SolarFolio 120

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, etc For 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!

Compared to the Jackery SolarSaga, the Top Solar SolarFolio is essentially the same product for half the price. I wouldn't be surprised if they came out of the same plant. They are extremely similar. The build quality is a step above, the plastic and fabric seem well constructed and included magnets and rubber port seal are good additions. It comes with a variety of cables and connector adapters, and the cables sizes and adapters are paired in such a way that you can't mix a cable with an adapter that isn't meant to be matched. Like for example, you can't connect the jumper terminals to a car battery and use the 19vDC direct output charge cable with it. That would fry the battery. Those terminals only fit the smaller 14.4v charge cable designed to be used with lead acid batteries. Very nice forward thinking. Packaging is top notch as the entire thing is padded with a soft zip-up case with an extra sheet of padding for the panel itself. And of top of that the case itself comes zipped up in a plastic bag that isn't very durable, but still better that nothing. The box itself is sturdy as well and folds securely. The power output of the panel seems impressive even in low light. It has no issues charging phones or tablets and will go back to "slow charging" 5vDC mode if the sun isn't bright enough. That's certainly better than just turning off the USB ports. That goes to show attention to detail in the charge controller design to be fully compliant with USB PD standards. The panel has a switching voltage regulator to maintain the USB and 14.4V DC outputs. I have seen a video of it producing a squeaking noise. That is normal for switching MOSFETs to sometimes produce lower harmonics of the multi-kHz switching frequencies, depending on how hard the circuit is working to maintain that output voltage. Driving around in my car as the relative angle to the sun changed, I could hear the charge controller squeaking which means it was simply doing its job. In a 2 hour session of driving and parking on a sunny day, I was able to charge a completely dead iPhone to over 90%. That's pretty impressive. I tested both the 60w and 100w versions. A great value.

I originally bought these panels as somewhat of an experiment. Having them for a week or so now, I can say for sure that the experiment was a success! What I originally wanted to do was have a panel that could charge my phone or Anker batteries even with minimal sunlight. And when I say minimal, I mean Vancouver BC in the wintertime minimal. The design seems quite rugged, and even at 6:30 this morning on a cloudy day (summer in Vancouver, go figure), I was able to start charging my phone. This is what we call "overpanelling", but I think thats completely fine given the nature of what I'm trying to do. Excited to get my Jackery 240 and test it with this soon, but for now I would say this is a strong purchase and I expect the panel to last me many years to come :)

I have been using this to charge all my powerbanks and then using those to charge my eledctronics gear. Even on cloudy and overcast days my 26000 mah battery packs have been recharged in 3-4 hours. It comes with a good selection of cables including a 14v out which I use to charge up my solar generator. Overall excellent, I would say the light intensity sensor is a little pointless although it does help you angle the panel perfectly it really doesnt need to be there.

Easy to set up, easy to use and has provided quick and cheap power to off grid caravan leisure battery and iPhones etc. Very pleased. The panels have to be turned to catch the sun for full charging so it can be a bit fiddly for the guy it’s time but this is a great bit of kit for going off grid👌👍

I was really pleased with the quality of this product, seems very robust and well made, I am sure it is going to last me a long time. It comes in a handy black carry case and the whole thing folds quickly away to a rectangle the size of a 10” by 8” photograph. I have tested out on an average summer's day in the UK and it quite happily charged my laptop and phone at the same time as they were both running with the brightness on full. My laptop takes 19.5 volt 2.31A power supply (45 watts). I wanted a portable solar panel that could comfortably power and charge my laptop on a normal sunny day, taking into account that you are never going to get 100% of the stated energy from a solar panel. The solar panel comes with a range of standard connections, but none of them fit my laptop. My HP laptop requires a non-standard male coaxial power connector of 4.5mm x 3mm. I was able to order an adapter from amazon for £6 which arrived the next day, so it wasn't a drama. The adapter I needed was a female 7.4 x 5mm to 4.5 x 3mm, I connected this adapter to the 7.4 x 5mm tip which is included with the solar panel, and this to the DC power cord which goes straight into the solar panel. For reference, the DC power cord itself is a double male ended 5.5 x 2.1 mm coaxial power connector. I couldn't find 5.5 x 2.1 to 4.5 x 3mm cable on amazon. Which is a shame, as I could have just had one cable without adapters going from my laptop to the solar panes. I would strongly advise also to buy a longer power cable with this product. Depending on what you need to power with it, but if you want to look at some sort of screen, then you don't want to be in direct sunlight. Your solar panel does, however, want to be in direct sunlight and the DC power cable is only 1.6 meters long. The cable you will need to buy is a 5.5 x 2.1 mm DC power extension cable. They are fairly standard, cheap, and easy to find, it's a shame that the solar panel doesn't come with a 10 meter one. If you buy an extension cable, one end will be male, one will be female, so you will still have to add the original 1.6-meter cable to make it work. Therefore I'd suggest also buying a 5.5 x 2.1 dc power coupler male to male gender changer to give you redundancy and allow you to use either DC power cable independently. Sorry if it sounds like a long list, to summarise: Check that the connections it comes with will fit the device you want it to power and add DC extension cable in your basket.

The TopSolar 100 w panel delivers what it promises: here in Southern Finland where I live I have been able to get over no less than 96 watts from the panel, as shown in the display of my TackLife portable power station. That is an excellent record, I think, since Finland is no sunny California. The panels are sturdy and sufficiently weatherproof, and there is a plentiful selection of connection cables/adapters. The only weak point is the wobbly metal stands that do not give enough support to the panels. A heavy wind will collapse the panel into ground, if they are not supported by heavy flower pots or the like stuff. That, however, is a minor inconvenience, as the panel seems to be an excellent achiever in terms of solar charging capacity. Strongly recommended!