CHEAP vs EXPENSIVE Solar Controller | Victron or ATEMPOWER Regulator

In this video, we're comparing the different types of solar regulators and giving you our take on which one is best for your needs.
Time to see which of the solar regulators we've used is best for us!

We put a cheap $99 ATEMPOWER MPPT regulator, and a mid range $249 Victron Energy MPPT regulator against each other to find out what the differences in power output are and see if you really should "Cry Once, Buy Once".

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[MrRangerrob]

Nice video. When you mentioned the time of day and then that it took 20 minutes to change things around, I thought the Atempower would have the advantage as the sun rose and the PV got more sun. The secound round was a fairer comparison, however if you could monitor both units at the same time, with identical PV then you'd see the fast switching of the Victron MPPT deliveres greater power to the battery in low/changing light conditions. That's what you pay for, as well as the superior tracking and technology. Have a good weekend!

[hwoodist]

A better test would be to connect a power supply to solar input and measure how well each MPPT deals with voltage changes and how each handles operation at its peak output.

[ieism]

Pretty interesting results. I did a test with a Ctek mppt, a Victron 100_20 and an Ecoflow delta in very cloudy weather. The Victron absolutely blew away the others.

[petewarby]

Good to see a Victron fan at least seeing the benefits of a budget compatible unit. Nice little video, useful, thank you :)

[halfbinz]

We’ve tried Kings 15A, 20A MPPT etc, in 2 months we are now taking them back 5 times as they all died, don’t cut off when reaching cut out limit. Outputs have just stopped working etc and they have admitted countless faults on their units!!

[merinofarmeragriculturewor]

Hey mate iv had a Atem power solar regulator for years & they go good as & still goes well ..eBay u can get them from for $40 .. 👍👍

[visiondigital]

I started with a cheap eBay controller, it worked fine. As i grew things out i upgraded to a Victron. I have no way of knowing but i think the battery management is vastly improved. I wouldn't mind if the Victron had a readout, but the Bluetooth app is quite a tradeoff.

[dingdong]

Cheers fella. Good video. Doing a random youtube search "Mppt Australia" and your video came up. I watched with interest as cheap "MPPT" are a sales gimmick and are usually PWM (I've been burnt by a popular ozzy brand)... Anyway it compared pretty well with the Victron so I went and purchased two units from the same mob. I'll set them up with a wee panel to run water to me chooks and garden n see how they go. Cheers again

[paulholyoak]

Do the same test in cloudy conditions and you'll see the real quality difference....

[TheSimpleLivingAussie]

I find with the cheap controllers is when they hit the float stage. I have seen them run float voltages for up to 16 plus volts and I have seen it on many different cheap controllers. I saw a video from the Arvo Boys have a Kings controller over charge an AGM battery and cook the battery. I would stay with the Victron for sure 👍

[gregorykovaleff]

I have a large off grid system running OPzS 800 batteries @ 48v, 16kw PV array and a 15kva inverter. After some research I went with cheaper inverters with combined solar chargers such as Growatt as $2000 VRs $15, 000 seemed like a good idea as I needed about 11, 000w now and than for combined plasma cutters and air compressors ect. In less than 12 months not one inverter (tried at least 4 extremely well reviewed and rated inverters and 7 yup 7! Different solar controllers) are all either in the bin or chasing warranty which doesn’t really exist as sellers of the units I have purchased hide behind Australia’s E commerce laws. Cheap made in China components alll kinda work great until pushed to the stated limits and nothing I found is anywhere near as efficient as Victron or any quality unit. Cheap equipment doesn’t work out in the long run and a lot of it I have found is actually a fire hazard over time. I know a lot of people are going to give negative remarks about what I just said because 12 months ago I would have also.

[blingscreensavers]

If a camper is beginning out and only have 1 solar panel its important to learn on a cheap controller. When they have 2 or more panels the smartsolar will run 3 panels in series and so on

[tsromney]

There are a lot of things that you're not considering when comparing these controllers. I would expect 2 similar sized MPPT controllers to perform virtually the same on a clear sunny day. Finding the maximum power point on a clear sunny day is easy for any controller. Where the Victron shines is in variable conditions where there can be more then one maximum power point. The Victron can find the best maximum power point quickly. Most other controllers don't do this as well as Victron. This difference can be as much as 10%. There are other things to consider as well. Does the controller support low temperature cutoff, high temperature cutoff? Does it protect against reverse polarity? How does it hold up over time?

[FathomlessJoy]

I bought a nice Renogy solar controller my first time. But now after only 2 years it is having trouble charging when the batteries are in parallel. So I am ordering a cheap $85 one today and super excited to see if it can produce close to the Renogy.

[jimgreen]

Cheers Mate. That'll do for me. Will be ordering the cheaper. Excellent video will be following you. Cheers Bud.

[Blakehx]

Thanks for the great testing and info! I’m currently looking at the budget stuff because I just have a couple lead acid batteries on my RV but I’m planning to upgrade at some point… but maybe just upgrading to a better RV… dunno yet!🤔

[Electronzap]

Nice test. I'm sure everyone is good at making a mppt charger by now. Price will probably be based on how much more it can do from now on.

[awesomedee]

The ATEM is about $100. Victron 100/20 is about $158. For $58 for all the software bells and whistles one-time fee. Victron is worth it. Maybe if I had to buy a bunch of them but had the ability to tie into a Victron shunt to get the stats, then I'd buy the ATEM.

[vicoffroad]

Thanks for the comparison! Awesome video!👍

[viliamjasenec]

Using atemporal solar panel, can't remember size, maybe 160w, does the job hasn't let me down yet, had it over a year on the canopy, rain hail and shine, still running and very light around 4kg.