EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 vs Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus — I Tested Both Through My Home Panel

Both units went through the same bench tests: charged to full, drained to shutdown on a constant 300 W load with a meter at the AC outlet, recharged from empty on a wall socket, weighed, stepped up to their overload trip point, and measured for noise at one metre.

Then I lived with each for six weeks. The Delta Pro 3 spent 44 days on a whole-house outage drill through a transfer switch and running a garage freezer. The F3800 Plus spent 43 days on an outage drill through my home panel, an RV hookup and solar on the deck. My transfer switch was fitted by a licensed electrician.

Cycle ratings, expansion and prices are the manufacturers'.[1][2] Everything else is my own measurement or observation.

Power. I held 6,000 W through the F3800 Plus for ten minutes, and it didn't trip until 8,800 W. The Delta Pro 3 held its 4,000 W and tripped at 5,900 W. That's a real capability gap: a well pump, an HVAC blower and a 240 V dryer at once is plausible on the Anker and not on the EcoFlow.

Solar. It accepted 3,050 W from my array against the EcoFlow's 2,480 W. Off-grid, that's the number that decides how much you can live on.

Price. $1,300 cheaper at list, and about $0.70 per usable watt-hour against $0.98. I rated it 5 out of 5 for value — the most power per dollar in the class.

Outlets. Six 120 V outlets plus 240 V and an RV socket — the most of any unit I tested. It ran a window air conditioner for six hours and an RV overnight on its TT-30 socket.

Usable energy. 3,772 Wh against 3,448 Wh — 324 Wh more, about six hours of a full-size fridge. That showed up in my drills: three hours more on the fridge, freezer and router, and six more on a fridge alone.

Switchover. 10 ms against 20 ms. Both kept my circuits up in my drills, but 10 ms gives more margin for sensitive electronics.

Weight. 113.2 lb against 136 lb. Both have wheels; neither will go up stairs. But 23 lb is the difference between one person managing it on a flat garage floor and not.

Refinement. The EcoFlow's app is the best I used for home-backup scheduling, its build is more solid — the Anker's plastic panels flex a little — and its fans are slightly quieter at full load.

Cycle life. 4,000 cycles against 3,000, both to 80% — a third more rated life.[1][2]

When I first wrote about the F3800 Plus, Anker's own product page gave its weight as both 132.3 lb and 136.7 lb, and its solar input as both 1,600 W and 3,200 W.[2] Testing settled both:

The heavier weight and the higher solar figure are the real ones. One more thing to know before you buy: Anker dropped the XT-60 solar input on the Plus, so check your panel connectors.

For home backup, my pick is the EcoFlow Delta Pro 3. It delivered more usable energy, switched over faster, weighs less and is more pleasant to live with. It's the highest-scoring unit I tested.

The Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus is the stronger hardware on raw power and solar, and it's much cheaper. If you're living off panels, need more than 4,000 W at once, or the EcoFlow's price is out of reach, buy it — knowing it's 136 lb and loud at full load.

What would change my home backup pick: a big F3800 Plus price cut. It already does 50% more output for less money.