freerangetortoise
Active member
Well, I finally did it. After years of wanting it and months and months of research, I finally saved up enough to purchase my 100w solar panel starter kit from Renogy! Since I'm in Southern California, I decided to just drive out to Chino, CA and pay them a visit. I don't quite trust the neighborhood kids enough to have UPS/FedEx/USPS leave a giant box labeled "Solar Panel" at the front door of my house.
I know that the stuff from Renogy gets a lot of praise here at CRVL so I thought I'd post a few pictures of my visit there on Saturday. Kevin, the young gentleman that helped me with the purchase, was a nice guy - knew what he was talking about. Unfortunately, I was just some dude off the street to him and he was the only one there at the time. His co-workers had stepped out for lunch. I wanted to ask for a tour of their facilities but he hadn't heard of CRVL since they have a dedicated person to keep up with the forums, which wasn't him.
If I ever need to expand my system, I'll pay them another visit during normal business hours and try to get a tour when they're in full swing. Not on a weekend at lunch time! For now, this will have to do.
A sight for sore eyes after many hours logged in front of a computer learning about and researching solar. They're located in a very nice, industrial part of Chino. Believe it or not, this is about a half-mile north of the Chino State Prison for men.
<a href="http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Fr...ouse/2015-05-02 12.05.56_zpszeckkjlu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/...Warehouse/2015-05-02 12.05.56_zpszeckkjlu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2015-05-02 12.05.56_zpszeckkjlu.jpg"/></a>
To the left as soon as you walk into the office. The young, cute thing behind the counter had just left for lunch and Kevin walked through the door in the back that leads into the warehouse to grab my solar panel kit. Down below that window were their different solar panels all lined up. I was really digging that 100w bendable panel on the right.
<a href="http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Fr...ouse/2015-05-02 12.11.35_zps1da8g8pj.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/...Warehouse/2015-05-02 12.11.35_zps1da8g8pj.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2015-05-02 12.11.35_zps1da8g8pj.jpg"/></a>
In front of the receptionist's window they have shelves with some of their products on display. MPPT Charge Controller? Yes, please!
<a href="http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Fr...ouse/2015-05-02 12.11.23_zpsdbd5tbhr.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/...Warehouse/2015-05-02 12.11.23_zpsdbd5tbhr.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2015-05-02 12.11.23_zpsdbd5tbhr.jpg"/></a>
MY SOLAR KIT! Kevin insisted on opening up the box to make sure I had everything I needed and that nothing was damaged. And of course, everything was in perfect condition. The panel itself is safely packed with high quality foam inside a stiffer-than-most cardboard box.
<a href="http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Fr...ouse/2015-05-02 12.21.04_zpsc3g0kqzn.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/...Warehouse/2015-05-02 12.21.04_zpsc3g0kqzn.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2015-05-02 12.21.04_zpsc3g0kqzn.jpg"/></a>
Buying from Renogy was a very pleasant experience and I would definitely do it again. And because I walked in, they even gave me a few bucks off since they didn't have to deal with shipping. Sweet! If you haven't already gone solar, I highly recommend these guys and gals. Their starter kits are perfect for solar n00bs on a budget, like me, to get up and running without requiring too much effort. If you haven't heard it enough on this site already, go with Renogy!
I know that the stuff from Renogy gets a lot of praise here at CRVL so I thought I'd post a few pictures of my visit there on Saturday. Kevin, the young gentleman that helped me with the purchase, was a nice guy - knew what he was talking about. Unfortunately, I was just some dude off the street to him and he was the only one there at the time. His co-workers had stepped out for lunch. I wanted to ask for a tour of their facilities but he hadn't heard of CRVL since they have a dedicated person to keep up with the forums, which wasn't him.
If I ever need to expand my system, I'll pay them another visit during normal business hours and try to get a tour when they're in full swing. Not on a weekend at lunch time! For now, this will have to do.
A sight for sore eyes after many hours logged in front of a computer learning about and researching solar. They're located in a very nice, industrial part of Chino. Believe it or not, this is about a half-mile north of the Chino State Prison for men.
<a href="http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Fr...ouse/2015-05-02 12.05.56_zpszeckkjlu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/...Warehouse/2015-05-02 12.05.56_zpszeckkjlu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2015-05-02 12.05.56_zpszeckkjlu.jpg"/></a>
To the left as soon as you walk into the office. The young, cute thing behind the counter had just left for lunch and Kevin walked through the door in the back that leads into the warehouse to grab my solar panel kit. Down below that window were their different solar panels all lined up. I was really digging that 100w bendable panel on the right.
<a href="http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Fr...ouse/2015-05-02 12.11.35_zps1da8g8pj.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/...Warehouse/2015-05-02 12.11.35_zps1da8g8pj.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2015-05-02 12.11.35_zps1da8g8pj.jpg"/></a>
In front of the receptionist's window they have shelves with some of their products on display. MPPT Charge Controller? Yes, please!
<a href="http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Fr...ouse/2015-05-02 12.11.23_zpsdbd5tbhr.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/...Warehouse/2015-05-02 12.11.23_zpsdbd5tbhr.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2015-05-02 12.11.23_zpsdbd5tbhr.jpg"/></a>
MY SOLAR KIT! Kevin insisted on opening up the box to make sure I had everything I needed and that nothing was damaged. And of course, everything was in perfect condition. The panel itself is safely packed with high quality foam inside a stiffer-than-most cardboard box.
<a href="http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Fr...ouse/2015-05-02 12.21.04_zpsc3g0kqzn.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/...Warehouse/2015-05-02 12.21.04_zpsc3g0kqzn.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2015-05-02 12.21.04_zpsc3g0kqzn.jpg"/></a>
Buying from Renogy was a very pleasant experience and I would definitely do it again. And because I walked in, they even gave me a few bucks off since they didn't have to deal with shipping. Sweet! If you haven't already gone solar, I highly recommend these guys and gals. Their starter kits are perfect for solar n00bs on a budget, like me, to get up and running without requiring too much effort. If you haven't heard it enough on this site already, go with Renogy!
