Brunton Solarport 4.4 Watt Foldable Solar Charger with
March 29, 2010 by SolarInfo
Filed under solar panels
| Brand: | Brunton | ||
| Average Rating |
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Your power source for anywhere! Brunton SolarPort 4.4 Portable Solar Charger. Keep your electronics charged and ready when no power is available. This Solar Charger produces enough power to charge small electronics and run cell phones, GPS units, digital cameras and more. It's made with durable polycrystalline solar cells and is weatherproof to stand up to the rigors of camping and backpacking. There's more: 6V or 12V selectable; maximum output is 4.4 watts; USB connection with USB output (5V @ 500 mA); Link up to three units together for even more output; Includes BattJack battery charger for AA / AAA batteries; 12V DC vehicle outlet in the hinge; Dimensions: 9 1/4 x 6 x 1 1/2; weighs 19 ozs. 1-year limited warranty. The power to order is in your hands... don't wait! Brunton SolarPort Portable Solar Charger more info
Poor results and no response from tech support
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I am very disappointed in the Brunton Solarport 4.4. I wanted to charge my iPhone but was unable to charge it; even in full sunlight with the phone turned off. It did charge my Garmin Forerunner (a smaller device.) Not much bang for the buck; I wouldn’t recommend it. No response from product support guy; won’t return calls.
solar power
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The solarport has some really neat features. It includes a cigarette lighter plug-in port and it also comes with a battery recharger for AA and AAA batteries. One down side is to charge your cell phone you have to turn it off, which can be frustrating to turn off your phone in the middle of the day. However, it charges really quick in bout 3 minutes i can charge my cell phone 5%. This is a really good product for camping and hiking also. I’m still figuring out new ways to use it every day. It is one of my favorite gadgets and I reccomend it.
It works but…
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I, like many others had a hard time figuring out how to get this thing to work. It has one major design flaw. When it is not in DIRECT sunlight, the battery charger indicator lights will show that the batteries are fully charged. For a long time I thought that it wasn’t working.
It needs full on, undiffused sunlight or it just won’t work. When you find a patch of sunlight it works great. Due to this I would recommend keeping a good supply of charged batteries on hand if on a long trip out in the field in case of extended times of cloudiness.
For the money it works well, just make sure you keep it in DIRECT sunlight.
Great product – sturdy, lightweight, reliable
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I used this on a backpacking trip in the Rocky Mountains. It performed very well. The BattJack (AA/AAA) charger is really handy and works well too. One item of note is to make sure you try charging using 6V first as this mode works best for most devices. Also, be careful of the polarity on the adapters. Read the instructions BEFORE using the unit. The only things I might recommend to Brunton is to add a cover for the side connector panel to help keep dirt and moisture out when using outdoors and to include a couple other adapters because most of my electronics DO NOT use the 3.5mm or 5.5 mm adapters that come with the unit. I understand from another review that you can purchase more adapters at Radio Shack, but have not confirmed this as yet. [...] The adapter shortage is the only reason I gave this unit 4 stars….
Not Recommended
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
It’s a great concept. Unfortunately, it didn’t work that well for me. Even in the bright sunlight here in Colorado, I could only charge 2 NMH batteries at the same time. And it won’t work through a window. Not very good for $110.
Tech support? They have one guy, and you have to call the main switchboard – they don’t have a tech support number. Good luck reaching him. I left him a message 3 days ago and never heard back. As far as I’m concerned, their tech support is non-existent.
I returned mine.
If all else fails, read directions
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The first time I tried to charge batteries with the Solarport, I got no results. Then I read the directions: the interchangeable tip has to be turned so that the plus sign is on the same side as the word “Tip” (in the U.S., that is; it’s the opposite in Europe). If the polarity is wrong, the unit can’t charge your stuff. I suspect those who could not get the unit to work might have had the tip oriented the wrong way. I’m just getting started with my Solarport, but the person who recommended it to me swears by his, has been using it for some time, and bought a second to daisy chain with the first.
Good product, but a few caveats
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Generally, I find the Brunton Solarport works as advertised, but there are a couple things people should know before getting one. First, it has trouble charging hi-capacity NiMH batteries (1800mAh +). It might charge 2 in very bright light, but not 4. Second, don’t expect it to charge well using light that has passed through a window. Window glass often filters and/or reflects light, so the unit receives less light and is therefore less effective. (Of course, you can solve these problems by spending another $100 for another Solarport and linking the 2 together, but for $200 you might consider another solar option.)
Somewhat useful; get it on sale
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Looks like this item is being discontinued. I picked mine up on a whim at REI for about $60, marked down from $120.
I’ve experimented with this little thing a bit, and it will charge my BlackBerry Curve easily enough with direct sun contact here in Chicago. It will product some current through a window, but it’s not really enough to do much other than give the phone the idea that it’s plugged in without actually charging. I can’t seem to get it to work with the iPod Touch or iPhone, however. Still working on it. Haven’t tried the battery charger.
Edit: WAS finally able to get it to charge the iPod Touch and iPhone via cigarette lighter adapter. Still won’t do it off of USB, but that doesn’t bother me. Another thing to carry, but not a big deal. I’d bump this thing up to 4 stars now.
Excellent device though you may have to buy adapters
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This device produces enough power to run my Sony Shortwave radio. I already had the necessary plug adapter for it, so no big deal. These plugs can be bought at any Radio Shack.
I also like the built in car lighter port that will accomodate my cell phone and PDA charger.
If you had this sitting on the back dash of a car for a long trip , the kids could use it to power their portable video games or CD/MP3 players. (As long as there is sunlight)
Great device for emergencies or on the go. Free power!
Well worth the money.
I had to purchase extra cables
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I would have given this item 5 stars if it had included a selection of connectors for charging different types of electronics. Unless your cellphone/camera etc comes with a usb charging cable you will probably have to purchase extra cables. It only comes with a single type of connector (I think for Nokia phones) for charging. If you need usb charger cables look at the ziplinq (or zip-linq) usb accessories here on Amazon.
05/01 Review Update – Rating reduced * (1 star)
I cannot get this solar charger to charge batteries. I have attempted to contact Brunton customer support but they have been unresponsive. I can no longer recommend this product. Sorry.
Battery Charger Works like a Charm in an Emergency
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We bought this to be part of our home emergency kit and it worked like a charm. We had a major December storm that knocked out our power for 4 days and we lost our land phone line service too. The Solarport worked in cloudy, overcast conditions and kept both our standard cell phone and our Palm Treo charged so we were able to stay in touch with the world via cell phone & email.
Expectation Eclipses Performance
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Unfortunately I have had no success with this solar charger. I acknowledge that I have only tried to charge two cell phones, one via the USB port and the other through the built-in adapter. However, neither one charged to any noticeable degree. While Indiana winters do not supply a surplus of sunshine, I attached the charger to a south-exposed window with suction cups and failed to get results on nearly 100% sunny days. In fact, once the phone ran out of juice on me and in every case the battery indicator stayed the same or dropped. Of course, the phone was on and thus using some battery charge, but to only maintain the charge, at best, is unacceptable. I have a coil/shake flashlight and a crank flashlight, so I desire to utilize renewable energy, but it has to work and I can’t recommend the product when it can’t charge a cell phone with its relatively low consumption/demand.