Portable power stations are like having an electrical outlet in a box you can carry with
you anywhere, and are surprisingly practical and effective. Power is stored in a giant
rechargeable battery inside the unit, and these power packs are equipped with AC outlets,
DC outlets, and USB charging ports to power a variety of devices including phones, laptops,
televisions, and even AC appliances like a refrigerator.
Portable Power Stations can be charged with any standard wall outlet or your car’s 12
volt outlet, but can also be paired with solar panels to create a solar generator that’s
charged by the power of the sun. Their versatility and convenience makes these power stations
great to have as an emergency home battery backup, useful for camping and outdoor activities,
and a great addition to RV’s, vans, and even boats.
The Power Stations we’ll be featuring are classified by Watt Hours. Watt hours measure
the average power flow in one hour. In the case of batteries, like the ones inside these
power stations, watt hours represent capacity.
To put it simply a small 100 watt hour power station can power a 100 Watt lightbulb for
1 hour or recharge a 10 watt smartphone about 10 times.
Note that the real life run time of that lightbulb might be about 55 minutes because of energy
loss common in all electric devices.
We’ve done our research and narrowed down our selection to 8 models. We’ll be highlighting
the important features of each Portable Power Station, as well as providing examples of
devices they can power. We selected models based on personal testing, Amazon reviews,
and other trustworthy reviews from around the web, and excluded models which had any
reported major flaws.
The compact and lighweight Jackery Explorer 240 is one of the most popular and well reviewed
portable power stations on the market. Made for outdoor adventures, camping, and emergency
preparedness it comes equipped with a 240 watt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, this convenient
device provides clean stable electricity that won’t damage your electronics. Like all
portable power stations, it can be safely used indoors or outdoors and does not use
fuel. The explorer pairs well with Jackery’s 60 Watt solar panels to create a simple off
grid power solution. With a 200 watt continuous AC output and 400 watt peak output, this portable
power station comes with one AC outlet, two USB A ports and one DC car port. The Jackery
240 can charge your smartphone about 17 times, and can power a mini fridge for 3 hours. For
more demanding applications, Jackery also has you covered with their other products
from the same line, such as the 500 and the 1000 watt Power Stations which can keep your
adult beverages cold in that minifridge for almost 3 days!
Keep in mind all of the models we mention on this list come in multiple sizes, and the
right size for you depends on your power requirements and usage.
Goal Zero by Yeti is an excellent line of reliable power products. The 1000 lithium
portable power station provides 1045 watts-hour of clean and silent energy that’s more than
enough for high energy demand applications like temporarily running household appliances
or providing juice for the whole family on a camping trip. Well suited for off grid applications
and as an emergency power backup, It features four USB ports, two AC outlets and a 12volt
output. With it’s sturdy 1500 Watt AC inverter, the goalzero can keep your refrigerator going
for over 17 hours, a 32 inch LCD TV for over 10 hours and, of course, you could charge
your phone more than 50 times or your laptop 17 times. The Goal Zero Yeti 1000 is a popular
premium power station and it too can be charged via goal zero solar panels. So, in about 10
to 20 hours you’ll be able to harness all the free energy you need. Goal Zero Yeti makes
some big boys too, their 3000 watt hour unit can provide long run times for all of your
appliances and equipment.
A more budget friendly option, The suaoki power station is an ideal model for those
looking to have an emergency power source stocked away in case you need it. The Suaoki
G500 has a capacity of 500 watt-hours and provides an output of 300 watts with a 600-watt
peak. There are three ways to charge this large power bank and each of them is extremely
convenient, depending on the situation, there is an AC adapter charger, a solar option and
a car cigarette lighter adapter. The Suaoki G500 is not only good to charge an iPhoneX
about 50 times, but it’s also dependable enough to act as a backup power source. This
portable power station features 5 ports in total: 2 AC outlets, 2 USB A 3.0 ports and
one USB C port. By the way p rices for all products are mentioned
are linked in the description below.
A 300 watt portable power station is the perfect emergency backup for in-home use, traveling
and, of course, camping. The Rockpals 300W has a lithium-based battery pack and it can
give a continuous output of 300 watts and a max surge of 600. The 280 watt-hour capacity
it features means that you’ll be able to charge a 2000 mah phone over 25 times, or
an electric skateboard about 2 and a half times. This clean energy bank has an intuitive
LCD like the other models we’ve reviewed here and it also comes equipped with two USB
ports, one pure sine wave AC 120V outlet and 2 quick charge USB 3.0 ports. The Rockpals
300W can be charged in three efficient ways, using a wall outlet is the most direct way
and it would take around 7 hours for a full charge, but if you are in the heart of nature
and the only energy sources are your car or some solar panels, the good news is the Rockpals
portable station can be conveniently charged using these methods as well.
Westinghouse has been around since 1886, and makes some great portable generators and a
wide variety of portable power stations, but for now we’ve decided to take a look at
their iGen160s 100-watt model that weighs only 3.75 pounds and has a maximum output
of 150 peak watts and a capacity of 100 watt-hours. It is the smallest and most portable device
we’ve included on our list and it is especially useful on a daily basis, being an excellent
upgrade from the usual 5000 mAh power bank. It is extremely efficient as it comes equipped
with two 120V household outlets, two USB 3.0 ports and a USB-C outlet that makes it ideal
for charging more sensitive gadgets such as a laptops, tablets or smartphones. Speaking
of, the iGen160s can charge a phone 13 times, a drone 6 times and it can grant you about
3 hours of TV time. Not too bad! The Westinghouse also comes in various other capacities and
this specific model that we talked about features a flashlight and a reading lamp that comes
in very handy during a power outage, or when camping.
The River 370’s minimalist design earned it accolades such as the Red Dot Award & iF
Design Award, with a slick black design and rounded corners, this medium sized power station
has an internal battery with a total capacity of 370 watt-hours and it can charge up to
nine devices at the same time. A unique feature of the ecoflow portable power station is it’s
two bi-directional 60 Watt USB-C charge ports. Which means it can achieve a 3 hour charge
time if you plug 2 wall chargers into both ports at the same time. With just one it takes
6 hours to achieve a 90% charge. There are two AC outlets, two fast charge USB ports,
two USB-C , two classic USB ports and one 12V car port. The EcoFlow River 370 can charge
up 75 GoPro’s , 37 smartphones, and can keep on a mini fridge running for around 7
hours.
The floureon 220Wh portable power generator is an ultra budget option that’s a top seller
on Amazon and well reviewed. Very compact and light, it weighs in at only 4.85 pounds,
and its 4 USB ports and two AC outlets can meet most normal charging requirements for
small gadgets. With a 300 watt continuous output and and 600 watt peak it takes about
7-8 hours to reach a full charge from a wall outlet. It’s compact size makes this unit
ideal for travel.
Featuring a capacity of 296 watt-hours, the Aeiusny has an output of 400 watts and is
so easy to carry it around that you’re definitely going to want to take it with you on each
and every camping trip, as it weighs only 7.49 pounds. It can charge 9 devices at the
same time thanks to the multiple ports it features: 3 Ac outlets, 2 DC ports and 4 USB
ports that could charge a smartphone around 25 times and keep a laptop going for around
10 hours. The Aeiusny is a clean energy portable power generator that can be used indoors as
well as outdoors and it can be recharged in about 6 to 7 hours with an AC wall outlet,
10-15 hours with a 12V car port and 10-15 hours if using the Aeiusny 60W solar panel.
We’re curious to know, what is the main reason you’re interested in a portable power
station? Is it as a home battery backup, for camping, or maybe even an emergency power
source for your CPAP machine? Let us know in the comments below.
As a tip To preserve battery lifespan, most manufacturers recommend you use and recharge
your battery at least once every 6 months, and store in cool, dry place. To clarify another
point, surge power means your power station can provide a peak output to meet temporary
energy demands of high power appliances, but you can’t run them for long. If you exceed
the peak output, most units have an automatic safety shutoff.
Portable power stations are an excellent solution to provide off grid power for many applications
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