[General Accessories] Alberto96:
Dodocool 10000mAh 12W Solar Charger

Unboxing

The Solar Charger comes with an eco-friendly packaging and basic accessories: 1x Micro-USB Cable, 1x User Manual, and the Solar Charger (of course).

Everything is fit into a synthetic material, just like the one used for bags or similar, and seems to be pretty hard to be scratched and it can be also cleaned easily. On the back there is a foldable stand that can be used to charge the device, useful especially when you can place it in a flat surface, otherwise you can just place it on the grass so that it gets maximum power from the sun.

Inside the back pouch its where all the magic happens. The solar panels and the Li-Ion battery are connected to this little hardware where the power is trasformed from 5.5V (solar charger input) to 4.2v/4.3v (depending on the battery core) in order to recharge the built-in battery, and in the same time the built-in power is then transformed to 5v for the USB Output. A little box for such complex work, and it works pretty well. Check efficiency test, written in the next paragraph.

There are 2x USB ports available, with maximum 2.4A output (i don't know if it is maximum combined output or not, but my tests seems to confirm the first option).

It is possible to charge the built-in battery together while charging your devices though the USB ports, but there is no Micro-USB port to recharge it if no sunlight is available. That's the only minor thing that disappointed me a bit.

While charging, with sunlight power, a LED placed between the USB ports turns red, it can be more bright or not depending on the sunlight power, and the battery level LEDs start to blink.

This Solar Charger is pretty compact, smaller than an A4 paper, and doesn't weights a lot too. It can be easily transported in your backpack without having to increase its weight too much. Do not forget that there are two big solar panels here, so can't expect something super lightweight.

I am not a Solar Panels expert, but the ones used in this charger seems to be good-quality ones. Check this photo, they really seem well made.

Efficiency

All tests have been done using my own Micro-USB cables, because i don't trust the provided one so much. It feels a bit cheapy, but i could be wrong.

On Idle the output voltage stays on 5.08v, matching USB specifications. Even while charging it, the voltage doesn't change at all so, as i said before, the first chipset that works on the USB Output is firstly connected to the Li-Ion Battery Controller, then to the Solar Panels.

I have tested the USB Ports using my USB Capacitor (1A/2A), and the voltage seems to get a bit low on extreme-load. With 2A load, it manages to stay stable still meeting the USB specs.

With extreme-load, more than 2A, the voltage drops to 4.65v. Well this is an extreme test, but i would certify this charger for maximum 2.2A load in order to get stable voltage. Anyway, it is still matching USB specs, even if to the minimum limit.

While charging, it doesn't get hot, but if you charge it with direct sunlight and in the same time you charge your device, then everything gets hot, but hey this is the power of the sun, no one can cool down this haha.

Conclusions

Being my first time to review a solar charger, i may not express an useful opinion, but i will try to do my best. Even if not perfect, this charger may be a life-saver for those who like to stay outdoors frequently. It is solid, provides 2x USB Ports that can be always useful even if there is no Quick Charge available, and most of all, the built-in battery pack allows you to charge your devices even if the weather is not so helpful for a nice outdoor day.

So...do I recommend it? If you match the user i have just talked about, then yes this is definitely for you. Its price may not look so affordable, but solar panels are not that cheap yet (still not expensive as many years ago though), so this is a nice choice.

Pros:

- 2x USB Ports

- Can charge its built-in battery while charging other devices

- Portable

Cons:

- No Flashlight

- No Quick Charge

- No Micro-USB port to charge its built-in battery

Rating: 8.1

Packaging and Accessories: 8

Design and Materials: 9

Performance and Efficiency: 8.5

Price: 7 (based on Amazon price)

Official Product page: http://www.dodocool.com/power-bank-1928/p-da69.html

You can find full-res images (I know, Quality isn't excellent) here: http://imgur.com/a/BYDnK​