JOOS Orange Portable Solar Charger

Comments about JOOS Orange Portable Solar Charger:

I bought my Joos charger long before REI carried the product. It's my third portable solar charger and the only one I've used that's worth the bucks and the weight.

It's heavy but bombproof. I wish it had attachment points so I could secure it more firmly to the outside of a pack.

But, it charges as advertised. I've recharged my iPhone three times in a day while using battery-draining apps. It will also fully charge my iPad mini.

While it has obvious application for backcountry venues, it's also convenient to not have to look for an outlet at airports or while I'm sitting at a table in a hotel conference hall fifty feet away from the walls.

Comments about JOOS Orange Portable Solar Charger:

This product was worth the cost. I have dropped it (twice) and there is no damage, it charges in overcast conditions. And it will hold it's charge for a while. Just put it in the sun and it starts blinking to let you know it's charging. Some Cons; 1.)It is a little heavy so if you are weight conscious it may be a deal breaker. 2.)Sometimes My phone would stop charging and I would have to unplug and re plug, but i think that is my phone. 3.)And I noticed that if you charge in a window it is not as effective as charging in Direct Sunlight.

Comments about JOOS Orange Portable Solar Charger:

After reading a lot of reviews I decided to purchase JOOS to keep my iPhone charged on the back packing trips and day hikes... I knew it had problems with a cord connection but did not realized it was so bad....it broke first day I took JOOS on the trip to Death Valley. Forget this clipping on the back pack and charge your iPhone or other device while hiking....the connection to the JOOS is so bad it's almost impossible to keep the cord in while moving. It falls out without any help from the brush or other things you may encounter on the trail. Cord is stiff and short and greatly improves chances for the connector being yanked off the port while reaching for the phone.
I am not sure how long it will last before the connection will brake completely...but it's so loose right now I have to wiggle to get it working and don't move.
It's amazing what the design team was thinking...!? They should call it LOOS not JOOS.

Other than that great devise charges my iPhone in the sun, shade, tent...

Service and delivery comments:

Came in 3 days so I am happy about that.

Comments about JOOS Orange Portable Solar Charger:

So far I have enjoyed this product. It charges very easily, even when it's cloudy. The only issue I noticed is that if left in the car while hiking, during the hottest time of day while charging, it appeared to interrupt the panel getting a full charge. But it didn't ruin this gadget at all. Next time I will strap it to my hiking pack. I have had trouble syncing my panel with the online dashboard available through the JOOS website, but from what I've seen online (on other review boards), the company itself appears very responsive to any complaints and I plan to contact them about it. It is very durable!! I've dropped it several times and it still keeps going. It allows me to keep my smartphone charged throughout my camping trips so I can make emergency calls/texts, or continue using any apps for tracking stuff I like. I was able to take it right out of the box and start charging it. If I can figure this out, anyone can. I plan to use this for anytime I travel.

Comments about JOOS Orange Portable Solar Charger:

I use this panel almost daily. It sits outback rain or shine and is always just charging. When outside just enjoying the sun and my iphone needs charging then I just plug it in and it charges very fast. I also use it to charge anything else around the house that have rechargable batts. I take it on all trips outside the house as well whether they be camping or just on the road for work, I never have to worry about finding a plug. I haven't had any problems with the provided cables. It is a lot heavier then what I really want but can't pull the trigger on another one with this one being so good to me. Strap it on your pack, your bike handle bars or even just leave it in your hotel window or car dashboard. This thing works plain and simple. Great product.

Comments about JOOS Orange Portable Solar Charger:

I bought this to charge my mobile phone that I use to view aerial imagery in the field. I tested it out beforehand and was really happy with how fast it charged a dead phone, both in the sun and off the battery. I attached it to the top of my pack and plugged in my phone - the connection reliably lasted no more than three hours, and was completely non-functional by the end of the first day's traverse. I was without power for the next two days (but had to lug the darn thing around, anyway). The micro-b plug is a complete joke - it's like using velcro instead of laces on hiking boots. How could this have passed R&D? I do not get it. The barrel jack has been around for ages because it works!

Comments about JOOS Orange Portable Solar Charger:

Its hard to give this negative marks but all and all it is far from perfect. First off this thing is HEAVY. Maybe it has to be. I bought it to use backpacking and it is going to add some heft to my pack. Don't tell me its heavy because of the "Big" battery inside. I have a Galaxy Note 2 phone with a 3100mh and that battery is only couple of ounces. Next, the way they chose to do the connectors makes no sense. I bought this unit knowing this going in but it really is odd. They need to switch to a standard USB out. Next the little rubber plug that goes over the charge port comes disconnected easily. It remains attached to the unit but could easily let water and dirt in if you barely brush it against something. I guess they went with a plain metal exterior to save weight? Just seem like some sort of rubberizing of at least the corners would be a better design. Also, they have to know that people are going to strap this to their backpack while walking so why no attach points for string tie offs or the like? The single hole will not stabilize it enough to keep it from sliding around were you do not expect it to. I will have to rig something to keep it from doing this. I can only guess this was designed not with backpacking in mind. Its more suited toward car camping etc which is kind of odd because if you have a car you can just charge whatever you need off the battery. These guys need to spend some money on a little R&D for design.

Comments about JOOS Orange Portable Solar Charger:

I used the Joos Orange on a 5 month bike tour this past summer. I have to say, I was incredibly impressed with 1) the durability and 2) how well it charges in less-than-ideal conditions. This thing is not just water resistant but actually waterproof, which allowed me to leave it out in the rain without thinking twice about it. And here's the kicker: it actually CHARGED in the rain. It charged in the shade. It even charged from inside of my tent.

A full battery in the Joos Orange will charge an iPhone about 2.5 times. It takes a full day of direct sun to get a 100% charge, but I found that once I got it fully charged, as long as I had generally out in the sun I could keep it with enough juice for about 2 full charges. For example, I charge my phone at night while I'm sleeping in my tent. Then in the morning, I just strap it to my pannier and forget about it. By nighttime, it's more or less full again.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that, as others have said, the usb charger cable is extremely fragile. Mine broke on the day that I was heading into Nevada, and that stretch of road was the main reason I bought the thing in the first place. The folks at Joos were incredibly helpful and sent me 2 replacement cables free of charge. Still, the flimsy cable compromises quite a bit of the peace of mind that the rest of the product lends itself so well to.

Overall, the Joos Solar is an incredibly durable solar panel that charges in almost any conditions. Until they fix the flimsy usb cable though, it'd be a wise move to spend the $7 extra for an additional cable to carry with you.

Comments about JOOS Orange Portable Solar Charger:

Voltage only 4.1 VDC at full charge. Too low to charge my thrive 7, even when Thrive 7 is turned off, regardless of discharged state.

USB should be around 5 volts, this Joss Orange is only 4.1 volts at full charge, making it toatlly useless for many small items.

Comments about JOOS Orange Portable Solar Charger:

I got this as a gift for my daughter who has started a tech service non-profit firm operating in Mombasa, Kenya, where power fails about once a week, but the sun shines a lot. Usually power gets restored before a laptop battery is exhausted, but when the power fails, frequently internet access gets interrupted so keeping a personal hotspot going keeps network access going. This product does everything it promises to do. In strong December sunlight in our Chicago latitude the solar charger charges at a rate of about 1% every 2 to 3 minutes. It will be faster in Africa and we got the expansion panels which attach to the sides of the unit to concentrate the charging power. The only weakness it has is that it only has one port , . . . One port for input, output, and computer connector for accessing the myJoos dashboard which can be downloaded from their website. That is not a critical weakness since the main input is sunlight, which the panel absorbs to its maximum advantage. This is the finest product of its kind out today. Check out the YouTube videos on this. Highly recommended.