🛒 EcoFlow Delta Pro 3: • Shop Solar: shopsolarkits.com/products/ec... • Use Code: TSL500 for $500 Off an EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 • EcoFlow: shrsl.com/4lkwh • Enjoy $500 Off for a Limited Time 🛒 Anker F3800: • Shop Solar: shopsolarkits.com/collections... • Use Code: THESOLARLAB for $101 Off Your Order • Signature Solar: signaturesolar.com/anker-soli... • Use Code: THESOLARLAB50 for $50 Off Your Order • Anker: shrsl.com/4l0lb • Code: THESOLARLAB90 ☀ Calculate Solar Panel Cost for your House: www.solar-estimate.org/solar-... 🔔 Subscribe to our RU-vid Channel: @TheSolarLab 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - Spec Tear Down 2:52 - F3800s Edge 7:14 - Delta Pro 3s Edge 11:06 - Which to Buy? The EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 is here to take the title of "Most popular power station" from the original Delta Pro... but is it Better then the Anker F3800? or is the F3800 the underdog? Today, we put the F3800 head to head with the EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 & we share our experiences with both of these units, to help you guys find out which one is best for you! ⚡ FOLLOW US: / thesolarlab / thesolarlab 👨🏼💻 The Solar Lab: www.thesolarlab.com We maintain an affiliate relationship with some of the products reviewed, which means we get a small percentage of a sale if you click our links, at no cost to our viewers.
Can you elaborate on these areas: - decibel when running loads: which one is quieter if you had them inside your recording studio? - charge/ discharge simultaneously: which one can have solar connected and be used at the same time as you are charging? - maneuverability: which one has better ergonomics with their respective handles? - wire management: which one would make less of a mess if you had multiple wires attached either ok input and output? - weatherproofing:are they both indoor units? Can they be outdoors/ what’s their water rating? - temperature efficiency: if you have them out in the garage (plugged to the generator plug of the house) and it’s a really warm day, what’s their efficiency? Shouldn’t they be better located indoors in AC? - app and firmware issues: intuitive apps, handling of bugs, turnaround of features requests or troubleshooting - overall warranty ? - obsolescence: both brands will keep coming out with new versions or products, how will they be supported and which brand has a better record of being customer friendly - which one would you recommend to “set up and forget” for elderly parents and remote management and troubleshooting ? Thanks
The reason I ended up buying the delta pro 3 is that it can charge via ac while outputting 240v. So I can have it plugged into my transfer switch and run my gas generator to recharge it when solar can’t keep up. From everything I’ve read the F3800 can’t charge from anything but solar when 240v output is enabled. Would love to see this confirmed and would have expected to see it listed as an advantage of the Ecoflow… Thanks for the great videos!
@@adhbrown23Basically you need an add-on ac to DC charger brick sold by Anker to DC charge from ac outlet and keep 240v ac that will less likely have surge issue. Anker SOLIX 200W Adapter
The 'weird sideways' 240 plug on the Ecoflow is a NEMA 6-20. Its a 20 amp, 240v outlet, and the most common device that I've seen use this plug are the heat pump/AC units in hotel rooms or other large AC units that run on 240v power. They put this one on there because its 20 amps. 240v * 20amps is 4800w. Typically, things are on breakers to allow for 80% of the rated capacity, so breakers would trip at 3,840w, which is just under the 4,000 watt inverter's capacity. The NEMA 14-50 on the Anker is a bit more ambitious. It is a 240v, 50amp outlet, rated at 12,000w, but breakers usually only allow 40amps through, so that's 9,600w. That's still way above the 6,000 watt capacity of the Anker's inverter, so while the Anker can pump out more juice, it would not be able to supply the full amperage of this outlet. They should have put on a NEMA 14-30 instead, that is rated for 7200 watts, 80% of that is 5,760w.
Good video, the Anker F3800 system is decent. I have two F3800's and 6 BP3800 expansion batteries and a Home Power Panel... so I am speaking from experience. Unfortunately I would not buy again because but they essentially have no customer service. And when they do firmware upgrades, they don't know the changes in specs. And they don't ship anywhere near their promised shipping and delivery time. But as for support, each call or chat takes hours and each response it automatic and says they will reply in 2 days... even for the most basic questions. So unless you're a solar expert, don't count on ANKER for any help unless you have a ton of patience.
I really appreciate the reviews and this comparison. You sold me as a subscriber. As a buyer of three delta pro and two extra batteries and a Wave 2 over the past two years, I question ecoflow quality. Two delta pro have failed and been returned for refurbs. One extra battery is showing over temperature and error 777 for no reason but it still works. The wave 2 water pump failed after 6 months of use and has been sent back. I'm now waiting on a refurb wave 2 unit. If I were starting over, I would buy another brand knowing what I know now about ecoflow quality.
I ended up with 2 ecoflow delta pro 3, combining plug and a dual fuel eco flow 3 generator and the ecoflow solar panels - will see how they work during hurricane
Delta Pro 3 has a more efficient and less parasitic drain for its inverter, but that's because its smaller 4000W. Anker F3800 is really handy for EV charging since it has a built in EV charge grounding feature that the 240V port on the left side gives faster charging. The Delta Pro 3 you will need to most likely buy an adapter or a charger that uses the 240v level 2 port or the wierd sideway port.
Nice non-biased review. I bought two of the Anker 767 Power Stations (renamed to something else 2000 now), and wish I had waited and bought an Anker 3800 instead. I stuck with Anker after buying the first one, but had considered an Ecoflow product before buying the second Anker 767. I'm happy with what I have, but with all electronic items, there is always something better coming out very quickly after you make any purchase. Ecoflow has the better name recognition, but in this size range, I think the Anker 3800 is the better product, because of the larger inverter, the upright form factor, and because you can add more battery storage to it without being forced to buy another power station.
Pecron E3600 for the win! Just bought it with 2 extra batteries for only $3200!!!!!!! Way more Solar input, a little less surge and maybe not the 240 Volt option easily?
No 240V out, no ability to integrate into home backup system and panel, no information on pass through capability, considerably less output wattage and no ability to output dual voltage... not saying it's bad but not exactly comparable lol.
If you want to use solar and any point then the Anker is NOT the unit for you. It has a 60 volt limit which is ancient and not acceptable for their AC output capability or battery capacity. If you never want to use solar then Anker shines
how's making a video of using these unit to run a central AC system? Running different tonnage AC if you have access to them. that would be pretty cool to see since most people are probably not going to need to run an electrical car jack that you have try on previous videos. And great break down by the way!!
I’m gonna choose Anker. I like the power options. Plus I’m gonna with their fridge options as well for over landing. Everything will have its own charging solar panels.
Didn't mention that the Anker will not passthrough 240v while charging via 120v from a generator. Whereas the delta can output 240v while being charged up at 120v.
@@davidperry5404I believe it doesn't even charge with 240v. Reading they're website gives me the impression that it charges at a max of 1800w. Which is 120v at 15amps. I don't own the product, after seeing a few of these videos I decided for the Delta pro 3.
Okay so that "weird 240v plug" that is mounted sideways.... Companies that make heat treating ovens tend to use that plug for some reason. I had to convert a dryer plug over to one of those plugs in order to run a new heat treating oven I had purchased. There was also one of those plugs already mounted in my house for some reason, but I'm not sure what the previous owner had been using it for.
Are you able to charge the Anker from 120v AC while outputting 240v? I know the Ecoflow can do this. Great for keeping it charged from a 120v generator or vehicle to load on some EVs.
I think that's the only real drawback of the Anker, but the rest of the system and other advantages still convinced me to go with. I have a vehicle with a 74 kWh battery that can output V2L at 120 volts 20 amps AC. I plan on working around the 240 volt output limitation when charging on 120 volt AC by simply buying a cheap AC to DC inverter and using my car to charge the Anker via XT60 solar input. The only reason the Anker can't output 240 volts while using AC charging is because the second inverter is tied up to convert the AC to DC; if you buy a cheap inverter to do that on the outside you can fairly easily work around this and I have already seen a number of people who claim it works without issue.
I'm a bit leery of Anker products at the moment. I heard that a tech using an Anker Prime power bank found it accessing his computer data. He's supposed to be going to his Congressmen about this. Have you heard of this or found anything "unusual" with any Anker products? Anyone?
I already have a Tesla mobile charger that can plug in to the 3800. Beyond that I plan to use one of these for my refrigerators and selected electronics. Never owned an eco flow.
look at the maximum watt the unit can dish out when all expansion batteries are connected. Then 6000w of inverter with 6 expansion batteries is a way better match than 4000 with 2 more batteries..
Great video, thanks for coming thru!!!! Have you done any comparisons with the Anker smart panel? I had to learn the hard way that the combined 12000kw inverter output is only reserved for power outage situations. You only get half the output under normal output conditions. It makes a difference when you're trying to power a house with battery back up / self consumption scenario....🤷🏾♂️
@@MaxCaudNot only the 240v (which slightly makes sense), but also half of the 120v (or 100v in Japan) ports, which makes no sense at all. My old small Anker portable from 2019 has pass-through! (And is still rock-solid despite regular use, for anyone who is wondering about Anker build quality)
What’s the difference between the 30amp outlets on both the Ecoflow and Anker systems. I have a feeling that this is a stupid question…..feel free to light me up if so! 😂
I love the channel, but picking a home backup is like being in a round room looking for a corner to pee in. Alright, which system should I choose? I live in Texas(unfortunately, CenterPoint) but have a fixed rate(no shaving needed). I use about 96KWH a day on max days(AC on 100+ temps). So, a reliable system for 3 days backup. Although here in Houston with CP, it could be a week. Thanks in advance
Doesn’t the ecoflow have pass through charging as well? Say you’re hooked up to a transfer switch and the power is out, no solar. Ecoflow lets you charge with another generator (110) or another battery. But anker doesnt right?
Thanks for the comparison. Both seem to be very specific with solar input. For my whole house backup I prefer a DIY system with my battery bank and solar inverter more modular. Not to say these units don’t have their place. All the best!
Can you clarify the EV charging a bit? I thought that the Tesla Superchargers were all DC Fast Charge, not the 240v level 2 that Ecoflow describes for the adapter?
Pretty sure he meant level 2, since they have that J1772 plug adapter for the Eco Flow unit. I wish Anker made more accessories for charging. The j1772 adapter, and that vehicle/alternator changing unit are clutch
Tesla superchargers are superchargers, DC 400-800V, at least 250kW DC Fast chargers are up to 50kW DC, not quite the same thing, IIRC. None of these can charge a power station, unless you have another box that accepts HV DC and can pretend to be an EV. (spoofing). Smaller AC chargers 3.7kw, 7kW, 11kW, 22kW may be able to charge them if it can spoof the connection.
So I know back up batteries/solar generators are able to run things and charge at the same time. I have a snake enclosure that I'd like to run from a battery like this, and just keep plugged into the wall 24/7 so if the power goes out, it will just continue to run. I know that it's possible but will that eventually ruin the quality of the battery or is that something that these things can handle no problem?
The 240v nema plug is popular in window air conditioners. You also didn't mention you can plug in a simple adapter into the 240v side to get multiple 120v outlets. So you can get 240v and 120v at the same time. I like the review!
How much do you personally pay for these products ? Or are they given to you at heavy discount or for free? That would be my first question to you and the 20 other EcoFlow YTers that tout very expensive battery systems all - from same company Eco Flow.
Besides the EcoFlow coming out slightly ahead in the solar charger area, the EcoFlow has an optional 800W alternator charger (for around $450) to quickly charge their units. What does Anker have?
I just need something that's comparable to a gas generator. I'm not trying to cook a turkey in the middle of a hurricane. I just need something that can run my fridge, a fan, tv, and wifi during an extended power outage and be able to recharge with solar in a day. Last hurricane knocked out power for 9 days, not going through that again.
We got smacked up by Beryl, and were without AC power for 5 days. I have a bunch of Goal Zero Yeti's in various sizes, used them to keep the fridges running during the storm, and kept my router going with my smallest one, 200Wh...ended up buying a big generator anyway, to have window ACs running and keep the house under 80F, as well as a couple big dehumidifiers (necessity in Houston area, "You'll be fine as soon as your summer gills grow in!") Would be nice to have a stout solgen that could handle central AC, but not at the right capacity/price ratio just yet. I have a feeling that could be in the next couple years, but I plan on not being on the Gulf Coast by then...
@@AmirFazadh Yeah, Ian kicked our butts in Ft Myers and im done with being totally out of power. I can handle no ac as long as i have the wifi and tv and a fan
In your needs that you explain you do not need anything this large. If you want to run a lamp, fridge, TV ect. Get 1000 watt unit that you can expand. Ecoflow makes the delta2. It's 1016 watt hours and can handel up to 500 watts solar which should be able to charge it in a day. I run a delta 2 max for my cabin and use solar all day to run. Delta max2 like I run has 2 ports for 1000 watts solar. The delta2 you can expand the battery 1x to get 2048 watt hours. Delta 2 max you can expand 2x getting over 6000 watt hours. Delta 2 is about 500 on sale.
I was so sure you were gonna pull out the Zendure again are your recommendation, they sure have been keeping the price down with the Prime Day sale. I am trying to hook both of my Superbase V's to Zendure's Smart Home Panel and try to power 10 circuits in my house for peak shaving. Hope it works. I'd have 7600 Watts, way more than an oven needs, and more than the single Anker.
I don't understand nothing you are saying, trust&believe, I have a apartment in south Florida, I need it to run my air conditioner, refrigerator and deep freezer, when hurricane season come can you,help me to understand plz.
I’m in Florida so whole home AC is obviously very important. I currently have 19kw solar panel array on the roof. Which would you recommend as the better options to run the whole home? If that’s even possible
F3800 all day, and twice on ☀️day. Just a bigger, badder monstrosity. Plenty of room to grow and you can power everything off one single unit. Hard to beat for the price. They found the sweet spot.
Solar input still sux though. As soon as one builds one that can take 250 VDC input I will buy one. The best I get in summer with my DP is 1300 watts from my 2,180 watt array. In the winter a little more but that sux bigtime. I'm a big believer in over panelling for winter.
You know both ecoflow and pecron make a smart charging setup you can run through the solar input of these machines. They can handle up to 24v so with that in mind expand your battery setup to the max and then you can still add additional batteries you can use to charge up the unit. Its a win all the way and with that in mind the odds of what was described are rather slim. Take care of your system and it will take care of you. I used to say ecoflow all the way until the f3800 then I was like eco who
Yokeus mentioned in another comment that the anker has no pass through so you can not charge the anker while using any of the outputs. So if I am reading that correctly it is probably not a good idea as a ups if it shuts down all your servers every time it starts to charge.
I want to use this as a ups, I need the devices plugged into them to automatically turn on in the events and extended out drains the battery Do both units do that ?
The Delta Pro 3 is slightly a better product but the difference is minimal . The DP3 is a bit disappointing imho being a 2024 product comparing to a 2023 product and still can't separate the two . On the DP3 i hope u dont accidentally mix your low mppt with the high voltage solar array . The anker f3800 is cheaper but the solar input is a joke 60v ? Also the anker you can't AC charge it while using the 240v output might be a challenge for some
Ty, so from what I heard you say is that on the pro 3 I’m unable to connect the pro3 240 v into a L-14-30 NEMA outlet and be able to run 120 and 240 at the same time. Is that what I heard or am I wrong?
is the Anker F3800 a low frequency inverter.... is this why it can power the lift and air compressor. high frequency inverter cant power big inrush current. wish someone would do a look inside. thanks to anyone that can answer this.
Will u test if the OUPES mega 3 input AC can do 220-240v. The apps says yes but the web says no will u test plz. I have one and too scared to ruin mine, but yours is a review model.
Too bad you didn't include the Zendure Superbase V 4600 in your comparison as well which has similar specs and came out before both of these units. It also has a single 3000w solar input.
Great video. Have you tested dual charging (AC and solar)? I need to have both connected as my solar array is only 800w. With my Ecoflow Delta 2 max, when the battery gets to 40% I have the AC house power kick in to preserve the 40% battery for an actual outage. I reached out to Anker about this and this is their response: "I regret to say that the F2000 and F2600 do not support dual charging. If they are connected to a wall outlet and solar panels at the same time, they will receive power from the wall outlet as a priority."
Harbor Freight makes a cute little 18W panel that directly plugs into usb A, but not usb C. So you could plug the USB into your small power bank and then charge the phone that way.
Every Review of Any Solar Generator should include a test to determine, if once the battery is completely drained, once there is sufficient battery charge from solar, will it energize the AC outlets automatically on it’s own? In a completely OFF GRID scenario, and No Internet, if you are using the Solar Generator for example in a cabin, if the battery is drained, you need it to re-energize the AC outlets as soon as it has sufficient charge from Solar. Otherwise none of the Solar Generators are worth owning, because the owner would be required to be there every day, just in case the battery was drained, in order to turn the AC outlets back on! Which makes it useless! If you have a refrigerator or other important item that needs power, you can not be there every day, it MUST TURN AC OUTLETS ON AUTOMATICALLY!! WHY IS THIS NOT A STANDARD TEST COMPONENT IN EVERY REVIEW OF EVERY SOLAR GENERATOR???
I'm not sure any all-in-one sogen does that (though, of course, they should). I think you know that too, though. We get it, you vap-er, DIY your system.
@@Just_An_Idea_For_Consideration Good point. Id like to see a lot of real world applications. I know that it's hard to make videos, but an extra real world section would keep us watching longer, make the channel more reputable, and increase the channels revenue. Love this channel, but would like to see a bit more I added extra batteries and more solar input with the Pecron e3600 just to make sure I have more than enough power due to your concerns. Would be nice if the system automatically did some smart tricks when the battery was getting low or ran out
Why not just set the until to keep say 5% of the battery so it doesn't turn off, then when solar comes back, it charges again, Ecoflow can do this, don't know about the other ones though.
@@AngusF-r8b a good thought, but when it hits 5% the AC Outlets would turn off, when solar begins charging again, how will i get the AC outlets to turn back on, i dont have internet, so cant turn on remotely, i am far away, so would have to drive there, every mornining to see if i need to turn the AC outlets back on i need them to turn on automatically thx for the thought
I feel these are kind of gimmicky for use as a back up. For example, most power outages in my rural area can last 6 to 18 hours. This would never last in the summer running air-conditioning and the appliances or in the dead of winter running the furnace with all the appliances. And once it’s dead, it’s dead. At the price point, I’d rather put in a 10+ kilowatt, propane or natural gas Generator, which will run infinitely. Now… as a power supply for car or RV camping I think it’s brilliant.
you are absolutely right !!! I have tried them all and your right they just will not power all of those important things for very long if all together at all
Even for camping they are questionable. Stand alone batteries are a better bet for vehicles. Small units that you can easily carry are better for portable units.
I'd like to piggyback off Captndarty's comment. It's not the draw (input) I'm interested in, it's the capacity (duration). I live in a cold climate and our (mercifully infrequent) power outages occur during winter storms. I'm looking for something that will just power the blower on the NG furnace so I don't burst water pipes, and maybe run the fridge until grid power is restored. Maybe 12 hours max. That's it. No air conditioning, no ovens, in fact no other draw of any kind. Weight and footprint is not a concern, nor is solar connectivity or any other bells and whistles. Can anyone give me a rough idea how long a 4K power station would last under this scenario, or better options in the $3-4k price range?
Seriously, can your show get any better. I like the comparison with these 2 units. I like the whiteboard drawing specs in the background. Thanks to your transparent review. Anker for me. 🇦🇺 🪃
Anker is a much better company, and will stand by its products, unlike the 1000s dollars I wasted on an ecoflow. Horrible experience, glad I'm rid of them . Sorry ecoflow you suck.
I am aware that the ecoflow has a system That allows you to hook the 240v 30amp from 2 inverts together through an adapter to produce a 50a 240v output or I read a smart panel that allows you to connect 3 inverters together for I think it was 80amps 240v. Can anyone tell me, Does the Anker have a similar system or ability? And if so what can it produce with its version?
Meanwhile the several-years-old Bluetti AC200Max (Though I get this channel has had bad Bluetti experiences) takes 145v of solar. "Haha series panels go brrr"
Great comparison! Anker is the winner between the two due to its vertical form factor. In terms of solar charging, both are roughly equal since most people are unlikely to purchase super expensive portable panels (e.g., $700 for 400W). Most people will likely use a 380W, 72-cell panel costing $106.40, with the following specifications: VOC: 48.3V Vmp: 39.6V Imp: 9.6A Combining two panels in parallel for each XT60 connector will give you a 760W DC input. For the F3800: It has 2 XT60 connectors. Using 4 panels will cost $425.40 and provide 1520W solar input. For the Delta Pro 3: The LPV uses the same XT60 connector. Two 380W panels will cost $212.80 and provide 760W solar input. On the HPV: Use three 330W, 72-cell panels in a string with the following specifications: VOC: 41.3V Vmp: 33.8V Imp: 9.76A Each panel costs $92.40 This setup will give you 990W solar input at a cost of $277.20. Combining LPV and HPV for the Delta Pro 3: Total: 5 panels Total solar input: 1750W Total cost: $490
Aren't you suggesting panels that exceed the max amperage input? The Anker 3800 has a maximum of 60 volts DC input and 15 amps, and you are suggesting 4 panels connected in a two parallel configuration, with panels that could produce a maximum of 19.52amps. Granted, 4.52 amps over the listed maximum MIGHT NOT do any damage to the Anker 3800, but I'm not sure I would recommend such a setup unless I had done my own testing to verify that there is no risk of damage. Maybe I'm wrong about the maximum amperage input allowed on the Anker 3800? I don't know what the maximum DC voltage input the Delta Pro 3 can accept.