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I bought this BearTwo 10,000 mAh Solar Power Bank a few years ago, I have been using it quite a bite.
So today I will go over everything with you!
Pros:
- 10,000 mAh battery bank
- Very lightweight
- Built in Solar panel/charger
- Convenient USB charging input
- Charge two devices at the same time
- And more!
Cons:
- Can’t charge via solar if halfway discharged.
Solar Charging.
I know this is a big selling point so I’ll hit on this first.
As you can see, there is a small green light next to the power on button. This light indicates that it is charging via the solar panel. Now This will charge weather or not the unit is on or off.
With any small compact solar power bank, you don’t want to rely on charging it via solar. Here are a few reasons why.
The area where the sunlight has to hit to charge the battery is fairly small. The whole power bank is about the size of your phone. This causes it to take a while to charge and in doing so, the direct sunlight can cause the power bank to get very hot.
Now what I would do is I could just put it in my side mesh pouch and charge it that way. This was not very effective because it didn’t always get a good angle on the sun.
I would always keep it in the passenger seat, allowing it to soak up the sun light and be in a cooler environment that way it wouldn’t get too hot.
Now the charging times would always vary. It would depend on the angle of the sun during the day, cloud cover, and weather or not I was going through thick tall trees blocking out the sun.
I have tried to charge it via the solar panel when it was below half discharge, and it didn’t seem to do anything at all. I tried it a few different times for different lengths of times.
Now If it was at half or above, It would do good depending on the sunlight.
It would take a day or two depending on the amount of sunlight to be able to charge it up from halfway. Now to some this would be too long, but for me it was alright.
Waterproof!
One of the other selling points is that its water proof. I have found this to be pretty accurate if used correctly.
As you can see, each port has a cover. As long as you have the cover closed good, you should have a problem with rain or anything like that.
Now, I wasn’t about to just dunk it in a pitcher of water since I only have the one, but I have gotten it covered in water and it did get sprayed down in the shower once. It didn’t seem to effect it at all.
Two Charging Ports!
These come with two USB ports that can be used at the same time to charge two devices. I have done this multiple times to charge my phone and my headset.
I didn’t notice any time difference as far as charging two devices at the same time or separately. I had figured that it would take a little bit longer to charge with charging two devices at the same time, so that was nice.
Light up Display
So this unit does come with a 4 light display indicating its level of charge.
As you can see, once you turn the unit on, there will be some blue lights that come on indicating how charged it is.
Pretty simple to understand. If you have two bars, then its halfway discharged.
Bright Light!
The LED light on this thing is awesome! It’s brighter than the light on my phone.
To turn the light on, first you’ll need to turn the unit on, then press the power button twice. It will remain on for the normal light.
Now if you push the power button once more, it will begin flashing, this is the strobe light.
To get to the SOS light, just press the power button one more time.
To turn the light off, just push the power button twice.
How long will the SOS light last on 1 charge?
Okay so I tested the duration that the SOS light would last on 1 charge with no recharging via USB or Solar.
The SOS light capabilities could just save your life one day!
I Originally wanted to see how long it would take to drain the battery completely, but as I was checking it again, it went from 3/4 full to half discharge.
It took right at 55 hours of the SOS light being on constantly to drain the battery to half capacity.
Now I’m sure that if you were to charge it via solar during the day, it would last much longer, but I did it without recharging because, you may be stuck in an area without much light coming in.
Hang it from your Pack
These should come with a hanger string and a clip to be able to clip it to your pack or belt loop, or whatever else you want to hang it from. I have since lost mine, as I had never really used it when I first got it, but it would come in handy now haha.
Charging Via USB
So I have noticed that different USB cables charge at different rates. I honestly don’t know what causes this. I have tried numerous charging cables and they all do differently.
One can charge it within 4 to 8 hours. Another cable will take about 16 to 20 hours. Now I have noticed that is is not just doing it with the power bank. It also does it with my phones or bluetooth speaker.
So if you notice that it takes forever to charge, maybe you should try a different cable before you get a refund.
Do I recommend this?
All in all I am very happy with it. It is quite cheap compared to the others out there. It has came down in price a little since I had bought it, so that’s even better.
I think you should get one weather you’re going hiking in the woods, or just to keep for an extended battery life for your devices.