Warning: Those cheap solar panels on Amazon are not worth it

I was super skeptical when my neighbor told me his $80 solar panel setup from Amazon was saving him money every month. But I figured, what the heck, I could try one out for my garden lights and see. After 3 weeks in the Seattle sun (or lack thereof), it was already putting out half the power it claimed. I tested it with a multimeter and it was only producing 15 watts instead of the 100 watts advertised. Now I'm seeing tons of reviews saying the same thing - they just degrade way too fast. Has anyone else had a similar experience with cheap solar gear, or found a brand under $200 that actually holds up?

2 comments

2 Comments

finley_flores281mo agoTop Commenter

Bought one of those 200 watt kits for my camper van and it started falling apart after two months lol. The junction box legit melted on a partly cloudy day and I had to rewire the whole thing myself. I tested mine too and got like 45 watts max on a good sunny afternoon. It's wild how bad they lie about the specs on those things. I ended up grabbing a Renogy 100 watt panel for around $150 and it's been solid for over a year now even through winter storms. Lesson learned you get what you pay for with solar gear.

margaret_singh11mo ago

@finley_flores28 I feel your pain. My cheap setup melted its own box. Solar karma got me.