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Are you considering making the switch to solar power for your RV? Many looking to save a few bucks on their upgrades choose Go Power products. However, based on some of the reviews we’re seeing, you might think twice about choosing them.
Let’s get started so you can see why!
Who is Go Power?
Go Power offers a variety of solar chargers, inverters, controllers, and power accessories. They joined Dometic’s family of products and have become a standard product in many new RVs produced by Jayco, Forest River, and Tiffin.
They create easy-to-install solar components for RVers, boaters, and anyone looking to do remote camping. Some fleet operators are installing Go Power products on their vehicles to power liftgates, test equipment, tools, and other electronics. With Go Power products, they no longer have to carry heavy generators or idle their vehicles.
Where Is Go Power Made?
Go Power is a Canadian company with plants in British Columbia for their most popular products. However, they have factories all over the globe that produce their products to keep up with the intense demand. They’re one of the leading solar and mobile power solutions in North America since 1996.
Who Owns Go Power?
Since 2017, Go Power has gone through a few different acquisitions. Valterra Products initially bought them, but as of April 22, 2021, the Canadian-based company was purchased by Dometic. The purchase gave Dometic control of both Valterra Products and Go Power.
About Dometic
Dometic is a Swedish company that offers a variety of service and aftermarket products for RVs and other forms of mobile living. You can find products that help with climate control, food refrigeration, and hygiene and sanitation. If there’s a product that makes mobile living easier, there’s a good chance Dometic makes it.
Pro Tip: We compared solar panels in series versus parallel to determine which is better — see what we found out.
Go Power Cons, From Reviewers
Go Power has an extensive offering of products. However, not all of their customers are happy campers. Here are a handful of the reviews we’ve found to support our claims that you might think twice before choosing Go Power for your solar products.
Lenn, who purchased a Complete Solar and Inverter System from Go Power on Amazon, said, “Initially loved the product, all in one design, easy to operate. But now, merely two months later, already having problems. The inverter/converter was faulty, allegedly due to software. I sent an email with proof of purchase as requested by the GoPower representative. A week later, no response from the company. In the meantime, my RV is not usable.”
“…my RV is not usable.”
– Lenn
Marsha left a review for the Solar and Inverter System 570-watt on Amazon, stating, “Customer service is a joke. Everything came out of the box brand new, but two parts never worked, the charge controller & the battery charger. When we repeatedly called customer support of GoPower, all we got was “let’s try to troubleshoot” and then ” go see one of our representatives in your area” who didn’t help.“
“Customer service is a joke.”
– Marsha
Kurt reviewed the 3000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter and said, “It’s kinda useless to have the extra features like power share but only have them work on one of the hot wire lines and not both.”
Liana reviewed the 570-Watt Solar and Inverter System and left her review short and sweet by saying, “Brand new came on RV unit and has never worked.“
Janene bought the Portable Folding Solar Kit said, “It worked awesome the first time, and when we got it out to use it again, the digital display would not work.”
Our Preferred Companies
There are several major solar and power manufacturers and distributors, and we have a few preferred companies we like to purchase from. Our favorite companies make high-quality products and stand behind their products with excellent customer support.
We highly recommend these companies because they’ve been reliable during our travels.
Victron
Victron is one of the most popular names for RV solar components. They offer practically everything you need for your RV’s solar setup. You can find solar chargers, inverters, solar panels, and all the accessories to allow them to work together.
Victron products sync together, meaning we can access all of our information on our cell phones. We can keep an eye on the status of our batteries while we’re away from the RV and make remote adjustments to our system. Our two Victron 3000W Inverter Chargers and SmartSolar Charge Controllers have held up great.
Battle Born Batteries
Battle Born Batteries offers a full line of lithium-ion batteries. Whether you simply want a drop-in replacement for your current battery or want a reliable off-grid system for some serious boondocking, they have you covered. We've used and abused our Battle Born Batteries for years and can confidently say lead is dead.
You can have a roof of solar panels and the best solar components on the market, but your batteries are the heart of your system. Without a high-quality battery bank, you’re likely not going to get the most out of your system.
Battle Born Batteries are lithium batteries that can drastically improve your off-grid experience. They deliver the biggest bang for your buck and have one of the most extended lifespans of any battery on the market.
Not only do their batteries weigh half as much as most of the competition, but they also deliver twice the amount of power. We feel unstoppable with our six 100Ah Battle Born Batteries and our Victron products. In 2020, we boondocked over 100 days straight with no issues!
Pro Tip: Here’s how to determine which battery type is right for your RVing style.
Continuous Resources
We installed 2000W of solar on our RV. When researching which brand and distributor was best, we opted for Continuous Resources. We purchased ten 200W Hightec Solar Panels and tilting mounts for five panels. This company has been easy to work with, was always responsive with questions, and kept us in the loop when it came to our order.
Is Go Power a Good Brand?
When you’re investing in an upgrade, you want it to work when you need to use it. While you can find positive reviews for Go Power, the inconsistencies in customer service and standing behind their product concerns us.
If you’re looking for a company with a reputation for excellent customer service, go with Battle Born Batteries, Victron, and Continuous Resources. You can even purchase Victron equipment through Battle Born Batteries. This can help ensure you’re buying the right equipment, and you can get an entire electric system in one place, directly from the manufacturer.
I agree with most, but would probably save money and go with SOK batteries. Battleborn does have a good reputation but so do SOK at almost half the price. Battleborn born are assembled in the US but the components are made in China like SOK.
But definitely a Victron Multi-plus II.
Now solar panels that’s questionable. Continuous Resources is a good company.
Never pictured you two as full time boondocking when you started out but glad it’s all working out.
Keep the great somewhat biased content coming. Everyone is entitled to their opinions.
Bought a Go Power foldable solar panel. When I got it, I immediately noticed one of the wires wasn’t connected to the connector on one of the plug ins. It had never been crimped or soldered. I call their number and they said to send them pictures. I sent several from different angles. The emailed me saying they would mail me one as soon as they could get a mailing label printed. That was in early 2020. Evidently they still haven’t gotten the label printed. I called them several times and always got an answering machine, left messages but was never called back. Sent emails but they went unanswered. Finally in 2021 I jury rigged it and another connector I found with the wires in it but loose, had never been crimped or soldered either. Will never buy another Go Power Product or recommend to anyone.
Victron buyers are not all happy campers as well. Some of their products have poor ratings. If you read all of the reviews, there are no perfect inverters. Xantrex and Magnum are old reliable no frill industrial units that have the highest ratings going back 10 or more years. Some are still working as new. Go Power inverters seem to have a good reputation. My only thing is the price, since Dometic bought them out. All Dometic products seem to work well but again, for the price…..