How to Pick the Right Portable Power Station – A Beginner-Friendly Guide
Portable power stations are becoming more popular than ever. With just about every electronics company on the planet now carrying their own version of a power station, it seems like everybody and their dog is getting in on the action.
And why not? They’re incredibly useful pieces of equipment that make it easy to access power anywhere. Whether you live fully off-grid, just want to prepare for emergencies and blackouts, enjoy camping in remote locations, or want an independent source of power for your RV, a portable power station can help.
But with so many options flooding the market, choosing the right one can feel a bit overwhelming. Don’t worry, though – we’re here to help! By the end of this guide, you’ll have a clear idea of what you should be looking for when shopping for a portable power station that will fit your needs. We’ll also highlight some of the best brands on the market, so you don’t end up spending your hard-earned money on a piece of junk.
A Quick and Easy Electricity Lesson
Before we dive into what you should look for in a power station, let’s do a quick crash course on electricity. Don’t worry; we’ll keep it simple.
Imagine your garden hose—just like you’d use to water your lawn. When you open the faucet, water flows out at a certain pressure. That pressure is similar to voltage when you're talking about electricity. Voltage (V) is pretty standardized, especially in homes where it’s almost always either 120V or 240V, so you don’t need to worry about that too much.
Next, think of the actual hose itself. If you have a wider hose, more water is able to flow through it. With electricity, that potential flow rate would be equivalent to amperage, or amps for short. The higher the amps, the thicker the “hose,” so to speak.
Finally, imagine how much water is actually coming out of the end of that hose. That’s your wattage (W). Wattage is a measurement of power over time, like miles per hour in a car. If you’ve got a 100W light bulb, that means it uses 100 watts of power per hour.
Here’s a quick formula to keep in mind: Volts x Amps = Watts.
So, if you’re powering a 100W light bulb with a 1,000Wh battery, it’ll last you about 10 hours. Simple enough, right?
If you still feel a bit confused, we’d recommend going back and watching our video on the basics: Basics of Solar & Electricity. Having a solid grasp on this terminology is really helpful when you’re shopping for any type of solar equipment, including portable power stations.
Picking the Right Power Station
Now that we’ve given you a bit of a review on some of the basic terms, let’s take a look at our 5-step process for picking the perfect portable power station for your needs:
Step 1: What are You Hoping to Power?
The first thing you need to figure out is what exactly you’re planning to power with your new power station. You’ll also need a rough idea of how long you’ll need power for. Since we showed you how to calculate watts above, this should be pretty straightforward.
Knowing this information will help you determine both the ideal battery bank and inverter size for your new power station. Basically, a power station’s battery bank is the total amount of power it can store, while the inverter size tells you how much power the power station can put out at one time.
For example, let’s say you want to supply power to a 45W mini-fridge while you’re enjoying the outdoors in your camper van. You could pair your power station with solar panels, recharging its battery as you enjoy your camping trip, but you can’t always rely on adequate sunlight.
To compensate for this, you’d want your power station to have an internal battery that could last the duration of your trip. Let’s say that’s about two and a half days. Here’s how you would calculate power station needs in that scenario:
Since a fridge doesn’t run all the time (they cycle on and off to save power), we can assume it would only run about 50% of the time. That means it’s using about 22.5 watts per hour (half of 45 watts). Multiply that by 60 hours (2.5 days), and you’d get 1,350 watts.
There are plenty of options out there that could achieve this, but a great budget-friendly model from a reputable manufacturer would be the Jackery 1000 PLUS, which offers just over 1,260Wh battery and a 2,000W inverter—plenty for this scenario.
Basically, you just need to do a quick bit of math to figure out how much power you need and how long you need it to last.
Step 2: How Will You Power It?
Next, think about how you plan to recharge your power station. Do you want to plug it into a regular wall socket (AC charging), use solar panels, or even charge it with your vehicle’s DC charging port?
Here are the different input power options you get with power stations. When you’re shopping for one of your own, make sure it has the options that are useful to you.
AC Charging:
AC charging is really basic. Just about every type of power station can be fully charged in under two hours when plugged into a standard wall outlet.
This is a great option if you’re using the power station for camping, running a mobile business, or need a quick recharge at home before heading out again. If you’re planning on using your power station for backup power during blackouts, just make sure to top up the battery ahead of time, that way you’ll have power when you need it.
Solar Charging:
Plenty of power stations also have an option for solar charging. You’ll sometimes see these types of power stations advertised as “Solar Generators” or “Solar Power Stations”. They’re basically the same thing, but they just have that added option of being able to take power from solar panels.
If you are hoping to charge your power station with solar panels, the good news is you are probably familiar with the math. A 100W solar panel will generate about 100 watts per hour under ideal conditions. So, if you have a power station with a 1,000Wh battery, it’ll take roughly 10 hours of full sun exposure to charge it completely.
Remember, you can typically count on about four good hours of sunlight per day, so plan accordingly. One way to do so would be to invest in more solar panels, or panels that have a higher power rating.
If, for example, you were trying to charge a 3,000Wh battery in 4 hours, you’d need about 750 watts of solar power. That could be two 400W panels, four 200W panels, or eight 100W panels. The options are pretty flexible depending on your needs.
Step 3: Weigh Up Features and Portability:
Now that you’ve got the numbers figured out, it’s time to think about extra features and how portable the unit is.
Plugs and Output Ports:
What kind of plugs do you need your station to have? If you’re running an RV or a trailer, you might want a unit with a dedicated 30-amp plug, like the Anker F2600. Some units even come with wheels and a handle for easy transport.
If you’re planning to hook it up to a home transfer switch for backup power, consider a unit with an L14 generator plug to avoid needing adapters. There are also units with 50-amp plugs for job sites where you might need to power a compressor or other heavy-duty equipment.
Portability:
Do you need your power station to be lightweight and portable, say for camping trips or any other situation where you’d need to carry it? Or, is it mostly going to be used at home, so it can be a bit bulkier.
When shopping, look for handles and wheels. Also check the physical size, and, of course, the actual weight of the unit.
Consider the Voltage:
Make sure you know whether the devices you’re powering require 120 volts or 240 volts. This will significantly impact the type of unit you’ll need.
Step 4: Compare Price vs. Quality
When it comes to portable power stations, we find that you typically get what you pay for. The cheaper a unit is, the more likely it is to have issues like poor surge capacity, shorter battery lifespan, and weaker customer support. Plus, they just tend to fall apart, or stop working without much notice.
When you’re looking for a power station, we recommend looking into the following as indicators of quality:
Surge Capacity:
Surge capacity is important if you’re powering devices that require a lot of power to get going, like power tools. Surge capacity is an indicator of how much above the output power rating the power station is capable of hitting before it shuts off.
Cheaper units often skimp on this, so power stations that have an impressive surge capacity tend to be better made overall.
Warranty:
As with any type of product, a good warranty can be an indicator of quality, as it often means that the brand believes in the durability of what they are selling.
With that said, be wary of brands offering huge warranties if they're brand-new. Something like a 10-year warranty on a brand that’s only been around for six months is rarely a good sign. Remember, a warranty is only as good as the company backing it, so stick with established and reputable brands that have proven customer service records.
Consider Older Models:
If you’re on a tight budget, don’t be afraid to look at older models with solid reputations. A great example is the EcoFlow DELTA Pro – it’s a few years old now, but still a really solid unit. We even put out a video seeing if the DELTA Pro held up, (spoiler alert), it did!
Now that newer models have come out, you can often find these older ones available at a discount. Many of them will still have all the features you need!
Step 5: Don’t Forget About Things You Should Always Look Out For
Finally, here are a few things to watch out for when you’re shopping around:
Avoid Unknown Brands:
We always recommend avoiding any brands that are completely new, or have little to no reputation. Sure, you might think you're getting a great deal, but you’re also taking a big risk.
Trust us, you’ll want to stick with companies that have been around for a while and have earned a good track record for quality and performance.
Overinflated Claims:
Always be suspicious of power claims that seem a little too good to be true. Many companies exaggerate how long their units will last, or how much output power they’re capable of.
Do Your Own Research:
Before making a purchase, do your own research. We always try to provide honest, thorough, and unbiased reviews, but there’s no harm in reading a few customer reviews and digging into things a bit for yourself. It’s always better to know what to realistically expect before you order a power station.
Our Final Words
With any luck, this guide will help you make an informed decision and get the perfect portable power station for your unique needs. We’ve listed some of our favorite companies below, as well as some top online retailers that carry these brands. These retailers even offer some of these power stations in kits that come with solar panels and accessories.
🛒 Shop Our Favorite Power Station Brands
Jackery: http://shrsl.com/4fudr
EcoFlow: http://shrsl.com/4fudt
Anker: http://shrsl.com/4fudy
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