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Solar generators are portable power stations that combine batteries with solar panels to provide electricity even in remote areas. Some also allow you to charge your battery via a power outlet or even a wind turbine. Solar generators are an emerging and ever-improving technology.
However, not all solar generators are meant for the same purposes. If you're looking for something to take on a camping trip, it's going to be different from a solar generator designed to power a whole house. You need to know how you're going to use your solar generator before you buy one.
Saturday, February 8th
EcoFlow is one of the most highly-rated solar generator companies in the industry. It's so popular that it has spawned a very robust and active customer fan base, with loyal customers who keep coming back to choose EcoFlow for their solar generator needs. Reliability and expandability are its standout features. Delivering power within 10 milliseconds of a power outage sets it apart from most solar generators on the market. EcoFlow is our top-rated choice in the industry, earning a perfect 5 stars.
While most Chinese solar generator companies struggle to provide efficient and supportive customer service, reviews consistently highlight Grecell's quick response times. In fact, the majority of customers who've purchased a Grecell rate the experience as a positive one, stating that the Grecell solar generators are reliable, and although they don't have a sleek, modern design, they are very efficient and offer all the outlets on the front of the unit. Some models can even be used as an uninterrupted power supply (UPS). They are priced a little higher than expected for a somewhat outdated design, but they consistently offer sales that will more than make up for that slightly higher price point.
Dabbsson solar generators are versatile, compact, and modern in design. They work as advertised and offer lots of discounts and even a loyalty rewards program. Their solar generators seamlessly integrate with their user-friendly app, providing an expandable system with a variety of output and input options. Customers are mostly happy with the products Dabbsson offers, but not with the company's customer service. Their return policy is somewhat more lenient than other solar generator companies, although customers find it takes a long time to get resolution to problems. All of this earns Dabbsson a strong but not quite-perfect rating.
When it comes to solar generators, Allpowers offers some of the least expensive models on the market - and that includes free shipping. There are so many positive YouTube reviews about the out-of-the-box performance and the innovative solar panels. That, coupled with discounts and sales, makes it seem like an incredibly great deal. However, many of those reviews have been given the generator for free to review it, and digging a little deeper, it is apparent that while the majority of Allpowers solar generators work great at first, there may be problems down the line. For this reason, we give Allpowers a slightly better than average rating.
Jackery is probably one of the few solar generator brands that most people in America have heard of. Jackery's success was inevitable due to its effective marketing strategies, including affiliate commissions and influencer clubs, coupled with a visually appealing and impressive product from the outset. After selling millions of units over the course of a few years, most customers still recommend them to people who are just starting out with solar generators. That being said, we have noticed a slight decline in customer service feedback as well as an increase in the number of people trying to get their units serviced or replaced. Still, we think Jackery is a "good enough” pick when looking to purchase a solar generator.
Vigorpool has a good-looking solar generator with some great features - reasonable prices, a high-tech app to run your generator and keep tabs on it, and lots of ports and charging options - but there are some caveats. There isn't a lot of information available about the company - when it was founded or who is in charge, what their mission is, and what the company values are. Warranty information is vague as well. It's a nice design, but Vigorpool's solar generators are somewhat a risky endeavor considering the short warranty and some customer service issues.
Nature's Generator provides one of the only solar generators that can include wind power as a charging option. They are beautiful-looking and can expand "infinitely”. Unfortunately, the website isn't very forthcoming, and there is not a lot of information about the company online. Hobbyists and solar generator DIYers have begun reporting that Nature's Generators stop working within two years, which is disheartening considering the high price tag. Given that people have reported difficulties with returns and warranties, and the warranty is so short, we have to knock this brand down to a lower ranking here. If you are set on purchasing a Nature's Generator, we recommend trying out one of the least expensive models before committing to expanding to a larger system.
Bluetti appeared online in 2009 as an innovative, competitively priced provider of quality solar generators, accessories, solar panels, and other solar solutions. Offering incentives for those who will promote their products -sometimes even giving a free solar generator to someone to review it - Bluetti is an influencer favorite. Unfortunately, their customer service has been almost universally criticized, with some customers even saying that they got no response at all when trying to deal with solar generators that arrived completely defective. Some customers got no response when their orders of thousands of dollars didn't arrive at all. Our verdict? Avoid Bluetti and choose a better solar generator brand from our list.
Rocksolar is one of the few solar generators that offer not only solar and outlet charging for their generators but wind as well. Unfortunately, Rocksolar offers almost no information about their company or the people who run it. There is no real indication as to where the company is actually headquartered, as they profess to be based in the United States. However, on further research, the company is actually based in China. They also used aggressive legal tactics to take a small business' domain name, but the court rejected their case. We recommend you look elsewhere for a solar generator solution.
Nurzviy solar generators are similar to many other solar generator companies, with comparable warranty and return policies, price points, options, and design; this brand doesn't stand out. In fact, the lack of information on the website and the vague warranty language, along with the amount of unreliable reviews, are the only things that really make an impression. We can't recommend Nurzviy solar generators.
The majority of solar generator companies are Chinese-based, most likely because China began research and development on solar generators in the late 1990s, a little ahead of the US market. Knowing where the company is truly headquartered does make a difference in the customer experience. When problems arise, customers can end up surprised by steep international shipping charges for repairs or experience a slow customer service response because of vast time differences. Don't assume that a solar generator company is close to you based on the fact that a shipping facility is near you. Often repairs need to be shipped back to the headquarters of the company.
New technology companies may only have an estimate of how the product will perform over time, so they use customers to test the technology in real life. Many DIY enthusiasts know this and don't mind the risks, as they use know-how and experience to repair or replace parts. If you don't want to spend a lot of money knowing you will be in for some repairs or faulty products, go with a company that has a product that's been tested through years of regular use.
It can be overwhelming trying to narrow down the solar generator that is the perfect fit. You can consider the following criteria to help you to find the best solar generator for your needs:
To help you find the best solar generator for you, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked the most popular companies on the market. Use our research to choose the solar generator that will power the devices you need, at a price you can afford, and with the longevity you expect from your investment!
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