Other Portable Power Stations We Tested
Ampace Andes 600 Pro for $449: This compact power station weighs 19 pounds and has an easy-carry handle on top. It stores 584 Wh of power and can be fully charged in an hour (30 dB sleep mode). It can deliver 600 watts (1,800 W surge), and has lots of ports (2 x AC, 2 x USB-C, 2 x USB-A, 2 x DC 5521, 1 x Car). There’s also a remote control app where you can change the light bar function or the colored light on top. It worked well in my tests and could be handy if you want something portable for small gadgets on a camping trip, but the EcoFlow River 2 Pro above gives you more power for less.
Photograph: Simon Hill
EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus for $699: I like the stylish, compact design of EcoFlow’s Delta 3 Plus, with the screen and ports at one end. It offers 1,024 watt-hours, can consistently provide 1,800 watts, and has a 2,600-W surge mode. It can also charge up in an hour and has lots of ports (6 x AC, 1 x Car, 2 x USB-A, 2 x USB-C, 2 x DC5521). You can add capacity with EcoFlow’s impressively compact and stackable add-on battery ($599), though it is pricey. The Plus version includes two solar ports for faster solar charging and can pull UPS duty with an impressive 10-millisecond response time. The reason it misses out on a full recommendation is the fan. The fan turned on all the time, even when I was only charging a single phone, and continued at around 55 decibels after it was fully charged and unplugged. It got louder when I charged the Delta 3 Plus from a wall outlet. It could disturb you, and it gave me concerns about overheating. Fan noise aside, I liked this power station, and the app also works well if you want to remote-control it. There is a quiet charging mode, but it drops the rate to 200 watts, meaning it will take more than five hours to fully charge.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Acer 600W Portable Power Station for £499: This power station is certainly portable, with a LiFePO4 battery offering 512 watt-hours via nine ports (two AC, two USB-A, two USB-C, two DC5521, and a car port). It’s a decent size for a campsite and suitable for lighting and charging portable gadgets, but with a maximum output of 600 watts, I wouldn’t plug in anything too demanding. You can fully charge it from a wall outlet in around two hours. There’s a wee LCD for remaining battery percentage, estimated remaining run time at current usage rates, and wattage input and output. It worked fine in my tests, but it seems to be available only in the UK and is kinda pricey for the capacity.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Bluetti AC200L for $1,599: This was replaced by the Elite 200 V2 above, but it is still a decent power station with a similar feature set. It has slightly lower capacity, and it’s heavier and pricier right now, but it is expandable up to 8,192 watt-hours with Bluetti’s add-on batteries. The design and performance are similar, but the Elite 200 V2 edges it for me and is a better buy, especially if you can pick it up for less.
Dabbsson DBS1000 Pro Portable Power Station for $569: This 1024-watt-hour capacity power station has a LiFePO4 battery and a decent mix of ports to charge and power your gadgetry. The US model has four AC outlets, three USB-A ports, three USB-C ports, a car socket, and two DC5521 barrel ports. It can charge to 80 percent in under an hour if you plug in, but expect some fan noise. You can also charge from solar panels or through the carport. You can connect via Wi-Fi and control it from the app, but the display gives you the info you need without it and has a customizable light underneath. The 2,000-watt output is impressive, and there are boost and surge modes to briefly take it to 3,000 and 4,000 watts, respectively. It performed well in my tests and can act as an EPS with a 15-millisecond delay. It’s a solid alternative to our picks above, but doesn’t stand out. The fan comes on frequently and can be annoying. I also had an issue with one of the USB ports sometimes refusing to charge a phone. Buy with the DBS2000B battery expansion to boost to 3,072 watt hours of capacity and up the output to 2,400 watts. It comes with a 5-year warranty with registration.
Bluetti AC180 for $499: I also tested this smaller power station from Bluetti, and it’s a solid option if you don’t need quite as much juice as the pick above offers. The AC180 also has a LiFePO4 battery inside, but with a 1,152-watt-hour capacity. It maxes out at 1,800 watts but can surge up to 2,700 watts for short bursts. The US model has four AC outlets, one USB-C (100 W), and four USB-A ports (15 W apiece). There’s even a wireless charging spot on top that goes up to 15 watts. You can fully charge the AC180 from an outlet in an hour, and it comes with solar and car charging cables as alternatives. It can also act as a UPS with a 20-millisecond switching time. This power station is good for small gadgets and appliances like a TV or a mini fridge. Fan noise hit around 45 decibels under a heavy load, which isn’t too bad. What I don’t like is the weight (35 pounds seems relatively heavy for this capacity), and I’d prefer more USB-C ports.
Zendure SuperBase Pro 2000 for $2,099: With a whopping 2,096-watt-hour capacity, tons of outlets (6 x AC, 1 x Car, 3 x DC5521, 4 x USB-C), and a maximum output of 2,000 watts (surge 3,000 watts), this is a great portable power station. It is 47 pounds but has two wheels, a carry handle, and a separate telescopic handle. Zendure’s app is slick; this power station can serve as an uninterruptible power supply, and it performed well in my tests, but the fans were almost constantly on. I also have concerns about its longevity. The SuperBase Pro 2000 has a Li-NMC battery inside, probably because it offers greater energy density than LiFePO4 (the similarly sized SuperBase Pro 1500 has a LiFePO4 battery and just 1440 Wh capacity), but Li-NMC batteries don’t last as long. The warranty is 2 years, but you can extend it by a year by registering with Zendure.
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