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First of all, I did not buy this charger to help the environment or stop global warming. I just wanted a mobile power supply for a decent price.
I had been trying to find a solar charger for about two months when I came across Golden Gadgets. Every charger I had found was either really expensive or a POS. Upon finding this one, I was skeptical because it had no reviews to help me make my decision. After a few days of thought, I decided to take a chance on it.
I recieved it within three days of ordering.Upon opening the package, I found a small problem: the solar panel was leaning to one corner. To fix this, I just opened the casing and used a small piece of cardboard to raise the corner to a uniform height. The last thing that bothered me was it's looks. Flat black looks good on some things, but this needed something different. I removed the upper casing and gave it three coats of yellow paint.
After finishing my modifications, I charged it up with the included AC adaptor. It took roughly eight hours. I have yet to fully charge it via solar but that's because of the day length. The battery held it's charge well and charged my Nokia 5300 Xpress Music three times before needing to be recharged. It charges devices at roughly the same speed as USB or standard AC chargers do. The only device I could not get it to charge was my brothers iPod(I didn't buy the tip, I just used the female USB adaptor and the iPod cable).
To help on road trips I built a case that can be attached to a window via suction cups. I used .093" Lexan polycarbonate and epoxy to construct it. The overall cost of the case was $15.
Overall, this device was surprisingly good for the money. It has a few small problems, but they're easily fixed. If you want it to save the environment, it probably won't cut it. If you want it to charge your phone anywhere at anytime, it'll get the job done.
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