The Patriot Power 1800 generator is now available in the market and is a great addition to the generator market, particularly since it is solar-powered and therefore perfect for people who want to leave behind a smaller carbon footprint.
But now there is an even more powerful option than this and it’s called the Patriot Power 1800 generator. It promises to be a “bigger and better” product than the 1500 and by most accounts, it does pack quite a punch.
The Main Features of the Patriot Power 1800 Solar Generator
First of all, let’s discover some of the many advantages of the all-new 1800 solar-powered generator. They include:
- It is 100% fume-free
- It is portable and lightweight at only 40 pounds
- It is powered by the sun and not gas or diesel
- It is safe to use even when it’s indoors
- It comes with a 100-watt solar panel and a free gift package
- It is powerful enough to run heavy-duty devices such as your refrigerator
- It can be relied on for 2500+ life cycles
- It comes with a safe, lithium ion phosphate battery
- It comes ready to be used immediately — it is even fully charged
These numbers are a little higher than the numbers for the Patriot 1500 generator; for instance, 1500 is good for a total of 2000 life cycles. This means that 1800 is a little more powerful overall than the 1500 and that is reflected in the price because 1800 is roughly $500 over the cost of 1500 — $2500 as opposed to $2000.
In addition to these things, 1800 offers a lot more in their gift package than 1500 does. While the Patriot Power 1500 generator offers a package that includes a multi-tool device, personal water filter, and a deck of playing cards, 1800 offers lots more, including an extra power cell, Sun Kettle water heater, flashlight, solar-powered air lantern, USB battery kit, 72-hour survival food kit, solar panel extension cord, and a blackout/survival library, all of which are included.
The new 1800 generator provides 28% more storage capacity and 52% more peak power than the 1500 model, which means that you get more power for longer periods of time as well as a faster charge, which are all convenient features to include in a solar-powered generator.
The AC charge time is roughly three hours and it even comes with MPPT charging technology to make the unit even more efficient.
All these things being said, there are a few disadvantages to this newer and better generator. Based on objective reviews of the product, as well as reviews from real-life customers, below are six things that you should consider before deciding to purchase one of these generators.
1. It Offers Low Solar Input
Let’s just say that the 1800 generator is at 0%, the 100-watt solar panel that comes with it is in perfect conditions, and you wanted to recharge it.
In an ideal situation, it would take roughly seven hours for the charge to be complete. But there are two things wrong with this. First of all, this is according to theory but it rarely works out that way.
On a good day, it is likely to only make up to 75 watts of power per hour, which means that it will actually take a little more than nine hours to recharge, not seven.
The second problem is that there are only about five or six hours per day that solar panels can work at their full power production.
That is what brings the 1800 generator down to 75 watts per hour and what causes it to take longer than seven hours to recharge. And, because the Patriot’s battery is the only 690wh, it will only charge up to 65% in one day.
In other words, that 100-watt panel included in the package isn’t enough to allow it to be fully charged in just one day.
2. You Only Get Two 120-Volt Power Outlets
With the Patriot 1800 generator, you only get two 120-volt power outlets. What does this mean in practical terms? Let’s just say that you suffer a power outage and you know that you won’t get your electricity back until several days from now.
You immediately scramble to start plugging in all of your important devices but with only two standard outlets, you won’t be able to plug in very many items.
This generator does, however, contain a total of four USB ports, which means that you can plug in smaller devices such as your cell phone, tablet, laptop, etc. Still, if you decide to plug in more than two devices, you’ll have to use one of the power outlets to plug in a power strip, which seems a little unnecessary when you consider that including a few more power outlets on the generator is something that the company could’ve added with little effort.
3. The Added Battery Capacity isn’t that much
Patriot claims that you get 28% more battery storage capacity with 1800 than with the 1500 but when you look at this more closely, you’ll find that 28% isn’t too big of a deal.
To put it another way, the 1800’s 690wh battery can power a full-sized refrigerator for six to nine hours. On the other hand, the 1500 battery can power that same refrigerator for four to seven hours, which isn’t that much of a difference.
Once you consider how many things you’ll need to power when an emergency arises, you’ll realize the significance of this disadvantage.
During a power outage, particularly one that lasts a while, you’ll likely want to power a refrigerator and freezer at the very least, and maybe even an important medical device such as a CPAP machine.
If the 1800’s battery was made just three times larger, it would be able to accommodate you much better. In other words, the battery included with the Patriot 1800 generator will be used up quickly, which means that you likely won’t be able to plug in everything you wish to plug in.
4. The Company’s Customer Service is Sometimes Lacking
This isn’t to say that Patriot Generator’s customer service department is terrible. In fact, many customers give them very high ratings. What it does mean, however, is that some customers have been dissatisfied with the results they’ve received when contacting customer service at Patriot.
For example, one customer complained that even though he’d already been charged for the product, it had been two weeks since he ordered it and he hadn’t even received a confirmation email from the company.
Another man called the company to get the additional information and found out that the phones were being operated by sales reps. He asked the same questions numerous times and received no clear-cut answer to any of them.
In other words, it seems that the staff they have answering the phone do not know the answers to technical questions but are instead just there to sell the product to the callers.
5. You Cannot Expand the Battery Capacity
A 690wh battery is very small and has limited capacity, which would be acceptable if the Patriot generator battery included a way to add more batteries in order to make it last longer.
Other generator batteries are not only much more powerful but they also allow you to add more batteries to make them more efficient; this includes batteries that allow you to “stack” batteries on top of other batteries so that you don’t have to use clumsy heavy cables and attach batteries externally, which can take up a lot of space.
Other generator companies have 2000wh batteries included with their devices in addition to the ability to add more battery power to them, which makes them much more beneficial than the Patriot 1800 generator.
In a real emergency, especially one that is long-term, this could make a huge difference in how satisfied you are with your 1800 generator.
6. There are Some Miscellaneous Disadvantages That Might Matter to Certain People
The Patriot 1800 solar-powered generator provides a few disadvantages that may not matter to a lot of people but that could be huge to others. For instance, the battery:
- Has no RV connection
- Weighs 40 pounds, which is heavy considering the power that it offers
- Doesn’t have a lot of plugs
- Has no car charger option
Indeed, in many ways, 1800 are not that much better than 1500. This isn’t to say that the Patriot 1500 is not worth the money; in many ways, it is well worth the price that you pay for it.
But the important thing to remember when researching either of these generators is to compare them not only with each other but with other brands of generators as well.
That, in addition to knowing beforehand which features are most important to you, is the best way to determine if the Patriot 1800 is right for you.
This also doesn’t mean that the above considerations are a big deal in and of themselves. Once again, you have to determine which features you truly want in a generator and which ones you consider unimportant.
This way, you are guaranteed to get a generator that meets your needs in the end.
