The bad point of a kit system is that they invariably, good capitalists all, get their profit margin off the top. This is far less an issue in mass produced systems where wholesale purchase of parts more than makes up for the profit margin. But solar is still a small sector of the energy market and while it is growing even large marketers are selling systems by the hundred, as opposed to the thousands.

On the other side kit systems assembled by major retailers have a lot of experience and engineering behind them. Buying one you often pay a bit more but you also sidestep a lot of mistakes and teething problems. They are sort of the equivalent of training wheels. A small starter system that has parts selected to assemble easily and work well together, that is pre-engineered for you, backed by customer support goes a long way toward making getting started in solar easy. It makes parting with the cash a little easier.

A small starter system is often a good way to get your feet wet. Once you get to know the technology such small systems can be added on to. Or they can be re-purposed for use on the barn or cabin if and when you install a larger system on the house. Or they can be reworked to make a portable emergency power system to keep some combination of communications, lights, a small refrigerator for medical supplies running.