Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.
Henry Ford
Today is rebranding day. I will work on this post throughout the day. I should be done by tomorrow.
Companies have been doing this for years. Earlier in my life, I had a penchant for Craftsman tools. I lived in a big city then, so access was easy, and the warranty was good. One day I was shopping for an air compressor. In the sears store, I looked at a few, then I saw it. One of the compressors was stamped in metal Devilbiss. That’s when I got my first look at rebranding.
Essentially, it is a company that buys from different manufacturers and sells them with their own brand names. Usually adding a huge markup. I think it is a deceitful thing to do. That is my opinion. Since I am not paid in free items, I can say what needs to be said. If I get sued, please do. I have a rusty van, with too many miles and a house with roof leaks, unless you want to get paid in kittens, which I seem to have a few extra.
Later on I started writing blogs, I used to write a woodworking blog, I needed a part for my bandsaw. A 12″ riser. I learned then that many bandsaws were made by one company. I could have bought the name brand part for about $400 or I could buy the generic part from the manufacturer for a quarter of the cost. What would you do?
The generic part fit perfectly, and now I can resaw 12″ logs into boards. So what does all that have to do with solar and tech? Everything. The big trend is to buy from China, mark up the products a huge amount, misleading customers. They can claim better tech support and on and on.
WARNING: What you are about to read may piss you off because you may have already bought some of these items and were fleeced.
VICTRON VS FANGPUSUN
Victron is my favorite company to dislike. Way overpriced. I have found many similar products that look exactly like Victron products for sale in China by a Company called Wenzhou Xihe Electric Co.,Ltd. Former company name: Beijing Fangpusun Sunny Co.,Ltd. Their Brand name Fangpusun. Their website is here
I have received an email directly from the Company using the name Fangpusun. They deny any relationship with Victron. I assume it is for legal reasons they say that. I also imagine that if they are manufacturing for them, they would not want to jeopardize a contract that must be huge.
That doesn’t matter to me, price does.
Item price comparisons:
Bmv-702 Battery Monitor
FANGPUSUN Bmv-702 Battery Monitor US $49.43 CDN $67.21
Before shipping using XE for exchange rate today.
VICTRON Bmv-702 Battery Monitor US $ 174.60 CDN $237.41
Before shipping using XE for exchange rate today. You can find this on Amazon.com for a few dollars less. But if you live in Canada, expect to pay US $32 in shipping.
FANGPUSUN VS VICTRON MPPT CONTROLLER
Fangpusun Blue MPPT 100/30 Solar Charge Controller US $54.72
Victron Energy BlueSolar MPPT 100V 30 amp 12/24-Volt Solar Charge Controller $186.15 US
There are other Companies doing the same thing out there. Go look for your self. If you do find more, send me a comment, and I will add them to this page.
Doing this is research was fun, but easier when I was young.