Feedback on this solar kit?

Not wanting to argue, but wouldn't the HF provide enough energy to keep a deep cycle battery topped off when it was only used to power a few occasional lights and maybe a small inverter for a couple of hours a week? Isn't 45 watts equal to at least a 2 amp charger? I have no interest in a whole house system.

This 45W comes up on this forum every few weeks, and the answer is always the same - it is not a charger, it is a "maintainer". It generates just enough power to keep your batteries from slowly self-discharging in storage. Alright, may be to run one light bulb or a small radio for an hour. Nothing else. If you want a solar energy for daily needs, solar home people would tell you "go big or go home". Same is true for RVs - if you want to live off the solar (or most of the time) - you need a lot more wattage.

I can't believe they ever sell one. And if they do, I'm in the wrong business......again ! Well not really, hard to beat not working !

Very good info so far, thank you.

I am already leaning towards not buying it now that I see I can get even more wattage in a single panel for about the same money instead of dealing with 3 smaller ones.

I agree, I don't think it has a charge controller. I don't think you need one in this case. The general rule of thumb is that if your charger's max output is less than 1% of your battery capacity you can get buy without. These 3 panels should put out less than 1 amp each, 3 amps total. That's less than 1% of your 375 AH battery bank.

What do I think of it? It's cheap stuff. I wouldn't want to deal with 3 little 15 watt panels. I would want just one 50 watt or larger panel. Amorphous panels are more tolerant of shading than crystalline panels but also less efficient. If space is a concern I bet you could find a 75 or even 90 watt panel that was physically the same size as the 3 15's put together. A quick internet search for a 90 watt panel shows you can get one for between $145 and $195 from various companies. I would think that would be a much better deal.

I agree, I don't think it has a charge controller. I don't think you need one in this case. The general rule of thumb is that if your charger's max output is less than 1% of your battery capacity you can get buy without. These 3 panels should put out less than 1 amp each, 3 amps total. That's less than 1% of your 375 AH battery bank.

What do I think of it? It's cheap stuff. I wouldn't want to deal with 3 little 15 watt panels. I would want just one 50 watt or larger panel. Amorphous panels are more tolerant of shading than crystalline panels but also less efficient. If space is a concern I bet you could find a 75 or even 90 watt panel that was physically the same size as the 3 15's put together. A quick internet search for a 90 watt panel shows you can get one for between $145 and $195 from various companies. I would think that would be a much better deal.

You can get 100w panel for $125 and a $20 controller.
That kit has a lot of do-dads that you do not need or want.
100w $125

As long as you don't expect much out of it, it is a good entry level product. Think of it as an educational tool. It will help you understand how solar chargers work under different conditions plus it will help you confirm the saying "You get what you pay for".