Reviewers often get accused of always saying that the product they’re currently talking about is better than the one they reviewed six months ago, but in the case of technology, there is no getting away from the fact that the entire industry moves along at a frantic pace. Just think of that shiny new laptop you bought last year, that top-of-the-range smartphone that you treated yourself to, or anything else with circuitry and a battery inside it; they all get better at an alarming rate! The same can be said of portable phone chargers, of which I’ve owned a few. I can honestly say that this is the best one I’ve owned to date, by quite a long way.
The Powerfreakz Evolution 3000 Solar Charger isn’t just a phone charger (I’m probably doing it a disservice by calling it that), but that’s what I use these items for. You can, in fact, charge/power all manner of gadgetry with it, including sat-navs, cameras, camcorders, game consoles etc. For me, though, when I am away from home for days at a time, I just want my phone. It keeps me in touch with my kids, allows me to work from the water’s edge, upload photos and status updates to the Anglers’ Net page on Facebook and browse the internet, if needed. In my line of work, it’s essential, although I do fully understand that some anglers fish to escape that sort of thing.
The first thing that struck me about this charger was its looks. In fact, the overall presentation is simply ‘cool’. Not only does the charger itself look swish, almost ‘phone-like’, but it comes in a really handy pouch/case. One of the problems I had with a different make is that, although I know where the charger is (it’s in a drawer in my utility room, in case you were wondering!), I lose the attachments constantly. With the Powerfreakz pouch, you have all the leads and gubbins stored in one place. Yes, you could lose the whole thing if you were careless, but you’ve only got to lose one bit of any charger and it’s practically no use to you. Top marks to Powerfreakz!
Charging the Powerfreakz Evolution 3000 Solar Charger at home is simple – it comes with a plug and retractable lead. Simply plug it in and away you go! If you travel abroad, you’ll be pleased to know that the plug also has adapters so that you can use it overseas. They’ve thought of everything! You could even plug it straight into the USB port on your PC to get it charged up. There’s a funky circular LED arrangement on the front that lets you know when it’s charging and when it has finished. The instructions with mine said this would turn off when it was charged, but it stayed on. The instructions are now being amended, as I believe they related to the previous model -once you unplug the charger, however, the light does go off.
HOWEVER, the real bonus of the solar model over the standard model is…..well, the solar bit! Given a reasonable light source (it doesn’t have to be Mediterranean sunshine, just a decent bit of light!), this charger starts charging itself. If you’re a session angler, or even someone who rushes out of the house without checking they’ve charged it in the first place, this is perfect!
To charge your phone or other device, simply connect it via the appropriate head and the retractable lead provided, press the ‘On’ button until the light comes on and away it goes. Simple! The Powerfreakz website gives you an indication of how many charges you should get before the charger itself needs recharging (e.g. up to four charges of a smartphone), but the beauty is that, even with the British weather, you should be able to keep this charger constantly ‘topped up’. A week carp fishing in France would be no problem whatsoever.
As I said at the start of this review, a phone is important to me when I’m away. The Powerfreakz Evolution 3000 Solar Charger has now been added to my list of ‘best friends’. It’s an excellent, versatile, good looking piece of kit. As well as fishing, I plan to attend a few car shows this year and will be under canvas whenever I can. In fact, as I typed that comment, it dawned on me that as I have a usb port on the little accessory socket in my car, I’ll even be able to charge the Powerfreakz charger when I’m driving at night. Bonus!
And, at just £39.99, it’s a bargain! Older chargers were launched at a lot higher price, especially the solar versions, which is why I never bought a solar one before. For your money, you get the charger, lead, different plugs and a variety of adapters to fit most common needs. Check out the Powerfreakz website for a complete list – it catered for my iPhone and Blackberry, so I was more than happy.
Highly recommended.Visit http://www.powerfreakz.com/ for detailed specification and availability.
