- Built in LED flashlight runs 20 plus hours per charge
- Versatile applications - you can take batteries out for use
- Charges from Nomad 7 solar panel or USB
- Recharge your cell phone 1-3 times per charge
- Very small, about the size of a cell phone
I have purchased, used and tested every lightweight solar charging device on the market that I could find. The Goal0 nomad 7 and Guide 10 set is the only one that works sufficiently that I can be completely off the grid with my backpacking devices and have no need for extra batteries. See below for solar panels tested. I have been testing portable solar panels for several years now, and the Goal 0 products are the best.
The Nomad 7 is the only solar panel that has the capability to charge an adequate battery pack, my headlamp AAA's, AND my smartphone/GPS all in the same day in full sunlight. It is the only panel that has reserve capacity to charge my devices in less than full sun (shady/cloudy). No other panel has the output of the Nomad 7. Its closest competitor is the Brunton panel. The Brunton weighs 20% more and is rated to output 30% less than the Nomad 7 (Brunton = 5 watts, Nomad 7 = 7 watts). In my testing the lower output was verified. The off-axis performance of the Nomad 7 is superior. It maintains full output to a greater angle of sun than any other panel I have tested. The Nomad 7 is the only panel, in my knowledge, that uses the more efficient mono-crystalline panels. It does seem to give it an edge in real-world usage. As far as flexibility, that characteristic has nothing to do with panel efficiency. Another of the well-thought out features of the Nomad 7 is the connection options. The Xpal SP-2000 and the Solio both rely on many different tips to connect to different devices. The Nomad 7 has three great options built in: 6.5 volt fast charge for the Guide 10 charger, 5 V USB connector, and a port that the included 12V female car lighter adapter plugs into. Every portable device has the option of an inexpensive car power adapter, and the Nomad 7 nicely offers that ability.
The Guide 10 charger works to its rated specifications, unlike most of the other solar devices I have used. It charges AA and AAA batteries. It charges them faster with the Nomad 7 than any other solar panel/charger combination that I have tested. The Goal 0 batteries that ship with the Guide 10 are the best of their type I have tested. They are low-discharge, like the Eneloops, but much better. The Eneloops are rated at 2000 mAh, but charge only to about 1900 mAh capacity. The Goal 0 are rated at 2000 mAh, but charge to 2200 mAh. The guide 10 has some very well thought out features, including the LED flashlight, the function switch and the built-in hanging loop. These touches all demonstrate that the designers are users, and thought well about how these devices would be used.
All is not perfect, though. The Guide 10 does have an overheating problem, but only in very strong sunlight and under certain conditions. This is a known issue that is being fixed as I write this. This brings me to one of my most important experiences; customer service. Goal 0 has the best customer service by far than any other of the solar panel manufacturers I have tested in this group. Immediate phone contact, responsiveness to questions and warranty service are far and away some of the best I have experienced.
Following is a list of the solar panels I have tested, and short comparison comments on each.
1. Powerfilm USB + AA: This one has a great form factor, is flexible and very durable, and is the lightest weight and most compact of all the solar chargers. Its fatal flaw is that it simply does not put out enough power to be practical in extended backpacking. It does not fully charge the AA batteries when it indicates a full charge, and is not nearly as flexible as the Nomad 7 for connection. The unit was replaced on warranty, but the replacement performed exactly the same. I tested a total of four of these, and all performed the same. Customer service was good, after spending weeks trying to get their attention, and this happened several times.
2. Solio Classic: This one has a nice form factor, but the unit simply does not charge its internal battery nor a connected device at all adequately. Just in case, I had it replaced on warranty and the replacement performed exactly the same.
3. Xpal Power SP-2000: Same as the Solio. Internal battery rated at 2000 mAh, only charges to about 1100-1300. Not enough power overall to be practical. Very good customer service.
4. Brunton Explorer: A good panel, but not enough overall power. Weighs 20% more than the Nomad 7, output is 30% less.
Buy Goal Zero 11402 Guide 10 4AA Battery Recharger Now
This charger ships without batteries. That is not at all clear from the product description.
It does ship with what looks like the AAA insert. Again that is not mentioned in the product description.
Additional info:
I had purchased a AAA adapter and batteries separately and so I have been able to use this product. With the 4 x AAA the pack works great. I was able to fully drain the batteries this weekend and after just 2 hours on the Nomad 7W panel they were full again. I used the pack today at work to recharge my Sansa Clip and set of Tweakers. After charging both devices the pack just started slow green blinking which means it just hit the 2/3-1/3 charge remaining.
Other than the product description I have had a wonderful experience. I am going to adjust my rating from 3 to 4 stars.
Read Best Reviews of Goal Zero 11402 Guide 10 4AA Battery Recharger Here
It melted.
I had it one week. I was using it with the correct solar panel and it was tucked inside of the pouch that was designed for it. So, I guess that the plastic that it is made from is not designed to withstand the heat of sunlight; even though it has to be in sunlight to charge. Go figure.
Want Goal Zero 11402 Guide 10 4AA Battery Recharger Discount?
After purchasing the Nomad 7 (they didn't have the adventure kit in stock where I bought it) I wanted to complete my set up and purchased the guide 10 separately. I liked the idea that it had it's own accelerated charging port and seeing as how they had corrected the "melting" issue it seemed like a safe bet. After having my expectations in solar technology reigned in by several other products over the years I was truly amazed at just how well the Nomad panel works...indirect sunlight, on an overcast day, through a window and my ipod touch starts charging...unbelievable!!! When I received the guide 10 I was hoping it too would somehow exceed my expectations. I popped in some eneloops and plugged in my ipod to see if it would charge and it did for about 30 seconds or so before it gave out. I wasn't sure how much juice was in them to begin with so didn't think it to be a problem and saw it as a great opportunity to do a charge test. I hooked it up to the nomad and found a pretty bright spot and all seemed well, the red flashing started almost immediately indicating charging had started. I couldn't wait for it to finish the charge outside so I brought it back in and hooked it up to usb to finish the charge. I'm not sure what they use for the charging algorithm but they claim it should take about 6 hours on usb to charge, and being that it had moved from red to green flashing while outdoors it seemed a bit odd that some 8 hours later it was still slow blinking green. I decided to unplug it and see how it was coming along. I moved the switch from off to the charging position and the reassuring green light came on so I plugged in the ipod and nothing...I took a different cable and my phone and still nothing, so I poped out the batteries and checked there individual voltages which were all around 1.47 volts(usually a full charge on other chargers). I put the batteries back in and checked the usb output voltage which was around .66 volts. I had seen that some of the original chargers had some issues with not completing a charge and thought maybe somehow I had gotten one of those, but according to the picture on there website this is a 2nd generation charger so I'm left to wonder if in fixing the melting problem they might have inadvertently threw something else out of whack. Now I guess I'll decide if its worth sending it back to try and get it fixed, buy anther one and hope this one is just a dud, or wait a while to see if it is in fact a problem with the new design(from what I can tell this version is just weeks old) and see if they come up with another replacement program so I don't have to deal with sending it back. Their customer service appears to be good so I'm sure it will be fine whichever way I decide to go, but if your in the market and not in a hurry you might want to wait a bit to see if anyone else reports any issues with the new one.
UPDATE:
After leaving it plugged in overnight it did finish charging but the USB port is still useless for charging external devices.
UPDATE 2:
Tried to charge 4 aaa's by USB today and 12 hours later it's still flashing red so I'm confident there is something not quite right with this unit. This company gives me the impression that they are trying to make a great product so I still have hope that this one was just a lemon as happens occasionally with everything that is manufactured. For the sake of satisfying my curiosity I ordered another one and will compare the performance when it arrives and post a final update
UPDATE 3:
Got the new one and it seems to be working. Put in charged aaa's and it went from red to green to solid green in about 10 minutes so it properly sensed that the batteries were already charged. Was able to use the unit to charge up my ipod and then recharge the batteries by usb which took a couple of hours without getting stuck on some stage as the first one did. I can't say anything as to the durability or if it will continue to work as it is but out of the box this one is functioning properly. One other random note is that this one didn't come with the aaa battery insert. It is listed on the package as an included accessory and the package was "sealed" with the 3 zip ties when it got here so it must be a packing oversight. Despite the bugs I still think their product is the best portable solar solution on the market today.
I liked the products external design, implementation, features etc. I stored it in a water proof box with my phone, and kept it in great environmental conditions. But within 3 days of using it to charge my iPhone from AA batteries, the switch that selects off, charge, or led flashlight, broke. Now only the led flashlight functions. The green/red/orange led that indicates charging status will blink occasionally when trying to slide button from side to side. Sometimes I can get it to stay green but fresh batteries won't charge the phone so I am not sure what is wrong with it electronically. Would have been a great device if it didn't break.
