in my opinion yes vipar units are nicer/better built/ better quality for sure , black star is know for being cheap and they only have a 1 year warranty , ive seen a blakstar unit opened up and it look just that , very cheap but thats not to say they dont work .....just how long before they break down? give vipar a ring or drop em an email they love to chat about there panels over there and if your looking for 4 units they might even cut ya a little bit of a deal , like i say i think they got a spring promotion on right now or something ...might be over