I agree Allpower needs to do something about the length of the wires and the leg adjustment. However, for a fair test on the output of the panel, why not lift up the end to tilt it back with something, maybe a 2x4 on edge instead of guessing it will do OK? People can come up with ways to tilt the panel if need be but if the panel is not capable of getting say 350+ people may not want to buy it. My 2 cents worth. Thanks for the review.
Thank you for posting this video. Excellent review! These are the two exact panels in which I was looking for comparisons, and this helps me in making a final decision. Liked and subscribed ..
My experience has been about the same with the ALLPOWERS 400w portable solar panels. With prestine conditions... i was just shy of 300w. Very dissapointing.
Cheer up! This is still pretty good. 400W if they can do it at all would need very rare perfect conditions - freezing cold at the equator at mid-day with perfect alignment of panels, oversized gauge cables, perfect mppt controller, no connection losses - you get the picture. This doesn't happen in the real world. They were not far from glass panels.
I had the same problem when buying solar panels in the past. The manufacture claim an power output that was only achievable from the flash of a nuclear explosion. I now use what is called the STC, standard test condition, which specifiers a cell temperature of 25 degrees C (77 degrees F), solar irradiance 1000 Watts / meter squared and an air mass of AM 1.5 when I purchase solar panels. Good quality solar panels also give the temperature coefficient so that output can be calculated for other solar cell temperatures. I ended up purchasing “BlueSolar Mocrystalline panels SPM041751200“because they gave the specification for the STC and more on their website. I was able to roughly test the panels using the solar irradiance supplied by my Eccowitt weather station and to my surprise the 175 watt panels was giving me a little more than 175 Watts for 1000W/meter squared. By the way in high summer the solar irradiance can reach over 1200W/sq meter.
Very interesting review of the solar panels. Talking about boats and off grid power. I also have a 35 foot sailboat. My plans are to completely replace all wiring, switches, breakers, lights etc. in that project I am going to replace my inverter/charger and add solar. I was surprised to hear that you only had 200 amp hours worth of batteries last year. My uneducated guess was that I would want at least 800 amp hours and the solar panels to keep them charged. Am I crazy?
I had a small solar generator for charging phones, tablets, laptops. The 200AH of LifePO batteries was sufficient for my other things like fridges, lights. LifePO4 can be used fully, unlike Lead Acid so 200AH feels much larger than it sounds when you are use to thinking of how much you had with LA. Now I have 400AH of LifePO4 and that is more than enough. If I made my battery bank bigger it would never get fully charged unless I added a lot more solar.
Don, as an example, at the mid US latitudes the average total solar collection is 5 hrs/day. As in... 5 X Wattage. A 100w panel will produce ~ 500 wh on a good day. More as you get further south, and more still if tilted or tracking the sun. Think about high draw utilities; fridge especially, water pumps, AC if you must, that damn micro that's so useful ( 😄 )... and ballpark how many kWh you use each day. Its amazing how much a couple 100w panels can actually sustain if we use it conservatively. 😄 Eta: I must apologize for my bias. Mid PNW here, a bit sunnier, but I watch too many Caribbean and Med yachting vlogs... I didn't factor in the insanity of Canukistanian sailors. My bad. YMMV. 😎
@@jimg5669 I live in Gulfport Mississippi, on the Gulf of Mexico and that’s where I sail. Wonder how the sun we get compares to what you have in the PNW.
@@DonHarden - Ah, maybe more sun but possibly as much or more cloud cover with your tropical adjacent weather pattern. There are many good solar energy calculators/predictors, both weather/NOAA and solar supply sites that ballpark an area's hours per day of sunlight through the year. Probably find some through gardening sites as well. 😀
I just bought a Bluetti Ac180,I am New to this.Plugged it in and waiting for a Home Blackout lol......On eBay the PV200 is selling. for $199 for a Refurbished and a PV350 is selling for $388 for a Refurbished....Just wondering it seems Bluetti has many Refurbished PV200s and PV350s for sale....These are like $300 Cheaper than the Brand New ones,Wondering is it worth buying a Refurbished one?And would it be best to buy a PV200 over the PV350 since I am New to this?
5 years from now your portable panels will probably not be working anymore however 20 years from now the glass panel will still be going as long as you don't break it, also your glass panels on the average cost you less per Watt, so for my money I'll stick with my glass panels lol
@@DaveSquibbSr Weird answer. What does legal and nothing to hide have to do with anything? Lol. I guess it's some kind of flex, but I can't figure out about what.
Very good video! Awesome job. You showed exactly what we want to see. Good comparison. Thank you
Glad you liked it!
I agree Allpower needs to do something about the length of the wires and the leg adjustment. However, for a fair test on the output of the panel, why not lift up the end to tilt it back with something, maybe a 2x4 on edge instead of guessing it will do OK? People can come up with ways to tilt the panel if need be but if the panel is not capable of getting say 350+ people may not want to buy it. My 2 cents worth. Thanks for the review.
Thank you for posting this video. Excellent review! These are the two exact panels in which I was looking for comparisons, and this helps me in making a final decision. Liked and subscribed ..
Glad it was helpful!
Love a Canadian perspective
Thanks, eh!
AllPowers panel going for $480 right now. That's $1.20 per watt hour 😶 Polycrystalline but still... Hard to beat
Always good to wait for deals. 😁👍
My experience has been about the same with the ALLPOWERS 400w portable solar panels. With prestine conditions... i was just shy of 300w. Very dissapointing.
Ya. Not going to get the full 400w
Cheer up! This is still pretty good. 400W if they can do it at all would need very rare perfect conditions - freezing cold at the equator at mid-day with perfect alignment of panels, oversized gauge cables, perfect mppt controller, no connection losses - you get the picture. This doesn't happen in the real world. They were not far from glass panels.
I had the same problem when buying solar panels in the past. The manufacture claim an power output that was only achievable from the flash of a nuclear explosion. I now use what is called the STC, standard test condition, which specifiers a cell temperature of 25 degrees C (77 degrees F), solar irradiance 1000 Watts / meter squared and an air mass of AM 1.5 when I purchase solar panels. Good quality solar panels also give the temperature coefficient so that output can be calculated for other solar cell temperatures. I ended up purchasing “BlueSolar Mocrystalline panels SPM041751200“because they gave the specification for the STC and more on their website. I was able to roughly test the panels using the solar irradiance supplied by my Eccowitt weather station and to my surprise the 175 watt panels was giving me a little more than 175 Watts for 1000W/meter squared. By the way in high summer the solar irradiance can reach over 1200W/sq meter.
I just bought it for $399 CAD on Amazon Canada. Thanks for the video.
Glad you liked the video and got a good deal.
Very interesting review of the solar panels. Talking about boats and off grid power. I also have a 35 foot sailboat. My plans are to completely replace all wiring, switches, breakers, lights etc. in that project I am going to replace my inverter/charger and add solar. I was surprised to hear that you only had 200 amp hours worth of batteries last year. My uneducated guess was that I would want at least 800 amp hours and the solar panels to keep them charged. Am I crazy?
I had a small solar generator for charging phones, tablets, laptops. The 200AH of LifePO batteries was sufficient for my other things like fridges, lights. LifePO4 can be used fully, unlike Lead Acid so 200AH feels much larger than it sounds when you are use to thinking of how much you had with LA. Now I have 400AH of LifePO4 and that is more than enough. If I made my battery bank bigger it would never get fully charged unless I added a lot more solar.
Don, as an example, at the mid US latitudes the average total solar collection is 5 hrs/day. As in... 5 X Wattage.
A 100w panel will produce ~ 500 wh on a good day. More as you get further south, and more still if tilted or tracking the sun.
Think about high draw utilities; fridge especially, water pumps, AC if you must, that damn micro that's so useful ( 😄 )... and ballpark how many kWh you use each day.
Its amazing how much a couple 100w panels can actually sustain if we use it conservatively. 😄
Eta: I must apologize for my bias. Mid PNW here, a bit sunnier, but I watch too many Caribbean and Med yachting vlogs... I didn't factor in the insanity of Canukistanian sailors. My bad. YMMV. 😎
@@jimg5669 I live in Gulfport Mississippi, on the Gulf of Mexico and that’s where I sail. Wonder how the sun we get compares to what you have in the PNW.
@@DonHarden - Ah, maybe more sun but possibly as much or more cloud cover with your tropical adjacent weather pattern.
There are many good solar energy calculators/predictors, both weather/NOAA and solar supply sites that ballpark an area's hours per day of sunlight through the year.
Probably find some through gardening sites as well. 😀
@@jimg5669 we do get a lot of thunderstorms, almost daily. I am sitting on the back deck right now watch the lightning from one rolling my way
I have a BLUETTI AC180 will the ALLPOWERS 400WATT be able to charge the 10 amp max to the ALLPOWERS 10.6 AMP
I just bought a Bluetti Ac180,I am New to this.Plugged it in and waiting for a Home Blackout lol......On eBay the PV200 is selling. for $199 for a Refurbished and a PV350 is selling for $388 for a Refurbished....Just wondering it seems Bluetti has many Refurbished PV200s and PV350s for sale....These are like $300 Cheaper than the Brand New ones,Wondering is it worth buying a Refurbished one?And would it be best to buy a PV200 over the PV350 since I am New to this?
Refurbished is a bit of a gamble but if it saves you money. Might be worth it, or could be a dud. Hard to say.
Can you use MC4 extension cables?
Yes
$430 Canadian right now on Amazon.
OK. Thanks.
Oct 1st. ALLPOWERS SP037 Portable Solar Panel 400W $509.00
Yep. Prices change as sales come along.
5 years from now your portable panels will probably not be working anymore however 20 years from now the glass panel will still be going as long as you don't break it, also your glass panels on the average cost you less per Watt, so for my money I'll stick with my glass panels lol
Yes but glass panels are not portable. Camping, van nomads and emergencies need portable panels.
@@larryc1616 I put mine right on top of the roof of the van, I camp where it is legal so I have nothing to hide.
@@DaveSquibbSr so it's always about you, You and yoU? People in other circumstances and choices are looked down upon by you? Typical trumptard 🤡👈
@@DaveSquibbSr Weird answer. What does legal and nothing to hide have to do with anything? Lol. I guess it's some kind of flex, but I can't figure out about what.
@@dlewis9760 if you can't follow along the conversation then please don't ask questions about it.