Disclosure
These products were kindly sent to me by ALLPOWERS in order to review and share my experience and thoughts on using them. The company does not claim to review this article prior its’ release, everything that follows is a totally honest review. So let’s get into it.
Unboxing & first thoughts
Both packages arrived in good shape and the products were not damaged. The documentation provided, is very explanatory and after a short read, you can pretty much get started using the kit right away. Both of them include all necessary accessories, without the need to purchase anything separately. There is an external power supply for charging the S200 and connection cables for the SP020, in order to solar charge the powerbank.
The product quality is impressive on both the S200 powerbank and the SP020 Solar panel. The powerbank although having a plastic housing, is rugged enough to be carried in a packpack, which is something I am fond of. I suppose it would be even sturdier if it had a metal chassis, but it would lead to an overall heavier load to carry around. Unfortunately the S200 arrived completely discharged. As I also watched in some other unboxings videos, the product was placed in a way that the power button could have been accidentally pressed, by the included power supply and cables.
The solar panel, is very lightweight when considering its size. At in the same time, it feels durable enough to handle some extensive use over time. The integrated legs are a clever feature that are not included, even in pricier solar panels. This takes away any frustration, on how to set up the panel, by improvising stands with whatever is laying around. Their design is also unique, as the rubber bands, enhance the stability of the whole setup. Last but not least, the included cables and carabiners are nice accessories to be included with the panel, in order to be able to be used right away.
Features and specs
The S200 is rated as 154Wh (41600mAh/3,7V) powerbank. It has several safety features, such as short circuit, over current, over power, over charge and over-temperature protection. It can be charged with the included 18V 2A power adapter, by a solar panel via the same 18V port, or by the USB-C in/out port. Combining the 18V port simultaneously with the USB-C in port, will charge the unit even faster. The solar input supports a max of 99W input, which is exactly the same input power as the combined 18V port with the USB-C input. Charging time varies according to the power input. Using the power adapter it will fully charge an empty unit, after almost 5 hours. Using the USB-C input, will take almost 2,5 hours. When using the 2 previous mentioned inputs in combination, it will take about an hour and a half. As for solar charging, it depends by the wattage of the solar panel and the sunshine available.
The several outputs of the S200, make it super versatile for charging a plethora of devices at the same time. First of all, it offers a 200W inverter in order to use 220V devices such as a laptop, a feature rarely seen on this powerbank size category. It also features a wireless charging pad. That way you can utilize all other USB ports for charging other pieces of gear. The USB ports, output 2,4A max per port, with a total of 3A max combined. Lastly the USB-C port can output up to 60W max power, which is a significant amount of power, in various voltages, as follows: 5V/9V/12V/15V/20V-3.0A. It can also be used to charge devices, while the S200 is also charged. When it comes to size and weight, the S200 weighs 1,36 kg, it has dimensions of 20*5*17cm and should be used within 0-40 degrees Celsius.
The SP020 solar panel, is rated to have a 60W output power, with a rated efficiency of 21%. It features dual USB 5V/2,4A outputs and also a 18V/4A DC output. That means that you can simultaneously use it for charging a powerbank/power station and also other USB devices at the same time. As its total power is 60 W, it can can charge a couple of devices and still supply sufficient power in the powerbank. It also has another clever feature, which allows 2 or more panels to be connected and thus form a bigger array, for charging larger power stations. That way, the charging process can be sped up according to the total array power. It weighs 1,95 kg and its dimensions folded and unfolded are 435*360*20mm and 1070*435*5mm respectively. The output module is located conveniently in the zipped pocket on the rear of the panel, protecting it from wear and the elements.
My background
As a landscape photographer and outdoor lover, I find myself constantly offgrid, in need to support my power hungry equipment, or even to support a more comfortable lifestyle when spending some leisure time in the woods. My main problem with most widely available powerbanks, which only offer usb outputs, at least the old trusty ones I own, is that they can only charge small batteries. The ALLPOWERS S200, can charge a laptop, power a fan, a router etc and still have plenty of power left, to recharge camera and drone batteries. Especially when combined with a solar panel, which can replenish the power used, you can be almost self sustained for quite a while.
I was on the lookout for a powerbank like this one for some time now, in order to upgrade from the common 10,000mAh and 20,000mAh powerbanks. I still use them mostly on day hikes, but I find them insufficient when I need to camp overnight. After a full day of shooting, I want to be able to recharge my batteries overnight. Especially when intending to catch that first morning light, it is not a risk I want to take and eventually wake up only to see that my gear is half charged. Despite that, the S200 is lightweight enough to carry it on my backpack, which was my intention in the first place, with all my photography and camping gear.
In use
I have been using this kit for about a month now and Ι have drawn some conclusions worth sharing. My usage scenarios were divided into the hiking ones and those I was traveling by car. On my day hikes and overnights, I was bringing the S200 with me precharged. On those instances I was not using a laptop or any other power hungry device. But I will do that soon and I will come back with an update. As mentioned above, I prioritize charging my batteries during my night sleep, so I have all my batteries fully charged the next morning. On a couple of them I was able to recharge whatever battery I had consumed, back to 100% and still have about 50% of battery left. Another time though, when I wanted to test its limits, I recharged all my batteries, plus mobile phone, bluetooth speaker and flashlight batteries, I woke up to see that there was still 19% of its power left.
On my day hikes, I have mostly carried the ALLPOWERS S200 in order to have piece of mind. If I knew I had no recharging options, I would conserve energy in a way it might impact the amount of footage I would eventually bring home. But I could potentially pull it off. Having though, this amount of energy on demand, gives me a creative freedom to experiment more with my photography. In most cases, when I needed to recharge batteries, I came home with about ¾ full powerbank.
In other cases, when I was on a leisure session, the S200 proved to be a pleasant commodity to have. It is not something we might think about on a daily basis, especially when having a wall outlet within arms reach. Nowadays, large mobile phones screens consume more power than phones of the past. Combine them with other accessories we use regularly, like earbuds, bluetooth speakers, smartwatches etc, and the average Joes daily power needs have skyrocketed. For a group of 3 people spending a day in the beach, we consumed half of the powerbanks capacity for partially charging 3 smartphones, a tablet, a bluetooth speaker and a couple of action camera batteries. Of course environmental factors can affect the battery efficiency, but still, it is food for thought.
The SP020 solar panel is not possible to fit inside my backpacks and thus it cannot serve me in my overnight sessions into the wild. For some daily excursions though, it is possible, as the carrying handle is very convenient to carry around and the panel itself is not that heavy. I used it like that in a couple of cases and got some really interesting results. Even if the sky is completely covered by clouds, the panel can still produce some power. Although it might not seem much, but ranging from 5 W to 31 W, is surely is significant. Despite the wind present it proved to be quite stable and other than slightly swaying during gusts, it held its place with ease.
Despite the fact that the SP020 does not fit in my backpack, I have used it quite a lot while driving. As much of my work involves driving by car and visiting new places, the solar panels can be transported easily in car. When stopping for a rest or even a short scout at a point of interest, they can recharge some of the depleted battery of the powerbank. Setting them up is so easy it literally takes a few seconds. The pocket in the rear of the panel, is large enough to carry the necessary cables for charging the S200 and also some spares. I have really appreciated the leg design, as they are constantly under the tension of the rubber bands and have proved to be very stable. So, depending on the break duration, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it could recharge half of the S200 capacity, under full sun. After all, in ideal conditions, the SP020 will be able to fully recharge the S200 in about two and a half hours. In case I am chasing sunlight and try to constantly recharge the powerbank with the use of the solar panel, the S200 was constantly full.
The above mentioned tests, are real life experiments, but not with a scientific approach. After all these years in the field, I have developed certain routines, which allow me to be more energy efficient. But they cannot be repeated over and over again consistently, so it becomes clear, that the above case scenarios are not exactly a repeatable lab test. After all in a lab test fashion, I should have calculated the total battery capacity of my equipment, estimate the battery consumption per day, the sunshine hours per day for the season, in case I plan to solar recharge, calculate the size of the solar panel etc. But all these are exceeding the purpose of this review and could be a whole article on its own.
Who is this for
Before suggesting this combo to someone, I find it more appropriate to split it in the discreet 2 products, in order to be more accurate on the target group I intent to suggest it to. When it comes solely to the ALLPOWERS S200 Powerbank, I would suggest it to anyone who wants to upgrade from generic USB powerbank, especially if there is a need for using more power hungry devices. Although there are very large capacity consumer powerbanks, most of them are rated up to 20.000mAh. A capacity upgrade of more than 100%, is significant, especially when considering the versatility it brings on the table. I can see a range of applications, from what I do, like offgrid camping, with the need to recharge photography gear, all the way to the daily commute when you may run low on battery on your laptop or tablet. Let’s don’t forget, the usability of such a device in a power outage scenario.
As for the SP020 solar panel, it is an excellent match for the S200 and potentially larger power stations. It can be easily transported due to its light weight, but due to its size it cannot fit inside a backpack. Even if it can fit inside a large backpack, I would not recommend carrying it that way and risking to crack it. On the other hand, if you into car camping/vanlife or plan to drive your car and stop from time to time, its size does not become a burden. Also when planning spending a day on the beach, especially if it is during summertime, it will catch the sunlight and power all your devices, earning you the bragging rights among.
Critisisms
So far I have been pleasantly surprised with the construction quality, versatility and overall performance of both the S200 powerbank and the SP020 solar panel. One thing I noticed though and think that could be improved, is the fact that when the S200 powers on, it automatically provides DC power. When the DC output though is engaged, it will not shut itself off , even if I don’t connect any device for charging and could potentially lead to a full discharge. I would have preferred to power on and remain in stand by mode and shut itself off after 20 seconds. Also, it would be nice even if the DC output is engaged, the powerbank to shut itself off, if no device is connected. I suppose that this could be an easy fix, like a firmware update, so I hope to see an updated version of it in the future.
Conclusion
The ALLPOWERS S200 Power bank combined with the SP020 Solar panel, make a great kit for anyone who wants to be power sufficient in a lightweight package. In the summer time, when there is a significant amount of sunshine hours, I find it almost impossible to run the powerbank dry, supposing that the panel is going to be used for recharging it.
I enjoy the fact that I can easily carry the S200 in my backpack when I am heading outdoors, without a significant weight addition. The SP020 on the other hand is not that small to fit into my backpack, but can charge the S200 and even higher capacity batteries without taking up to much space. In case you do not want to have a permanent installation on your vehicle, but on the same time a powerful solar panel, which is easy to setup, the setup though when traveling or camping by car. I find it to be a great choice if you are into van life, without any permanent solar panel installation on your vehicle.
AllPowers kindly provided a promo code for anyone who is interested in buying the S200 powerbank, by using the code 9ZJ9BAZ5AEP9, you will get 15% off. You could also purchase this or any other product from the EU AllPowers website, through the affiliate link, which provides a small comission for me, without no extra charge for the buyer.
AllPowers website
https://iallpowers.eu/?ref=dimoudimitris.com
S200 powerbank + SP020 Solar panel combo
S200 powerbank
https://iallpowers.eu/products/allpowers-s200-portable-power-bank-200w-154wh?ref=dimoudimitris.com