Not only am I a people pleaser, but I’m also a company pleaser. When companies send me products to review, I don’t want to hurt their feelings if the product is not great. All I can do is put the facts out there and let readers and viewers decide if this is the right product for them.
That’s not to say the 100w flexible solar panel I received from MHPOWOS was terrible or even bad — it wasn’t. It was fine. It costs a little less than my AllPowers flexible solar panels did, and didn’t perform quite as good as they do. If saving money is higher on your priority list than performance — and hey, if it is, that’s okay, I get it — then this panel is worth taking a look at.
If you’re not up to speed… solar panels used to be big, heavy panels mounted to metal frames. They still make those of course, but now we have small, foldable panels for camping and flexible panels. Flexible panels are a fraction of an inch thick and can be mounted almost anywhere, including the roof of a van, RV, motorhome, camper, or even a boat. Flexible solar panels come in a couple of pretty standard sizes. The one I tested from MHPOWOS was 24 inches wide and 40 inches long.
Because they’re flexible, these types of panels are very simple to mount. This panel has six eyelets and came with six Velctro straps which you could use to attach the panel to a traditional roof rack. The panel weighs about 6 1/2 pounds; I looked it up and a large supreme pizza weighs between 4 and 5 pounds.
In fact the panel is so light that I was able to mount it to the side of my van using a bunch of inexpensive magnetic hooks I had laying around. I have often wondered why more people don’t do this, and if you keep reading you’ll discover why.
The panel comes with two MC4 cables attached. The good news is, this is the industry standard and every solar accessory or cable that works with any other panel will work with this one. The bad news is, while some solar charging units have MC4 inputs, most power stations do not. One of my power stations uses an XT60 port for solar charing; the other uses a barrel-style port, similar to Jackery’s. Chances are, if you purchase this panel you’ll also be purchasing additional cables to connect it to whatever you’re connecting it to. Not for nothing, but the MC4 cables on this panel are only about two feet long, so unless your charge controller or battery is two feet from wherever you’re putting this panel, you’ll likely need MC4 extention cables, too. Again, this is just kind of the standard, but something to know when ordering a panel like this one.
I don’t think there’s a solar panel out there that produces as many watts as the box claims unless you manage to mount one directly on the sun. Additionally, the amount of power a solar panel brings in at any given time depends on multiple variables including the height and angle of the sun, the angle of the panel, the presence of shadows, and other atmospheric conditions out of our control. Solar power is not like the consistent voltage you get from a wall outlet or a USB port. A 100w solar panel on the best of days might get you 90 watts in, on the worst of days get nothing at all, and on most days pull in something in between those two extremes.
For my first test, I mounted the panel vertically on the outside of my van’s sliding door using those magnetic hooks. With wires stretched around to my battery, I ran around to find I was bringing in a whopping 5 watts. The sun was almost directly overhead and maybe the cables were casting a shadow on the panel. I don’t know what the problem was.
For my second test, I laid the panel flat on top of my van, directly on top of my other solar panels. Mounting these panels completely horizontal probably doesn’t allow for maximum performance, but it’s what we all do. In this test, the panel brought in 50 watts. At the exact same time under the exact same conditions, my 200 watt panel was bringing in 140 watts. Divide that by two, and that would be 70 watts.
A 100w flexible solar panel from SllPowers costs $129. This panel from MHPOWOS is currently $99 with a 10% off sale, bringing it to $89.99. Choosing between spending $90 on a panel that performs okay and $130 for one that performs better is up to you.
Installing a MaxxAir fan on the roof of my van left me with enough space for two large flexible solar panels. For me, I wanted the maximum amount of solar possible and so I went with two 200w panels. I’m charging a 2,000Wh battery, running a refrigerator 24/7, and almost always have either a phone, tablet, or laptop charging… while my TV is on. If your power needs aren’t quite that extreme, a 100w panel might work for you. If you have a small 100Wh power station, a 100w panel can charge it up in less than two hours. If you have a 1,000Wh power station, it would take a 100w panel days to charge it.
I don’t dislike the MHPOWOS 100w flexible solar panel. I think it’s a good, budget solution for people either just getting into solar or someone who doesn’t need to charge as many things as I do. If you had a backyard shed you could connect this to a battery and charge your phone and run USB security cameras for free.
