4Patriots solar generators review: Not exactly American Dream

A large power bank can save your life on your hikes and long trips. That’s why American campers, boondockers and sailors took a liking to solar generators that you can take anywhere and which don’t smell and don’t make a sound. Finding a good one is hard and this is where we want to help. This time we’re taking a look at American products from Nashville in our 4Patriots solar generators review.

Power station + Solar panels = Solar generator

A solar energy generator is a set that includes solar panels and a power station. The power station combines an inverter, a battery, and a charge controller. It stores and distributes energy, and when you connect solar panels to it, you can recharge it wherever there's sunlight.

Solar generators are commonly used for:
• Providing backup power during grid outages or emergencies.
• Supplying electricity in remote or off-grid areas where traditional power infrastructure is unavailable.
• Powering electronic devices and small appliances during outdoor activities like camping, hiking, or road trips.

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Most generators are portable. The kits usually have foldable solar panels, and the power station is about the size of a boombox. This makes it convenient to take them with you on trips. To use them, you just set up the solar panels facing the sun, connect them to the power station, and you'll have an AC outlet ready for all your needs. The power stations also have USB ports, so you can charge electronics like laptops and smartphones.

4Patriots is a company from Nashville

An American company 4Patriots was founded in Nashville, Tennessee in 2008. The range of products that it offers is surprisingly wide. Here are some of them:
• Food4Patriots — pre-packaged kits of survival food rated for 25 years of storage.
• Water4Patriots — personal water filters, designed to be used indoors or outdoors.
• SurvivalSeeds4Patriots — vaults with survival seeds.
• Power4Patriots — Portable energy solutions such as generators, power stations, and solar panels. Besides they have Do-It-Yourself videos and manuals on using solar panels, wind turbines, etc. 

The list of products is long and managing it is apparently difficult. That’s probably the reason why as of summer 2023 the website of 4Patriots looks like a mess and is hard to navigate*. That in itself doesn’t say about the quality of products that they offer but hurts the customer experience.

*Summer 2024 update: Navigating the website is still tough.

4Patriots solar generators: Performance, cost, quality

We’re going to focus on generators that 4Patriots offers: power stations and PV modules that the company has for sale. We’ll be looking at performance, cost and reviews for Patriot solar generators.

Specifications: Nothing special

The maximum capacity of the Patriot solar generator is 1612Wh. While it’s enough for a trip where your energy needs are low, a battery of such a low capacity can’t be looked at as a good protection against power outages at home. 

Solar panels from 4Patriots take a long time to recharge their power stations. For example, one 100W solar panel that comes with a Patriot solar generator would charge it from zero to 100% in about 15 hours at best. 

Cost: Higher than average

There are basically two models of solar panels from 4Patriots: one provides a 100W power output and the other has 40W of rated power production. Both seem to be very expensive: as of summer 2023 their cost ranges from $3.75 to $5 per watt. 

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Power stations have a more reasonable cost which ranges from $1 to $2 per watt-hour of their built-in batteries’ capacity. Still, it’s well above the average numbers on the market. It’s unclear where 4Patriots have their solar products manufactured, but judging from prices, it’s most likely to be domestic American production*.

*Summer 2024 update: Apparently not. While the 4Patriots marketing is built around it being an all-American company, Reddit users claim that power stations and the 2000X solar generator specifically are made in China.

Quality: Seems dubious

The company offers a 1-year warranty for solar generators. 4Patriots claims that any customer can return the goods at any time and get the money back without any questions asked. Even so, a year is not a lot of time — some companies offer up to 5 years of coverage for their power stations and panels. 

Patriot solar generators seem to lack online reviews for us to analyze. 4Patriots kept a large stash of letters from satisfied customers but it’s hard to tell if they come from real people. A handful of Amazon reviews for their power stations are mixed. In several one-star reviews customers complain about slow charging time, inflated specifications and the inability of some stations to power certain appliances. 

Summer 2024 update: Since the article was published, we’ve received a few letters from 4Patriots customers. One of them told us that their 2000X and Sidekick have both failed right after the warranty ran out.

4Patriots solar generators: Pros

What are the strong sides of 4Patriots generators? Here is what we can point to:
• There are enough positive reviews about 4Patriots solar generators online to say that people generally like using them. However, the authenticity of some reviews raises doubts.

4Patriots solar generators: Cons

The negatives and weak points stand out much more. Here’s what we didn’t like:
• Slow and inconvenient website. Finding the product that you want and understanding what you are looking at can take a lot of time.
• Short warranties. The company offers a 1-year warranty for solar generators. 4Patriots claims that any customer can return the goods at any time and get the money back without any questions asked. Even so, one year is not a lot of time.
• High cost. Solar generators from 4Patriots are significantly more expensive than products from their competitors, and it’s not exactly clear, for what exactly the customers have to pay so much more.

Top 3 solar generators from 4Patriots 

If you are determined to get a solar generator from 4Patriots, here are the most popular models with the highest reviews. Let’s take a look at three kits for campers, boondockers and sailors.  

Patriot Power Generator 2000X: American hero

Each Patriot solar generator 2000X box comes with a power station, 100-Watt folding solar panel, user manual, and all the cords you need to operate the unit. The battery has 1612Wh capacity. Maximum AC input reaches 523W. The station has two AC plugs of 110V–120V 50-60Hz. Two outlets share a combined total current limit of 2000W, including a slow-start feature that protects the inverter from over-current draw. The model comes with a 1-year guarantee. At any point within the next 12 months after the purchase, you can return the goods and get your money back. 

Patriot Power Sidekick: For smaller problems

Sidekick Patriot solar generator includes a small power station and a 40W solar panel, plus all the cords that you need. The battery in Sidekick has 299Wh of usable capacity. It can be recharged over 2,000 times. A 40W solar panel refills it in 8 hours. AC continuous power output is 300W with 350W peak. The station is remarkably light: only 8.4 pounds. It also has a 1-year warranty: you can return the Patriot solar generator at any time without any questions asked. 

Super-Charged Solar Generator Bundle: Patriot 1800 and Sidekick

The “total power package” from 4Patriots includes a Patriot solar power generator 1800 and the Patriot Power Sidekick. It also has two solar panels in a kit: one has 100W power output and the other provides 40W of power. Pay attention: the product description for this Patriot solar generator specifies the battery capacity at 768Wh so it’s different from Patriot 2000x. You can purchase a 2000x Expansion Pack to double the power capacity of your solar bundle.

Article updated in summer 2024.

Andrey Gorichenski

Senior Editor

Andrey had been a news editor and freelance writer for a number of medias before joining A1SolarStore team. Climate change and its impact on people's lives has always been among his interests and it partially explains his degree in Philosophy and Ethics.

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