I have a ton of rigid panels and few flexibles, even a couple folding panels in the lower wattage range. This was my first larger folding panel purchase and I was feeling discouraged while shopping reading so many reviews of dismal output from many top brands.

I’ve had this panel for a whopping 4 hours and just got it set up outside for a test. The sun isn’t perfectly overhead so these numbers may increase slightly, but I don’t plan to angle it or anything – flat is better than anything I could rig up given the position of the sun right now.

Immediately showed 74-75w being produced when connected to a Victron MPPT (see attached image). I expected this number to fall as the panel heated up – it’s 95* outside and it’s laying on hot plywood with no airflow beneath the panels, or from anywhere – perfectly still wind-free day.

So, 30 minutes later it’s producing 72w. The 2x100w series’d rigid panels on my truck are producing 143w right now and actually have good air flow. So I’d say the output of this panel is a lot better than what I’ve read of Dokios and similar, producing 60w from a “200w” folding panel.

It’s heavy but that’s okay, it rolls up tight and compact and feels more durable than my smaller folding panels. The smaller ones I have can be flexed but these feel like unfolding a book of floor tile, so that’s where the weight is coming from. No other comments on durability though, too soon to tell. Just feels like it’ll last. Unfolding it is straight forward, you just flip the 6 tiles open and then unfold the other 6 from on top of it. I liked that because I could unfold without having the panel producing any voltage until I flipped the last fold over – one side covers the other until this point. People who are familiar with throwing blankets over producing solar panels to halt current will understand and appreciate this.

The flap that hangs off the side where the output box (or whatever you want to call it) is ok, I previously thought it was stupid when shopping. Part of the flap has the output box and the other part is what wraps over the panels and velcros them shut when folded up. I don’t think you could use this panel hanging horizontally (landscape mode!) without that flap catching the wind and being obnoxious, and causing stress on the wires inside that lead to the flap. But would be easy to hang vertically with the flap hanging down.

If you review this item, try to observe the panel voltage and charge current going in to your battery. That’s useful info in a world of subpar folding panels that barely hit half their rated output.

Oh yeah, wires. Let’s talk wires. They’re terribly thin on all the accessories. I’m using a 10 amp 2.1×5.5mm jack as my solar inlet to my charge controller so I was able to use the included 2.1×5.5 extension cable. The MC4 adapter and alligator clip adapter are both like 22 gauge. It’s very possible the 2.1×5.5mm extension cable is also high gauge. I ordered a 16 gauge heavy duty 10ft 2.1×5.5 extension (but I’m realizing now I should have gotten a male to male – it hasn’t arrived yet). In any event, using as large of wire as possible from the panel’s output box to your charge controller is always recommended to curb voltage drop.

If you really want to give the panel the best shot at producing, get a 2.1×5.5mm male jack with screw terminals (they come in packs of 10) from Amazon and shove as large a wire as possible as you can in to them (12 gauge in my experience) and keep the wire as short as you can to reach where it needs to go. This will allow more voltage to flow through the wire at greater lengths and in high temps.

Ending review, this took me a while to type and its been at least another 30 minutes since I said it was producing 72w. It’s giving me 70w right now – barring a handful of days here in Colorado this is as hot as it’s going to get.

UPDATE after first trip: Took this to the mountains and laid it in the grass to charge up my LiFePO4 camper battery. Had to use their included 2.1×5.5mm extension cable again as the heavy duty one I ordered hadn’t arrived before I left town. This was going in to a Victron 75/15 MPPT charge controller. 72*F ambient temps and mostly clear skies. Didn’t bother angling it, and the grass wasn’t letting it lay perfectly flat either so it was a very slight bowl shape. Was watching the charge controller over bluetooth and about an hour in to charging I hit 80w for a while… covered in bugs (adding new pic). Would recommend.