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5.0 / 10
SCORE EcoFlow Power Hat $129 at Amazon Pros Covers my head, adequately doing the job of a hat
Can technically trickle charge a phone, so I guess it works Cons Very low charging rate at just 5 watts of power
Needs a cable running down your back
Design will only appeal to Wicked cosplayers (it's ugly)
Like many middle-aged men, I sport a prominent solar-powered area on top of my head -- otherwise known as a bald spot. Leave it exposed during yard work too long, and it transforms into a glowing red beacon by nightfall. I've learned to wear a hat, but all that prime solar energy bouncing off my scalp seemed like such a waste -- until I discovered the EcoFlow Power Ha, a combination sun hat and solar power source that retails for $129 (currently on sale for $99).
The concept is clever: eight solar panels built into the hat feed power to two USB ports (one USB-A, one USB-C) housed in a small box beneath the back rim, complete with a tiny LED indicator. In practice, however, the results were disappointing. While it did an adequate job protecting my scalp from the sun, it barely charged my phone at all. And perhaps most damningly, it's an ugly hat—the kind of thing that solves a problem nobody asked about while creating several new ones.
Here I am in my fancy new Richard Baguely/Zooey Liao/ CNET
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