instead of what they must have called it during beta testing "may not work with your stuff and will make you look like a dork if you try to hang it off your pack solar panels."
I returned this and exchanged it for a solar charger I can actually take on an extended hiking trip. It will charge slow, sure, but it WILL charge my devices. However, (gotcha) if you're not like me - and you aren't looking to charge an iphone/itouch/or other too-super-secret-to-include-in-the-box-or-on-the-website-incompatible-usb-devices - then this might really be a good product for you.
I give this two stars for rockin-fast and low-light-sensitive solar panels (even if you won't tell me what they work with, that is very cool). Then, minus a star for marketing it for hikers but not making a more backpack friendly design, and finally minus two stars for not including appropriate documentation on web or in the box thus wasting my time, plus misleading the sales staff, ironically causing me to have to use up more gas driving all the way back to the store and return it - totally offsetting the whole solar power don't kill the earth thing.
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Brunton 81-000009 Explorer - Foldable Solar PanelProduct Description: Brunton Explorer - Foldable Solar Panel, From the pioneers of portable solar power comes one of the most efficient and compact integrated solar charger available, the new SolarPort Flash. A whopping 90% power capture means charging portable devices like iPods, smartphones and more is fast and easy with this power-packed solar charger.Features:- USB output charges handheld electronics - Output: 1,000 mAh / 5V (5 Watts) - Thin, lightweight and flexible - Compact design - Dimensions: 4.5" x 9" x 1" - Weight: 4.8 oz - Panel type: Polycrystalline - Independent panels to maximize performance - Integrates with Brunton battery systems for off-the-grid power, Mfg No: 81-000009, Manufacturer: Brunton
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