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!

Needed a 100wt Solar Panel Charger to charge an older Duracell 600 powerbank and a DC 12volt car charger adapter was a must since it is hard to find the right AC adapter for the powerbank due to the age of the unit. Pros - - Unit folds up nicely to a compact size with a convenient storage bag - DC adapter allows me to charge an older "solar generator" before the market exploded with them thus saving me the expense of upgrading (for now!) - USB charging ports on the unit allow for direct charge options for phones, tablets, etc. - Simple indicator informs optimal positioning toward the sun - Surface is textured and appears robust - a number of other AC adapters included - Metal stands included to help prop up unit - Gromlets embedded in panel to facilitate hanging - Charged the powerbank and other USB devices fairly quickly Cons - - Panels are VERY THIN and LIGHT thus hard to keep in position in moderate to heavy wind (ended up just laying flat on the ground which worked well enough) - Panels have a number of folds for compact storage but this makes it a little awkward to keep on the provided stands, especially in any moderate wind. Overall, this was a great choice for intended purpose.

This panel is AWESOME! Before you read further, I want to state - many users are reporting "Oh I only get half the rated wattage, I only get 35watts, or 50watts". Well that is because you are most likely plugging it into a solar generator, and most of those generators *limit* the amount of power they can take in. For example the Jackery 240 models can only charge at a max of around 35-40watts. So even with this panel, all you will ever see is 40 watts on your Jackery. Even the Jackery 300 can only charge at 65 watts. Don't knock the panel because your power station is limiting the wattage! I have measured my panel and it gives 70watts easy in the sun, and if it's hooked up to a MPPT controller I'm sure I would be seeing almost 80 watts. I got this panel to use for camping, and I'm going to be driving my car with all the camping gear packed, so I wanted something that doesn't take up a lot of space. This panel is amazing in how small it folds up. It's literally the size (width/length) of a ream of paper, and about 3-4 inches thick. It's simply awesome how tight it packs. Ok, 100watts. I live in Oregon and on a hot sunny day with the sun almost directly overhead, I decided to measure the output of the 19V port. The 19volt port I think is "unregulated". I measured this using two multimeters, and a 5 ohm power resistor connected across the cable. With the panel laying flat on my driveway, I was able to measure 3.65Amps and 19.0 volts directly at the end of the charging cable (measure as close as possible to the cable so I can ignore other wire losses, etc). This works out to 69.35 Watts. About 70 watts. I guess that could be considered acceptable. I will definitely by useful for camping, my cpap machine was able to charge from 63% up to 100% in about 1 hour in the morning sun. Typically if I run my cpap without the humidifier it can last about 3 nights or so. So I believe this solar panel will give me the freedom to not worry about keeping my cpap battery bank charged since I can just let it sit for 30-40 minutes each morning to recharge entirely if I want. I also tested this with my Motorola phone and it actually puts the phone into "Turbocharge" mode. I then tested it against a AA battery charger, but it acted a bit strange. I think part of that is the charger I was using tends to act a bit strange anyway ( I was charging some eneloop AA batteries). It did eventually fully charge. I'm not able to charge my DELL laptop with it though, even though it does include a TON of connectors and it has the right one, the Dell is picky and won't charge . It says "The AC adapter has unknown voltage or wattage, the battery may not charge". I'm sure there is a solution for this - possibly just to get an actual regulator on the 19V output. This panel does get really hot when it's sitting in the sun, I think that is what probably lowers its wattage, because hot solar panels are less efficient. If you put this panel up in the winter it would probably produce even more power. Even though I only squeezed about 70 watts out of it, it may have given a few more watts with a full MTTP controller attached to the 19v output , since those controllers help optimize for the best voltage and current combination. I was "hand optimizing" by putting in a 5 ohm resistor. I also used a 10 ohm resistor but with that I only got 55watts, so you can see , because the panel can only output a certain amount of voltage, you have to play around with the load in order to get the best combination of voltage and current. Seems like a great panel. It's definitely solidly constructed, and it's nice to know that I can get power to recharge my portable battery banks even at a power-free campground, as long as I have some sunshine.

I actually really like this product for the value! Got it on sale for ~$65 which is great for a 100 watt panel. It worked well right out of the box and came with a ton of adapters and cables which have actually come in handy to test other panels and solar generators we bought recently that didn’t come with any adapters. Really like the size and weight of this which makes it a really good portable option. Maybe about 5-6 lbs I’d say. See pic of size comparison between this one in the case next to the Habor Freight Thunderbolt foldable rigid 100 watt panels (which work wonderfully but are a bit larger and heavier at ~20 lbs). On a cloudy day was able to pull in ~60 watts in partial sun conditions and have seen it get over 80 in better sun. Will update further once we get some better sunny weather and are able to test further.

I almost gave this two stars because I actually was impressed with the charging ability of this unit. BUT, as you can see by the photos, whatever material was used for the "frame" and structure under the solar panels, was cheap and easily warped sitting out in the sun with normal use. This warping happened from a couple of weeks of use outdoors. Granted I put it to the test and had it setup for two weeks straight, but was very disappointing as I want something to last for years, not weeks. I appreciated the attached kick stands that will hold the panel up at an angle, but they put pressure just in the area where they are and, again as you can see from the photos, caused the panels to warp. The worst part is that the unit does not close once it is warped (see photo 2) taking away the compact nature of why I bought this. I also reached out to the company directly through their website sharing all of this information and got no response from them. So that is also why I am leaving only one star. Oh yeah, the plastic covering over the solar panels was super cheap, bubbled up, looks terrible, and looks like it might peel off at any moment. You can see that in the images too. So hope this helps make your buying decision.

I've owned this 100w TP solar panel for all of five partly-sunny hours so take this review with a grain of salt. If you're looking for a durability review read ones that have had the item for at least a year, which covers the length of the warranty they offer. This is basically an unboxing review of the 100w in which I paid $149 and Amazon delivered it within 48 hours. Use: I'm a middle-aged female mainly using this for occasional van camping here in Maryland to recharge my s200 portable battery pack. I needed something lightweight, small, and portable. Check. Check. Check. Portable carrier case: Better than expected but on par with a soft-sided Arctic Zone Walmart lunchbox. I'll take care when opening zippers as they seem poor quality. Four sets of interior pockets and an extra padded section hold all the adapters, manual, and two stands to angle panels. Even came with 2 carribeaners so I can hang it on a zipline. My set was missing nothing. Yay! Total weight felt like maybe six pounds and the width of my large tablet. Panel: Easy to unfold, easy plug and play once I finally figured out which adapter I needed. Rubber strip covers "outlets" thus making it "waterproof" if accidentally left out in a very light drizzle unplugged. There are ten mini panels in all making one large rectangle. They aren't smooth like glass as you find in typical rooftop panels. They have a sort of rigid and rough plastic over them. This is NOT to be peeled off as one reviewer stated. Hopefully it'll add to its longevity as it seems harder to shatter. When folded shut it secures with a strip of velcro... which I'll also make sure to be gentle with as it's attached by only two tiny rivets. Test Charge: I give it an A+ for doing what it did in low sun/shade from tree branches/ late afternoon conditions. My s200 power pack was at 24% and shot up to 34% within just one hour. Then, due to the setting sun and above outlined conditions, it didn't charge past 34%. I think in optimal conditions I'll have no problem charging the battery within 6 hours. Overall value vs quality: Given the price points on other 100w panels that aren't nearly as small & portable for my needs and don't come with a fraction of all the adapters and accessories I am THRILLED I got this one for $149 and it checked all my boxes. If you do your research you'll come to find that the Jackery panels and other name brand suitcase panels are overpriced. As mentioned, there are some cheapo aspects to it. The stands are pretty useless too as they're too short and lightweight to hold the panel securely. Best to prop panel on your cooler or whatever. This TP panel is great IF you're not hard on your gear and it isn't for daily use in extreme temps. If you follow the guidelines in the manual for proper care, cleaning, and storage this panel should last many years. I'm super happy with the purchase and overall rate it 5 stars. Can't wait to use it in full sun!

I love that it’s so light and easy to carry and set about. And I love that it cranked my solar generator’s charging capacity by 400% (it was churning at about 20 WPH on its own and with the panels it’s getting up to 80 WPH depending on the sun). 💛. It also has a plethora of nifty connector cables so it should hook up to just about anything. But the stands for the back are a bit funky. I wouldn’t say they’re not sturdy…especially brand new…but I have a feeling they’re not gonna hold up and will probably be the first things to break or wear down as it ages. So far so good though! Update: it’s been about a year and it’s still in great shape though being exposed to sun, wind, rain…it’s very sturdy physically! Even the supports. However, one side seems to have gotten weaker than the other. The side closest the plug still sends a good charge but the other side is quite weak now and almost non functional. So I get about half the output I was getting a year ago. So…if you want something that will last about a year or two and will need replaced, yes, this will work. But if you want something more long-term, not sure you’d want this one. I think it’ll be best for occasional adventuring and not all the time usage.

I have a ton of rigid panels and few flexibles, even a couple folding panels in the lower wattage range. This was my first larger folding panel purchase and I was feeling discouraged while shopping reading so many reviews of dismal output from many top brands. I've had this panel for a whopping 4 hours and just got it set up outside for a test. The sun isn't perfectly overhead so these numbers may increase slightly, but I don't plan to angle it or anything - flat is better than anything I could rig up given the position of the sun right now. Immediately showed 74-75w being produced when connected to a Victron MPPT (see attached image). I expected this number to fall as the panel heated up - it's 95* outside and it's laying on hot plywood with no airflow beneath the panels, or from anywhere - perfectly still wind-free day. So, 30 minutes later it's producing 72w. The 2x100w series'd rigid panels on my truck are producing 143w right now and actually have good air flow. So I'd say the output of this panel is a lot better than what I've read of Dokios and similar, producing 60w from a "200w" folding panel. It's heavy but that's okay, it rolls up tight and compact and feels more durable than my smaller folding panels. The smaller ones I have can be flexed but these feel like unfolding a book of floor tile, so that's where the weight is coming from. No other comments on durability though, too soon to tell. Just feels like it'll last. Unfolding it is straight forward, you just flip the 6 tiles open and then unfold the other 6 from on top of it. I liked that because I could unfold without having the panel producing any voltage until I flipped the last fold over - one side covers the other until this point. People who are familiar with throwing blankets over producing solar panels to halt current will understand and appreciate this. The flap that hangs off the side where the output box (or whatever you want to call it) is ok, I previously thought it was stupid when shopping. Part of the flap has the output box and the other part is what wraps over the panels and velcros them shut when folded up. I don't think you could use this panel hanging horizontally (landscape mode!) without that flap catching the wind and being obnoxious, and causing stress on the wires inside that lead to the flap. But would be easy to hang vertically with the flap hanging down. If you review this item, try to observe the panel voltage and charge current going in to your battery. That's useful info in a world of subpar folding panels that barely hit half their rated output. Oh yeah, wires. Let's talk wires. They're terribly thin on all the accessories. I'm using a 10 amp 2.1x5.5mm jack as my solar inlet to my charge controller so I was able to use the included 2.1x5.5 extension cable. The MC4 adapter and alligator clip adapter are both like 22 gauge. It's very possible the 2.1x5.5mm extension cable is also high gauge. I ordered a 16 gauge heavy duty 10ft 2.1x5.5 extension (but I'm realizing now I should have gotten a male to male - it hasn't arrived yet). In any event, using as large of wire as possible from the panel's output box to your charge controller is always recommended to curb voltage drop. If you really want to give the panel the best shot at producing, get a 2.1x5.5mm male jack with screw terminals (they come in packs of 10) from Amazon and shove as large a wire as possible as you can in to them (12 gauge in my experience) and keep the wire as short as you can to reach where it needs to go. This will allow more voltage to flow through the wire at greater lengths and in high temps. Ending review, this took me a while to type and its been at least another 30 minutes since I said it was producing 72w. It's giving me 70w right now - barring a handful of days here in Colorado this is as hot as it's going to get. UPDATE after first trip: Took this to the mountains and laid it in the grass to charge up my LiFePO4 camper battery. Had to use their included 2.1x5.5mm extension cable again as the heavy duty one I ordered hadn't arrived before I left town. This was going in to a Victron 75/15 MPPT charge controller. 72*F ambient temps and mostly clear skies. Didn't bother angling it, and the grass wasn't letting it lay perfectly flat either so it was a very slight bowl shape. Was watching the charge controller over bluetooth and about an hour in to charging I hit 80w for a while... covered in bugs (adding new pic). Would recommend.

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!

Funciona super bien, aun en días nublados. Entre más sol, claro más rápido se carga. La he usado un mes completo sin ningun otro medio de cargar mi celular y otros aparatitos y estoy muy satisfecha. Solo la cuelgo de la ventana o pongo en el jardín. Trae un montón de adaptadores para todo lo que se te pueda ocurrir, incluyendo una batería solar (rockpals) que también compré

Part arrived with defects. Wonder if there is checks

Never got decent power out of it. At best, in the middle of summer on a bright and clear day, I was lucky to get 20w. It now only outputs 1w - 2w. Unfortunately, I missed the warranty window, as I ended up putting it away (for the next summer) and forgot about it. I will not buy this brand again.