Choetech SC001: A Solar Charger That Actually Works
Russ Chastain 03.09.16
I’ve tried several solar chargers in my quest for the right tools for keeping my portable electronics powered up when I’m afield. Every one of them had an integral battery, and none of them would charge faster than my little old iPhone 4S could drain them.
Until now. Enter the Choetech Portable Solar Charger.
Listen: My smart phone is an essential tool for me. As a writer, I keep notes and take photos often. When my phone dies, I lose that ability, and sometimes that can result in lost opportunities. Since that can negatively affect my modest paycheck, I do my best to keep my things up and running whenever possible.
A juiced-up phone often means I will hunt longer, too.
Until now, I’ve relied more on a Powermonkey Extreme battery than anything else. It is an excellent battery, but once it’s dead, it’s dead. A solar charger, on the other hand, can produce power from nothing but sunlight.
And the Choetech SC001 solar charger actually does that. It’s the first solar panel I’ve tried that will produce power fast enough to charge my phone. Heck, I even hooked both an iPad 2 and an iPhone 4S to it (it has 2 USB ports), and it charged both devices while I used the iPad.
The Choetech SC001 doesn’t have an onboard battery, so it doesn’t store any juice.
Here are some manufacturer specs:
- Solar Panels: Highly-efficient solar cell 6V/19W
- USB Max Output Current: 3400mA
- Output Interface: USB female socket with auto detect technology
- Output: 5V2.4A(Max)
- Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency: 24%
- Material: PET laminated solar panel, Fabric
- Folded Size: 26x17x2.5cm
- Expanded Size: 54.8×17 x0.5cm
- Weight: 425g / 16.9 oz (mine weighs less than 15 ounces)
It has a bunch of loops around the perimeter so you can hang it or lash it to your backpack, tree stand, or elsewhere (I bungeed it on my UTV roof while working around my property).
Check it out. As I said, it’s the best I’ve found, and I’ve been looking for a while.
