A few years ago, there was a large push towards alternative energy and to conserve power when possible. While most of us have reached reality in that an increase in global temperature was all but fiction, the idea and possibility of alternative energy is still possible in a different manner.
Every year thousands of people take an adventure away from the grid to either go camping, hiking, rock climbing, or another outdoor activity. Most of the time these adventures mean zero electronics and you only carry the clothing on your back. However, in this day and age, with our reliance on electronic gadgets, that simply isn’t possible.
Using camping as an example, it may be best to bring along some music, a flashlight, and some sort of communication device in case of an emergency but, how do you maintain safety and fun without the use of power?
Luckily, thanks to an French Engineer in the 1880s, power can be brought to you by the wonders of light. By capturing the Sun’s rays and converting these to electrical energy using a photovoltaic process, you can stay powered as long as the Sun shines on you.
Welcome to my review of the RAVPower Solar Charger RP-SC02. Throughout this review, I will be discussing the design, functionality, and my overall thoughts of the unit. I would like to give a special thanks to RAVPower for providing this product.
Design
It begins with the nylon rip-stop material that spans the entire unit. RAVPower’s material choice was a smart one due to the product’s intention to be constantly outdoors. Its strong, durable body protects the three reasonably sized solar panels in the center.
Inside the unit are RAVPower branded solar panels, but the real manufacturer of the panels is unknown, but I expect the solar panels to offer a reasonable life span as they need to maintain the reputation of RAVPower’s name.
The charger’s ergonomics allow it to conveniently fold into a single rectangular shape that makes it easy to slide into a backpack or be held underneath your arm. Convenience doesn’t stop there, as the unit has four built in steel grommets that allow the unit to be hung from something in a vertical position. RAVPower also include four carabineers in your packaging.
Finally, with the charger being made out of four panels, panel number one is a pouch that contains not one, but two USB charging ports. The inside of the pouch uses a softer-touch material and is held shut using one Velcro patch and the USB chargers are long enough to extend outside the pouch, but not much farther than that. Like the pouch, the entire unit closes and stays closed using Velcro.
Functionality
I was slightly disappointed to find out that the unit does not offer a water-resistant protection rating. For something that is most likely going to be abused and spend its entire life outdoors, durability, reliability, and protection should have been the first priorities.
While the unit’s nylon material is resistant to tears and the solar panels are protected by a plastic window, your phone or small tablet seemed to be an afterthought. I took a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and placed it inside the pouch to see the size and fit. While it does fit inside with a charging cable, there’s little to no room for a second device and for those tablet lovers out there, anything larger than an iPad Mini will not be fit inside.
Nevertheless, the Solar Charger is not a case, but a charger and that it does a decent job at. I used the charger inside next to a window, but as I quickly discovered, once the sun had moved across the sky, my charger was sent to the shadows and charging was too slow or stopped at all. Placing the charger outside on the deck with sunlight shining down all day long solved that issue.
With strong sunshine, charging time is decent enough to get your device into ready action, although every day will vary your results. Something that I wish this unit had was a small backup battery that would store the sun’s power. Especially since the unit becomes a big paper weight at night, so a small internal battery would at least allow for emergency night charging.
Finally, the USB charging ports are rated at 5W/3A (2A + 1A) and use the unique RAVPower iSmart technology that can meter the power being sent to your device.
My Overall Thoughts
In the end, this clever and unique Solar Charger offers quite a lot for those who seek either alternative energy or happen to be outdoors more often than not. This 15W charger is priced at $56.99, while RAVPower also offers a 9W charger at $49.99. It’s a must have gadget to capture the sun’s power and convert it to electricity.
For those interested, you can now subscribe to RAVPower’s latest Deals! Click here and get this product on a discount!
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2 Comments
It might be better that you take a battery pack with this.