OUPES Mega 2 Power Station Review – The Best Budget-Friendly Power Station?

Oct 17

OUPES might not be a brand that many people are familiar with, but when it comes to budget-friendly power stations, they’re starting to make some serious waves.

We previously reviewed the OUPES Mega 3, which wasn’t flawless, but we were really impressed with the overall package, especially for the price. In fact, the Mega 3 has since become one of our go-to recommendations when it comes to affordable power stations.

Recently, we got our hands on the OUPES Mega 2, the smaller sibling of the Mega 3. Since we know that the Mega 3 delivers impressive performance that’s backed by solid customer service—a rarity for low-cost power stations—we have to admit that we’re pretty psyched to take a look at what else OUPES has to offer.

So, let’s see if the OUPES Mega 2 can run with the Mega 3, or find out if OUPES had an “oops” moment when they designed it. As always, we’ll review the results of our own testing, then talk about some of the things we like and dislike about the unit. At the end of the article, we’ll also provide a few discount codes you can use to score a deal if you decide to pick one up.

Our First Impressions

As mentioned, the Mega 3 really caught our attention and we now class OUPES as one of the go-to budget brands for power stations.

However, the big question now is whether or not the Mega 2 lives up to that same hype. To be honest, this thing did look pretty sharp right out of the box. We’ve certainly reviewed our share of dog-ugly power stations from completely obscure brands, but both units from OUPES seem to be a cut above those. The thing has a clean, solid, and professional appearance, along with a really intuitive layout.

In terms of performance, OUPES claims this model is superior to all other 2,000W power stations, including those offered by more well-established brands, like EcoFlow, Bluetti, and Jackery.

OUPES is so confident about the performance of the Mega 2 that they even have a comparison chart on their website to show how it stacks up against its competitors. Unsurprisingly, they claim it can outperform everything in its class. With that said, manufacturer claims are just that—claims—so let’s tear this thing down and see what it can actually do.

Specs Breakdown for the OUPES Mega 2

Let’s start with the basics. The OUPES Mega 2 weighs in at 46 pounds—not super lightweight but still manageable. We’d say it passes our always-reliable ‘Tiny Baby Lift Test’, but carrying it is probably going to be a two-hand job for most people.

The Mega 2 also features a solid 2,048Wh battery and a 2,500W pure sine wave inverter that’s apparently capable of surging up to 5,400W. Another nice thing about this unit is the fact it was designed to be expandable. When fully expanded, it can reach a pretty crazy total storage capacity of 10.24kWh. This provides buyers with plenty of flexibility, as you always have the option to increase your battery capacity down the line.

When it comes to charging that 2,048Wh internal battery, the Mega 2 can accept a 1,600W AC input through standard wall charging, as well as a 2,100W solar input, which we'll dig into later.

For output and input ports, the Mega 2 is reasonably well-equipped. You get a 30-amp RV plug, four 120-volt AC outlets, two barrel connectors, a 12-volt car socket, a good variety of USB-A and USB-C ports, and an Anderson port.

There’s also a handy smart app for remotely monitoring and controlling the unit. The app is supported with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and it even integrates with smart home systems, like Google Home and Alexa. This is all actually really impressive, especially for a relatively unknown brand.

As for the all-important price tag, OUPES lists it at $1,499, but we’ve actually never seen it available for any price above the seemingly permanent sale price of $1,299. With its specs and a price point of $1,299, it definitely can be considered a budget-friendly option.

All of this sounds great on paper, but, as we have found out the hard way in the past, plenty of manufacturers exaggerate or straight up lie about what their products can do. This is why an overview of the specs can be pretty meaningless until we’ve had a chance to test out a power station ourselves.

Testing the OUPES Mega 2

To start out, we wanted to test the OUPES Mega 2’s efficiency and performance to see how it would hold up under real-world conditions. Here’s what we found:

Testing the Efficiency:

To test the efficiency, we ran the fully charged Mega 2 against a 2,330W load, slightly below the unit's 2,500W output rating. With this load, it lasted 44 minutes, which translates to an 83% efficiency rating.

That’s actually better than quite a few of the power stations we've reviewed in the past, and it’s particularly impressive given how hard the unit was working to maintain that 2,330W load for nearly an hour. Usually anything above an 80% power rating gets a thumbs up from us, so this is a solid start for a budget-friendly power station.

AC Charging Test:

It took 2 hours and 7 minutes to fully charge the battery by plugging it into a standard wall outlet. This is decent, but not exactly outstanding for a 2,048Wh battery.

Testing the Surge Performance:

The inverter is supposed to have a really high 5,400W surge capacity. This is great on paper, but when we tested it out with a load above the inverter’s 2,500W output rating, it only handled extremely brief surges. In fact, when we pushed it with a 3,000W load, it shut off immediately.

Other power stations, like the EcoFlow DELTA Pro, give you at least a few seconds of surging before shutting down. This gives you a bit more forgiveness if you push your power station a little bit above what it’s rated for. It’s a bit disappointing, especially given OUPES claims it can handle surges of up to 5,400W.

Testing the Noise Levels:

For the Mega 2, the fan noise level is medium—almost like a loud desktop computer fan. It’s not obnoxious, but you probably wouldn’t want it running next to your bed at night. As you’d expect, the volume is much lower when you’re not working it too hard, so it’s not a major complaint. For noise, it’s basically just okay—not bad, not great.

Testing the Solar Input and Pass-Through Charging Capabilities:

One thing that stood out during our testing was the Mega 2’s fairly tricky solar charging. You can technically get 2,100W of solar into the unit, but only if you have very specific equipment. We found it challenging to get more than 800W using four 200W solar panels. If you don’t have the right gear, this could be a dealbreaker, especially for those looking to charge it primarily through solar. We’ll explain why this was an issue in more detail when we get to the things that we didn’t like about the Mega 2.

On the plus side, the unit does support pass-through charging. This is true for both solar and AC charging, so you can charge the battery while you also pull power from it for your devices and appliances.

What We Liked and Disliked About the OUPES Mega 2

Now that we have taken a good look at the Mega 2, let’s get to some of the pros and cons we came up with:

The Downsides:

No product is perfect, and the OUPES Mega 2 has a few quirks. First up, we love that it comes equipped with a 30-amp plug, but it actually isn’t a legit 30-amp plug, which is hugely disappointing.

Thanks to its 2,500W inverter, the unit isn’t powerful enough to make full use of a 30-amp plug. You can run small loads through it, which could be useful if you need it for basic use in your RV or trailer, but don’t expect to pull the full 30 amps. This limitation means it's more suited for emergency backup or light-duty situations.

As we discussed earlier, the next issue lies in the fairly weird solar input. The unit accepts 12 to 150 volts at 15 amps, but this creates some challenges. Most rigid solar panels hover around 20 volts and under 10 amps, meaning you can only use about six 200W panels, totaling around 1,200 watts—far from the 2,100 watts of solar input the unit can supposedly handle.

It might be doable, but you’ll need specific gear to make it work. For instance, one of the only solar panel setups that worked for us was running it off of four Anker 100W folding solar panels. To get anywhere near that 2,100W input rating with 100W folding panels, you’re going to have a pretty ridiculous solar panel setup.

Another oddity with the Mega 2 is that it seems to consume power even when it’s completely idle. Most power stations won’t use any noticeable power if they’re left on without running a load, but the Mega 2’s battery drains faster than we’re used to seeing. It even seems to use power when the inverter is completely off. It’s not the end of the world, but something to keep in mind.

Finally, one more small gripe: the Mega 2 has no built-in light. For a unit of this size and weight, it would be helpful to have some built-in lighting for power outages or situations where you find yourself working in the dark. It’s a small gripe, but it’s worth mentioning. It really would have been nice if they put a basic LED light on the front, similar to what you get with something like the Jackery 1000 PLUS.

The Positives:

Despite a few quirks and gripes, we found a lot to like about the OUPES Mega 2. First and foremost, it offers outstanding value at that $1,299 price point. If you’re on a budget, the Mega 2 gives you most of the same functionality you get with the bigger Mega 3, and you really don't have to sacrifice too much. You still get the ability to expand the battery capacity, all the same ports, and a really nice-looking power station with an intuitive design. It’s also relatively lightweight for its size and power rating, making it fairly easy to transport.

The smart app support is also really handy, and having an app that actually works well isn’t something you should take for granted, especially at this price.

While the 30-amp plug isn’t a true 30-amp outlet, it’s still handy for light-duty RV use or emergency backup. And the fact that you can expand this unit up to a pretty mind-boggling 10.24kWh is a big win for those who may need more power down the road.

Overall, it’s a great unit. If it was priced closer to $2,000, we might be more critical, but at $1,299 before you even use any discount codes, you really do get a lot for your money.

Final Verdict: Should You Pick Up the OUPES Mega 2?

To sum things up, the OUPES Mega 2 is a really impressive power station for its price point. While it’s not without its flaws—like the underpowered 30-amp plug and tricky solar input—it offers great value for those on a budget.

It can actually hang with the power stations offered by the bigger names, including the likes of Bluetti, Jackery, and EcoFlow. Basically, if you’re considering the OUPES Mega 2, it’s a good choice for light-duty use, emergency backup, and RVing. Just make sure your solar setup is compatible, and you’ll have a reliable power station that gets the job done without breaking the bank.

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