Solar Portable Charger (Silver)

After buying this Solair unit, I was excited because I thought this would be a cool way to stay on the move while in the outdoors without giving up a cell phone charge. I followed the instruction manual's guidance to charge it first fully from USB. The next day, the lights indicated a full charge. I took it to work with me. A few hours later, my Samsung Galaxy S3 was down to 85%, I plugged it into the phone, and it failed to charge. Tried the on/off switch. Tried both USB ports. Even tried playing with the variable voltages, even though I know a USB should be a 5v signal. Nothing worked. The phone indicated it was charging when 5v was selected, but the battery % continued to decline down to 79%. I conclude that the battery is unable to provide a full charge to the phone. I just packed it back up and sent it back for a refund. I don't like struggling with or wasting time on devices to get them to do what they were designed to, and see no need to test customer service or attempt exchanges.I moved on and am testing a Joos Orange. I haven't had it long enough for feedback yet, but in an initial comparison of the two, the Joos is larger in length and width though a bit smaller in height and would be a bit more awkward to pack. It's a bit heavier, too. I liked the Solair's compactness and ability to fold in half, which protects the solar panel and makes it an easier panel to pack and lighter to carry. You could put the portable charger in your back pocket. However, it felt much less robust than the Joos. Seems like the Joos is sturdy enough to take a beating The Solair does not seem waterproof, which I was surprised to find that the Joos is. To me, using a solar panel in a place where it might rain is a must. The Joos can be left outside even if it is going to rain without worry. The LED light on the side of the Solair is a bit gimmicky, as I can afford nicer LED flashlights. The carrying cases are both nice, but the Solair's case was specifically designed to carry the complete array of tips with nice little elastic retaining straps. The Joos case is also sturdy and appropriately designed to protect the solar panel, but it would be a bit nicer if there were a pouch to hold all the tips. The quality control of the Joos is questionable. One of the finger tightening screws for the reflective pack had no threads. Also, the battery was disconnected, but it shouldn't have been according to its user manual. 8 screws on the back panel provided access to the 5400mAh lithium battery. It should be noted that the Solair only had a 2000 mAh battery, which is disappointing considering my phone's battery is actually larger at 2100mAh. The Joos should be able to charge my phone fully and even a friend's overnight. I'm not happy with the Joos proprietary tips which would not be quickly and easily replaced if lost, and its micro USB port is an inherently fragile design. However, I'm already happier with the Joos because it definitely works. While I typed and refined this review over the last 30-40 minutes, I charged my phone from 14% to 53%. Finally, though I'm definitely happier with the Joos so far, I guess I should be considering it's currently about 3 times the price on Amazon: $50 vs. $150.

I received this as a gift and I have to say this is prob the best gift I ever received. I bought a used car a year ago and after I bought it I realized that where they installed the cd player they had to take out the cigarette lighter/car charging station. You wouldn't think you'd need this for so much. I couldn't use my GPS for long trips, if my cell died I had to wait till I got home, and my MP3 player was a big no-no since it used a lot of battery life. This little thing charges all of that plus my childrens 3ds and PSP. I even use it in my house to save on the electric bill. It might not be a big money saver but it does help and I figure if I'm ever lost or stuck on a deserted island my MP3 player will always be charged.