Topsolar 100W Foldable Portable Solar Panel Charger Kits for Portable Power Station Generator Cell Phones Camera Lamp 19V DC Output

I have extensively used very many solar panels over the past 5-10 years. Most of these have been of the folding plastic portable variety. (including every previous model from topsolar).What i have found is that, in this class, topsolar panels are the ONLY brand which consistently lives up to the listed specs in every possible configuration. Most others don't even come close.The output voltages are regulated (but the load can pull them down a bit), so at 19 volts, you get a solid 5 amps or so in good sun, but you still get 19 volts even in poor sun.Many other cheap folders ($50 to 100) don't even have reverse bias protection. So, if a hard shadow falls across some other panel, many will actually start *sinking* current from your device or battery! Your battery may actually *discharge* if you aren't paying attention. This *never* happens with topsolar.**configurations**Aside from the 19 V output, the panel provides 14.5 V (at about 4 amps) and USB (at about 2 amps) including power delivery and quallcomm quickcharge at up to 12 volts.The 14.5 V output can be used to charge a 12 V lead or LiFePO4 battery at the same time as the USB is being used to charge a *single* device. (this is one ideal configuration)If you are using the 19 volt output, i recommend leaving the other outputs disconnected (this is the other ideal configuration)either way you can get close to 100 watts in full sun.**advanced configuration**If you need more than 19 volts, you can connect multiple panels in series by connecting the mc4 connectors black to red + black to red, etcFor instance, i use 3 of them in series to directly charge my electric bike from the sun. this gives me up to 57 effective volts to charge my battery. If the battery is low, the voltage may be pulled down to, say, 50 volts, and it will slowly increase as the battery charges. When the voltage reads 56V, my bike is recharged.^^this is definitely an advanced config, so be very careful to know the limits of your equipment. Also, be careful to cover the extra connections with electrical tape when creating series connections, or you risk creating an arc!!*NEVER* continue to charge a battery directly from solar once it has reached MAX voltage or you will damage it. (solar panels are a current source, not a voltage source). If you are in doubt, use a dedicated charge controller.other than that, it works great! Works just as well as the bikes included wall adapter (which is only 50 percent efficient, a common problem with ebikes)**form factor**this is something i dont like as well. These things fold in half and snap together with a magnet. They are maybe the size of an artist's folio. There is no way to carry them in even the largest backpack. If i want to take them with me, i have to put them in a large travel bag and strap it to my bike.By comparison, last year's 100 watt model folded in fourths and could be carried in a large backpack. Models from previous years folded in 10ths (size of a college textbook). These could easily be carried in *any* backpack!I wish topsolar would revisit these more compact form factors! This 2024 model is *just barely* "portable" in my opinion.**build quality**One other reviewer mentioned that his panels warped in the sun. I experienced the same thing when using the panels at 100F+ temps. The warping has not affected the performance.The same reviewer mentioned that the plastic film on the panels was bubbling off.. That was protective film which is intended to be removed before first use.That said, this new 2024 model kind of needs protective film when transporting. The new glossy topology is much less rugged than previous year's offerings.The panels can easily become scuffed when transporting. This scuffing, while unsightly, has not affected output. (and i do measure the output frequently, given my use case)The new topology is slightly more efficient and has slightly better low and indirect light performance than previous years, but i still prefer the older, more rugged, more compact models, which will still do 10 watts in the rain, if oriented correctly.And that brings me to my last concern about the 2024 model: They *removed* the solar insolation meter! WHY?? In some lighting, it can be difficult to correctly position the panels just by eyeballing it. Having a meter right on the panel was brilliant!**conclusion**Would i recommend this panel? I would say that it is the only "portable" panel i have tried that i *can* recommend!It actually does everything it claims to! And does it well.with typical cheap folders you are lucky to get 30 percent of the rated output in full sun... and most of these will discharge your battery if they become occluded by a hard shadow (or if you forget to disconnect before sundown)I don't love the new topsolar build quality and form factor which have stretched the limits of the term, "portable". But if you dont move them much, or if you move them by car or truck, then the new form factor is fine...I dont recommend them for a bike trip although they certainly work great for it! I am carrying my own, infinite fuel source on my vehicle! How cool is that?and the pricepoint is *truely* a dollar a watt! Plug and play!

First, I want to say how proud I am of myself for making this purchase. I would absolutely recommend this product to anyone who is a beginner at solar energy because this particular solar panel is (1) extremely convenient - no education necessary or problem-solving when it comes to operating this solar panel. You just set it up in the direct sun and start charging, (2) well-designed - the convenient carrying case comes with everything that you will need for easy use and interchangeable adapters that's suitable for just about every solar-power generator, (3) of excellent quality - I can tell that this generator will last me for a long time simply because of its design but also because of its material. You will have to really treat it terribly to damage it. Great product, Top Solar. I would definitely purchase another of this same wattage as well as others of a higher wattage because I enjoy using this one that much.

The 100 Watt solar panel arrived today safely, but with large white splotches and a lot of glue residue. The panel folds up about the size of a pizza box. It's not compact enough for a backpack but fits neatly in the trunk of a car. In full sun, it was putting out about 60 Watts. It appears to be working okay, but removing the protective film (which was stuck on pretty hard) left a lot of residue. Also, this unit has two large white splotches (water damage? Mold?) which may or may not affect its performance (See photos).

I've only tested this with USB charging thus far. One of the big surprises was USB-C voltages: this actually supports 20V! Based on the wording description I wasn't expecting more than 12V: "Dual USB Ports QC3.0 & 2.0 (5V/9V/12V 2A max), and the USB-C port support PD3.0." (Of course now I see that the 5/9/12V was for the USB QC, not the USB-C PD.)All of my testing was using a USB-C volt/amp meter. Test was in direct sunlight around noon, in November, near the Cincinnati area (latitude 39N).I tested with two different USB-C devices: one a battery bank and the other a dell laptop. Both charged at similar rates to using an AC adapter to charge. The battery bank can only charge at 30W max (20V at 1.5A). The laptop charges at about 45W on the AC adapter (20V at 2-2.25A).On the solar panel, the voltage was a little low, more like 18V, which brought down the power slightly. The battery bank averaged around 26-27W, and the laptop was around 40W. But it was able to power them both.The USB charging seems to work fine also. I can't speak to the other outputs, I don't have any devices that use them.Build quality seems pretty good. The fabric seems quite sturdy. There are some minor scratches/blemishes on the solar cells, but it doesn't seem to affect performance. The plastic around the handles and the output ports feels a little cheap, but at this price point can't complain much about that. There are magnets in the plastic to hold the panel shut, and they seem to work well.