The Solar Style charger has an internal battery that can hold power for a while, and can be charged using the solar panels or a wall plug.
The Solar Style charger has an impressive list of supported devices, and connectors to match.
Outdoor Operation
The most appealing reason to buy a portable solar charger is for using it outdoors. But how resilient is the charger and how will it fair out there?
Your first instinct about any solar charger is to use it in the outdoors. The Solar Style charger surprises in this respect as it is not waterproof at all.
Being sensitive to rain and humidity is a serious flaw in a solar charger design, but some would argue that you need to treat it like you'd treat your PDA and not leave it outside in the rain at all.
While this makes some sense with your PDA and other gadgets, this isn't the case with a solar charger. These chargers may spend a lot of time outside, even in cloudy days, and should get what sun they can to store electricity in their internal battery.
Apart from this, some Solar style users also commented that the charger is not as sturdy as they would expect. Being sturdy is desirable with outdoor equipment, as it rolls a lot in your backpack or other cramped places. Finding a broken charger is a very unpleasant surprise for any hiker.
Charging Efficiency
Different chargers are built differently. The solar cells technology could be different and therefore more effective, the internal battery
can be different and better.
But what will the charger do for you in terms of charging your devices? How good and efficient is it?
The Solar Style SC002 Charger can connect to many handheld devices such as phones, PDAs, MP3 players, etc.
It is important to ensure before buying that the charger you get has the right plugs for your gadgets, because the charger doesn't support a wall-plug connector. (That means - you can't plug your normal chargers into it).
The Solar Style charger takes some hours to charge fully in direct sun. It takes even longer if you put it behind glass (like on the car's dashboard) because most windscreens manufactured today have some UV filter in them.
If you're looking at a solar charger that will let you charge your cell phone for those short calls, the Solar Style will be alright. However, for the more power-hungry devices, the output it provides is just not enough.
The Solar panels work well in most weather conditions, even when it's overcast. However, rain will render it useless.
Compactness
Most people do not use the solar chargers at home but rather when they are on the go. How compact is the device and will it be easy to carry around when you're travelling?
The Solar Style SC002 is quite compact and portable measuring only 4.2 x 0.9 x 2.8 inches and 4.6 ounces.
This is 10.7 x 2.3 x 7.2 cm, and 131g. The size and weight of this device make it very portable.
Connectors Number
The solar charger needs to be able to connect to your devices in order for it to charge them. How many different connectors does the charger have?
The Solar Style SC002 charger is sold with a multitude of connector tips to fit most manufacturers.
The tips you get out of the box with the Solar Style include Nokia, Samsung, Motorola and Sony Ericsson phones, as well as an iPod, Gameboy and mini-USB connectors.
Additional connectors are sold separately.
Low Cost
Solar chargers will definitely save you money in the long run: main power you don't need to use for charging your phone or mp3 player. But every thing has its cost. How much will the solar charger cost you?
The purchase price of the bare minimum Solar Style charger (the charger with the set of tips it comes with out of the box) is reasonably low.
However, the charger's internal battery is not replaceable, and the charger will stop functioning after about 400 full cycles of the battery (that is - going from empty to full and empty again).
This makes the product unsuitable for ongoing everyday use, but it will still work well and for a long time for outdoor holidays.
In a sense, this makes the Solar Style less green - as you need to replace the whole unit every 400 cycles. If you plan to use your solar charger a lot, this is definitely a concern.
Short Initial Charge Time
The solar chargers contain a rechargeable battery. Like all rechargeables, this battery needs to be fully charged before first use if you want it to operate optimally.
How long will that initial charge take?
The Solar Style SC002 requires about 5 hours of wall-plug power charge, or at least 7-8 hours of direct sunlight to fully charge the battery.
Life Expectancy
When you buy a solar charger, you want it to provide you with free energy for a long time. This is especially true if you are buying it as a sustainable, green power source.
How long can you expect the charger to accompany you for?
The Solar Style charger has a limit on the number of times you can use it. In effect, you can use it for 400 full battery cycles before it becomes useless.
While the solar panels may continue to work and produce charge after those 400 full cycles, the battery itself will no longer charge, rendering the device useless - as the battery is not replaceable.
Add to that the fact that the Solar Style is not waterproof, and you find that the charger has a relatively short life expectancy compared to some of its competition.
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Feel factor: 3
Terrible product
(score 1/5)
Save your money. Although the Solar Style website sells a connector for the iPod video, It doesn't work. This product won't charge any of the iPods I use. It did charge my old second generation iPod, which I only use as a backup, since it's almost five years old and the battery doesn't stay charged. It's pretty worthless.
Posted on: 2009-01-20
By P. J. Evans
Don't expect the world with this
(score 3/5)
I have the product charging my phone as I write this.
The charger is charging in direct sunlight while charging the phone.
The power rating for this product is low, and it can't charge my PDA with it. (it needs 500 ma, and the charger is drained very quickly when connected). I was hoping that it can do more, but I was disappointed.
At least it can charge my phone to the point where I can make a call, but not completely :)
Posted on: 2009-01-16
By P. Ho
Horrible.
(score 1/5)
I don't recommend this product to anyone. It didn't charge my Shuffle, or iPod, or iPhone, or Samsung phone. It charged a friend's Mini at a scout camp (we were staff,) for which he was eternally grateful. My shuffle didn't last, since I couldn't charge it. It does charge my eneloops, through the USB adapter, so all is not lost, but still... not as powerful as I was hoping. Don't buy it. Get something better.
Posted on: 2009-01-03
By Ryan Sandberg
Totally Awesome!
(score 5/5)
This thing is amazing and totally cool. I use it to charge my Nokia phone and always keep it nearby for backup power. The flashlight is very nifty, helped me find something I dropped under the drivers seat in my car one night. I recently updated my phone and getting a new connector (Nokia "thin pin") was very easy.
I would not suggest disconnecting your electric service and planning to use this to charge your phone forever, but you better believe its handy when the power goes out, or hiking, and did I mention how cool it is???
So bottom line, it's a very cool gadget, it works, and its fun to use. I'm thinking about getting a bunch this year as gifts for friends.
Hey Solar Style! Thanks for putting solar power in my pocket, I always thought it was only for NASA.
Posted on: 2008-09-24
By RexMark
Helpful index: 0%
What a disappointment
(score 1/5)
Although the concept sounds great - this is a piece of junk! I ordered mine straight from the manufacturer, and right out of the box the battery would not accept a charge from the sun or wall charger. The LED flashlight would only work when the unit was plugged into the wall charger. Unfortunately there was nothing stored to transfer to my iPhone!
I am still waiting for a response from Solar Style's customer service. Given the previous reviews, I am sorry I wasted my money on this charger. I plan to do some more research and maybe try another one.
Posted on: 2008-09-20
By Mike