23 pages
I tested six power stations under $700 and divided each price by the watt-hours I metered out of the socket.
I used the River 2 Pro for 30 days of car camping, tailgating and home office work. It's a one-hand carry.
I took nine power stations camping and weighed and metered every one. The Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 is my pick — the lightest 1 kWh unit.
I ran my ResMed CPAP overnight on eleven power stations and measured how loud each one was. The Bluetti Elite 100 V2 is my pick — three nights.
I fitted or carried ten power stations in a van and RV. The Bluetti Elite 200 V2 is my pick: 1,902 Wh measured, 2,600 W out.
I ran outage drills on eight power stations, including two through a transfer switch. The EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 is my pick: 3,772 Wh measured, verified 240 V.
I used the Delta Pro 3 for 44 days, including a whole-house outage drill through a transfer switch. It ran my fridge.
I ran both units through outage drills on my home's wiring. The Anker puts out 50% more power for $1,300 less; the EcoFlow delivered more usable energy.
A generator runs indefinitely but needs fuel and ventilation. A battery is silent and safe indoors but finite. What I learned running battery outage drills.
Hours of refrigeration each battery size delivers, calculated from measured capacity, plus the food-safety window that decides if you need one.
Off-grid, your daily energy is capped by how much solar the unit will accept. I measured it on ten units. The Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus is my pick.
Work out the watt-hours you need in five steps, with typical appliance draws, the efficiency correction I measured on 11 units.
LiFePO4 lasts four to eight times longer and is far harder to ignite. But the spec that really varies is what those cycles are rated to.
Every power station delivers less than its rating — independent testing puts the loss between 7% and 25%. Where it goes and how to plan for it.
A 100 W panel was independently measured averaging 50.7 W in full sun. Where the rest goes, and the input ceiling that wastes half some arrays.
I used the C1000 Gen 2 for 36 days — a kitchen outage drill, two camping weekends and garage tools. It refilled in 52 minutes, ran a kettle.
I tested 11 power stations from EcoFlow, Jackery, Bluetti and Anker for 27 to 44 days each, metering every watt-hour out of the socket.
I used the Elite 100 V2 for 37 days — two camping weekends, a home office UPS and solar on the deck. It ran my CPAP for three nights without me hearing it.
I used the Delta 3 for 37 days — a kitchen outage, a van weekend and solar on the deck. It refilled in 58 minutes, has six AC outlets and the best app I used.
I tested 11 units across four brands on the same bench. Bluetti delivered the most of its ratings, EcoFlow was the best to live with, Jackery carried best.
I used both for over a month. The Jackery holds more usable energy and is nearly 4 lb lighter. The EcoFlow has twice the AC outlets, a better app.
I used the Explorer 1000 v2 for 34 days of car camping, tailgating and a simulated outage. It's the lightest 1 kWh unit I tested, with the best handle.
I used the Explorer 2000 v2 for 40 days — a weekend cabin, a kitchen outage and power tools in the yard.