Hi Guys, There’s seems to be some confusion over rating of Panels. A couple of people have incorrectly determined that the OCV - open circuit voltage should be used to x the IMP - current at Maximum power. This is not correct, As the Elejoy clearly shows you use the IMP X VMP - voltage at maximum power. This gives us the 167.7w on the day. If we used the OCV x max current as per the itechworld website this panel would be (up to) 16a x 22.44v = 358.4w. These stated figures can cause confusion. If you look further at itechworlds specs for say the 150w rated glass panel. 22.407 OCV X 8.207a IMP = 183.89w for a 150w panel. They clearly give the correct answer VMP 18.28v x imp 8.207a = 150.02w. Bingo ! A 150w rated panel. I hope that helps.
Before watching your first video I was deciding between buying the itechworld or the Ecoflow solar blanket. My brother in-law has the 200w itechworld and it's outputting about 120ish watts, which to me is pretty poor. After seeing your first video it convinced me to buy the Ecoflow 220w bifacial blanket which I have not regretted as it is outputting 185ish watts on most days with clear sky.
It is what it is Craig. The itechworld blanket is hard to recommend given the replacement they sent you is also not working well. You would have thought they would have checked it themselves before they sent it out to you.
Wow thanks for the review as i was just about to splash out and get 2 itechworld blankets 😢 ill wait now till i can find a 300w one that dosnt lie about the output , especially if im gonna be paying over 500+ for each. Thanks for the reviews and keep the good work up 😊
Awesome review Craig. Good luck with your next blanket. I havent had much luck with my purchases. I have the king 200w blanket that after 4 replacements each only output around 80w (4,5amps) and a Hardkorr 200w that outputs 130w (9amps). These blanket manufacturers are really dreaming when making their product performance claims.
G’day Craig, you just don’t seem to be having much luck with the Itech blanket, being new to solar it was very interesting to see you fault find in such a simple way. I’ve watched some other reviewers who have claimed to be able get approx 220ish Watts so will be interesting to see what Itech world do with yours. Looking forward to the next Itech comparison 😉😁.
just bought a 200W one, then watched this vid. All the other vids I watched must be fan boys or 'influencers' I'm very inexperienced in 12v and solar, but I think it was a fair test. I don't have much in the way of testing gear I do have a kickass digital DC watt meter and a multimeter. When the panel arrives I will have to test it. Thanks for the review Mate.
In Geraldton WA tested the itechworld 300watt blanket no cloud clear day sun right above getting 272 watts very happy with that The powerstation I was charging was at 88%
I tested my 300W iTechworld panel after watching this video and I was getting 220W and 16.2 Amps charge. I covered each panel and it dropped down by 44W each panel so was consistent across all the panels. I then compared my 8 year old 150W 3 panel (eBay special) folding blanket and this gave me 75W at 5.32 Amps so still producing quite well for old tech panels. I have a new 120a/h Kings Lithium battery in a box and it was at 95% charge with a Victron Smart Shunt to monitor input and output. For me it is all about the amps produced to charge the battery back up as quickly as possible, I don't think I have seen any solar panel ever reach the advertised Watt ouput.
This is around what I get. Is that reasonable performance though. I would have hoped it was around the 260 mark at least for a 300w panel, particularly considering how expensive it is?
@@carl.colleen.rover.adventuresthat’s what I thought too as I am getting between 16-17 amps per each 300 Watt blanket and as I have 2 of them at 32 amps input to my battery box I thought that was great 😊 But since I don’t understand much about solar or 22 Volt and watching this test it makes me wonder if 16 amps output is actually good for a 300 Watt solar blanket 🤷♂️ Can someone clarify this question for me please 🙏
Well done. QC is a thing of the past, it costs money to test production output, so they let customers do it. You've shown why that is immoral. Gimme a link to the Thunder! :)
The more I see of solar blankets the less of a fan I become. I have the KT cables 300W which topped out at 220W for me, also have an Atem 300W that doesn't get over 120W. Still a better price per watt point than that Itechworld.
Wow that sucks 🙄 I purchased 2 of these and I now not happy at all, seeing your test results. Question please How many amp hours should these 300 watt blankets produce ( in ideal sun or conditions) If the panels would in fact have close to their stated 300 Watt rated output????? I’m not technically or electrically minded but really would like to know the answer to this. Cheers and thank you for sharing the test.
ive got a chineesium 350w panel ( the blue canvas folding one ,e bay ) , only puts out 200w max , but it only cost $220. so 2 would get 400w at $440 , how much is the itech? $800 on special+ delivery ,,, ( normaly $1,000.)
Hi Craig , we loved your simplistic review and how old faithful brings the reality. So what would you suggest for a 300or 200 watt blanket. Thanks matt
Hi Matt, I'd stay away from Blankets and go Glass. I'll be putting the Kick Ass 300W through its paces over the next few weeks while on the road. @ $750 its not cheap but so far looks promising.
Hey, do you happen to have a link to the Thunder? I am on the market for a portable panel and after seeing a few of your tests, it seems pretty consistent!
Where are you fred? I bought one 12 months ago and only used it once and don't seem to have the need for it if your interested. I'm in the Hunter Valley
Mate, I nearly put an order in for the iTech world 300watt, for the price and the hype, you’d expect something better than cheap Kings, very misleading. Thanks for showing an informative unbiased demo. Most demo you see are affiliates so they talk the talk, but as you pointed out don’t walk the walk….Thunder he we come, thanks for saving me heaps of my hard earned. ITech world have a look at yourselves….all your products are way overpriced, and clearly under perform even after You replaced it…(next time test and send out the best in your warehouse) now I have real doubts about your other stuff, who does your QA…Wun Hung Low😉
Well, that is very disappointing and I dare say ItechWorld would be scrambling to get the issue fixed if they care about their name’s reputation. It would put a question mark over all their products. I need a 300W blanket and am stuck now, not knowing what to buy. What do you think of KickAss?
I cannot comment on the kickass as I have not seen or tested them , @ $750 for the 300w Kickass foldout I can’t justify spending the money. I’ve emailed itech and sent them a link to the video, still waiting on a reply. Also I tested the blanket again yesterday under better sun conditions, as expected the output was slightly higher 15w but the panel did exactly the same thing when covering the individual panels. Definitely an issue.
Good honest review Craig. Only issue I can see now is they will definitely check the next one first before they send it your way, possibly discarding a couple before finding the "right" one to send. Unless, as you said, that's just how they come. Which will put them in a little pickle..
Itechworld is just good marketing. They just pay influences to pump up there gear and everyone buys into the hype. The stuff is the same as or similar to ebay gear.
Thats frustrating - remember its a winter sun too unless your at Equator testing. Optimise panels using 2 apps - Suncalc and an inclinometer on phone. Test the Exotech glass 200w only 11kg and tbey pickup reflected light from behind too.
@@craigsolaradventures have yet to put a multimeter to it but seems to make no appreciable difference to battery charge even over a 4 hour period of full sun. Mind you it is winter here in Victoria lol
I consistently get 220+ out of mine, again just this last couple weeks in finders ranges it outperformed my roof mounted flexi 300w’s. How charged were your batteries? Maybe they were already close to full?
Lithium battery in bulk charging mode. I ensured enough energy had been removed from the battery to keep it in bulk. Did you not see me cover the individual panels clearly showing a fault in one of them ? That would have lifted the output by 20w or so. I then tested the next day in near perfect conditions and it picked up approx 15w. It’s still a long way from 300w at less then 200w.
I’d add if a 300w panel placed on the ground at 20-35deg at the sun didn’t out preform a fixed 300w Flexi panel flat on the roof of a vehicle I would want to be asking serous questions.
Seems I got your panel Craig - or maybe they are all like this. My setup is different to yours, and I don't have the testing equipment (or knowledge on this subject) that you do. I've plugged the itechworld 300W panel into my Bluetti AC180 (which I love) and have never seen anything above 148W. Unfortunately, conversations with itechworld quickly turn to "testing methodology". I don't care what this panel is capable of producing under specific testing conditions, but I do expect its real world performance to be at least reasonably close to what is prominently advertised. Have you heard anything back from them yourself?
They were not keen to provide a 3rd blanket as I feel the results would have been the same. They also said I was testing it wrong, but they are wrong. Read my pinned post at the top of this thread. I had my testing method double checked by people with more knowledge than me. It wasn’t my intention to rubbish the blanket, I honestly hoped it would produce an acceptable number that I’d call a pass. It’s sad that they won’t answer my questions and hide behind BS marketing that the average consumer believes. Send it back for a refund !
@@craigsolaradventures Yep, thats a good post you have at the top and it encouraged me to do a bit more reading. Indeed, I am a very average consumer. I am not "testing" the product, I am the end user, and useful reviews such as yours do help out people like me. Testing the compatibility of this product with a wide variety of other equipment that is available on the market is part of R&D and should be done prior to taking a product to market; its not my job as a consumer to test it. Hence, I'm more interested in "R&D methodology" than consumer "testing methodology" which shouldn't be required at all. However, I am not rubbishing the company. I am willing to accept that every company has products that slip through every now and then, and thats ok, if its infrequent, and as long as the company is reasonable about acknowledging this and returns/refunds with their customers. I'm not trying to hijack your channel BTW, but I'll post the follow up with them here if thats ok with you? I'll be very irritated if I'm pressured to accept nonsense such as store credit or to take a restocking fee. Cheers
@@hask876 they refunded me in full including postage, that’s great customer service. But I do have to wonder if they were just not wanting to cause waves. Feel free to post up replies, hopefully others will benefit.
Delayed update, but as promised its here. ITechworld came good in the end. They maintain that the panel is functioning as advertised, but did give me a full refund. I've switched to an Ecoflow 220W panel which performs better with my setup, is a bit lighter and is more weather resistant. Credit to iTechworld world though - their panel is a lot easier to setup and it does come with a much longer cable which allows you to keep your battery in the shade easier than with the ecoflow. Cheers all! @@craigsolaradventures
based on the specs itechworld give which is next to none... like saying the max power is upto 16a is a joke.. lets just say its imp is 16a.. its voc is 22.4 and with that voltage the vmpp would be about 18v.. so with the maths and using the victron mttp calc.. you would look more towards the min voltages not the max cause I doubt you will see it hitting 24v.. so lets use the mine at 16.3v which is what people seem to be hitting considering I seen reviews saying peopel hit 250w which at 16.3v the max wattage would be 260w which is pretty poor for a 300w panel.. if a panel is good it will put out more then what it states.. to hit 250w like most people state they get.. it would be around 15.7v.. and if their controller is showing anything higher then that the controller is glitched cause the maths just doesnt add up. I got a 300w, 70.8v solar blanket and in midday using victron smart controller max ive ever got was 355w, 71v, 25 amps to battery.. Though the max it can do and I know it could do this but depends on a few factors like temps and if its a blue sky sunny day at 22c.. 393.5w, 78.7v, 28a to battery
Itech World tried to say I was testing the panel incorrectly and should have been using Open Circuit Voltage in my calculations. You work with Vmp x Imp and not OCV. If we used that method the blanket should have been rated at over 360 watt. When I pointed this out to them I failed to get a response. I did send them this video and no comment to the low output of the 2nd panel in the string, Its clear to me something is wrong. They (itech) also said quote "We are also pleased to advise that the original panel you returned, when tested, was operating to specifications" Yep I call BS on that. They are now going to refund the second panel and were not keen on giving me a 3rd to try. I'll roll that cash into a Kickass 300W as a few people would like to see how that outputs.
@@craigsolaradventures Craig, after seeing your second video and a couple of others, as well as online commentary about various blankets - I got the 250 watt Kings hard panel (based on price only - figuring if it gave half the output, I'd still be a winner given the figures here and elsewhere) It gave a max of 208 watts out of 250. It did fall backwards and landed panels up (was windy and I should have put a milkcrate under it, the legs are not terrible btw - just need an alternative object to lean on if windy), and after that got a maximum of around 180 and usually not less than 140. It may just be down to weather conditions too of course. It cost $210 delivered (served their specials because I kept looking at it). If weight isn't an issue (this is 13.5 KGs), I'd recommend that. Only drama I've had (not really a drama, more mildly annoying) is that there's no way to easily get dirt out that collates at the bottom of the frame ie hard to shake off etc. But very pleased with it. I have done videos of me testing it (as there are not really any on youtube for this particular one) but have not edited it yet. You're the second person here on UA-cam that had a panel returned that apparently was fine, so that is interesting to read and happy I saved my money. I have other iTechworld products which I am very pleased with (4 x i300s and 1 x 1300P). Unfortunately had to return the 1300P for fault finding after it started squealing/screeching at me yesterday, but (although stressful/anxiety inducing) that was a fairly straightforward process - hopefully it will come back to me good as new soon.
I would expect the panels to only produce around 2/3rds of their rated capacity in these conditions remembering it is almost the summer solstice and the conditions are a bit hazy. What this shows is that old faithful over-produces for its rating, the thunder is probably pretty much spot on it’s rating and the itechworld I really only approximately a 240w panel, at least yours is. I have to admit my experience is that most portable blanket style ones only produce at best about 3/4 of their rated power which is frustrating. There needs to be some standards in play really.
Rubbish the w per square meter when clear sky's is not that much less in Australia and air temp being low actually off sets the loses alot. My home solar system still pumps out its inverter limited 6.67kw even non on clear days just like it did in Feb/march.
@@ausguy4385 I did. It seems to perform better than it’s 80 watt rating. Not just in this test but generally in all the tests it is used in. I’m not defending the iTechworld. Just noting that the conditions were far from ideal. My home solar panels will reach their full rated power in summer on a clear day but at this time of year will only ever produce 2/3rds to 3/4 of this at this time of year. Especially if it is slightly misty.
@@ausguy4385 limited by inverter capacity meaning presumably your total solar panel capacity exceeds this. If you put a 5amp solar controller on the panels in this test, all panels would have maxed that out too but it’s hardly a test of panel output.
normal for them little panels to only put out 25w each ,the people marketing them as 250w -300w are full shit ,, a 300w panel is huge , ,ebay 300w panels only put out 120w ,the hole industry needs a shake up ,false marketing
A couple of months back, I did a test with a itech 200w, a Kings 160w, and my 200w KT solar, all blankets, and the kings 160w out performed the itech 200w the KT was clearly ahead of both. So I think that itech quality is no better than the kings.
Hi Guys,
There’s seems to be some confusion over rating of Panels. A couple of people have incorrectly determined that the OCV - open circuit voltage should be used to x the IMP - current at Maximum power. This is not correct, As the Elejoy clearly shows you use the IMP X VMP - voltage at maximum power. This gives us the 167.7w on the day. If we used the OCV x max current as per the itechworld website this panel would be (up to) 16a x 22.44v = 358.4w. These stated figures can cause confusion.
If you look further at itechworlds specs for say the 150w rated glass panel. 22.407 OCV X 8.207a IMP = 183.89w for a 150w panel. They clearly give the correct answer VMP 18.28v x imp 8.207a = 150.02w. Bingo ! A 150w rated panel. I hope that helps.
Before watching your first video I was deciding between buying the itechworld or the Ecoflow solar blanket. My brother in-law has the 200w itechworld and it's outputting about 120ish watts, which to me is pretty poor. After seeing your first video it convinced me to buy the Ecoflow 220w bifacial blanket which I have not regretted as it is outputting 185ish watts on most days with clear sky.
Yep. I’m the same. I was about to pull the trigger but now will go ecoflow or bluetti
@@australianmade2659 can recomend the ecoflow panels. I have a 110W unit and have sen 95w out of it, very very happy
Thanks I was thinking about buying this too but glad I didnt
why not buy a real 300w panel ,plenty of them on market place ,that put out true 300w ,not these rubbish rip of blankets wast of money
It is what it is Craig. The itechworld blanket is hard to recommend given the replacement they sent you is also not working well.
You would have thought they would have checked it themselves before they sent it out to you.
They are basically a re-seller. I doubt they have the know-how or the care factor.
Thanks Craig, this is really good practical testing in good conditions & would expect more than 55% efficiency from an $800 Solar blanket
Wow thanks for the review as i was just about to splash out and get 2 itechworld blankets 😢 ill wait now till i can find a 300w one that dosnt lie about the output , especially if im gonna be paying over 500+ for each.
Thanks for the reviews and keep the good work up 😊
Awesome review Craig.
Good luck with your next blanket.
I havent had much luck with my purchases.
I have the king 200w blanket that after 4 replacements each only output around 80w (4,5amps) and a Hardkorr 200w that outputs 130w (9amps).
These blanket manufacturers are really dreaming when making their product performance claims.
G’day Craig, you just don’t seem to be having much luck with the Itech blanket, being new to solar it was very interesting to see you fault find in such a simple way. I’ve watched some other reviewers who have claimed to be able get approx 220ish Watts so will be interesting to see what Itech world do with yours. Looking forward to the next Itech comparison 😉😁.
just bought a 200W one, then watched this vid. All the other vids I watched must be fan boys or 'influencers' I'm very inexperienced in 12v and solar, but I think it was a fair test. I don't have much in the way of testing gear I do have a kickass digital DC watt meter and a multimeter. When the panel arrives I will have to test it. Thanks for the review Mate.
In Geraldton WA tested the itechworld 300watt blanket no cloud clear day sun right above getting 272 watts very happy with that
The powerstation I was charging was at 88%
I was seriously considering buying one now not so much thanks for the heads up.
Thanks for the show. Looking at getting some extra solar.
Hi Craig. With mine 300w and 40amp dcdc getting on a good day up to 273-277w and up to 17amp from the system. Iam happy. Regards, Craig
Excellent review Craig.
I tested my 300W iTechworld panel after watching this video and I was getting 220W and 16.2 Amps charge.
I covered each panel and it dropped down by 44W each panel so was consistent across all the panels.
I then compared my 8 year old 150W 3 panel (eBay special) folding blanket and this gave me 75W at 5.32 Amps so still producing quite well for old tech panels.
I have a new 120a/h Kings Lithium battery in a box and it was at 95% charge with a Victron Smart Shunt to monitor input and output.
For me it is all about the amps produced to charge the battery back up as quickly as possible, I don't think I have seen any solar panel ever reach the advertised Watt ouput.
Thanks for the feedback 16.2a x 13.5v (your battery at a guess) 218.7w. So also proves the blanket I have is faulty.
This is around what I get. Is that reasonable performance though. I would have hoped it was around the 260 mark at least for a 300w panel, particularly considering how expensive it is?
@@paulmanning22 For me it is all about how many amps are getting put back into the battery and 16amps is awesome.
@@carl.colleen.rover.adventuresthat’s what I thought too as I am getting between 16-17 amps per each 300 Watt blanket and as I have 2 of them at 32 amps input to my battery box I thought that was great 😊
But since I don’t understand much about solar or 22 Volt and watching this test it makes me wonder if 16 amps output is actually good for a 300 Watt solar blanket 🤷♂️
Can someone clarify this question for me please 🙏
Thanks Craig I am going to do this test on my itechworld 280 watt blanket which has been very disappointing
Craig … great work
Well done. QC is a thing of the past, it costs money to test production output, so they let customers do it. You've shown why that is immoral. Gimme a link to the Thunder! :)
Hi, just search thunder solar on eBay, it should come up.
Thanks mate. Good review
Great test mate, I had one fail as well :( Barely used it at all and would max it's output to around 50w.
The more I see of solar blankets the less of a fan I become. I have the KT cables 300W which topped out at 220W for me, also have an Atem 300W that doesn't get over 120W. Still a better price per watt point than that Itechworld.
Good work i was just about to get one ....Not now
Hey Craig, me too, also getting over 220w and 16+ amps consistently using Victron gear as well…. Maybe 3rd time lucky lol
ITech didn't want to come to the party with another replacement, I'm waiting on a refund.
The kickass blanket should adopt the itechworld stands, i was going to buy the 100w version of itechworld blanket but won't be doing that now.
Did you get the Itech World problem resolved? Would love to know
Just a note, and definitely not an explanation.....but those two "hard" panels are usually better than the "blankets"
Wow that sucks 🙄
I purchased 2 of these and I now not happy at all, seeing your test results.
Question please
How many amp hours should these 300 watt blankets produce ( in ideal sun or conditions) If the panels would in fact have close to their stated 300 Watt rated output?????
I’m not technically or electrically minded but really would like to know the answer to this.
Cheers and thank you for sharing the test.
ive got a chineesium 350w panel ( the blue canvas folding one ,e bay ) , only puts out 200w max , but it only cost $220. so 2 would get 400w at $440 , how much is the itech? $800 on special+ delivery ,,, ( normaly $1,000.)
Hi Craig , we loved your simplistic review and how old faithful brings the reality. So what would you suggest for a 300or 200 watt blanket. Thanks matt
Hi Matt, I'd stay away from Blankets and go Glass. I'll be putting the Kick Ass 300W through its paces over the next few weeks while on the road. @ $750 its not cheap but so far looks promising.
Nice
Hey, do you happen to have a link to the Thunder? I am on the market for a portable panel and after seeing a few of your tests, it seems pretty consistent!
Where are you fred? I bought one 12 months ago and only used it once and don't seem to have the need for it if your interested. I'm in the Hunter Valley
Mate, I nearly put an order in for the iTech world 300watt, for the price and the hype, you’d expect something better than cheap Kings, very misleading. Thanks for showing an informative unbiased demo. Most demo you see are affiliates so they talk the talk, but as you pointed out don’t walk the walk….Thunder he we come, thanks for saving me heaps of my hard earned. ITech world have a look at yourselves….all your products are way overpriced, and clearly under perform even after You replaced it…(next time test and send out the best in your warehouse) now I have real doubts about your other stuff, who does your QA…Wun Hung Low😉
Happy to help. I truly went in hoping the itech would produce 250-270w and would have called that a “pass” and moved on.
Well, that is very disappointing and I dare say ItechWorld would be scrambling to get the issue fixed if they care about their name’s reputation. It would put a question mark over all their products.
I need a 300W blanket and am stuck now, not knowing what to buy. What do you think of KickAss?
I cannot comment on the kickass as I have not seen or tested them , @ $750 for the 300w Kickass foldout I can’t justify spending the money. I’ve emailed itech and sent them a link to the video, still waiting on a reply. Also I tested the blanket again yesterday under better sun conditions, as expected the output was slightly higher 15w but the panel did exactly the same thing when covering the individual panels. Definitely an issue.
Good honest review Craig. Only issue I can see now is they will definitely check the next one first before they send it your way, possibly discarding a couple before finding the "right" one to send. Unless, as you said, that's just how they come. Which will put them in a little pickle..
I have the Kickass 300w and get about 16A out them on a clear day.
No all their products. I have the DCDC charger and it’s performing as expected. I’ve never had much luck with solar personally
So the itech 300w doesn’t produce the wattage as advertised. Your not the only one that shows the same stats of 167-168w
Itechworld is just good marketing. They just pay influences to pump up there gear and everyone buys into the hype. The stuff is the same as or similar to ebay gear.
My itec 300w blanket is only outputting 125w. If you have had two blankets fail, my blanket fail, there appears to be a real problem, with them.
Thats frustrating - remember its a winter sun too unless your at Equator testing. Optimise panels using 2 apps - Suncalc and an inclinometer on phone.
Test the Exotech glass 200w only 11kg and tbey pickup reflected light from behind too.
Yeah you’re just measuring the girly boy watts. You need to test the Arnie “Get to the Chopper” Watts. 😉😜😂
I note the iTech comes with a PWM controller but you are putting it through a MPPT- could this be making a difference?
Generally speaking the MPPT will out perform a PWM by 20% plus.
Leaves me very unhappy as I have just bought an Itech 300 in the last few weeks.
What results did you get ?
@@craigsolaradventures have yet to put a multimeter to it but seems to make no appreciable difference to battery charge even over a 4 hour period of full sun. Mind you it is winter here in Victoria lol
I consistently get 220+ out of mine, again just this last couple weeks in finders ranges it outperformed my roof mounted flexi 300w’s. How charged were your batteries? Maybe they were already close to full?
Lithium battery in bulk charging mode. I ensured enough energy had been removed from the battery to keep it in bulk. Did you not see me cover the individual panels clearly showing a fault in one of them ? That would have lifted the output by 20w or so. I then tested the next day in near perfect conditions and it picked up approx 15w. It’s still a long way from 300w at less then 200w.
I’d add if a 300w panel placed on the ground at 20-35deg at the sun didn’t out preform a fixed 300w Flexi panel flat on the roof of a vehicle I would want to be asking serous questions.
you would be wild if you paid $800 for that
Seems I got your panel Craig - or maybe they are all like this. My setup is different to yours, and I don't have the testing equipment (or knowledge on this subject) that you do. I've plugged the itechworld 300W panel into my Bluetti AC180 (which I love) and have never seen anything above 148W. Unfortunately, conversations with itechworld quickly turn to "testing methodology". I don't care what this panel is capable of producing under specific testing conditions, but I do expect its real world performance to be at least reasonably close to what is prominently advertised. Have you heard anything back from them yourself?
They were not keen to provide a 3rd blanket as I feel the results would have been the same. They also said I was testing it wrong, but they are wrong. Read my pinned post at the top of this thread. I had my testing method double checked by people with more knowledge than me. It wasn’t my intention to rubbish the blanket, I honestly hoped it would produce an acceptable number that I’d call a pass. It’s sad that they won’t answer my questions and hide behind BS marketing that the average consumer believes. Send it back for a refund !
@@craigsolaradventures Yep, thats a good post you have at the top and it encouraged me to do a bit more reading. Indeed, I am a very average consumer. I am not "testing" the product, I am the end user, and useful reviews such as yours do help out people like me. Testing the compatibility of this product with a wide variety of other equipment that is available on the market is part of R&D and should be done prior to taking a product to market; its not my job as a consumer to test it. Hence, I'm more interested in "R&D methodology" than consumer "testing methodology" which shouldn't be required at all.
However, I am not rubbishing the company. I am willing to accept that every company has products that slip through every now and then, and thats ok, if its infrequent, and as long as the company is reasonable about acknowledging this and returns/refunds with their customers. I'm not trying to hijack your channel BTW, but I'll post the follow up with them here if thats ok with you? I'll be very irritated if I'm pressured to accept nonsense such as store credit or to take a restocking fee.
Cheers
@@hask876 they refunded me in full including postage, that’s great customer service. But I do have to wonder if they were just not wanting to cause waves. Feel free to post up replies, hopefully others will benefit.
Delayed update, but as promised its here. ITechworld came good in the end. They maintain that the panel is functioning as advertised, but did give me a full refund. I've switched to an Ecoflow 220W panel which performs better with my setup, is a bit lighter and is more weather resistant. Credit to iTechworld world though - their panel is a lot easier to setup and it does come with a much longer cable which allows you to keep your battery in the shade easier than with the ecoflow. Cheers all! @@craigsolaradventures
based on the specs itechworld give which is next to none... like saying the max power is upto 16a is a joke.. lets just say its imp is 16a.. its voc is 22.4 and with that voltage the vmpp would be about 18v.. so with the maths and using the victron mttp calc.. you would look more towards the min voltages not the max cause I doubt you will see it hitting 24v.. so lets use the mine at 16.3v which is what people seem to be hitting considering I seen reviews saying peopel hit 250w which at 16.3v the max wattage would be 260w which is pretty poor for a 300w panel.. if a panel is good it will put out more then what it states.. to hit 250w like most people state they get.. it would be around 15.7v.. and if their controller is showing anything higher then that the controller is glitched cause the maths just doesnt add up. I got a 300w, 70.8v solar blanket and in midday using victron smart controller max ive ever got was 355w, 71v, 25 amps to battery.. Though the max it can do and I know it could do this but depends on a few factors like temps and if its a blue sky sunny day at 22c.. 393.5w, 78.7v, 28a to battery
Any update on the resolution?
Itech World tried to say I was testing the panel incorrectly and should have been using Open Circuit Voltage in my calculations. You work with Vmp x Imp and not OCV. If we used that method the blanket should have been rated at over 360 watt. When I pointed this out to them I failed to get a response. I did send them this video and no comment to the low output of the 2nd panel in the string, Its clear to me something is wrong. They (itech) also said quote "We are also pleased to advise that the original panel you returned, when tested, was operating to specifications" Yep I call BS on that.
They are now going to refund the second panel and were not keen on giving me a 3rd to try. I'll roll that cash into a Kickass 300W as a few people would like to see how that outputs.
@@craigsolaradventures Craig, after seeing your second video and a couple of others, as well as online commentary about various blankets - I got the 250 watt Kings hard panel (based on price only - figuring if it gave half the output, I'd still be a winner given the figures here and elsewhere) It gave a max of 208 watts out of 250. It did fall backwards and landed panels up (was windy and I should have put a milkcrate under it, the legs are not terrible btw - just need an alternative object to lean on if windy), and after that got a maximum of around 180 and usually not less than 140. It may just be down to weather conditions too of course. It cost $210 delivered (served their specials because I kept looking at it). If weight isn't an issue (this is 13.5 KGs), I'd recommend that. Only drama I've had (not really a drama, more mildly annoying) is that there's no way to easily get dirt out that collates at the bottom of the frame ie hard to shake off etc. But very pleased with it. I have done videos of me testing it (as there are not really any on youtube for this particular one) but have not edited it yet. You're the second person here on UA-cam that had a panel returned that apparently was fine, so that is interesting to read and happy I saved my money. I have other iTechworld products which I am very pleased with (4 x i300s and 1 x 1300P). Unfortunately had to return the 1300P for fault finding after it started squealing/screeching at me yesterday, but (although stressful/anxiety inducing) that was a fairly straightforward process - hopefully it will come back to me good as new soon.
I worked out a while ago now that this brand is not for me ever.
Just like the battery stat's... all BS
Looks like i dodged a bullet, was going to but a 300w not now
I would expect the panels to only produce around 2/3rds of their rated capacity in these conditions remembering it is almost the summer solstice and the conditions are a bit hazy. What this shows is that old faithful over-produces for its rating, the thunder is probably pretty much spot on it’s rating and the itechworld I really only approximately a 240w panel, at least yours is. I have to admit my experience is that most portable blanket style ones only produce at best about 3/4 of their rated power which is frustrating. There needs to be some standards in play really.
Rubbish the w per square meter when clear sky's is not that much less in Australia and air temp being low actually off sets the loses alot.
My home solar system still pumps out its inverter limited 6.67kw even non on clear days just like it did in Feb/march.
Explain how the first panel doesn't loose the same %?
@@ausguy4385 I did. It seems to perform better than it’s 80 watt rating. Not just in this test but generally in all the tests it is used in. I’m not defending the iTechworld. Just noting that the conditions were far from ideal. My home solar panels will reach their full rated power in summer on a clear day but at this time of year will only ever produce 2/3rds to 3/4 of this at this time of year. Especially if it is slightly misty.
@@ausguy4385 limited by inverter capacity meaning presumably your total solar panel capacity exceeds this. If you put a 5amp solar controller on the panels in this test, all panels would have maxed that out too but it’s hardly a test of panel output.
I wonder why people still buy their gear
normal for them little panels to only put out 25w each ,the people marketing them as 250w -300w are full shit ,, a 300w panel is huge , ,ebay 300w panels only put out 120w ,the hole industry needs a shake up ,false marketing
Just goes to show that its just overpriced junk, like most 12v gear on the aussie market.
A couple of months back, I did a test with a itech 200w, a Kings 160w, and my 200w KT solar, all blankets, and the kings 160w out performed the itech 200w the KT was clearly ahead of both. So I think that itech quality is no better than the kings.
have to agree...even kings is better quailty the itechworld at a much cheaper price.