I have several portable power banks and solar panels. They've come in handy so many times. Just a few months ago we had a power outage during a heat wave. My mom is 96 and lives about a mile from me. I was able to hook up her fridge, freezer, and a box fan. At home I was able to keep my cable internet modem and internet phone running. I was able to keep a television on for my grandson, kept my fridge and freezer running, and we had plenty of light. My neighbors phoned to see why my electricity was on while theirs wasn't. Other than having to rehook all the plugs from the wall outlets to the power banks life was pretty normal. When a power bank or panel has a price I can't refuse I buy them. My gas stove has burners that can be lit with a lighter, but the oven needs electricity to work. I was able to hook it up too, so I could bake. A 12 volt fridge is also nice to keep in the car with a power bank. These things are very useful.
Get USB fans. Box fans are power hogs. Try them and you`ll never waste battery capacity again. Plus a portable solar panel or small power bank can power them.
A great video, Mark. We have the newer/smaller/lighter Bluetti EB3A, and it addresses several of the issues you mentioned: • The power brick is built-in and takes a standard 3-prong power cord, so you can charge from both AC and solar at the same time. • The charge/discharge percentage is shown in numbers with time remaining at the current rate. • It comes with a Bluetooth smartphone app that offers detailed information/controls and lets you update the power station’s firmware. The AC charging rate for both is remarkable. The EB70S has 2.6x the capacity of the EB3A and requires more time, but our EB3A charges from 0-99 percent in 90 minutes. Also, both have a built-in controller that lets you directly connect up to 200W of solar panels. A separate controller would otherwise cost >$100. That, combined with the 5x longevity of LiFePO4 batteries (compared to Li-ion), makes these an exceptional investment. P.S. For both the EB70S and the EB3A, there is no single on/off switch. Simply pressing any of the front buttons turns the unit on. That’s usually the AC or DC button, but you can also use the light. When there’s been no drain for a few hours, either unit will shut itself down.
A friend of mine on RU-vid (Emporium Outdoors) reviewed the EB3A and I was impressed with the features, including the recharge time, especially being able to input from two sources at the same time. The ideal for me would be a bigger battery with the same features as the EB3A. Thanks for commenting
What a great and thorough review. I appreciate all the aspects you included in your testing and the demonstrations of various tools/appliances. Thanks for sharing!
Great video Mark 😉 I have the same unit and use it for camping . I power my 12v BougeRV 28 litre fridge and charge my battery devices. I also use it for powering a 12V heating blanket. The bluetti is good rugged device . It is also compatible with lots of different solar panels manufacturers as long as you respect the maximum charging voltage. With regards to the AC output, you do lose out in the DC to AC conversion. Always best to try to use 12V devices or low power AC devices in order to lengthened the battery power. I just ordered the solar panel PV200 for this unit . This will extend the unit’s autonomy . Overall, The total package is not cheap but but the built quality is there . Thanks for sharing 👍😉
@@MarkYoungBushcraft 😄😄 I came to this video looking for elec blanket info. Bob Wells did that for me. Yes, 12V blankets Best. He tested one 110 which took too much power, and three 12V blankets. He chose the RoadStar brand that is sold at all truck stops. You need to place a regular blanket over it to keep the heat in. If Bluetti sold a 1000 or 1500 model, I'd go bigger, but a 2000 is way too much for my needs.
Great video, Mark, thanks. This type of power bank been in the "nice but do I really need one" category for me,.but we had a power outage here recently. It only lasted 5 hours, but it got me thinking about the food in the freezer. I hadn't realized that a power bank like that could handle a freezer.
That is where I was before this was sent to me. I had plans to buy a small gas generator, at pretty much the same cost. You need to match your freezer wattage requirements to the battery's output but it can be done. Thanks for commenting
Bluetti does indeed make good power banks. As an avid car camper, I mainly use the 300W version. For home emergencies, I also have the monster 1,000W bank. Even though you don't consider yourself an 'expert', you do have much useful information to offer with your reviews! 👍🏽☺
Great video! A quick 36 minutes showing how regular folks will use the device. I'm in the research phase on solar generators and your video highlighted quite a few things to consider. Thank you.
Use USB fans with them and Onite LED light bulbs. Also see the Dash mini griddle and mini rice cooker. A 500w power station can run them. If you plan to use at home get a real glass solar panel.
Thank you for this great overview Mark, this or a comparable power bank would be a good gift for family members. It's one of those items that one finds many uses for once you have it, and it's great to have on hand for emergency use. I agree that a numerical display of remaining capacity would be useful, some small power banks for phones and similar items even have this feature.
G'day Mark, what I love about your channel is; the diversity of outdoor kit you cover, (from chairs to power stations and everything in between), and more importantly your analysis and articulation of said kit. I wonder if you had any sort of training role as a "public servant" ? As a sparkie in a former life, and without going down too far down the electrical/electronic rabbit hole, you covered everything a user needs to know. Certainly fair to say, "anything" with a heating or cooling, (compressor), element will most likely be the challenge, even though they both cycle in and out. Power tools depending on grunt, (wattage), will be next area of concern, as a free spinning electromagnetic motor to start with, like a fan with next to no load, no probs, the load/force on a tool is the killer, power draw wise. Further...leaving solar out for the moment, whist there are some fantastic 4x4 change over battery options out there, I prefer to keep camping and auto isolated, just gets too complex, and indeed expensive, for the benefit IMO, however, I do advocate to school yourself and be aware what one can do for the other in case of emergency. Great vid mate. Cheers Duke.
H Duke. I did test the tools under load but did not show that in the video to save time. I still have much to learn but I know a bit more now than I did before. I would hate to rely in using a vehicle battery only to drain it dead while in the middle of no where. Thanks for commenting
Great little power station . I have the same one. Just boght the ecoflow Delta 2. With the 1800 w inverter. Now i can run much more in the nextpower outrage. Cheers from Dartmouth Nova Scotia.
@@MarkYoungBushcraft between the Delta 2 and my 800w Bluetti Think at will cover my needs. Still need a solar Panel incase power is done for awhile. I was in Ontario for the ice storm of 1998 and had no power for a month.
i think these things are very usefull,i just bought a similar one,but from another brand. Works like a charm so far. It even got me thinking to buy more of there battery packs for permanent use in my house. atb Steve
I bought a GoLabs i200 with 256wh and I can power my lights and fans in my teardrop trailer! In fact, during a semi clear summer day, I attached two x 100watt solar panels to the unit and then attached the unit to our teardrop which was able to run all the lights, two fans and either a heater or the air conditioner. With that being said, It was purchased for only $149.99! It now sells for $249! It’s an amazing product… they all are! A great review Mark. I look forward to seeing you use it in future situations.
@@MarkYoungBushcraft I did the complete outfit with Renogy but I had purchased the Golabs i200 prior to their offering of a portable power pack. When I got it, there was a massive price drop from $289 to 149 that lasted for 10 hours at night. I couldn’t walk away and have yet to see that price again. But I’ve abused it’s limits several times to see it’s capabilities and though it is no Bluetooth, I do think you’d be impressed. It’ll be at the thanksgiving get together next week to charge everyone’s electronics.
I have one of a different brand and model but they sure are handy units to have. We have fairly frequent power outages here. Connie and I really enjoy being able to still have internet even during a power outage by using the power bank. We also have some USB electric lights for tenting that we use at home during outages by plugging them into the power bank. Like you, we can get by just fine without one of these but these sure make life much more enjoyable during outages.
Being city folk we are truly spoiled when it comes to emergencies. If it wasn't for our camping experience we would be in trouble. This battery saved us a lot of hassle. Thanks for commenting Lonnie
User's comment: "This solar generator looks amazing! I've been wanting to invest in a portable power station for our family camping trips. Do you think the Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series would be a good choice?"Reply: Absolutely! The Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series is an excellent choice for your family camping trips. With its massive capacity, powerful output, and fast recharging, it can keep your devices and appliances running for extended periods. Plus, its rugged design and waterproof technology make it perfect for outdoor adventures. Highly recommended!
I just ordered this power unit today. A couple of reasons is the fans. I want to run my car fridge during the day. Texas heat is fixing to ramp up so I like knowing that fans will help keep it cooler than my lithium ion power unit I have. The other is this batter is supposed to be safer than the lithium ion battery. Thank you for this review
I have started using a small (300watt) power bank I purchased from Princess Auto. Definitely have more understanding now of applications (uses) and requirements
Good video, but one correction needed….As per the owners manual, the power button next to the light is not for turning on the whole device, it’s for turning on the light only. You don’t need to press this button quickly to turn the EB70S on. Each power button ( there are 3 as you’ve shown) turns on the features located within the line that encircles them. Whenever you turn on any section, the display will light up initially to show status. To activate the wireless charger, you turn on the DC section. Hope this helps……
Ive used mine for my dewalt scroll saw ,,charging cordless batts,,I also use a kill a watt monitor to give me an idea of how much power consumption of any appliances,,i also want to try it on a small 400watt block heater on a tractor,,instead of using generator for 2hrs. great vid,,hope everything all good on east coast.
Thanks for posting…I have one of these and hope you don’t mind me mentioning but, you don’t have to press the button beside the light to power it…I just press the DC and or AC buttons and that powers it up…so the light does have it separate switch…I have the U.K. version but assume your one should operate in the same way…Brian.
Hi Brian. You are correct. This version does operate as you say. I learned that after making the video. This was my first Bluetti. Thanks for commenting
Here’s the problem with sizing inverters. There are two kinds of power: real power, and apparent power. If you are driving a resistive load like an old timey lightbulb or a heater, the power factor = 1 and so real power = apparent power. But if you are driving a capacitive or inductive load (some computers, LED lamps, battery chargers, or anything with a motor in it), power factor comes into play. What it means is that the current and voltage are not in phase with each other and this can cause the inverter to experience a much higher load than the wattage would suggest. Your inverter needs to supply the peak instataneous voltage and current and that is why inverters are generally specified in watts plus VA or volt-amperes. So your 500 watt inverter may not be able to drive 400 W motor due to the power factor, not even considering start up. In addition, when you first start a motor it must overcome the inertia of the stopped rotor and the motor can easily draw 2-3x it’s running current for a couple of seconds until it gets up to speed. Again, the grid can compensate for this, but your inverter might not. If you’re going to buy one of these battery inverter devices, attach it to the largest load you need to run and make sure it’s able to start it. Some really trivial things might not work. I have a 400 W battery inverter that is unable to start a small UPS with no load on it, due to the high inductive load.
I have a Blueitt , EcFlow, and a Jackery and solar panels and solar set up for My Casita TV, I use my power packs for portable use, CPAC, Computer charging. I would think everyone should buy a Large Gas/ Propane Generator. I have 4 portable generators and One Large generator. Power was our last Year for my Sons home for 4 days. Everything ran great. I think I have cover all types of weather. Don’t forget if you live in the South, summer power outage could be a problem. My Generator can run a up to 8000 btu for summer emergency. You can also buy a lithium battery and pull power from it from your power packs.
Could have used this recently. Fiona hit us hard here on PEI. I just got power back today! The generator was great to have but it used $5/hour in propane...
I'm curious as to how long you waited before you plugged your freezer into the power bank. When we lost power for a little over 24hrs, I had a tiny freezer and almost everything in it was still frozen after that time period. But it was completely packed with frozen items (and its a good little freezer).
About 30 hours. I had placed blankets over the top as well. I may not have needed to run the freezer at that point but I did not want to risk loosing food. Thanks for commenting
Unfortunate. I wish I could help. I am really not that technical. I might suggest waiting on Bluetti for a response. I know this week is a holiday in China and most companies are shut down. Thanks for commenting
I understand what you are saying. I have debated buying a gas generator for years. Now that we have had two hurricanes go through and more winter storms, I see it as something I just have to have. Not a luxury anymore. Thanks for commenting
When you say 2500 cycles it last. From charging it from zero. Now what happens if you charge it when it's only on 40% or 60% how does the cycles work from that
I am not the best person to answer that. I know Bluetti recommends keeping their batteries at 80% capacity for storage to extend their life. Thanks for commenting
You may have to help me understand "backfeeding". If it is current from the battery feeding backward into the house current, I am not sure how. Thanks for commenting
I'm going to catch shade, but I would not buy this power bank again. The charging brick is terrible, the charging is slow, it has no app, and the display sucks. The EcoFlow River 2 is much better. My $.02.
