Freeloader Solar Charger

One staffer tested the Solar Panel Charger- Freeloader Pro The unit is light, only six ounces, and into a nice little black case that can be carried in a purse. It comes with 10 adapters from USB and mini UBS to various cell phones. The only adapter it did not have was one that fit her Kodak digital camera. It's equipped with 2 rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries. The user separates the two panels, flips them to both face up, and clicks the circle pieces into place. It's attached to the device being charged with the cord and adapter. It needs charging from real sun. Charging with the kitchen light took overnight. Indirect sunlight took just a couple hours. It's supposed to take 7-9 hours to recharge in sunny conditions. Once fully charged, the freeloader was able to charge her iPhone, but not up to 100% before it needed to be charged again. This was disappointing, but it might have done better if it were charging while the panels were also outside in sunlight. The indicator light is helpful, but complicated at first. It took a few minutes to figure out while reading the manual. The manual is 5 pages and is fairly easy to understand. There is also a caddy for a camera battery charger, but I did not test this out, as I wanted to see how well the changing and re-charging of the panels worked. Overall, this device would be very useful for camping or traveling, or for someone who wants to save on electricity at home. Just don't expect charging to happen quickly. It's currently on sale for $60 and would make a cool gift. From the Web site: Freeloader Pro is the ultimate solar charger capable of powering virtually every electrical device, anywhere in the world, whether on a beach, a mountain, jungle or the Polar ice cap. Freeloader Pro uses its high power solar panels or USB (cable supplied) to quickly charge its internal battery (7 to 9 hours in sunny conditions). Once fully charged Freeloader Pro is capable of delivering enough power to give a mobile phone 70 hours of standby time, 5000 page turns ...