Portable Power Stations (2 Viewers)

[Payne]

Cut to the point, there are some great deals on portable power stations right now. I live in an older community with many trees.
We lose power maybe once or twice a year for anywhere between a few hours to a day. Don't really want a gas generator.

I am looking for something that can run a router, charge some phones and maybe run a fridge for a few hours if need be.

Looking at:
Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 - currently $360 on Amazon with code
Anker SOLIX C800 - $299 on Anker website
Maybe the EF Ecoflow Delta 2 - $399 on Amazon.

Any experiences or thoughts on these?

Appreciate it.

 

[beer 30]

I have Eco Flow batteries, a couple of the small "personal" Jackery batteries and a Bluetti I just got. They all have fleas one way or the other but work as designed. The smaller ones aren't good for much other than charging phones and computers or similar size electronics. The Eco Flows I have are specific for 1. portable power for the house (Delta Pro) and 2. a dedicated system to keep the fridge running for a few days (Delta Max w/2 batteries).

 

[Manster]

I have a gas geny/inverter for camping and backup for home…..but someday I’d like to get a power station of some sort.

I do have a pile of ryobi lithium batts for yard tools. So I bought their 150 watt inverter that pops right onto the batts. Pretty awesome for camping.

 

[beer 30]

I have Eco Flow batteries, a couple of the small "personal Jackery batteries and Bluetti I just got. They all have fleas one way or the other but work as designed. The smaller ones aren't good for much other than charging phones and computers or similar size electronics. The Eco Flows I have are specific for 1. portable power for the house (Delta Pro) and 2. a dedicated system to keep the fridge running for a few days (Delta Max w/2 batteries).

The Manster reminds me that I have two small generators as well. The Delta Max is to be used for the fridge should the need arise. The generators are to charge the Max. I have solar panels for all of the batteries, the Jackery panels do a pretty good job for their small units like what I have. The same size panels for the Eco Flow's will take days to recharge the batteries. I have a larger Eco Flow panel that does a better job but setting them up, running the lines, etc sucks ***. The Eco Flow panels are not user friendly, to the point I have considered making stands for them. Also, whether it was an oversite when shipped or they simply don't come with them, I didn't receive any power lines to hook the Eco Flow panel to the battery so I bought some. Really long ones, like 15'-20' because they typically send something like a 3'-5' cord (assuming they send them). The reasoning I used was if I have the panel outside, the battery is probably going to be inside so I'll need a fair amount of line to reach through a window to the unit.

All that nonsense is alleviated with a generator that can fully charge up the unit in a few hours. But then you have to think of a couple other variables. For me, I got the units because I don't want to be without power at my house. If I am, chances are the weather is bad. If it's overcast or raining, that adds another dynamic to the whole diatribe above. Have to cover the generator to keep it out of the rain, etc. And finally, if the 'hood is without power, a loud generator is like a big alarm for any nefarious folks roaming about looking for power. Sorry for the prepper mentality that crept into the discussion when you are simply looking to power up an iPhone. Just some things to consider.

 

[El Floppo]

Dot

 

[the moops]

I think any of those will be more than fine. They all get good reviews and honestly as you said they will get used most likely a couple times a year. Technology keeps changing rapidly on these things so what is good now will be somewhat obsolete in a few years.

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

I have a bluetti EB55 for camping and love it. There's enough juice to charge phones, run my small appliances, laptop ect. Charges up really fast from a car DC port or plug, solar, or regular outlet so there's decent options to keep it going during an outage. Scale the size for your needs, but i think this one would work for me at home in a power outage.

 

[Payne]

I ended up buying the Jackery Explorer 1000 v2. The price ($367) for the features you get is hard to pass up.

 

[mr. furley]