Description
- ▶5 Output For Your Need: MC-4 Output can deliver 25A(max)current, Dual USB-A port(5V/2.4A per port) for charging your 5V powered gadgets, and 18V DC outputfor charging your 12V car battery and portable generators, PD60W USB-C output for charging your laptop fastly. The junction box parallel connecting port for connecting multiple foldable solar panel.
- ▶High Efficiency: 140W solar cell is made from US, up to 22% efficiency, providing endless energy for laptop, power station,cellphone and other battery under sun
- ▶Foldable & Portable:1/3 lighter than the same power of solar slicon. The total power increased by 1/3 in compare with the same solar panel size. Folded size only 22×14.2×0.2inch, 9.9lb, Great for traveling off the beaten path without access to electric and won’t take up much room.
- ▶Waterproof & Durable: Constructed with a durable and waterproof nylon and adjustable bracket to receive the most effective sunlight; Short circuit and surge protection technology keep you and your devices safe.
- ▶Package Contents：ALLPOWERS 140W folding solar charger, MC-4 to 5.5×2.1mm cable, MC-4 to Anderson cable, MC-4 to alligator clip, 5 laptop and power station connectors, instruction manual, 18 months warranty and friendly customer service.
Dan R. –
ALLPOWERS 140W Portable Solar Panel Charger is decent. This is my second unit – I did have an issue with the first one I received, but I do not believe it was the manufacturers fault – it appeared slightly used and one of the panel’s sections appeared to be damaged.
Once I received this second unit – the replacement – it was evident that the first one had been returned / re-shipped to me.
In South-East PA, angled in the proper direction in late afternoon, I was getting about 70w-90w in full sunlight and 85 degrees. I am ok with this, and I suspect that if I have a few more oppurtunities to test with cloudless skies during the winter I will be able to get over 100W which would satisfy me with my purchase.
I have seen other reviews where people got close or over the 140W rating, but I’m not sure that being in the North East US I should be expecting that close to the rated capacity.
The unit has a built-in set of USB Ports, connectors for the built-in MC4 cables to multiple sizes of Barrel-jack for Solar Generators, battery clapns, etc.. And a sewn-on zippered compartment to store all the accessories in.
I added a few plastic MC4 tools and a small power-bank to the kit, though you should be able to directly connect a laptop or other USB device when you have steady sun.
I’m not going to say it’s really “light”, because it’s still just about 10Lbs as shipped, but in comparison it is not as heavy as some others.
The “Legs” – flat fold-against each panel for storage, once deployed and positioned are sturdy and seem that they will last a while. Setting up 4 sections of legs though takes a bit of wiggling and care to not knock the others over / under… I’m fairly certain this is not a problem unique to this brand. Just take your time, and dont adjust too much. Once in place they are not going anywhere without strong winds..
Overall I am very happy with my purchase and would buy another.
Ben Kickert –
I wish I could give this 4.5 stars because this is a great value that does what it is supposed to, but isn’t as universal as some may think. For the record, this review is as much information sharing as anything.
TL;DR: Works with Bluetti power station but you need to buy an XT60 adaptor or use the cables provided with the power station if you have them. Panels are wired in parallel which is good for partial shade. Was able to get 60W in less than ideal situation so you can charge a 500Wh power station throughout the day. Good value, but not flawless.
I bought this for $125 to use with my Bluetti EB55. I didn’t want to pay $500 for 200W panels from the manufacturer, but wanted a bit more than what the knock off 100W panels offered. This was a good compromise. Despite having lots of different adaptors in the box, I had to purchase an Anderson to XT60 adaptor to get this to work on my unit. Allpowers provides a barrel plug that fits the input for the Bluetti, but that particular jack requires 20V to work and this panel wasn’t able to provide it. By going with the Anderson to XT60 (I originally thought they were the same thing, but they are not), I was able to get things working. (Edit to add: I later realized my power station came with the cables needed.)
Two important details about these panels that are worth noting: crystalline structure and parallel vs series wiring.
First, these panels use polycrystalline silicon instead of monocrystalline like some of the more expensive models. Essentially it is a bunch of small pieces instead of one big one. People talk about mono being more efficient, but in my experience that has more to do with surface area required than with anything else. Since poly is cheaper, if you want to save a few bucks you can use it, but you will need slightly larger panels to get the same wattage. But if you are purchasing based on output and price, it doesn’t matter.
The second item is related to how the individual panels are wired — either in series or parallel. Without getting too technical, if a multi panel unit like this one is wired in series, then if one panel is partially 50% shaded then the overall output will be 50% less even if the other panels are in the full sun. However, if say a 4 panel design is wired in parallel, and one panel is 50% shaded, your output power will only drop by about 12.5% if all the others are in full sun. These panels are wired in parallel which is great and something I was originally worried about.
Now let’s talk about output. It is winter here as I am reviewing this. The sun never gets very high in the sky, it is hazy, the days are short, and since I live in the woods, everything has at least some shade from leafless branches. It is close to worse case scenario for a “sunny day” I will encounter. In these circumstances I am about 60W just setting things up quickly and not being too particular about alignment.
60W out of panels advertised for 140W doesn’t sound very good, but it was much better than I was expecting given the circumstances. Since the EB55 is 537Wh unit, I know that even in less than ideal situations, this will be enough to charge it over the course of a day.
Given that ~500Wh power stations cost $500 on their own, I was not eager to basically double that amount to add solar functionality. I am very pleased to be able to recharge every day while spending less than $150.
Since this is technically a review, let me drop a few other quick thoughts on the unit.
– There are lots of adaptors you can use that come with the panel, but don’t assume that just because it fits it will meet the needs of your device.
– The alligator clips they include are basically useless since it can be dangerous to try and charge a battery without a power control unit.
– The USB controller is nice and having it work with USB-A and USB-C is a perk. Can’t really think of a situation where I would bring this but not my Bluetti, but still a good perk.
– The pouch is nice to have to keep all the wires.
– I like that if I decide I do need more power, I can buy another unit and wire it together with this one.
– It is a bit heavier and bigger than expected, but not burdensome.
Final verdict: Great value if you want solar charging and can work around the limitations.
B. Berger –
So I’ve been using this panel to charge camping batteries and, on a few occasions, charge batteries on some equipment. For whatever reason the panel completely stopped putting out wattage. I contacted the company and, while they did have me make a video of the problem, the whole experience was otherwise a walk in the park. About a day and a half after I sent the video of my panel not charging anything they contacted me to let me know that they were just sending me a new one. Hopefully the new one doesn’t have any issues but, given the customer service, I’ll take a 1 off hiccup on the product itself.
Amazon Customer –
Photos and information of this product show connect mc4 right to car/boat/rv battery. DO NOT 22v from panels to alligator clips. MUST PURCHASE 2nd Charge Controller if using with MC4 connectors to 12v equipment. ONLY one small note 3 in description poorly describes this.