Fantastic panel for portability and durability. Some flaws in execution. I’ve just received my Arc 45W panel and I haven’t had a chance to test it for power output yet, but on a first glance I’ve got to say I’m really impressed with the construction of the panels themselves. They’re a fair bit heavier than most thin-film or “semi-flexible” monocrystalline panels, but the reason is the panels are bonded to what feels like a fiberglass backing, and hermetically sealed with a ETFE coating. Many “flexible” panels I’ve encountered have this problem where if you grab them by the corner you’ll hear/feel this horrible crunching noise, which is the panel breaking internally, and permanently reducing your capacity. This is never going to be an issue with this panel since it’s very rigid. The missing star is due to the design of the output cable. There is no strain relief, and the cable is permanently attached. I guarantee 99% of the failures of these panels will be the cable fraying internally at the attachment point. A better design might have made the cable modular, with a reinforced and watertight jack in its place. At the price, I feel like this is something I should actually expect from a product like this. It loses a full mark because of this. The only other nitpicky issue I have with it is the panel is pretty much bare. There’s no pouch to hold the cables or adapters, no flip-out stands so that you can angle the panel, no fastener to keep the panel closed, etc. Definitely a great panel, much better than most of the stuff you find on Amazon, but it focuses on aesthetics over function, to its detriment.
