Review: The Portable Solar Work Light

Author: Martin Grobler | Date: 03 August 2022 | Comments:

When the demand for electricity exceeds the available supply, planned supply interruptions may have to be carried out by Eskom. This is called load shedding.

It is a controlled way of rotating the available electricity supply between all Eskom customers and for us living in South Africa, this has become part of our everyday lives and happens rather regularly.

So, when we don’t have power or electricity most people would fall back on generators or even solar solutions. With solar in mind, I would like to introduce you to the Solar Portable Work Light.

What is so special about this portable work light? Well, after I was given this product to review, I decided I must have one. Why?

Well firstly, in comes in two colors: black and orange. I’m a fan of the orange one. It comes in a 230mmx185mm box making it small and portable and has a USB power outlet. The box also includes a few pretty pictures as where you can use it but, before we get into that, let me tell you about the cool features.

As you remove it out of the box, you will notice it also comes with a USB cable. It is also neatly and safely packaged and weighs almost nothing. 900 grams. The diffuser is protected by a sheet of polystyrene to avoid scratches and on the back, you will notice solar panels which is used to charge the unit in the sun. If you look carefully, you will also notice two magnetic spots on each side by the bracket; so, you can stick this unit against a metal cupboard of sorts for light if you have nowhere to hang it.

If you flip the unit on its side, you will notice is has an orange circle on the right and this is to switch it on. You will also notice what looks like a volume bar with LEDs and these LED spots light up as it charges. It even charges under indoor lights when the power is on. Cool huh? Then, on the left it has the orange square. When you open this part up you will now notice that you can use the included USB to now charge the unit when you do have electricity and it also has a USB power outlet.

What is this for? Yip, you guessed right! A USB power outlet. You can use this to either charge your mobile phone when you have no power, almost like a powerbank, or even plug in your USB speakers so you at least have some music to listen to while you have no power where you are.

On the back of the unit, you will notice solar panels. This is to charge your unit when you have no power or electricity. Put this in the sun between 8 – 10 hours and you will have a fully charged work light and USB power outlet for your allocated loadshedding time.

You will also notice it has an adjustable bracket with two screws knobs on each side so you can mount it and direct the light any direction you want, or you can just hang it up by the hook that is on top of the adjustable bracket.

Once you have charged your unit and you would like to use it, you will notice the diffuser is split into 4 sections. By pushing the round button once on the side of the unit will switch it on. What I like about this is that this unit even has a ‘police’ flash in case there is an emergency, and you need help.

Push the button once and you get the normal white light from the unit. Push it again and you get a warm orange light which is great for environmentally aware lighting. What that means is that mosquitos and bugs wont be attracted to your unit when it is on. Push the button a third time and it combines the warm orange and white light to make it a neutral light. Push it a fourth time and you have emergency lighting that flashes between blue and red like a siren.

A few technical points: It is rust and weatherproof, it has 336 LED lamp beads and has a high-performance battery built in with a capacity of 400mAh-1200mAh when using solar. It is 221mmx63mmx183mm in size and weighs 900 grams and charges in about 8 hours. It comes in two colors namely black and orange and is very portable.

So, if you are looking for a solar unit that can charge your mobile and give you light at the same time, I think you have a winning product. It can literally hang anywhere in the house or tent or outdoor area and light up any area, so you don’t sit in the dark. You can now even phone a friend during loadshedding.

Grab this unit in our solar section and tell us what you think of it. We are looking forward to engaging with you.

BUY THE PORTABLE SOLAR WORK LIGHT NOW