Product Description

Box Contents: 1 x powermoney eXplorer unit; 1 x solar-slave; 1 x universal mains charger which works in over 150 countries; Wide connectors for: Nokia, Mini Nokia, Motorola V66, Samsung E900, Siemens C25, & Sony Ericsson; 1 x mini USB for Motorola Razr V series; BlackBerrys & Bluetooth headsets; 1 x USB for smart phones, PDAs & other devices; 1 x iPod connector; 1 x connector for Sony PSP & most digital cameras; Black travel pouch; Storage case

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5294 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Powertraveller
• Model: pm-ExP
• Dimensions: 11.00" h x 5.00" w x 3.00" l, 1.36 pounds

Features

• Water-resistant, rubberised design - a power source for every adventure
• Solar Slave + Powermoney-eXplorer = 2 reusable sources of power (no batteries needed...ever!!)
• Compatiable with majority of mobile phones, including Nokia & mini Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Siemens, & Sony Ericsson
• USB Connectors power up iPods & accessories, MP3 players, PDAs, smart mobile phones, digital cameras, games consoles, BlackBerrys, Bluetooth headsets, & many more digital devices
• Includes mains travel charger for use in 150 countries - 110V to 240V

Customer Reviews

Great product, if you can get one that works
Well, it looks like eventually this will be a good product, when I get one that works. I got one that had been double-checked by powertraveller after getting two apparently non-functioning units.

I'd recommend one, they're very good, now that the quality control issues appear to be over. The solar recharging appears to be actually practical, in the west of England on a cloudy Autumn day, it appears to have recharged about 25% despite being behind glass (which makes a surprising difference) in a west-facing window rather than south-facing (so only gets direct sun for a few hours).

The leads that come with it are very good indeed and all use the same jack plug for input, so I've since gone back and ordered lots of extras because you can use the power monkey to recharge one device, on a sunny day you can plug the panel into another device (I charged my mobile directly from the solar panel), use the USB lead to recharge a third if you have a USB port handy, and even recharge a fourth using the mains charger. The extra leads are reasonably priced and there's a very extensive range.

I'll just quickly side-track off to talk about the leads a little more;

Once you have a few of the USB retractable leads you start realising that you can replace all your multitude of phone/PDA/ipod chargers with one USB hub, and just carry USB leads around with you because you can use ports at work, at friends houses, buy a hub in another country if travelling etc. My ipod PSU with a four-port hub can now charge my ipod, phone and PDA. I have one of the leads hanging off the back of a Nintendo Wii in standby mode which is now the downstairs recharger for an ipod, a Nokia N770, another spare mobile phone, a Nintendo Gameboy Advance, a Nintendo DS and even a 4 AA battery charger. That's six mains rechargers I no longer need to use, 8 if you include my PDA and main mobile.

I think the leads are worthy of being a product in their own right, they're easily the best I've come across so far and have the most extensive range of tips. You get a good selection with the powermonkey with many more tips available from powertraveller, it's worth thinking about the potential of the leads on their own, don't just think about using them with the powermonkey. If you travel a lot, using these leads with a car cigarette lighter to USB converter (readily available), a mains USB converter (ditto), a USB hub, or a computer, you can recharge just about anywhere you're likely to want to. One of the powermonkey USB leads and a selection of tips is all you'd need, although a few extra of the USB leads will allow simultaneous recharging of several devices from a hub. You can buy the leads separately from powertraveller, on their web page go to the powermonkey classic and select "monkey nuts" and order "extra" tips and at least one USB retractable lead.

Right, back to the powermonkey;

One gripe (other than quality control) is that the powermonkey won't charge a device while the powermonkey itself is being charged, as soon as it detects a charge coming into the charging port it shuts off the output current. This means you can't plug it into your phone/ipod/whatever and then connect it to the charger to charge them both overnight. This is a real shame and something they could easily do; charge the power monkey then once charged, pass all power through to the attached device. It doesn't do that however.

It comes with a useful velcro bag and a zippered semi-rigid box that are worth having, and the whole package seems well put together. Only the inability to recharge while attached to a charger, and of course my issues with getting a working unit, stop it from being a five-star buy. The excellent leads almost make up for the issues I've had.

I also have a freeloader. It's rubbish, total rubbish (see my review for it), so if you are thinking of spending the extra money (3x the price) then this unit is worth the extra provided you get one that works. The freeloader's leads aren't anywhere near as flexible as the powermonkey's leads so don't help to make up for the unit's weaknesses.

Recommended with one caveat
First of all, I'd recommend the PowerMonkey Explorer without hesitation. It's the best charger of its type that I've come across. Not only that, but PowerTraveller's customer support is excellent. I'd recommend reinforcing the little tips with some epoxy before using the powermonkey though; the snap-together construction on some of them is a bit flimsy.

PowerMonkey Explorer... Explore This.
what an awsome bit of kit, well made and stylish. I have succesfully charged the power cell from the mains, USB and solar unit.

It has charged my phone (k800i) it works beautifully.

I first tried the FreeLoader which turned out to be returned it and got one of these. Unlike with the Freeloader I have total confidence with this product and am happy it's on my kit list for travelling Spain.

An excellent product and highly recommended. 5 Big ones from me.