Customer Reviews

Coleman CL-300 4.5-Watt 15-Volt Solar Panel Battery Charger / Maintainer 72001

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In my opinion, this is not a well made product. It is not guaranteed by Coleman even though it carries the Coleman brand. Mine broke during it's initial use and when I wrote to Coleman, they told me to contact the company in Canada that makes the product. They replied that they would not replace the unit.

I've used this charger several times, always outdoors and always when it rained hard. I use it to keep charged a deep cycle battery powering my pop up trailer while camping. It really works to keep the battery charged--it seems to stay charged much longer with this attached. Also, it seems impervious to rain and even has the charge light on when it's raining, which I assume means it is working even when cloudy and in the rain. I'd recommend this highly. I looked around and this is a very good price for a solar charger of this wattage.

I purchased this device to top up the battery on my utility trailer. My intention was to permanently mount it to the roof.

The ad copy clearly states "Weatherproof / Water resistant" but the instructions state that it is not suitable for outdoor use. I am returning it.

Please note, my 1 star rating is for the deceptive ad, not the device itself. It may work just fine on a dashboard or back window of a car - I did not test it at all.

Does what it says it will do. Pleased with this solar charger. Perfect for cars and boats. The blue LED provides a notice to show the panel is working ok. Good value for money.

Used too keep a battery charged on an outdoor stored ATV, just like the picture on the packaging, after the winter months it stops working. I try to troubleshoot the item and the screws holding the body together have plastic caps over them. Upon trying to pry out the glass breaks on the solar panel. My suggestion for Coleman if making an inferior product make it easier to repair. Do not buy if plan on using outside.

I'm not sure item works. It could be too small for what I am using it for. I'm trying to use it as a trickle charger to maintain a battery in our camping trailer while it sits idle over the winter. It may be too small for this job. The less than one year old battery is not maintaining its strength with nothing running.

It is currently not connected directly to the battery but through a cigarette lighter type outlet inside the camper. Charger sits in the window of the camper facing south all day. I may try direct connecting it to the battery and placing charger outside camper (in the weather) to see if that makes a difference. If it doesn't, I guess it was a waste of money.

ps: The only thing running off the battery is the smoke/CO2 detector.

Solar panels always have a set of specs such as Open circuit voltage, Short circuit current, and an operating current at a particular operating voltage while being illuminated with a standard luminous flux.
Nothing like that is given and in fact I can only get a maximum of 3.8 watts out of this panel at high noon during the summer. The comments on here questioning the weather resistance is worrisome. Amazon should pull this product.

I've had this about 2 months, and it seems to work. I leave it sitting on the dash board of my car that I only rarely drive. Because the car operates a clock and a few electric devices all the time, the battery would drain down. This keeps the battery fully-charged.

It has a long wire that plugs into the cigarette lighter. I leave it plugged in even when I'm driving (it has a diode to protect it from reverse current flow). Thus, it couldn't be easier to use.

This item could not keep a charge on a battery in a Lincoln LS that has lots of features that drain the battery over a few days....left car in Airport 4 days and battery was dead...the battery is new and will take a full charge and stay up if driven daily...bought this item hoping to solve the problem...no luck.....I'll try it on my garden tractor...

The quick connects are great for running something straight off the solar cell, or for running something straight off the car battery with the alligator clips-- but when charging the battery, one must actually connect the red clip to the negative terminal and the black clip to the positive terminal. This keeps the 'hot side hot' and the 'cold side cold'.

Once I discovered this, I found the device useful.