Hiluckey Solar Charger Power Bank Review


Product: Solar Charger
Stockist: Amazon
Price: £20.99



The Hiluckey power bank is a compact solar charger sold by Amazon. This charger comes with a 10000 mA battery, which is the one I bought but can buy the same charger with a 25,000mA capacity. 

The Charger Unfolded


The power bank itself weighs in at 338g and is small enough to put in a rucksack compartment or even your pocket. There is a fabric strap and a stud that keeps the solar panel folded in on the main unit, and at first glance this looks fine. The power bank can also be attached to the outside of a rucksack to charge on the move, it secures to the bag using the same fabric strap.

Strap Which Can Attach to Your bag

 I wasn't convinced that the fabric strap would stay attached to my bag during my summer hikes. I tended to thread another strap around the unit between the solar panels to make sure it was secure. The instructions state that the charger will work best in direct sunlight and the tests I have done with the charger on the bag show that it didn't charge significantly. There are a series of blue lights on the side of the charge to indicate the level of charge. Again in testing conditions, even left in direct sunlight the charger didn't show an increase in charge. I think the main issue is that it can take many hours for the battery to show an increase in charge from the solar panels. As I was hiking in Scotland, even in our great summer I only had a few hours of direct sunlight to charge the battery. 

Power Lights


The battery itself is good for at least 3 days worth of charging. This depends on how much you use your phone and whether you are using a battery saving mode. The charger comes with a micro USB to USB lead allowing you to charge it up from a laptop or socket with USB connection.

Can Charge 2 Gadgets at Once


On the back of the charger is a torch which I did find useful and a feature that I could use in my tent in the dark. It also meant that I didn't need to take a head torch, saving myself 200g, well done me!

Light


Verdict

A compact solar charger that doesn't charge when the sun is shining on it. It may be best to buy a lighter power bank and use campsites and hostels to charge it up. The light and strobe light were useful additions as was the fact you could charge multiple items off the one power bank. 

Pros
  • Lightweight
  • Nice design
  • Added torch
  • Can charge 2 gadgets at once.


Cons
  • Doesn't charge up with direct sunlight.
  • Fabric strap might not last attached to the back of a backpack 
  • Heavier than a power bank stick. 
3/5


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