Which Goal Zero Solar Panel Should You Buy? We test 232 Watts of Panels To Find Out!!!

[@gearsNtools]

Testing 232 Watts of panels to help you decide which is the best for your use case. Let me know which one you like best

[@gearsNtools]

Glad I could help!

[@agustinmoralesrodriguez1242]

One of my Boulder 100 fell from the rooftop and landed on one of its corner. It fell on concrete. Only the plastic on that corner was damaged. Luckily the glass didn't break. It's cable, torned in two, was put together using electrical tape. It produces the same output. I get 176 out of two boulder 100 with stands. Puerto Rico has a fierce sun all year. I keep them indoors. They are still like new. Just a small amount of rust on the legs from the time I left them outside. The cables resisted the sun very good also. You only have to take care of its stands. I also use a fifteen feet extension cable with an unnoticed amount of loss. Mine are three years and five months old. A high quality product.

[@gearsNtools]

Wow I’m really surprised it survived a fall like that! I’ve been happy with mine! Thanks for watching!

[@castanedag22420]

I was thinking is there a voltage drop when you use an extension cord vs using the short cord that comes with it?? That’s something i would like to see on a test, if i remember my schooling correctly it’s VxI=W

[@gearsNtools]

I've actually tested this. on these larger panels using the lighter gage wire with the 8mm plugs on the end there is a 3-4 watt drop across a 50' cable. the drop will be worse if you chain a couple panels together. to get around this I recommend using the combiner that combines 4 8MM plugs into the High Power connector, they picking up the larger Yeti High Power cable. I think only the 500X and higher can take the High power cable as an input though so if you have a 200X or one of the smaller Sherpas, this solution won't help much.

[@PeacefulPagoda]

This was SUPER helpful! I am considering getting the Sherpa 100AC, and would want a panel, as well. Looks like the Nomad 7 *could* charge it with the 8mm cord, but I'll probably go with the Nomad 20, just in terms of watts and longer cord length. Thanks! Definitely worth a Like.

[@gregoryhoward1758]

Nice video. I have three of the 28's . Magnets melted off mine also. I used zip ties to connect them to each other and then zip ties again to hang them off my condo balcony.

[@gearsNtools]

I've had a couple my other panels have that issue since I made this video, a little disappointing considering how much they cost. they don't really impact the performance but still! thanks for watching!

[@trippinwithdumas1382]

Great video I just can't let go that the Boulder 50 is spelled with a u. Boulder like a rock, not bolder like more bold.

[@Karmer]

Thank you for your transparency. I really appreciated it, and for such a fantastic review!

[@matthurd696]

Thanks for the great video. Your comparisons of cost per watt and weight per watt was really informative and will definitely help me pick the best panel/panels for my needs. Much appreciated!!

[@gearsNtools]

Glad it was helpful! that's why I make these, everyones needs are different no one product is "perfect" for everything. Thanks for watching :)

[@scmreport2457]

Their GZ customer service is down the toilet. They have been known to hang up on people and be irresponsible for their defects

[@richardjohnson4052]

I calculated my total power needs (i-pad, phone, flashlight batteries, etc) and figured that 120w is enough. So I bought the 240 for any unseen future needs. I also found that charging batteries and power-packs then using those to charge my i-pad and phone overnight to work better than trying to charge the i-pad from the solar panels.

[@andrewczuba498]

I bought a nomad 10 from cabala's with a yeti goal zero 200x. but the salesman basically sold me a panel that didnt really work with my power station. its fine. its been a learning experience . I now have a nomad 20 which I traded for through some carpentry labor, and a yeti goal zero 400 (the old lead acid version, not lithium-but it works fine)plus a acquired a goal zero car charger. the nomad 10 is good to charge a phone, maybe a laptop or I pad directly, but does little for any kind of power station. I've yet to put the nomad 20 to work, I would like to chain it. but I was really thinking of getting a nomad 50? its all good, very cool technology !

[@gearsNtools]

Yeah I’d provably go for the Nomad 20 on the yeti 200X. Been looking at picking one of those up

[@rasmuspedersen3563]

Thx so much for this review it helped me a Lot🙏 Nomad 20 for me then! Have a nice new years eve!🚀

[@gearsNtools]

Glad I was able to help!

[@MegaMikeArnold]

Excellent review 👍👍👍. Thank you. Subbed

[@gearsNtools]

Glad this review was helpful :)

[@jbstuff]

Can the nomad 200 panels be run off the Anker 757?

[@stogecrazy]

The only problem using the extention is your loosing almost 10%. I have 2 nomad 50 in direct sun with yeti 1500 right next to them they are producing a max of 92 watts. Adding a 30 foot extention I am getting 83 watts max. Just a heads up for using the extention. I had mine set up in the desert panels outside and yeti in the tent with no extention and yeti was in the shade.

[@gearsNtools]

funny ou mention this, I just wrapped up testing on cables for goal zero. (Video coming soon) I noticed when you start getting close to 100 watts of output you do start losing some power over an 8mm extension. if you use the heavier HPP with a 8mm x4 to HPP combiner you don't have any loss. until you get up to a lot higher outputs. How do you like the 1500? I have a 1000 and have been debating if it's worth upgrading to the 1500X.

[@stogecrazy]

@@gearsNtools I started out with the 200x then the 500x and now I have the 1500. It is perfect for what I use it for. Mostly taking it to the rc track to charge my batteries. I also take it camping with me. When I don't have it out it stays next to my bed to charge all of my other electronics. And yes it will run the fridge and coffee pot at the same time. Wouldn't recomend it though battery will last for maby 20 min. Did that to check its capabilities. It shined beautifully with no overheating. Also the most i have been able to pull from the 12 volt is 8amps from the anderson while charging my rc batteries over that and it freeks out. Turn off the 12 volt and back on then lowering the charge rate and it is back to normal. Would deffinatly recommend it. The only problem is the price tag. Luckily I have been an REI member since 2006. Ended up getting it for almost half off with my rewards. I have somewhat disassembled it out of curiosity on what make it tick. The power source is from a bank of 18650s. Not sure the brand didn't get quite that deep. It also has 8 cooling fans that kick on when using the inverter super quiet though which is nice.

[@gearsNtools]

Thanks for the info! Weird about the 8amp limit for the 12 volt system I’m in the process of getting a transfer switch installed on the house. The 1500X has enough powder to run what I want (with a few panels and basic power management). But for just a little more I can get a Honda 3000i generator and convert it to run on natural gas. We’ll see what I end up doing. My yeti 1000has been used hard but it’s still trucking along!

[@YaztromoX]

Good video - but I can’t help but feel an opportunity was missed to use those 8mm inputs/outputs to chain all of the panels together!

[@gearsNtools]

Lol that probably would’ve melted my power station 😂😂

[@YaztromoX]

True - it looks like the Yeti 400 Lithium can accept a maximum input of 120W - but you could put them on a meter to show how many watts you’re able to generate with all of them chained together. It might be fun to see what combination chained together will get you as close as possible to 120W (in real, not theoretical output).

[@brianp6859]

Great value in this video, thank you for doing such a bang up job, liked and subbed

[@gearsNtools]

Thank you! I'm glad it was helpful! Cheers!

[@EquipaPatriot]

Thumbs up for the 'conclution'.

[@gearsNtools]

:)

[@106Megan]

Thanks for this video👍🏽

[@gearsNtools]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cristinanicolas7392]

I chose Boulder 100 100 watt solar panel as my 30 yr gift from the company I've worked with. As a newbie. What type of ppwer station should I buy for it? Thnk you.

[@gearsNtools]

Nice I wish my company would give gifts! I would get the Yeti 200X or Yeti 500X. The 500X would be my first pick but might be a bit expensive for some people. Enjoy your new panel!

[@andersonboy620]

Excellent video, thanks man!

[@gearsNtools]

Thanks for watching! Glad it was helpful!

[@mohavea66]

Thanks for the video i live in apartment Forest Hills, NY

[@RobBertholf]

Excellent breakdown. Thanks

[@seriouskite]

Excellent in depth review! I want to charge a 48 Volt battery for my E-bike. Will the Bolder 50 or 100 charge my battery? Just a newbie trying to get electrified. Thanx a bunch!

[@gearsNtools]

Thanks for watching! the goal zero panels are classified as 12 volt panels so they won't put off enough volts to charge a 48 volt system without some kind of inverter or step up. how do you normally charge your E-Bike? you might be able to pair one of these pannels up with a battery pack such as the Yeti 500X to charge it with a standard AC wall adapter. in theory with a battery such as the Yeti 500X you could use either the Bolder 50 or bolder 100 but the larger solar panel you have the quicker you'll be able to recharge your 48 volt system.

[@skiballetbronzemedalist]

excellent review. Exactly what I was looking for

[@JDubya123]

Really need to show what true wattage they are giving, not what the marketing department says it is.

[@alanj7306]

The magnets melted of the solar panel in the sun. What sounds wrong with that?

[@alanj7306]

Thanks for the great info and in depth review 👍

[@gearsNtools]

Lol I know right :)

[@robertmicelli2946]

thanks. great video. btw buddy "Conclusion" is not spelled with a t.

[@gearsNtools]

Thanks for watching! Yeah caught the typo after uploading and figured people would figure it out. Didn’t want to reupload the whole video lol

[@andrewalexander2861]

Thanks

[@MrFooChops]

Can any of these panels be used to power an Anker power bank?

[@gearsNtools]

Anker makes a bunch of battery packs. You should be able to use the USB-A output on the nomad panels to power one of the portable Anker packs

[@jonnyvegasxd4058]

Thanks for the video enjoyed it I would like to see the panels in use say with a refrigerator some lights etc could it run a microwave? It did seem a little funny and ironic that your camera battery died in the middle of testing power supply🤣

[@gearsNtools]

lol yeah I had a new battery that turned out to be a fake, it lasted like 10 min in the camera! for house appliances you'll need to pair with a battery pack, I have a transfer switch in my house and was able to do some testing. . my fridge pulls around 150 watts average (with surges up to 400 when the compressor kicks on) My kitchen lights pull around 120 watts (all are LED) My microwave pulls 1660 watts, so no dice there with my yeti 1000. I've found that in general the surge watts are less of on issue than the continuous watts. a 150 watt load for 10 hours is 1,500 that's a lot of battery!

[@jaredwhite489]

What will my goal zero 200x power?

[@gearsNtools]

any of these can, the bigger ones will be able to charge it faster though. I think the Nomad 28 or Bolder 50 would work well. easily charging a Yeti 200X within a day.

[@eddarby469]

Goal Zero packages a Nomad 20 with their Yeti 200 as a kit. That should show you what they think would be about right.

[@PartisanGamer]

How are there so few competently made reviews (like this one) of solar panels/solar power banks. As someone who is new to the subject and trying to find out what is what it almost seems like the whole commercial solar panel thing is some kind of scam just by association ... almost all KZbin videos concerning the subject seem sketchy as fuck. Thank you for one of the few good videos.

[@gearsNtools]

Glad I could help! I know what you mean, a lot of the reviews I've seen the products were given to someone to do the review. of course if they don't provide a good review they don't get more free stuff so its hard to find unbiased info. another thing that I run into is it's tricky to make entertaining videos on products that don't move. things like multitools and flashlights you can demonstrate how they work on camera where a panel well it just sits there :P

[@brianp6859]

I second this lol

[@danubhrata]

Thank you

[@eqlzr2]

My Nomad 20 won't charge my iPhone8 fully. Gets up to 80% and poops out. I can charge up a power bank though, of course, and charge the iPhone.

[@gearsNtools]

This sounds like the "Optimized Battery Charging" setting is turned on in your Iphone. because you are charging at a time it's not used to. go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health scroll down to bottom and un-select "Optimized Battery Charging" option This is a feature Apple added to one of the Iphone updates to try and maximize your battery life, down side is if you charge your phone during the day it tops you off to 80% and calls it good. if you charge overnight this setting will top your phone off right before you wake up in an effort to minimize the time the phone is at 100% charge witch extends the battery life. hope this helps!

[@eqlzr2]

@@gearsNtools Very helpful info, thx!

[@mysurfing3550]

Goal zero seven is such a cute size lol

[@1217mikegrs]

Conclusion*

[@chrisclaussen1526]

is that grass real?

[@eddarby469]

Looked like astroturf to me too.

[@gearsNtools]

Yep it’s turf. AZ summers are brutal not enough water in the world can save grass here!

[@markhager8321]

Challenging vid. Can’t see the 400 display.

[@ghostpeper2a165]

Seems like boulder 50 and nomad 28 (minus the melting) if I'm running and gunning. Moving and shooting. Hustling and bustling. This has gone on way to far. Way to long.

[@jaxbeach09]

*Boulder

[@tomatron64]

It's 2020-2021, and there's no USB-C output... :)

[@gearsNtools]

I’m sure there will be eventually, practically speaking for anything larger than the 10W panel you should use the 8mm connector with a battery pack to get the most out of your panels. Thanks for watching

[@davidburke75116]

None, I wouldn’t buy any of their over priced solar designed to not work with anything else. Had a battery died right after warranty, $$$ lost

[@magida]

Nothing on Nomad 50 or 100 ? Incomplete review

[@gearsNtools]

well, since I'm not sponsored by a big company with buckets of cash I have to make purchasing decision just like everybody else. the Nomad 50 is around $250 and the Nomad 100 is around $400, that's $650 Spent on panels I don't really need since I have the Bolder ones. As I pointed out in the 2nd half of my video if you need this much power it's likely a base station setup where portability isn't as much of a concern, your money is best spent on the Bolder 50 or 100 which is less $$ per Watt of power.