*UPDATE 6/17* I believe the problem I was experiencing with the switches contacting when wet was due to the gasket that goes between the panel and the console. The rubber gasket/grommet included is thin rubber and does not form a good seal. After eliminating several possibilities, I realized that this was the weak link in the system. So, I put some marine grade silicone around the panel edge. I’ve had it out in the rain since and NO MORE PROBLEMS with unwanted circuit contact! Updated to 4-stars: still gets a small deduction for the bottom LEDs being on constantly (see original review for the fix) and another small deduction for the absolutely worthless gasket they include. It’s great when it works, and I believe it will work well now that I’ve sealed the edges so water can’t get to the back of the panel where all the wiring connections are. *UPDATE 5/26* After having this out on the water on a very rainy day, I don’t believe it should be called waterproof by any means, and certainly not recommended for marine use. It isn’t fried, but there’s moisture intruding somewhere that’s causing some of the switches to connect & turn on when they’re clearly in the off position. When it’s dry, it’s great. But if you’re going to run in a marine environment, you’re best to look elsewhere. I dropped my original rating of 4 stars to 2: I believe 1 star ratings should be reserved for those products which completely fail in every way, or are otherwise completely misrepresented. This panel works great when dry, so I feel it wrong to give a 1. *original review* Overall this product is worth the money paid. However, it probably isn't worth any *more*. As I was installing into my center console, 2 of the screws broke off, leaving me with quite the task of extracting cheap Chinese metal from fiberglass. Not the easiest task... After the 2nd broken screw, I went to my hardware bin and grabbed some stainless machine screws, drilled holes for them, and installed with those instead. Much happier. As for the switches, gauge, and outlets, they seem to all be of decent quality. The battery gauge is accurate, and very nice to have for monitoring remaining voltage (I have mine run to my starting battery, so draining that too much could make for a bad outing). Having 6 switches on the panel allowed me to control a few components on my boat that weren't on cutoffs- like my stereo. Know that if you install this according to the included diagram, your battery will be constantly draining from the lower LEDs on the switches being illuminated. I simply removed the bottom wire from each switch, so only the square upper indicator is lit up when the switch is turned on. I thought about running the main power lead to the ignition circuit, but it's a big tangle of wires and I didn't want to have to scour the internet to find which wire would provide 12v only when the key is on. I also like the idea of being able to completely power down all of the ignition components, but still have full control over all my other electronics. The real kicker with this item was the stickers for labeling the switches. There was a clear set and a black glow-in-the-dark set. I used the clear set for on top of the square "power on" light, and the black glow stickers on the center of the switch body. The "interesting" part of this is the text on the stickers. It's the absolute worst typing job I've ever seen in my life, with numerous spelling errors, extra letters, etc. My 1st grader could've done a better job making the text for the labels! Obviously that doesn't affect function at all, so no deduction for that. I would've given this 5 stars if it weren't for the constantly illuminated bottom row of lights, and the incredibly weak hardware included. Hopefully the switches and outlets can withstand the elements and last a while!
