Do you have an Anker PowerPort Solar Charger?

I came across Anker 21W 2-Port USB Universal PowerPort Solar Charger while browsing through Amazon. I’m wondering if anyone is using this today. If so, how is it working for you?

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I was looking at that as well. I was curious how well it would charge a PowerCore battery pack.

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Does anyone know?

This seems to be a great product to have while hiking. There are so many beautiful scenic pictures to take, but I always try to conserve my battery. I just ordered a portable charger, but would like to see if this would be an additional option to have.

Which portable charger did you buy? I have a few of them and I love them all. I use them to charge my Samsung Galaxy S6 and S7 Edge. They work great…

I currently have the Samsung 9500 mah and it’s crapping out on me. I have the powerCore slim 5000 on order. I carry so many electronics with me while traveling so I’m always looking for a slim one so it won’t get too heavy.

Which one do you have?

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These are the portable chargers I currently have below. You made a great choice on the PowerCore slim 5000. You are going to love the charger you just bought. I have the same one and I carry with me everyday. It will charge my Samsung Galaxy S6 about 2 1/2 times. It is about the same thickness as my Samsung Galaxy S6 and weighs about the same as my phone.

PowerCore Mini 3200 Portable Charger
PowerCore Slim 5000 Portable Charger
PowerCore 5000 Portable Charger
PowerCore+10050 with Quick Charge 3.0
PowerCore 20100 - Ultra High Capacity Power Bank

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Awesome! Glad I made a great choice with the powerSlim 5000. I’m thinking it would be a great stocking stuffer as well!

The issue is not so much the specifics of the Anker solar solar charge vs other, but the benefits of solar vs other.

A “21W” panel is somewhat of an idealistic quote in that it is from solar panels which then passes through electronics to become the 5V output into your devices. You will get losses all along, and none of this is a criticism of Anker products, all solar outputs have reduction from the quoted maximums.

That maximum is then reduced by the vagaries of solar power like strength of sunshine, shade, direction, etc.

So, regardless of the quality of Anker’s products, you are likely sitting in the region of 1A-2A for a few hours a day at most. So call that 7500mah / day average. This varies up/down based on sunshine strength, cloud cover, direction of solar panel to the sunshine. Even temperature has an effect, a warmer panel tends to work less effectively.

Solar has more sense when:

  • you are a LONG time off-grid, like days, if not weeks off-grid.
  • you are in an area where sunshine is strong and plentiful

What has happened is battery technology has improved so much that it can now take 2 strong days of sunshine to create the same amount of power for the same weight as a solar panel as a USB battery pack can store. i.e. you can carry another Powercore with charged power as solar can produce in days, for the same weight.

So really, solar is for those LONGER trips off-grid, like a week for example, when it is sunny a lot and you have a regime where the solar panel can be pointed directly aligned with the sun for many hours.

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Thank you for the information. That knowledge is exactly what I was looking for.

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I have the 14 watt solar charger and use it when I am on long kayaking trips here on the East Coast of Australia. While it charges my devices just fine in full sun, even quick charging my phone, I rarely use it to charge my devices directly, pairing it with a 9600mAh 2nd Gen Astro 2 portable charger. My devices get used too much during the day so I leave the solar panel out during the day charging the Astro 2 and then charge my devices at night. I have never had any problems keeping the Astro 2 charged with the solar panel. I am now purchasing a second portable charger to keep in the kayak with me in case I need a charge while out on the water. In this case I would just chuck both the device and the charger in a water tight hatch and let it charge.

I also run a 15.4 volt rollable solar panel out on the trampoline on the kayak that runs my depth sounder and charges my 9Ah 12 volt, SLA battery. This is new to me, and even though the manufacturer says it is constructed of marine grade materials with sealed connections, I am curious to see how it performs in the salt water environment where I spend most of my time.

Hopefully this helps.