Blavor 18W Review

After years of testing solar chargers, our preferred type of solar charger is a separate solar panel system that we use to charge separate battery banks. Still, we can appreciate the appeal of an all-in-one gadget, and technically, the Blavor 18W is one of the most effective all-in-one solar chargers we've tested. As long as you understand its limitations around solar charging, it's a workable option for emergency charging for phones and small mobile devices.

Direct Solar Charging Speed

The Blavor 18W immediately starts recharging its large, 20,000 mAh internal battery whenever sunlight hits its panels. To determine how much usable energy it stores while charging in the sun, we tested it side-by-side with other chargers for one hour in direct sunlight.

If a solar charger has a built-in battery bank, we let the sun recharge it for one hour then measure the amount of energy collected by discharging the battery bank. We conduct the test three times then average the results.

In July sunshine in Idaho, the Blavor 18W collected and stored 692 mAh. This is far better than integrated solar chargers that have a single solar panel, and it's among the best we've tested that use connected fold-out panels to increase solar surface area. To put this in perspective, one hour of quality sunlight would be roughly equivalent to recharging a medium-sized smartphone by 20-25%.

Indirect Solar Charging Speed

Under cloudy skies, solar charging plummets but is still often useful. To test a solar charger's ability to charge from indirect sunlight, we place the solar chargers underneath a white sheet on a clear day.

Collecting just 125 mAh, the Blavor 18W was significantly less effective at indirect sunlight charging than solar chargers that don't have built-in batteries. If you face multiple cloudy days in a row, you will likely struggle to recharge the Blavor 18W enough to completely recharge a phone.

Under cloudy skies, the Blavor 18W isn't a solar charger we would count on to recharge a phone, much less multiple phones or devices. However, if you keep this model's battery topped off for emergencies, the large built-in battery bank could fully recharge a phone several times before running out of juice.

Portability

The Blavor 18W offers excellent portability, packing roughly down to the size of a slim brick: 7 inches long by 3.75 inches wide and 1.75 inches thick.

Three panels easy unfold for charging and refold for storage. A snap secures the panels, and snapping it closed protects the solar panel built into the battery pack. A rubbery flap protects the input/output ports from dust and debris.

Compared to other solar charges of similar sizes, the Blavor 18W's 21.1 ounces feels heavy in the hand, but it's important to remember that it includes a large built-in battery. If we added the weight of external batteries to other solar chargers, the weight differences could be nominal.

Durability so far seems decent, but its long-term durability raises some alarm bells for us. The build quality is at once robust with rubber corner bumpers, but subtle design elements on the housing reduce confidence through a cheesy ruggedness vibe. For instance, sections of the plastic case are etched to imply a carbon fiber material, yet it clearly is not carbon fiber.

Functionality

The Blavor 18W is a versatile gadget, especially when we think of it as an amped up battery bank. It has a USB-C input/output port, two USB-A out ports, and one Micro-USB in port.

The built-in battery has plenty of room for recharging multiple devices, and it can recharge phones at up to 18 watts, which is considered fast charging but is slightly slower than many typical USB wall chargers today.

The Blavor 18W includes a single carabiner so you can hang it to charge when the sun is low on the horizon, though again, it's not particularly efficient when the sunlight is muted by cloud cover or its angle through the atmosphere.

As an emergency device, the Blavor 18W excels by including a flashlight and a lantern, which can also make it handy for camping.

Should You Buy the Blavor 18W?

The Blavor 18W is one of the few all-in-one solar battery banks that can recharge itself with sunlight, just remember that it's a slow process. If you want to frequently solar recharge multiple gadgets over several days, weeks, or months, this isn't the best design. We think it's best suited for gadget lovers who want a simple all-in-one emergency battery bank that could be supplemented by solar power in a pinch.

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