SolLight is run by a quite
small engineering and design company known as Simply Brilliant, LLC
and is based in Hood River, Oregon. Simply Brilliant is an employee
owned company made up of experts in the field of solar power and
engineering, and they actually produce two different lines of products:
SolLight and Shockles,
which specializes in other marine and outdoor
products.
While most solar companies claim to care to be environmentally
conscious, many of them don't actually back up these claims in their
production methods. Most of these companies simply make these claims as
due to the fact that they produce environmentally friendly products,
while there production methods remain outdated and quite polluting.
However, Simply Brilliant is one of the few that can truly does care
about the environment and - most importantly - can back up these claims.
All products from Simply Brilliant are manufactured using only the
most environmentally friendly methods available. In
addition, they also
do their best to minimize
the amount of packaging necessary for
shipping their products, and are especially concerned with using the
least amount of plastic and other non-decomposable materials.
When looking to buy
environmentally friendly products, the amount of
pollution you reduce by using these products will only make a
difference if the products themselves were also produced
in the most
environmentally friendly way.
 |
|
|
So, if you are looking for
a way to
reduce your carbon emissions and the impact you have on the
environment, you should limit your purchases to only companies that
have the same
environmental goals as you do, like Simply Brilliant.
|
|
|
 |
SolLight
LightCap 300
The LightCap 300 is one
of
the most unique and innovative solar
products to ever come on the market, and explaining exactly what this
product is can actually be quite difficult. This is because the
LightCap 300 is actually a combination
of several different products.
To start with, this product is a one liter water bottle made of BPA
free, recycled plastic.
The continual buying and throwing away of plastic water bottles is one
of the biggest environmental problems facing the world today, and many
experts have stated that carrying around your own reusable water bottle
is one of the quickest and easiest ways to dramatically cut down on
pollution, so the LightCap 300 will definitely help in this respect.
Still, this product is far from simply a reusable water bottle, as it
also contains a solar
powered lantern in its lid. This lantern is
charged by using a small
solar panel located directly on top of the
lid, and even minimal charging should provide enough
energy for the
lantern to burn brightly for several hours due to its ultra efficient
FastSolar™
technology that drastically reduces charging times. In
fact,
just a few hours of even minimal sun exposure should provide enough
charge to keep this lantern lit up for more than eight hours at a time.
The light from the LightCap 300 comes from small LED lights
located
underneath the solar charger. This product actually features four
strong, white LEDs, and one smaller red LED. You can switch between the
two colors or turn the light completely off directly from the small,
recessed three way switch, also found on the lid of the bottle.
Additionally, you never have to worry about leaving the light on during
the day and draining down the built-in battery, as this product also
features a sensor which
will automatically shut the light off when
daylight is detected.
While all of this makes the LightCap 300 an ideal product for any
environmentally conscious person, it also costs less than $30,
making
it incredibly affordable as well. In fact, you will be hard pressed to
find either a high quality, BPA free water bottle or a solar lantern
for this same price, let alone a product that features both, making the
LightCap 300 one of the best solar products we have come across in a
long time.
SolLight
SoliCharger SP
Another fantastic product
from SolLight is the SoliCharger
SP, which is a solar powered mp3 and smartphone
charger that also allows
you to listen to music using its built-in speakers. This product is
actually a small case
that holds your handheld device, which also
features a solar panel on the outside and even a small set of speakers
to allow you
to play music.
The SoliCharger SP works with
a wide range of handheld devices,
including all newer models of iPhones (even iPhone 5), and allows you
to charge your devices using either
a USB (or mini USB), your phone or
handheld's charger, or you can even plug
it directly into the socket so
you can listen to music on its speakers while you're charging the
device.
It
includes an Apple charger, a USB charger, plus both mini and macro USB
chargers, so you should be almost guaranteed that it will work for your
handheld device.
One thing that most people can't help but commenting on is the huge
amount of surprisingly high
quality sound that this product emits, despite the rather
small size of the speakers. This allows you to play music much louder
and at a much better quality than the small speakers on your phone or
other device.
Still, even if you don't want or need portable solar powered speakers,
you will still benefit from this efficient solar charger that will
allow you to charge almost
any handheld device on the go. Plus, at less
than $60, the SoliCharger is one
of the cheaper solar phone chargers on
the market, and would be more than worth the price even if it didn't
feature the built-in speakers. Overall, you will struggle to find a
solar charger and speaker combo that works as well or is as affordable
as the SoliCharger SP.
|