Solio anyone??

[kerrybelle]

Does anyone have one or know anything about the Solio? My office is considering it as a gift for our boss. There are 2 models now and I don't really know the difference between them.

http://store.solio.com/s.nl/sc.7/category.109/.f

Thanks,
Kerry

[Tri Girl]

I've never heard of those, but now I want one. Very, very cool!

[onimity]

I have a couple of Solios, I've used them for a couple of years while traveling away from electricity. I have the 'classic' model, looks like the new 'Hybrid 1000' model is lighter & comes with a more rugged case. I'd go with the original, personally.

A lot of reviews dog the Solio, but I think it is great as long as you have the right expectations for it. Primarily:

You have to point the panels right at the sun to get a good charge. Even so, it takes a while. Cloudy day? No charge. Window in the way? Reduced charging. Wrong angle? Reduced charging.

That said, one huge benefit is that it is just a portable power source, so you can, say, charge the Solio at an outlet at home and have a way to recharge your phone 2 days down the trail, plus the option to recharge the Solio subsequently by the sun. I think their stats say that it takes a couple of 8 hour periods of full sun to get a full charge, and that assumes direct sunlight.

It has a lot of adapters including mini-USB, so not only is it good for iPods/phones, but also cameras, Garmins, etc.

I am going to attempt to use 2 Solios to keep my Garmin alive while in Patagonia, we'll see how it goes...

Anne

[TsPoet]

What Anne said. Works fine, but don't expect it to be a nuclear power plant. At the least, it's good to precharge using the wall socket and then have a backup.
When riding a bike, I've put the solio (the original style, don't have the new one) open on my rear rack and just let it sit there all day while riding. At the end of the day, it's got just enough to recharge my Garmin or my iPod, just barely. If there was a way of taking more time to point it at the sun while riding, it would work better.

I also have a cheap AA charger that I use for my Garmin. Cost me ~$14 and all it does is hold 3 (I think) AA batteries and plugs into the USB port of anything. I use rechargeable batteries in it.
I like the solio, and the concept of the solio, but it's exactly as Anne described. I end up using the cheap AA charger much more often for the exact same things.
I can't find a link for what I go, only how to make them yourself
http://www.instructables.com/id/MintyBoost!---Small-battery-powered-USB-charger/
But, that might not be a great gift to give!

[smilingcat]

you can also find something like that at siliconsolar.com.

http://www.siliconsolar.com/PDA-Solar-Battery-Chargers-p-1-c-281.html

I bought things from them and they are really nice (product, people and customer service). I'm planning on some major solar power thing to help reduce my carbon footprint. Just can't sit and talk about it over nice cup of latte or chai latte.

In patagonia, high up in altitude, these rechargers should work a bit better than at sea level. But yes if its not pointed correctly, it can reduce the power level by 50%

smilingcat

[Pedal Wench]

Oh! I wrote a review of it. Lemme see if I can find it!

Here ya go!

http://blog.scifi.com/tech/archives/2006/01/25/review_solio_so.html

[OakLeaf]

I'm always terrified of using these third-party power sources when their output amperage exceeds that of the wall charger of the device - as is the case with many of the AA battery packs, I don't know the specs on the Solio.

Has anyone done this successfully over a long term? Or has anyone fried their device by trying it?

[smilingcat]

I think the amperage rating is okay even if it exceeds the one recommended.

The voltage is the one you want to be worried about. If its higher than what you portable needs, it can damage it. And if its lower, again it can possibly damage your portable.

The third party stuff should have amperage rating equal to or greater than the original. And the voltage should be within 5% of the original. Also make sure the plus and minus on the plug is the same or if it says AC.

smilingcat

[kerrybelle]

Thanks everyone, for your input. Looks like this is what my boss will be getting for Christmas. Sure hope he likes it.

Kerry