I'm looking to buy a power bank, and am wondering how good or reliable a solar one is? I think it will be useful when you are out hiking, but many are bulkier than the keyring ones, but may prove to be better as they can be charged on a long trek. What the pros and cons of a solar one versus ones powered by a USB cable?
I highly recommend sticking with USB or portable battery banks. Solar charges super slow, I had one that was a 24 amp battery pack and it was awesome, but the solar charger wouldn't work at all. Some other reviews said that it wouldn't charge if the battery was less than 50%. Too many people claim that solar takes super long to charge on the go because they barely output .500mah, and that's not good for a battery that has 3 amps or more. It would take a constant 6 plus hours to fully charge something via solar if you're hiking, and hikers don't generally stay put that long. I tried some other ones, but I never liked them, small 15 or 29 amp battery packs are worth the investment. They usually have wall chargers that output 3 amps to get them fully charges in about 5 or 6 hours, and then you can use them for days literally. It took mines a whole week to go out before I needed to charge it, and solar did nothing for me.
But isn't it better to have one that can be charged by the sun and mains then you have the best of both worlds? The thing with small chargers is that I would probably need to charge a tablet, so not all will have that much power or will they? Solar are more expensive, but also bigger and I don't want bulky items if they don't work.
This is not to smear power banks that is charged by solar power. I had received 2 of those solar charger with different models and we tested it dutifully before using it. Unfortunately, the solar charging is not that reliable and it seems to me that the charge is even less then 50% of the capacity and that is for several days of charging. I have to agree with the other comments that we just stick to the non-solar and charge the power bank using the electric plug or the USB socket.
I has been using Solar Power Banks in so many places for so many things. I've had it "looped" through my car's 12 volt outlet and to my cell phone so that it fully charges. I've had it mounted on my dashboard and watched it charge as I drive. Recently we installed it in my greenhouse where it powers a USB laptop fan to move air around and it runs almost all night to move air.
I really have no idea when it comes to commercial products, but the good news is that I do know that the technology is getting better by the day. I remember seeing little panels on backpacks a couple of years ago and thinking this was the wave of the future. While that did not necessarily happen, at least not yet, the things out there are better and last longer. I would say do some homework and find out about some good ones, and best of luck to you.
This is encouraging because I guess it depends on where you are as well. I am considering a trek in Nepal and there won't be electrical outlets everywhere, and it will be a long trek, so it will be more for emergencies and not long calls.
