Do solar power banks really work, part 2: Are 4 panels really better than 1?
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- Portable power banks are great, they let us take extra power with us wherever we go.
Solar power banks give us the additional benefit of charging our power banks wherever we go.
But not all solar power banks are created equal.
Do extra solar panels actually give you extra charging power?
Watch and learn friends.
Link to original, "Do solar power banks really work?" video: • Do Solar Power Banks R...
Link to 4 Panel Power Bank on Amazon:
Tranmix Hi-2025:
www.amazon.com...
The link for the 1 panel AMZLAB ES928 power bank on Amazon no longer functions.
First movie clip was from "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey"
Second movie clip was from "21 Jump Street"
Background music was "Operatic 3" by Vibe Mountain
Check us out on the social media at
Twitter: @randotechinfo
and
Instagram: randotechinfo
#solar
#solarpower
#solarpowerbank
Great video. If you angle the solar panels towards the sun throughout the day, laying flat only when the sun is over head you will get far greater efficiency. ; )
Red: makes sense. Need to invent something that does that.
@@RandoTechInfo Duct-tape it to the face of a sunflower
@@CosmiaNebula Einstein
Surprisingly I implicity trust a reviewer who cant edit their own videos well. I trust their raw honesty.
I have been trying to get inputs on this issue and yours are the clearest and most practical. Thank you👍
Ge Mail: I don't think my edits are THAT bad. ;)
Glad you found the information useful. Thanks for watching!
@@RandoTechInfo hello Rando.
First please let me ask forgiveness for my word choice. Your editing is not bad .. I was hoping to note your honesty and completeness.
Please excuse my offensivenes.
BTW .. May I ask what you think is the best hand crank radio / phone charger?
@@ge_mail No forgiveness necessary. I was just giving you a hard time.
I don't really have any experience with hand cranked chargers. Perhaps I should review one. 🤔
AND his video was less than 10 minutes. He doesn't care about wasting a lot of our time! Gotta love people like this.
hes good its well detailed and quick too
My solution on Kilimanjaro (and what I'm recommending to those going with me in February) --> 21W foldable solar panel (clipped on backpack) + 2 10K mAh power banks (the panel charges both at the same time).
Worked well for me early this year for my first summit. :)
JT: Damn, you're hard core. You should be doing these videos!
Thanks for sharing!
After using a number of these devices, I would suggest buying a $40-$60 folding solar panel to charge any of them. With maximum outputs typically in the 15W-30W range, they will charge one of these power banks at its maximum rate (typically about 2A). Have the built-in panels for emergency use, but use a separate panel when possible.
Funny you mention this. I just dropped a video a couple of weeks ago where I tested some 28W panels. Pulled around 2 amps in direct sun. (I think the max was 2.4.) Definitely more effective for charging than a bank, just not quite as compact.
@@RandoTechInfowould one of these folding solar panels be too big for a 50L backpack? Also is there any one specific you could recommend to me at or around 50$
@@RandoTechInfohey I also wanted to know if the folding solar panels you guys speak of will charge in western Washington weather (state). Clouds and rainy not sure how efficient they would be in that circumstance. Thanks again.
@@nate7629 I'm actually reviewing a 10 watt panel from Big Blue that costs under 40 bucks. I'm pretty impressed with it so far. The video will drop this weekend if you are interested. Most folding 28 watt panels would fit in a backpack but you might pay a little more than 50 bucks for them.
@@nate7629 it will charge but probably not very fast. Cloud cover KILLS charging speeds. You really need direct sunlight for solar panels to be effective.
Excellent review 👏 👌 . I did a testing of the both and my result found that the 4 panel took 4 days to be fully charged and the 1 panel took 7 days . This was because am in a country which is very sunny . Jamaica 🇯🇲 🇯🇲 🇯🇲 ❤
Shine City: Four days for a full charge is pretty sweet. Thanks for watching!
Great video. I bought the same Tranmix solar charger on Amazon for $33, and it was on limited time deal.
I tested it out at home before our wilderness adventure and it was able to keep my heavily used iphone charged for a week without having to plug in the charger. Once on the trail, I was only able to set out the solar flaps for a couple hours, late in the day at most and it still kept both of our iphones charged.
John: That's great! It sounds like, for your situation, solar is a good solution. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience!
I am a solar installer and use this throughout the day and it’s perfect because we install in the most sun optimal spots on the roof
That's a use case I hadn't thought about. 🤔
I’m really surprised your videos don’t have more views. Your content is quality and gets to the point. I wish you the best in your CZcams career!
torty1993: Thank you, I really appreciate that. Thank you for watching!
Diminishing returns shouldn't affect electricity. I have 42 360 watt solar panels on my house and just because they're tied together doesn't make them into 320w panels.
More likely is the 4 panel had less efficient panels than the single. And/or the actual capacity of the battery for the single panel is smaller than it's rated.
I hear you Rob. The panels are rated for the same input 1.5W/panel. Obviously battery capacity always varies a bit, but in my use, they at least seem similar. Are the panels on your house, "chained" or do they each have their own direct connection?
I have the bank with multiple panels. Where I live we RARELY have overcast days, maybe 15 a year, I am able to keep it charged pretty easily.
Sounds like you live in a perfect place for it. Glad you find it useful!
Where du you live?
Appreciate the review! Bought multiple for gifts, mostly single panels but one that had 4 panels for family that snowmobiles in northern Upper Michigan. Using common sense comparison I questioned that the only difference was the number of panels but further questioned if there truly was a difference. Power usage and charge may be more valuable for safety while snowmobiling in remote areas which is the reasoning behind the gift. Many thanks. You spoke well and the bit of humor worked for me! Take care!
Thanks for the feedback!
Straight to business with it. I love it
Thanks for the info, this was exactly what I was trying to figure out when I started my CZcams search today
Brady: I'm glad you found the video useful. Thank you for taking the time to share that and thank you for watching!
That Ripley picture is Dope‼️
Thanks!
I really appreciate the short and to the point information. Thank you.
Patricia: I appreciate your short and kind comment. Thank YOU.
I placed both power banks on my "solar regeneration platform" -- aka my BBQ grill. hehehe
😂😂😂
I don't know what you're talking about. 🤫
Thank You for All that you are doing for World Peace and for our Planet...
Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. La Paz.. Namaste ..
🙏🏻 😊 🌈 ✌ ☮️ ❤️ 💐 🕊
Thanks for answering all my solar power bank questions !!!!
Maddy: You are very welcome. Thank YOU for watching!
Another question would be real capacity of both powerbanks which may wary greatly
Ur a real one man going to field for a month straight and need my phone to stay alive ahhaa. Army sad life:(
Crusified: Stay safe out there!
Thanks, with your video I canceled my order.
You're welcome?
I live in the desert (nevada). This thing charges faster than i expected.
Glad to hear it !
Me running around looking for the sun all day with a dead battery 😩
There are all my favorite things in your scenario, outstanding! My favorite sport is Formula 1 and there is Lewis Hamilton. One of my favorites movies, Back to the Future is there too. I did not watch Cobra Kai yet but I love Karate Kid movies. Ripley from Alien movies... Even the Star Trek 3D Chessboard is there, I always want to play that, could we face Spock? I love chess. Smartphone stands... Awesome! I love languages, I study English, Spanish, Japanese and play with Irish and Hawaiian as hobbies, my main language is Portuguese, and there is a black cube with Naka Kanji that could mean middle, center, inside... I am studying about solar energies so it brought me here. Excellent channel, You got a subscriber! Thank you and success!
Thank you for sharing all of that Lucas and I'm glad you like my décor.
If you are a Karate Kid fan I do think you will like Cobra Kai, especially season 1. I am also really enjoying F1 this year. I think the new cars are giving us the wheel to wheel racing they wanted.
Enjoy your studies and let me know if there are any topics or products you think would make a good video.
Take care.
Great video! One thing i know is everyone should own at least 2 of these 4 panel solar powerbanks. They can charge your phone fully a number of times as well as other small emergency electronics.
6 days to charge the whole thing, but how long to charge a phone? The real question for me is would it be at all useful while hiking around, when there are lots of variables (tree cover, angle of sunlight, weather, etc.)
Geo: You are correct. Each use case is different and it's obviously impossible for me to test them all. What I can tell you is it probably won't be FASTER than six days. Thanks for watching.
@@RandoTechInfo I would add, if you are hiking for a day or two, you don't need the solar panels for recharging... The power bank store energy for about 5 or 6 full cell phone charges, so, that's not an issue.
If you go for a week camping, it would be useful to refill part of the capacity... That's a part 3 i would like to view, a test of how is the ratio between the solar charge capacity vs the charge of cell phone(theoretically 6 days for a full charge and 6 times the capacity of a cell phone would mean that 1 day of charge of the power bank is 1 full charge of the cell phone... I don't think that would be true but someone has to test it 😬😬😬😬) good video, thanks.
commenting bc the amount of care to just not waste my time compelled me to, thanks for the info!
Appreciate that!
I do have a 4 panal power bank. I find its bulky and heavy for a purse. I am a camper and traveler and I will keep for emergencies. I actually ran my ac/dc camp fan with it.
For my purse. I just got a juice pocket. Its light. Keeps my ph charge. I can get 4 charges out of it. You do have to have appropriate wires w you in your purse or back pack. Pocket Juice.
Hmmm. I'll check that out. Thanks.
Yes. My ph battery dont last long if I take alot of pics, gps and web. I keep a small pocket juice in my bag w wires. Comes in handy. Keeps me out of trouble.
Not the solar one. That one I keep in vehicle. One time my wire broke while using gps. No stores around. I was far from everything. Battery died. So I bought my bigger battery bank for car travel mishaps. Yes, a better one works. Stay away from the $5 ones.
There's 98.6 wat power bank ax outdated 18 wat solar cell 196 Watson per solar day
I just bought the 4 panel unit
6days to charge.... FML
I only camp for 3-4 day at a time....
I guess I should invest in a hand crank generator and put the kids to work 😅
Good plan. 👍
LOL, i love the black screen thing.
Next time I might use a white one, you know, change things up.
Thank you great video, going and purchase one now 👍
Trini: Thanks! I hope you like it!
Great video, thanks man
Cod: You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it.
Great video, great info and insight thanks! 👍
Thanks Dave. Appreciate that.
@@RandoTechInfo No problem, you're welcome.
12 days to charge? WHATS THE POINT???
It would be great if I could hook one of these powerbanks up to my own portable solar panels
I left the uniden in the sun for 2 days and it did absolutely nothing. I literally just took it out the box
Three things I have figured out with these things.
1. They will not charge behind glass. You MUST put them outside.
2. If they are not in direct sunlight they will not charge at all.
3. If it's overcast charging speed is greatly reduced.
Sorry you have had a bad experience. Hopefully you did not get a bad unit. Thanks for sharing.
Great video ! Thank you
Green: Thank YOU for watching!
1.5 watts, per panel? So like my Blavor 4 panel solar power bank would charge at 1.5 × 4 = 6 watts input charge. Its a 20,000 mah bank. Is there a solar power controller to analyze the current solar charge for a device like this? Anyway, great video. Thanks for uploading.
It would depend on the size and the efficiency of the panels but 1.5 Watts for a smaller power bank sized panel is pretty standard. As for the controller, I am uncertain. If the bank is permanently connected to the panels, there is really no way that I'm aware of to measure the wattage input of the panels. If the bank is separate, you could always try to daisy chain something in between the panels and the bank but that could affect efficiency so I'm not sure how accurate that would be. Thanks for watching!
so 3333 mAh a day or 1666 mAh a day, thats not a TON but its still good if u have nothing else
I have one question
How do the all three panels connected i cant see any wire between them or anything clear connector
I had one it charged all my headphones and earbuds and even my phone all year round just from the panels
That's actually really awesome.
This was interesting. Thanks 😊
W.E.: I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for letting me know!
Is it better to get a solar cell to charge phones or a solar power bank? Thanks for video!
I made a video about that very thing!
czcams.com/video/DNNIdc8C19o/video.html
@@RandoTechInfo Will look at it. Thanks!
Great video, thanks for the content
Glad you enjoyed it!
I wonder if the constant sunlight on the power banks while they're charging does any damage to the batteries.
It’s probably not great for them, but I haven’t run into any major issues so far and I have reviewed a lot of these things.
thx
Solar Sun Kettle is a great example of Solar Heat not electricity
Is it not dangerous to put a power bank in direct sunlight.
I have not had any issues, but I understand how that might seem counterintuitive.
Nice video!
This must be great when you live in the Sahara
I use the Blavor four panel charger I had the five it’s about the same but the four has fast charging
Yes it is
This panel can put out close to 100 watts czcams.com/users/postUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.
Nice video , thnx !
Rave: You are welcome!
I had a solar power bank but batter fail by expanding and destroyed solar panel
This has never happened to me but I know it has happened to others. One of the drawbacks to this type of design is the bank has to sit in the sun for the panels to charge. I'm sorry that happened and I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.
You know, I'm going to repeat this because it may be helpful. If the small solar panels can charge the battery to 4000 Mah a day, that is enough to fully charge most phones if completely drained. In my opinion seeing how long you can charge the entire battery is only relevant when you take into consideration the size of the battery. For a bug out bag I have one of these for exactly that reason.
Agreed.
Yes most kept ohkne cgaer 1 too 2 keen chers per day god ebfryu
BUT , how long does it take to charge a phone let's say the latest Android or IPhone to its complete capacity (100%)? How long will the solar panels charge for? Would I get just 1 or 2 charges per phone after I charge the panels for 6 / 12 days ?
MiMi: Depends on the output on the charger and whether or not the charger had USB-C or a lighting port.
Number of charges will also vary depending on the battery capacity of your phone. Generally a 25,000 mAh battery should charge a normal phone 4 times if not more.
@@RandoTechInfo Thank you so much for the explanation. I will be purchasing the 4 solar panel charger.
@@MiMiOrt Glad I was able to help!
Great video! Thanks for putting this review together, you've helped me decide which powerbank to purchase. Can I ask where you got the tiered chess board? That is awesome!
Ace: Glad you liked it. I actually live in St. Louis and I got that board from the World Chess Hall of Fame. If you look up "Star Trek chess board" you'll find it.
@@RandoTechInfo thanks again! I’m excited to start using my new solar power bank. Four panels, USB-C, and a Qi charger.
Single pannel:
20000mha / 12 sunny days = 1670 mha
Lol 😆 🤣 😂 your video partner 🤣 says no
mike: I get that a lot.
Dont those 4 panel chargers advertise as charging twice as fast? Ive never seen one advertised as 4 times faster.
I don't actually think I've seen a lot of ads for them. That would make sense.
Nice! 👍
Thanks!
So, following your logic, those 6 and 12days charging time were time 12 hours/day right? and was the powerbank completely drained and you charged it up to full in those period or where did you start from? I can't stand when someone isn't thorough with their information.
Can you chaerge and use the bank at the same time . That could be a good vid .
Strangely enough I've never tried. I assume you can. Not a bad idea.
6 days... dang
Good vid thanks
ROME: Thank you for watching!
the black image with the text... it is just THE BEST. Efficient and critic with nowadays ballooney 😀
my power bank only go to 75% doesn't matter how long I put in the sun to charge, it charge too slow in the sun I can not use it in the case of emergency
Hmmm. Wonder if has a bad charge indicator. It should be said that not all solar banks have the best quality control standards.
Solar regeneration platform = the top of a grill 😭
🤫🤫🤫
Good review
John: Thanks. Appreciate that.
Solar powered is better used to heat water than to use as electricity
Solar regenerating platform... AKA "the grill"
Ding: Shhhh
DO NOT use Amazon reviews as a guide. Research any brand other places. 4 and 5 star reviews may or may not be completely FAKE.
How can we charge it with socket
With the included cord.
It shall only take 4 hours to fully charge
why something flashy and pointless would insult my intelligence?
🤔
You have given me much to think about.
ZZ Top rules
Hell yeah they do. 🤘
People are just confuse about solar power banks..... Don't think if you go for camping you going to charge your phone every day with this devices. The answer in no possible. The solar panels os those devices work VERY VERY VERY slow.I had one with a one solar panel on top 1 full day on the sun, never charged the battery. You better go for a good power bank, without solar.
R.C.: I agree with most of what you say. The only thing I would say is there are good solar power banks, that said, they are not fast.
Thanks for watching.
This is not completely true. The solar panel took 6 days to charge a 25,000 mah battery. So in one day it charged roughly a little over 4000 mah. This is not taking into effect that most batteries take more time to top off, which means it would likely be much higher then 4000 mah. If your phone is 4000 mah, then one day of charging will charge your phone, and that's if you completely drain your mobile battery. If you're frugal this solar combo can likely top you off indefinitely up to the life f the battery.
@Bernard Sutton You realize your statement is hypocritical. Also my statement is based on the facts of the video. 🤔
i got my wife one of these and with your video I am able to see how much roughly she charge her phone, her city got hit by a super typhoon and all the power is out so its hard to reach her, this was helpful
Jay: Glad to hear the video was helpful. I hope your wife is ok. Stay safe out there.
Philippines?
@@aaaaaaa8058 yes
@@aaaaaaa8058 cebu
nice videoo
Thanks Josh!
Subscribed
Thanks! Appreciate it!
Cool posters where'd you get
Displate.
They are metal prints. Very cool.
Seriously, they should give me a kick back with all the people I send their way.
@@RandoTechInfo btw I just got that solar panel I like international one bag travel and I thought this would be a nice replacement things with 2 uses are always better than one
@@manny7568 Hope you like it!
4 panel seems flimsy, years durability is not tested yet
Xi An 2ri: I have had one of my 4 panel banks for 4 years. It's still trucking along. :)
I had a solar power battery swell up on me
I've been lucky so far and have not had that happen, but plenty of people have left comments in my videos that have had that issue.
Absolutely useless for me. Unless you're in a survival situation And you need a small charge for emergency, this is the product to get. For every day use, the solar is not practical.
But to wait for 6 days to fully change is a NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
Almost 1 week wait to charge my phone? No thx.
Would you realistically charge the solar Bank solely via the Sun. I think not, it's a huge gimmick. These products suck gullible people in to buying them. Realistically their solar charging power input is tiny and minimal, and not viable for power-out emergency situations. As many people are pointing out, you're much better in getting a simpler and better power bank and adding a larger separate solar panel when needed, at least >15 watts.
Peter: I agree your solution will get you better charging speed but that solution is less portable and costs more.
I don't think small solar banks are a gimmick, you just have to know what you are getting and what they are really capable of, hence the video.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and for watching.
Additionally what you may be missing Peter is that this battery holds enough charge to charge your phone six times. Depending on the phone you have, one day of charging with the mini solar panel on the multipanel charger will be enough to likely charge your phone or most of it every day. Seems like a phenomenal product for me which is why I bought two.
Not che gets mimn one ione charger oer day.
I have solar earbuds
What do you think?
@@RandoTechInfo there good for only 10 euros and chachimg
Them is easy in the sun
So you have a sitting on your barbecue orLol
Clearly you are mistaken. That is a genuine solar charging station. NOT a covered Weber Spirit gas grill.
Solar regeneration platform 🤣🤣🤣🤣
They sell them at Lowe's.
6 days for a full charge thats just stupid
They're a joke!!!!!!