The buyer needs a hundred eyes, the seller not one.

George Herbert

What are YouTube product influencers? People who get free products to promote those brands. Some do it very well, and others just do it for the free stuff and the YouTube hits, which supplements their income. Why do I write in here, not for the money or the recognition, just because I like to write. I am not making any money, I do not get free products. Redodo offered me an 8% discount for reporting a bad video on thier website. I declined.

YouTube is one of the first places I go to do research on products. You really have to watch closely and look for the details.  Does the influencer ever berate the products? Do they ever criticize the company, even in small ways?

If they do it because they found issues with the product, that’s great. It makes me want to trust them more. If they are just glad-handing, and really saying nothing but great things, that just makes me suspicious.  BS comes in many forms. If you see their videos here, I trust them. Even if they do keep deleting my comments. WTF

I am in the market for a new MPPT controller. I mentioned that in another post about buying a Victron, in my opinion, they are overpriced, today I found proof of that.

Recently I saw a controller with the Redodo brand in a YouTube video done by Jim at Off Grid Basement, I included it below. In the comments, another brand was mentioned, HQST.  Identical controllers with different paint jobs.

That made me want to search on two websites that could have saved me a lot of money before. Made-in-china.com and Alibaba.com, what I found there may me laugh out loud. The manufacturer of Victron Controllers and a site selling them at a super low price.

Was Victron a Netherlands-owned company, maybe, rebranding Chinese products most likely, or maybe the Company Fangpusan was making clones of Victron, but I don’t believe that. Victron’s price on Amazon.ca is $247. The Fangpusan controller is $74.10 both in Canadian Dollars before shipping.  Found Here. Were the specs the same? It didn’t matter to me, price matters. I have already been burned.

I know this will piss off the consumers that have bought into the whole Victron is better than the rest club because you paid more. It will probably shatter your belief system and make you angry at me for exposing that. Too bad grow up you were fooled, move on.

I recognize that meter. However, it is priced at only $67 CDN at MIC, not $191.

Now back to the two controllers, I started to talk about, the Redodo and the HQST. I did not find those controllers anywhere else so far, it doesn’t mean they are not Chinese-made. It just meant I didn’t find them. I didn’t check Aliexpress.

First, a YouTube video from Off-Grid Basement. Jim was kind enough to take the time to reply to an email on another issue. I know he is busy with his channel and website, so I appreciated the answer. I should also mention without his video I would not have known about either of these boxes.

I already checked the Redodo Canadian website. I already learned if it is not listed there, I can’t get it. Prices range from $135 USD to $159 depending on where in the world you are.

I can get the HQST same box, a different paint job. The Canadian price shipped with first-time buyers discounts $162.

Now the review from Hobotech. One of his videos saved me when I drained my shiny new LFP and shut down my BMS. I have since learned I can use a fault of my Bluetti to solve this problem. The Bluetti EB3A back feeds power through its DC input jack. Enough to wake a sleeping BMS. Of course, I have a new charger now that I way overpaid for also that fixes that problem. That story here.

HIGH TRACKING EFFICIENCY

HQST 12V 40 amp solar charge controller adopts advanced MPPT technology that ensures fast and stable track of the maximum power point, high tracking efficiency of up to 99%, and peak conversion efficiency of 98%.Maximizing the energy from solar panels to charge your system. It auto-detects 12V or 24V DC system voltages. The max load output current is 20A. If it exceeds the 20 amp DC load (240 watts), the over voltage protection will turn off the output.

PARALELL CHARGE FUNCTION

2 HQST MPPT controllers of the same series(M2420N/M2440N/M4860N) can work together to charge the same battery with the parallel charge cable (not included), to meet high power charging requirements and 2 controllers should set the same battery pack voltage. Our negative grounded controller offers overcharging/over-discharging/overload/overheat/short circuit/reverse protection. The maximum degree avoids the damage due to system fault or installation error.

LCD SCREEN DISPLAY & REMOTE MONITORING

40A solar controller is equipped with an LCD screen and LED fault indicators, which can not only check device operating data and status but quickly determine system faults and modify controller parameters. Built-in Bluetooth module, you can download the “ChargePro 2.0” (new version) or the “PVChargePro” (old version) app for remote monitoring that keeps 300 days of historical data.

HIGHER HEAT DISSIPATION EFFICIENCY & FULL-LOAD WORKING

Die-cast aluminum heat sink makes the heat dissipation efficiency higher, which can minimize the power loss from heat. Filling inside the controller with gel is for better PCBA cooling conduction and prevents water and other damages, extending the controller service life. With the premium IC and better PCBA, this controller can work under full load even at high temperature environment.

COMPATIBLE WITH MULTIPLE BATTERY TYPES

The mppt solar charge controller is compatible with Flooded, AGM, Gel, and Lithium batteries. User mode allows the buyer to set their charging parameters. 3-Stage Charging: boost, float

I found another version of the same controller from a company in China. I am going to guess they are the manufacturer for all of these versions.

They can be found here from a company called Helios

I Am sure that it is just a coincidence that Renogy and HQST are located in the same building in California. Just like it is a coincidence that Li time and Redodo products are identical.

I should mention that all videos and images were used without permission. If that is a problem, let me know, and I will remove them.

Of course I had to include the original by the Beatles 1963 I think.