Review of Sunforce 50033 15-Watt Solar Charging Kit

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $149.99
Sale Price: $94.99
Today's Bonus: 37% Off

I am extremely pleased with the performance of this solar panel. We have one installed in a small cabin style 12-volt system intended only to charge personal electronics at a remote location. Just add a deep cycle battery and a DC to AC 120 power inverter, such as the Cobra CPI 480 400-Watt 12-Volt DC to 120-Volt AC Power Inverter with 5-Volt USB Output. It is great!

One WARNING for those new to such systems like we were. The charge controller that comes with this kit is just fine, but it is only for *MAINTAINING* a 12 volt battery. If that is your purpose, buy *this* kit.

But, if you want to add an inverter so that you can have AC, USB (and we even added a 12 volt car socket which is the most efficient), then buy the same panel *without* the charge controller and wiring kit. What you need is a charge controller like the Kintrex SPC0601 7 Amp 100 Watt 12 Volt Solar Power Charge Controller, and various connectors of course. The Sunforce controller only has connections for the solar panel and the battery. The Kintrex adds a load connector for power output which isolates the charge controller and gives you usable power output to your inverter. If you try to parallel the battery connection to your devices like I naively did, you risk overcharging your battery. (I vented a little hydrogen and oxygen, but did not do it long enough to ruin my battery.)

I will definitely be buying more of these panels for other projects. Once you understand the fairly simple wiring you can easily create a great low power system for a cabin. (Next, we will build a 60 or 90 watt system...)

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

HiI bought this set-up to keep my Motorhome charged when not using it. It is only 15 watts so can barely keep the battery up to charge if I am actually using any lights or other stuff but it will keep up with the draw of the refridgerator and minimal stuff. My only beef is the controller wires could have all been pre-terminated with connectors rather than having me do that. This was bought as a kit so it would have been nice if there was a connector on the input side of the controller that mated witht he connector on teh solar panel and a different style connector on the output that would be compatible with the cigarette-lighter adapter, etc. In other wordsall set up to just plug in and go.

Once I soldered and shrinkwrapped the new connectors on I'm pretty happy with it. Not everyone has the ability to properly terminate the wires.

Thanks

Best Deals for Sunforce 50033 15-Watt Solar Charging Kit

I purchased this combo for off grid minimal lighting needs with high hopes. Package arrived dented, but contents appeared OK. Open circuit voltage on solar panel OK at 22v. However, max power output on sunny day was 1.6w (130mA@ 12.3v). This was on a day that my conventional 2.7kW system was producing 1.8kW. My plan is to return and try again, but purchasers should definitely check output.

Honest reviews on Sunforce 50033 15-Watt Solar Charging Kit

This product has worked out well for me.

As I haven't isolated my truck battery its charging both truck and camper.

The vehicle has been unpluged from my 115V house access all summer.

I will say that it is a slow charge.

Update;

I have a 2nd unit installed in a Vanagon camper.

Works great and keeps all my batteries charged up.

You can see this installed at;

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Sunforce 50033 15-Watt Solar Charging Kit

I was originally pleased with this purchase until, after about four months of use, the panel simply stopped working. There was no apparent damage and I carefully checked every connection for continuity. When I contacted customer service they replied by asking about the settings on my multimeter. I explained the situation to them but received no further response. I know how difficult it can be to troubleshoot a technical problem over the phone or by email but they didn't even try. It seemed like a good product at first but now it only functions as an overpriced door stop.