I purchased a Solio Classic for use on a cross country bike trip. The product worked well, recharging a PDA, iPod and cell phone. But a piece (the center bushing around which the solar wings pivot) broke. It was my fault and I figured I could contact the company for a replacement part once I finished the trip.
I emailed them requesting the part, and here was their reply: "Unfortunatly we do not sell parts for your Solio. You will need to purchase a replacment unit."
My response: "This is very disappointing and unreasonable. I am not going to spend tens of dollars replacing a perfectly functional unit simply because an inexpensive plastic part has broken. I suggest you rethink this policy. Since you still manufacture the Classic, the part must still be available. This is really poor customer relations!"
They responded: "We do not do repairs on site. The unit holds a one year warrenty, if you are out of that time period you will have to purchase another unit. I apologize if you do not agree with our policy."
I suggest you do not support a company that on one hand touts its environmental cachet, and on the other promotes the senseless discarding of an easily repairable product. Solio Classic Hybrid Solar Charger (new)
I took this product backpacking. First, I wanted to test it, so I placed it outside in the sun to achieve a full charge. After 4 hours, it was minimally charged (maybe 10%), so I plugged into my laptop's USB to finish the charging, which took the rest of the day and all night to reach 100%. Let down number two occurred in the back-country, when my iPhone 3G ran low on juice after a few days of intermittent GPS use. I used the included attachments to connect my iPhone to the Solio Classic and hit the "Start" button (solio's only button--the instructions are odd pictures; no words). The iPhone registered that it was being charged; however, after 5 minutes, I checked the progress only to find that the Solio had quit charging. After attempting this nearly 30 times throughout the next few days, my iphone was none the better, in-fact it probably had less juice from the constant on/off of this disjointed charge attempt. I am unimpressed and will return this item as soon as I get home!
I've had my Solio Classic for two years now, and I don't know what I'd do without it. I spend a lot of time outdoors, usually away from any convenient power source. With my Solio Classic, I can easily and conveniently charge my ipod and my cell phone wherever I am. As long as I have sunshine (and my Solio), I have power. My favorite place to use it is at large festivals like the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, or during all-day trips to the beach. I'm amazed by the number of people who have never seen them before. Once I' tell them what it is, and what it does, the reaction is always the same - "I have to get one of those! That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Thank you Solio for helping me to cut the cord!
This thing rocks!!! It's simple to use. The charging side has a bunch of adapters to fit your device. the Charging end is a USB to a pin into the unit. My phone (EVO) can suck the power they way I have it set up. Not to worry Solio Classic Charger fixes that. I can even charge while I'm walking around( phone on belt clip and Classic in front pocket, shirt over the top). If someone see it, they will definitely ask you what it is and what it does. They always say "I got to get me one of those!"
Most of the five-star reviews were created on September 23. Anyone else find that suspicious?
The solio is okay; it's works for charging your phone one afternoon when you don't need it, or for small emergency charges, but I wouldn't recommend it as a regular back-up plan. I usually just use a fold-out flexible solar panel, which, while more expensive on the whole, was cheaper for the amount of product included and charges way faster.
I live in Florida. what better place to evaluate this product! I do a great deal of biking on remote trails.
I am 72 and not exactly "Dotty-Digital".I can't afford to have my cell or Ipod die.I listen to an entire book while I ride for hours.It's easy to use and more reliable than others I have tried. I love it...and it makes me feel safe.I recommend it to everyone in my generation who are still active outdoors!!!!The "Gray" generation turns GREEN!!!!!!!!!!
I just purchased the Classic about a week ago before going on a camping trip to Tahoe and was really happy with the results. At first I was skeptical about how well a solar charger could actually work, but found it pretty easy to use and incredibly functional. I used the USB charging cable to fill up the Solio battery before my trip, and then just used the sun to keep it topped off. Using it this way, the Classic fully charged my iPhone 4 a couple of times during my 4 day trip and allowed me to use my phone the entire time without worrying about battery life. I even let my friend use it to charge his iPod so that we could have tunes in the campsite. It actually worked, and worked surprisingly well. Great product. - Electronics - Solar - Green - Battery'
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