False advertising. 12v Solid. 5v Solid. 120v. Joke. 268wh? nope. Reputation is burnin Bluetti EB3A; A Complete failure by a large enough company to know better.
I love my EB3A but don't try to run an unrealistic amount of things on it. It is great for charging all my USB gadgets including fans and the recharge from solar panels is incredible. I can't say anything about customer service because I haven't had to use them.
Well, you've got all kinds of problems don't you. The wall gets hot? Try some insulation maybe? Heat Kills. A good 90F+ day can remove a good 15+% efficiency of your electronics. The A/C output of the EB3A definitely works. I've charged a laptop (AC and DC), I've run a swamp cooler as an outdoor air cooler for get-togethers, I've also run industrial fans on one. What model of 3D Printer are you using so I can go look up its specs? You may be running into surge loads that the inverter can't deal with. And you do realize that most computer UPS (basically a battery and an inverter with auto transfer switch) will tell you not to plug printers into them, right? 198 watthours according to YOUR math? The inverter has an efficiency AND an idle power consumption that you've not accounted for. The 268watthours is the battery's rating. Not the battery + inverter + your very specific load... rating. EVERY SINGLE battery out there will NOT get its rated watthours as USABLE power when run through an inverter. That's just how it works. Even the DC circuitry consumes power. That's why the EB3A has on/off options for both the AC and the DC. To me it seems like your frustration of only 198 watthours is actually a case of being naive, which is understandable, as most people would be surprised by what they don't know. Every single inverter out there (100% of them) has an idle power consumption. All of them. If you tried to run an alarm clock on a 2,000 watt inverter, you'd find that the inverter just being on uses many times more power than the alarm clock. The inverter will have an efficiency curve. There's a sweet spot on most inverters, which is generally around half-power usage. So in the EB3A's case, probably close to 300 watts is where it will be most efficient. And even then it's likely not higher than 92% efficiency as only really expensive inverters costing more than the whole EB3A would likely even see 92% efficiency. So your upset about a perceived false advertisement of the battery's watthour rating, but in reality, you're just naive to the fact that the inverter affects things, too. You say for resistive loads you haven't had a problem... and then mention a blower and a big ol' fan. But those are NOT resistive loads. My guess is you damaged something on the AC side trying to run something beyond its capabilities. I also have an AC200Max (another of Bluetti's products) and it's been in use 24/7 since last May with no issues. Through that year+ it has always been running a Fridge and a Deep Freezer and in addition to that, it has often been running a computer, a TV, and a Window Unit. I also own EG4 (signature solar) and Victron products.
The inverter passive load is obscene then. Not naive; merely expect better. Max load I've ever thrown at the AC side is 400w. And yeah. Insulation would be great. :) You're absolutely right. A direct AC fan; Is not resistive sure, but I'm not trying to get into a 20 minute long discussion on the difference;) This video is a heads up PSA mostly regarding the customer service, but also the issues with the AC output.
Oh and it's an Ender S1 Plus with a few mods. Don't think it's a spiking issue; these SHOULD handle 1200w peak. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zjRwSX9T81E.html
I saw another video review which I can’t find right now but they measured the inverters load and they did note that the loss from the inverter was significant
I had the same problem with the AC cutting out. Sent it in for warranty and was replaced. I have 2 other EB3As with no problems. 1 is on a security camera system for UPS and I get 2 plus hours with 103 watt draw.. The other is UPS for TV and clock in bedroom. Works fine too. Run an AC180 for living room TV, internet and cable. Had all for 6 plus months.
Does your EB3A get warm? I just received mine and with nothing plugged in and it being on, the handle gets very warm. This is in my basement (cool) and I am only using it to power my watch winder in my safe.
wondering if you just got yourself a lemon. I could run a 65 inch OLED and a receiver for about half hour with no issues. or dj speakers for almost 10 hours of play time with no issues at all.
Some varied views on this unit. I want to get something that will run a small car fridge, around 90w, in the back of my vehicle. It will get 12v power from an outlet in the back. Will this EB3a do the job? Ie. run the fridge from DC while being charged in the DC side? The idea is when parked up I’ll have a 200 w solar blanket plugged into it. Thoughts, folks?
I don't have one really; I don't have any other experience. I'd imagine hand building into a pelican type case a diy system would be the guaranteed route
I have returned for a replacement an EB3A that overloads on 32 Watts while in UPS mode. The new one is doing the same thing. Even with the new firmware upgrades. I have to go through the process again with them. I personally want my money back. The AC200P is a beast but does not have UPS mode sadly.
Honestly. If I could get them to turn off the "UPS" mode the unit would work better. It doesn't need passthrough if you set the expectation of replacing the battery in 3-4 yrs
@@-FOXX Now this is a funny turn, I took off 9 watts and it has been working perfectly. Yesterday I put on 75 watts just to see. I am beginning to believe the modem must have some sort of wild problem as it shuts off every now and then for no reason when hooked to the UPS. Got a star link I will hook modem to the UPS to see. That is what I purchased it for. Have a great one.
I have the eb3a as well. I am trying to source a DC power out cable so I can run a lipo charger in the field. Any suggestions? Bluetti doesn't offer one, just the car charger.
Your specific eb3a might be damaged? I cook with mine and charge it via solar and I don’t have any issue drawing 500 watts continuous (not for a very long time maybe 45 minutes max) but it’s enough to get water boiling 2-3 times a day. I am able to charge it and use it at the same time but it does get hot so I try and avoid charging while using. But yeah I don’t think it would be good for something like internet or a Tv, although I’m sure there are people that get it to work. The inverter on the unit draws a lot of power I think, I’ve heard that if you just use dc output that it lasts wayyyyy longer bc of the ac inverters (which you can turn off)
Mine is defective; Bluetti agrees, but refuses to replace it. Glad yours works. I recommend adding an exhaust fan on the right side. A 5v blower with some double sides tape works great, and only costs 1-3watts
I appreciate your criticisms and I enjoy watching harsh, honest reviews to really know the limitations of the machine I'm considering buying. But, it seems like you're asking a lot out of what is an entry-level unit that's for powering smaller stuff and camping. It seems like you'd have to get a $1000 unit, not the cheapest smallest one made, to do what you're asking of it. I'm looking at the EB3A because it has the good battery with the longer lifespan, than the lithium-ion a Jackery has. Longevity of the unit (and less volatile) makes it a lot better than Jackerys in my opinion. Why do you need a power station in a shop anyway? Especially in a pole barn that clearly looks wired for grid power.
Power around here sucks; It's an 1986 built garage. I wanted to use it to keep the 3d Printer running in case the power shat itself. The Printer only pulls 400w max. Most of the time less. These claim to handle 1200w peak. This shouldn't be a problem according to their claims
Your unit is rated for 600 watts, if you’re trying to run your 3D printer which you stated uses 400 watts, you can only run it for 1 maybe 2 hours before it shuts down. The 1200 watts surge is for start up only but if your device runs past your rated watt capacity (600 watts ) it will shut down.
The comment about not being able to charge a laptop on anything but AC, though. Ours wouldn't last more than and hour on the bluetti, with it shut off during charging. Dud unit or lies, either way, we're disgusted. It's right up there with waking up to a tent full of rain water. 😆😭
Well 400 watts for 1 hour, leaves you at most 200 watts on the EB, probably less as actual watts are always a bit less than rated watts, I believed stated as rated at 600 watts in your review or in the comments. If the Printer pulls more than 600watts it can shut down or damage the EB. Surge is for startup only, not operation. On a per minute basis 400w/60. = 6.7 watts per minute (call it 7 watts). If you are over 7 WPM, your printer is using more than 400 watts (per hour). 600= 10 WPM, 800= 13.3 WPM, etc. I would look up the amps and volts on your 3D printer, Amps*Volts= rated watts. On a refrigerator you find this where the model no. Is located. I would shoot for at least a 1200 watt power system or more. Bluetti systems usually have pass through charging so that can raise your power available during sunny days. Solar deals are out there now for Black Friday. Good Luck!
I have the same AC problem as you, but I've noticed if you use 100+watts on AC it tends to not overload as often, try it for yourself. I'm also using a Wi-Fi smart plug to charge on AC i set it to charge every 30min. and I won a free PV200 so I'm happy with what I got even if the AC Inverter overloads every now and again. another problem I have noticed when I'm only using the DC side and charging from grid "UPS" it still overloads so there is defiantly something wrong with the UPS feature.
I have an EB70 (The original one) and the EB3A. I got lucky and got decent units HOWEVER because their customer service is basically non existent (based on MANY RU-vid and Reddit accounts) I will not buy another Bluetti product. I will either go with Ecoflow or build my own system. Crappy customer service is NOT ACCEPTABLE. From ANY company.
The main reason I wanted to make this video. :) You're buying into their brand of BS for 3-8 years with a unit like this. Even longer if you're willing to replace the battery.
The US 'main office' for them is in Las Vegas. But I'll try that. Thank goodness our bank is 'evil' so we'll get our money back one way or another but damn, I thought Bluetti had some long standing good rep. Lesson learned.
I have had mine for about 6 months. While recently on a trip on rough backcountry roads, it just stopped doing anything. Won’t turn on, won’t charge via solar or 12v charging. Any ideas? I’ve just emailed Bluetti. I only use it for roof vent, diesel heater & charging phones, so it’s not being overused.
Yep. That's our experience. Our fridge is rated 60 watts, the Bluetti claims it's sucking 70 to 90 even after the initial start up cycle. Before packing it up this morning to send it back, it was at 55% charged. I plugged in my husband's partially charge electric razer, which doesn't even pull a whole watt to register on the meter. Hours later, the razer was not done charging, the bluetti was at 1% power, and (photographed it!) claimed it had 30 hours left! If I may ask, how did your return go? We got ours through Amazon, and it says free shipping free returns, but I'll be damned if they'll charge us for this dangerously overheating thing. We love our Vtoman Jump 600, and you can get an extra battery for it for a meer arm or leg.
I have attempted to return it, and Bluetti refuses since it was purchased through Amazon , and I'm outside my Amazon 30 day return window. Defective or not Amazon refers you to Bluetti, and they Refer you to Amazon. No one will own up to it. I've added a fan to the EB3As exhaust to keep temps in check.
I hope that works. That or open it up and see what's going on. It might be something a little soldering can fix, because people are saying crap manufacturing.
Thank you for this review. I see from the other comments that your problems, while not universal, are also not horribly uncommon. As I was about to pull the trigger on this, I appreciate it greatly and will consider if I need to get something beefier.
I have 2 EB3A's. They just got me throuh 96 hours without power due to Hurricane Beryl. I only had to charge each one only once. They were both kepk busy non stop charging fans, phones and lights . They will cook with a hot plate and a sandwich warmer but I had already tested each device and experienced a 20% draw down to cook with each so I didn't use them for any cooking. I think you may be expecting too much bang for the buck. I just ordered an AC70 and a 120w Bluetti Solar Panel. Overall, I'm happy with my Bluetti's. I will soon own three. I had previously owned a Chineese knock off and got less than 100 duty cycles. If I actually get the 3000 duty cycles advertised from my EB3A's, I will be thrilled to own them.
Yes very disappointed in my recent purchase, mode of delivery, and subsequent very very poor customer sevice response to complaint. Just starting to use and test an EB55. Watch this space. Thanks for your public post, its important these issues are highlighted because firms advertising is becoming very wide of the true mark and their boasts about performance is just not true. Have reached out to Blueti but not impressed. Their response does not deal with the justifiable complaint. Fobbed off basically. My purchase was not cheap. Awaiting written feedback....
Thank you indeed for sharing! I am still months later... Without a replacement. They simply refuse to send out a unit. Various reason after various reasons
I suspect the 3D printer would cause problems because although the continuous rating may be well under the 600w limit, printers usually have a high surge on startup of the printing components. That doesn’t explain the other ac loads you tried though, so not trying to say your unit isn’t defective. Surprised Bluetti just sent you the dc charger and not just replace the whole unit for you, as ac power is one of its main uses.
I have the eb3a and the ac200p no issues with them. I use mine for off grid camping. I can use the eb3a for the diesel heater but only with a 15amp ac to dc converter. the ac200p running the heater all night off the 25-amp port. also, fridge plugged into 12volt port charge camara and drone batteries, phone and lights no issues. But with the eb3a you do have to be realistic with your expectations. like you can run a camp fridge off the eb3a for 6 to 10 hours all depends on the outside temp and how much the fridge cycles itself. This is just my experience with the Bluetti units that I have.
I own this unit and have to agree that is is a far better DC charging station. So far, the AC holds up well but it is terribly inefficient. It can handle a CPAP quite well if the system is drawing
@@jimmyporta3439 Hi Jimmy, I use the Ecoflow 2 Max for the CPAP when the power goes out or I am camping. Depending on the humidity level, the higher the level the more energy you draw, It can las 2-4 days. I use either the Ecoflow 220w bifacial or the 160w panels to charge using solar. Please use the XT-60i connector to insure maximum flow. The Bluetti EB3A will also work well, it is a much smaller unit, I just think that the unit's MPPT solar controller is very limited. This works remarkably well for me.
I am getting mine from Bluetti refurbished for $160 next week and do not expect perfection. I will use it for a computer USB. I get black outs with my computers on now and no UPS, they boot back up fine. Yes the EB3A is slow but that's fine. 202
Yes, the AC plugs are limited to 5 amps (how many Amps does your 3D printer pull ?). So a circular saw (such as mine) which pulls 10 amps will not work (you need the EB55, EB70S, etc to get 20 amps). Mine can run my home office if the sun is out all day long, It can run a 51inch TV no problem. Your 3D printer probably pulls more than 5 amps. It's a super small unit and has it's limitations. I prefer the EB70S and 200max (which runs my home office via solar without much problems).
@@-FOXX You may want to confirm with Bluetti themselves. Their website specifically states the 120v AC plugs are 5 amps for the EB3A (by comparison of 20 amps for the larger portable units like the EB55 and EB70S)
One thing I learned for battery power is you buy double or triple if you can afford it to cover for the power consumption. If the power went out the consumption you have it wouldn't run long with a 3D printer. If you have bad ac side bluetti has a warranty correct. Have you bought something bigger?
I love my eb3a as well only the fan is a bit loud. It also kicks on when connected to the grid off with no load. Apart from that everything fine. There is no product on the market for that price and functions. With the customer service its a little bit frickeling i had mixed experiences when i had to send back a previous 24 kg device.
Sounds and looks like you need at least an ac 180 for your needs. That little 200 buck sc for you would seem to be like taking a knife to a gun fight. Mine works fine for my needs and my max for stuff like you need.
Why did you say it is not 268wh? Open the device and you will see that it indeed has a 268Wh battery. Will you be able to fully use the 268Wh capacity? Nope, just like all of the other powerstations out there. There are power losses during conversion from DC to AC and safety margins built in to it so that you don't fully drain the battery, that is why you will never get the full Wh rating of any power station out there. You will usually only get 80% of 80% of the battery capacity on almost all powerstations. That's just the way it is.
DC to DC should be at least 95% efficient, and yet simply isn't even close. The battery might be 268wh, but it's not being fully utilized or it's being used inefficiently by the firmware.
I have the one in the thumbnail and it’s been great, I then I updated the EB3A and regret it dearly it discharges fast. It doesn’t charge for longer than 10 minutes at a time before saying overload, or overheat. I used to use a fan, 70mai Omni dashcam and iPhone connected to it 15 watts output for 8 hours overnight and wake up to 80% and now it’s either 0% or 10% when I wake up. So now I charge my iPhone before I sleep and leave the dashcam plugged in outputting 6watts and wake up to 80% when I wake up. I’m trying to get a refund to buy an eco flow brand with the same lifepo4 batteries. It seems like they want you to buy more or upgrade bluetti products they seemed like an honest company before and now I’m starting to see they’re not honest.
My EB3A constantly over heats when it gets down to complete discharge or recharging from AC to full it shuts down and the Temp icon comes on. Before the unit to cools off it could take up to and hour before i can recharge to full capacity again very annoying .No other power station I own does this. Also the relays kick on and off and the unit completely shuts off and then kicks back on when im recharging my Jackery 500. So thats a fail also. IDK how this piece of crap ever made it out of the testing stage.
I use it just on DC for my usb stuff and it's excellent the big bonus is the recharging time 1 hour 20 mins from the socket(uk) 1 hour 30mins from solar panels it does what it says
Has any one noticed that there are two of these units? The one in the video, and the one in the thumbnail. So far no issues for me, but I have the one that's in the thumb nail for the video.
I have the one in the thumbnail and it’s been great, I then I updated the EB3A and regret it dearly it discharges fast. It doesn’t charge for longer than 10 minutes at a time before saying overload, or overheat. I used to use a fan, 70mai Omni dashcam and iPhone connected to it 15 watts output for 8 hours overnight and wake up to 80% and now it’s either 0% or 10% when I wake up. So now I charge my iPhone before I sleep and leave the dashcam plugged in outputting 6watts and wake up to 80% when I wake up. I’m trying to get a refund to buy an eco flow brand with the same lifepo4 batteries. It seems like they want you to buy more or upgrade bluetti products they seemed like an honest company before and now I’m starting to see they’re not honest.
Well I'm glad that I have the one in the thumbnail. I haven't had any issues with it so far, other then the fan is loud and weird sounding. I haven't pushed it too much other then power lifting mode to power a 2 cup 700 watt coffee maker Wich takes about 40 percent of the charge. I do it with the top half of the battery. Other then that, I use it to power a Anker nebula vega projector, some led in my trailer, charge cell phones, all with DC, and a air pump with AC for floaties.
Good to hear yours is working. A PC without a massive GPU should be doable, and the 3d printer sucks less than 600w. 400w while heating, and then sub 200w for most of the time printing. And when I say TV I mean a 48inch 175w tv. Should be doable.
If you have two new cars and you drive them every week and never let you down. You recommend those new cars because they are headache free. Without drama. Maybe your asking more then what they are capable of. Maybe you need to spend more money and buy a large unit. I have four units two 2000+ watts and the two we are discussing. The larger units have never given me a hard time either with the exception of my very first one coming dead on arrival but bluetti told me to keep it and had a new one out to me in less then a week. I had the other one fixed for $30 and gave it to a friend.
Their list of complaints and customer having to start lawsuits at the BBB, their forum, and others, is terrifying. Thank goodness we paid by credit card.
“It’s terrifying“? Lol you sound like you bring the drama. I read the reviews they sound like Karen’s complaining about products they won in a contest. I own 4. I have purchased all of them. $5000 in total value. I love each and every one. I think it’s you.
I can run my 23 inch monitor my dish network hopper and an external hard drive and my polk sound bar 96 watts total for 3.1 hours with it starting at a 100% charge. love it.....
oh googled and I found this, now I'm on bluetti forum and with problem sounds like yours, but as I understood yours unit originally came with such problem. Mine 3D printer worked fine with bluetti for more than year and recently it's started drop AC output for about second, absolutely randomly, the same I put laptop with power logging and the same it is resetting AC as well just maybe not so often like with 3D printer, any other load it's hard to detect such shutdowns.... But fan and cooling really implemented in stupid way and it is loud just because plastic squared grid, actually I will replace it with metal fan cover, most noise just from air moving through this grid, and actually air output really not efficient as well.
AC works fine on mine (UK version 240V). No firmware updates or anything done. Owned for over a year no fuss 🤷🏼 Can’t publicly just go all out and say they’re all junk because it doesn’t work for you.
lucky it is only 299 i paid but did not try it enough to see . my AC works using it only for computer ups laptop it pulls 45Wwith the cale wifi . my laptop pulles max 65 watts.
had the eb3a for about a year. works great in florida ...in garage runs a 12v fridge. charge with solar.. used when camping. It broke down, called CS, they replaced with 2 weeks of contacting them. Life is good again. Bluetti rocks.. i also run a ac200max. firmware crashed it...and again... they replaced within 2 weeks. I have no complaints cept for the little hassle
Why would you review something thats great for its own limited capacity to run stuff that you know thats above the products capacity? Why don't you just purchase a larger Bluetti component, then do another video, and just use this one you're presenting negatively in an area thats less power consumption.
no shit! it is bad for their reputation I have another eb 3a no issues, 2 eb55 no issues and a eb 70 that every once in a while shows a SHORT warning in red.
the SHORT ISSUE FOR EB 70 is solved by removing all plugs from unit and then plugging in again the same way, I stay at around 300 watts max. for bigger loads I use a non-bluetti product. I bought so many bluetti because they had a rep, but they pissed that away
So all of the solar generators are shit, that is what I am finding, just run of a 150 hr battery with a inverter and go form there, run your fridge, lights, computers, ect
You can't beat a child and tell him not to cry!! Point of correction he is trying to tell us that Bluettis claims are misleading us dont you notice that all their reviews are just commercials intead of 😂😂😂
Works for me! It looks like it works great for everyone but you. Hmmmmm! Sounds like a problem with being a Karen. By the way , this is the quietest station I have.
Thanks Daren! I don't feel alone though I'm sorry you do. Many comments left have seen both sides of this issue. Very hit and miss these units. Thanks for watching, and commenting!
