Sol-Ark/China

[plongson]

Been off grid for 13 years, got into a position where we needed to swap out a Magnum 4448PAE quickly, and with light research and looking for an inverter MADE IN THE USA...Sol-Ark pops right up. Everything pointed to an American made product...designed, engineered and manufactured in Plano Texas. Servers in the USA for cloud/data...

WAHOO!! What more could I ask for!!!

The inverter shows up and...MADE IN frigg'n CHINA! WTF!!

Digging deeper (after purchase of course) and joining this forum...yep...it's got fried rice and egg fu-young all over it.

I'm EXTREMELY happy with my 8k Sol-Ark. it works amazing and is light years better than the old skool Magnum.

But Dammit, if it's made in China, say it's made in China. Don't give us some song and dance and wave the American flag when it comes from overseas.
I would have even paid MORE for the unit IF it had actually come from Plano Texas. It's deception at the least and could be considered an outright lie otherwise.

No matter how I try, I cannot purchase American...and America first is my choice...at any cost.

 

[Watts Happening]

Been off grid for 13 years, got into a position where we needed to swap out a Magnum 4448PAE quickly, and with light research and looking for an inverter MADE IN THE USA...Sol-Ark pops right up. Everything pointed to an American made product...designed, engineered and manufactured in Plano Texas. Servers in the USA for cloud/data...

WAHOO!! What more could I ask for!!!

The inverter shows up and...MADE IN frigg'n CHINA! WTF!!

Digging deeper (after purchase of course) and joining this forum...yep...it's got fried rice and egg fu-young all over it.

I'm EXTREMELY happy with my 8k Sol-Ark. it works amazing and is light years better than the old skool Magnum.

But Dammit, if it's made in China, say it's made in China. Don't give us some song and dance and wave the American flag when it comes from overseas.
I would have even paid MORE for the unit IF it had actually come from Plano Texas. It's deception at the least and could be considered an outright lie otherwise.

No matter how I try, I cannot purchase American...and America first is my choice...at any cost.

I’m all about America myself.

But, first realize the very post you just made was made on a device that was not made in America. The supporting internet equipment like your Wi-Fi, cable modem and the entire backbone to transmit your message to this forum was also, not made in America.

Fight the battles you can. Accept that tech manufacturing has been outsourced. It’s made by humans, who cares where they live?

There is absolute JUNK made in China. Apple products are also made in China. You can get high quality stuff from China, it’s all dependent on the designers and company, such as Sol-Ark that ensure their product is made at the level of quality they demand.

 

[timselectric]

Yup, I had the same feelings when I found out about the deception.
It's not about where it's made. It's about where they claim it's made.
Too many lies, from this company. To get a single penny from me.

 

[JRH]

I’m all about America myself.

But, first realize the very post you just made was made on a device that was not made in America. The supporting internet equipment like your Wi-Fi, cable modem and the entire backbone to transmit your message to this forum was also, not made in America.

Fight the battles you can. Accept that tech manufacturing has been outsourced. It’s made by humans, who cares where they live?

There is absolute JUNK made in China. Apple products are also made in China. You can get high quality stuff from China, it’s all dependent on the designers and company, such as Sol-Ark that ensure their product is made at the level of quality they demand.

If a man will blatantly lie about one thing , he will lie about more…i dont deal with liars…

 

[Watts Happening]

If a man will blatantly lie about one thing , he will lie about more…i dont deal with liars…

That’s a totally fine position to have.

So who will you be dealing with then?

 

[littleharbor2]

Pretty sure most Midnite Solar inverters and charge controllers are made here at home.

 

[Watts Happening]

Pretty sure most Midnite Solar inverters and charge controllers are made here at home.

I feel like that answer might be more accurate by saying, “assembled” here at home sadly

 

[zanydroid]

The marketing is certainly somewhat misleading. But you could have expressed this with a little less race baiting language

 

[littleharbor2]

I feel like that answer might be more accurate by saying, “assembled” here at home sadly

Individual electrical components on the circuit boards are most likely made in China but for the most part their stuff is built in Washington state. They are the engineers that started Trace, then Xantrex, then Outback and now Midnite Solar. They are probably the most "made in the USA" solar equipment you will find. .

 

[JRH]

That’s a totally fine position to have.

So who will you be dealing with then?

There are still truthfull and straight up people in the world…I deal With them everyday…but to deal on good faith they must first trust you…trust is a two way street .

 

[littleharbor2]

I just inquired with them on the Midnite solar Forum. Should get a good answer pretty soon. The engineers participate on the forum.

 

[ksmithaz1]

Don't lose sight of the difference between 'engineered', 'manufactured' and 'assembled'. Products are created, built, and distributed all over the place to take advantage of the economies of scale.

Anyone who says 'At any cost' is being disingenuous. "The data on that hard drive is extremely valuable, I don't care what it costs, lets send it off". "Okay, I need a cashiers check for $5000, this is non-refundable. Then it's going to cost another $100/MB for any recovered data up to a maximum of another $5000". "Say what? no way". "But you said you didn't care what it costs?". "Well yea but I thought it would be more like..."

Much of this stuff is engineered/prototyped here in the states from components manufactured overseas somewhere, Final assembly is generally close to where the bulk of the components come from if possible and the items are small. To beat tariffs, and actually save costs for bulky items which are hard to ship (a car for example) it will get assembled here in the US from the easier to ship smaller components made overseas. Supply chains went global years ago, what you probably want is something engineered and supported by a western based company. Apple doesn't have to build phones in China, it just helps keep the costs down. You are not going to by anything that has a semiconductor in it that wasn't made offshore. The bottom line is people in general will not pay 10 times as much just to say "It was 100% US made". We all care what it costs. Nor does it really benefit anyone to make something here that can be done for a fraction of the cost elsewhere. It's just being spiteful.

We should do here what we do best and most efficiently. If someone figures out a way to do that here in the US, then by all means, and we should always be looking for innovative ways to make it cost effective to do the work closer to home.

 

[JRH]

I just inquired with them on the Midnite solar Forum. Should get a good answer pretty soon. The engineers participate on the forum.

Midnite solar and everyone I have dealt with there have been excellent… extremely straight up people

 

[Bob B]

Don't lose sight of the difference between 'engineered', 'manufactured' and 'assembled'. Products are created, built, and distributed all over the place to take advantage of the economies of scale.

Anyone who says 'At any cost' is being disingenuous. "The data on that hard drive is extremely valuable, I don't care what it costs, lets send it off". "Okay, I need a cashiers check for $5000, this is non-refundable. Then it's going to cost another $100/MB for any recovered data up to a maximum of another $5000". "Say what? no way". "But you said you didn't care what it costs?". "Well yea but I thought it would be more like..."

Much of this stuff is engineered/prototyped here in the states from components manufactured overseas somewhere, Final assembly is generally close to where the bulk of the components come from if possible and the items are small. To beat tariffs, and actually save costs for bulky items which are hard to ship (a car for example) it will get assembled here in the US from the easier to ship smaller components made overseas. Supply chains went global years ago, what you probably want is something engineered and supported by a western based company. Apple doesn't have to build phones in China, it just helps keep the costs down. You are not going to by anything that has a semiconductor in it that wasn't made offshore. The bottom line is people in general will not pay 10 times as much just to say "It was 100% US made". We all care what it costs. Nor does it really benefit anyone to make something here that can be done for a fraction of the cost elsewhere. It's just being spiteful.

We should do here what we do best and most efficiently. If someone figures out a way to do that here in the US, then by all means, and we should always be looking for innovative ways to make it cost effective to do the work closer to home.

I think the OP made it very clear .... It's about the lies and misrepresentations.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Been off grid for 13 years, got into a position where we needed to swap out a Magnum 4448PAE quickly, and with light research and looking for an inverter MADE IN THE USA...Sol-Ark pops right up. Everything pointed to an American made product...designed, engineered and manufactured in Plano Texas. Servers in the USA for cloud/data...

WAHOO!! What more could I ask for!!!

The inverter shows up and...MADE IN frigg'n CHINA! WTF!!

Digging deeper (after purchase of course) and joining this forum...yep...it's got fried rice and egg fu-young all over it.

I'm EXTREMELY happy with my 8k Sol-Ark. it works amazing and is light years better than the old skool Magnum.

But Dammit, if it's made in China, say it's made in China. Don't give us some song and dance and wave the American flag when it comes from overseas.
I would have even paid MORE for the unit IF it had actually come from Plano Texas. It's deception at the least and could be considered an outright lie otherwise.

No matter how I try, I cannot purchase American...and America first is my choice...at any cost.

Interesting. Joined Tuesday.
First post.

 

[ksmithaz1]

I think the OP made it very clear .... It's about the lies and misrepresentations.

Well if Sol-Ark claimed "All our products are 100% Manufactured in the USA", that is pretty sad. I actually looked at Midnight, and they go to extremes on telling exactly what is built where with components from what. Admirable, but I really just want it built well, reasonably priced, and capable of the task with the ability to speak to someone who speaks English if I have a problem with it. You can't trust "Made in the USA" I've worked too long with too many industries that *legally* made those claims. It's a bit of a game.

 

[timselectric]

what you probably want is something engineered and supported by a western based company.

What we want is the truth.
Most of the solar equipment is made overseas. Which is perfectly fine and expected.
Just don't wave an American flag over it, and claim that it's an American product. For the sole purpose of a higher profit margin.

 

[robby]

Well if Sol-Ark claimed "All our products are 100% Manufactured in the USA", that is pretty sad. I actually looked at Midnight, and they go to extremes on telling exactly what is built where with components from what. Admirable, but I really just want it built well, reasonably priced, and capable of the task with the ability to speak to someone who speaks English if I have a problem with it. You can't trust "Made in the USA" I've worked too long with too many industries that *legally* made those claims. It's a bit of a game.

Sol-Ark Inveters say made in China right on the side of them.

 

[timselectric]

Sol-Ark Inveters say made in China right on the side of them.

Which you can't read, until after you get it out of the box, at home. lol

 

[Crowz]

I don't feel bad about china made solar products for a few reason.

1. Asia has crappy power for the most part. While america has good reliable power for the most part. So which country is going to have the most interest in/install base for/real world usage data when it comes to solar?

2. China makes everything anyway in the solar area. So they have the most knowledge on how to make it. They can choose to do it cheap or expensive but they at least know HOW to do it.

At this point in time to me there really isn't an american solar industry to speak of. So were buying into their playground not the other way around is how I see it. So how can buying chinese be something to upset me if I'm buying into a chinese market myself.

One day america will be further along in solar but I doubt they will ever catch the chinese when it comes to cheap and reliable in harsh enviroments or poor grid ability since that is what the asian market is.