WakaWaka Power - Solar Charger, Black (Older Model)

I've purchased both of the WakaWaka models so a quick comparison.WakaWaka Power packWeight: 5.15ozDimensions: 3" wide x 4 5/8" tall x 5/8" thickWakaWaka LightWeight: 5.6ozDimensions: 3 3/16" wide x 4 5/8" tall x 7/8" thickThe powerpack model is lighter, thinner, and flatter than the light model and their solar panels are exactly the same size. I actually really like the more curved edges on this model as well. Over all if you can afford it even if you don't want the battery pack feature this is a better model to get. If you like the battery pack feature this still works great for it. Sure, you need direct summer sunlight to charge at max efficiency and it'll take 8 hours to charge it fully but I spent most of yesterday backpacking with this strapped to my backpack. I started the day with 2 lights. Today I left it sitting on the deck for about 4 hours and now it's at four lights so fully charged. The bulbs on these things are so efficient and so bright that when at camp you'll only use the lowest setting and that will hardly drain the battery at all even using it for a couple of hours.This is a fantastic emergency battery backup for a phone that will always be there and charged. There is one full size USB port for charging your devices and one microUSB port for charging this device. I'm not quite sure how many amps it outputs but my Samsung S4 thinks it's giving up enough charge since it would give me a warning otherwise. It seems to charge just as fast as via an outlet so it must be at least 1amps.

My Waka-waka came about 5 days ago and I have been experimenting with it to charge my i-Phone 4s. Well, the first time out, it added about 20 percentage points to the iPhone charge after a couple of hours in the sun. The second time zip. The third through nth time: nada. Finally, on time n+1, it actually DISCHARGED my phone.The lights and the SOS blinker work fine. You can change the light intensity to lengthen battery charge life.The instruction sheet is cute but cryptic. For example, it uses pictograms to show Do's and Don'ts. It shows exposing it to rainfall in both pictograms, i.e. both as "OK" and "NOT OK". What were they thinking? Basic questions go unanswered. e.g. Why don't the green LEDs (battery status indicators) turn on? Where are the three red LEDs shown on the instructions (there is only one)? Why won't it charge my iPhone? What position on the button should I push to turn it on to get it to charge the phone (the button is big and round and different positions seem to yield different results)? Will the device charge my phone if its internal battery is charged but it's not out in the sun? Why did it discharge my phone?No, I have not dropped it or immersed it in water.I went on line and none of these questions is answered by the FAQs on their website.So, it's great that the company is helping people in Syria and elsewhere but why can't they also make a reliable product with intelligible instructions?I'm afraid I'll have to return it, sadder but wiser.

The concept on this product is awesome. The reliability of it failed and i returned it. A device i get for emergency purposes needs live up to a relevant expectation of quality.I received this product in the mail and initially charged it via an outlet in my house. It had a few nicks and scratches on the panel, but didn't look horrible. I was really excited to give it a shot. Once it indicated it was fully charged, i took it with me for a day outing. Not long into it, my boyfriend needed to charge his blackberry, so we pulled out the wakawaka. It would not charge his blackberry. The flashlight and sos signal was working on the wakawaka, so i assumed operator or blackberry error. Upon getting home, i retrieved the box and followed all the instructions (which weren't any different than what we did). It still would not charge his blackberry, so we tried my S4. No dice.