Learn more about the Anker SOLIX C1000 HERE: ankerfast.club/zinLlN Use my exclusive DISCOUNT CODE "JASONDEAL" for $370 off!! ($629) Need basic consulting or have a solar question? Get direct contact with me HERE: asqme.com/@Jasonoid Find My Power Station Grading System HERE: jasonoid.com/powerstations/
One thing nobody really mentions is that , yes you can charge this in 1 hour but its not for normal recharge all the time, due to that messing up the batteries overtime in this,
Only $629! Thanks for the discount code and the AWESOME video. That's cheaper than the Bluetti AC180 and the EcoFlow Delta 2. Decisions decisions....I like how compact this model is.
I would not recommend this unit.... I've had this for probably 3 months now and I have various problems which I may showcase in a future vid (i'm currently trying to get my money back with Anker). I have the vids to prove my issues. But here is a summary of problem so far: Sometimes low power devices don't show any power draw on the unit. Anker responded back and said anything under 15w won't show. Well, if that's the case they have issues because that's not true as I have video of times where I have 6w or 11w of draw. I also have cases where high power appliances definitely over 15w won't register any power draw. Like a window AC unit that pulls 450w. I use this and another window AC on the C1000 quite regularly and I know the device can power it and I know it's definitely pulling more than 15w. But sometimes it will show 0 power draw and but out (and yes I always plug it into the surge port). The big issue for me is that sometimes solar power doesn't register. There's plenty of sunlight and the device receives 0 solar power. You have to plug it out and plug it back in. This is a HUGE negative for me. I don't babysit the device so if I leave for 4 hours and it wasn't charging the whole time that's unacceptable. So far Anker has not handled the situation well and they are not very responsive even though I sent them the vids as proof. Their last response was 7 days ago.
I like the point system since it verifies a lot of its power station features and emphasizes the standards in a powerstation but I would like have another seperate point system which gives a different value cuz I don't think they are in equal point value in each feature. Sorry for my bad English.
Another great video and a great little power station! I think the grading system you use is a fantastic service to the community, because it provides a common baseline with which to judge power stations against one another. However, I think giving each of the 20 line items in the grading system a half of a point fails to weight the outcome for factors which matter most to consumers. You might consider giving each of the two "price per watt-hour" line items a full point, along with the ability to charge in less than 5 hours via solar and maybe the pure sine wave - 115-120v output. Those are much more important than some of the other factors, in my opinion. Other things could be just .25 points, like dual charging, a noisy inverter or 150w of DC output. While those could be very important to some users, I think most are going to be focused on the price point, charging and inverter type/output. To put it another way, this is a solid A- power station, but due to the equal weighting of the grading system, it gets a much lower grade than it deserves. With that said, users can easily make their own evaluation or "grade", based on the consistent and extensive testing you do, so probably best to just keep doing what you're doing! :)
I've thought about weighing certain aspects of the grading system but each person's use case is different. I think keeping them all weighed the same allows people to take the information and apply it personally to how they will use the power station. I appreciate you providing feedback. I always enjoy hearing your thoughts and opinion. Thanks for being a long time viewer!
Another extremely thorough review with all the details and information that I want to know! I love the grading system - it really is helping me decide on the next power station that I buy! Thanks for all your hard work! - Katy
Is it possible to attach a power strip to these Power Stations to expand on the AC inputs available? I am new to all of this and have been wondering if this is possible.
It's a nice PPS if one can tolerate its fan noise, I have it. It's not even the loudness of the fans, it's the quality of noise. At low speed it drones and at high speed it sounds like a hair dryer. Anker could have spent a bit more on fans and used larger ones.
For AC UPS mode on the C1000: if the battery depletes completely in a prolonged outage, do the AC output ports start working again as soon as AC input power returns? Or, as the manual suggests, do you have to manually press a button to re-enable the AC output, making it basically useless as an unattended UPS? Thanks!
You are correct, this model does not re-enable the inverter after the battery dies. If you aren't around for about 6 to 12 hours while it's running before the battery dies, you're out of luck.
Anker is a good company. I hope this cost per watt hour continues to fall. It used to be $1+ per wh. Getting 0.50/wh or 0.25/wh would be a game changer for users of these sort of devices.
If I use a jinko 545w solar panel would that work? Voc is 49v and ISC is 14 amp. Just ordered one hope this will work with mine for a small home back up solution.
I think you mentioned you set the dc power supply current limit to 20amps, so did the solix limit it even further to 10 (or 12.5) amps? Asking to see if I can connect a 48v battery to get the full 600w or over-panel (but under 60v) the xt60 input without worrying about frying the internal mppt (or pwm) charger.
I love your chart for grading. I have the e2000lfp by pecron. Your chart says it can not charge from the wall in under 3 hours but it can. You can put 1200 watts by ac or 600 watts by ac. So its adjustable and will charge in 3 hours easily. It also had the 110 v fixed a year ago its 120v. The price is also been 899 for almost a year now not 1099. Food for thought. Great video as always.
I reviewed the first version a long time ago. Pecron puts out new versions of their models frequently. It's nice to have new features with the newer E2000 LFP but it's hard to keep up with all the changes.
Actually, I think it's behaving just as advertised. My gaming pc pulls around 250 to 300 watts. 1000wh / 250 watts = 4 hours. How many watts are on the screen as you are playing?
Nice unit. When you do the UPS test with the desktop computer that has no backup battery it would be interesting to see if the UPS still performs as well if say another device is plugged to another outlet on the device at the same time using will say 60 or 70 percent of the wattage of the rated inverter at the same time while the computer is connected. Will the computer stay on while the power switches over or will there be enough flicker to shut the computer down? Who knows? Still a great and thorough review of this power station.
To confirm what you are asking, you are thinking that if there's a large load on the inverter, the UPS time may be slower due to the larger load? Good question, I haven't tested that before.
Nice review! I'm struggling to see what benefit dual charging would actually be anyway. When you have a unit that fully charges in 1hr when on AC it makes the lack of dual DC charging pretty obsolete. I can't think of any circumstance you would be plugged into AC and wishing you had that bit extra from the DC input,
Very thorough review! Anker has some really interesting products and $629 is a great price! That is what i paid for my AC180. Having 600 watts of solar is also good, but the trade-off is not being able to dual charge, just like the EcoFlow Delta 2. Anker also makes some pretty decent bluetooth speakers. With all the gripes about 12 DC limitations, you show try and get one of the upcoming EcoFlow smart alternator accessories that plugs into their external battery connectors that allows the EcoFlow to charge directly from the alternator, and conversely, charge the vehicle battery if necessary and it's all pretty seamless using the EcoFlow app. Then, you have all the DC you will ever need from the vehicle battery with the EcoFlow power station ensuring that the vehicle battery remains charged.
That new EcoFlow DC to DC charger is a bit expensive at $599. I mean it does do some pretty cool stuff so maybe the cost is justified? I guess it just depends on if you'll use all the features or not. Charging house batteries with it is pretty cool! I recently found a really good budget DC to DC charger for power stations that is priced really well @ $149. It's durable and completely 'plug n play' with active cooling so I'm working to test that here shortly and make a video on it. It should be compatible with any brand of power station!
@@Jasonoid Wow! Just checked it out and you can get a Delta 2, the alternator charger and a 110 watt solar panel for $999! Now that's a pretty good deal
Can you use 220v to ac charge. They advertised on their website this capability in a "EU" option, but would like to know if US units allow 220v. Thanks
Can you please do a review of the igloo icf 80dz, dometic compressor and Costco selling it for 700, compared to a 1200+ for one that looks VERY similar from dometic.
Thanks for another great review! Have you ever looked at the ELECAENTA Mars EM200 200wh power station? It is extremely small, cheap (under £90 when on sale) and has been working well for me so far... The AC inverter is unsurprising inefficient, but the DC input/output seem pretty good. The lack of a watt meter is a pain, but it is so portable I am keep choosing to use it over my Anker 521 and Bluetti AC2A.
FYI, the DC outputs seem to shut off after as little as 10 minutes without load, but it has to be a really low load, i think under 5w. Pretty common for power stations as this is a safety feature. What i'm personally looking for is something that supports solar priority charging, only using wall power when the load exceeds solar. And something that supports powering itself back on after being completely drained once AC power returns. I like my portable battery stations to have a use outside of camping, and if a UPS cant turn itself back on after a power outage, it doesnt serve its purpose for the role it will be in most of the time. Its great that my server rack can run for 4-8 hours on this thing depending on if its transcoding or not. Keeping power up for my internet, POE cameras, TV tuners, and TV recording server, but if at the 7 hour mark the battery is completely drained before the mains power comes back, and this thing doesnt turn itself back on once it does, preventing my security server from catching someone trying to break into my shop, well, thats a problem thats easily solved in firmware. Not to say this should be the default behavior for every battery station out there, but should be an option that can be turned on through the on screen menu or an app. Even small one handed battery banks could be useful for things like keeping your wifi/modem running when you're not camping.
When it's connected to a wall outlet, it goes into UPS mode automatically once you turn on the AC inverter. Then just plug in your loads into the outlets on the front.
@Jasonoid I really appreciate your review. I have a question about the solar panel needs. I’m looking at this for my hurricane/blackout kit in Southwest Florida. My main power concerns are 12 volt fridge/freezer, a CPAP, and charging batteries for a fan and radio. The current sale of $549 on Amazon looks great. Do you think the suggested 200W solar panel will be enough to start? Please note I have a 40w solar panel that charges my battery banks that I use for my cell phone, iPad, flashlights. etcetera. I also have a 15 year old Power Add solar panel that has its own small DC connection to a 100w power bank/battery it charges that only has USB A outputs. I’m replacing it so I can run the CPAP and 35 liter12 volt fridge. I’m a retiree and want to be careful with my funds. Thanks in advance for your opinion.
So what recommendations do you have for the "BEST" automotive 12v plug to get the 138 watts available out of the C1000?? I also tried the factory supplied Anker 12v to xt-60 charging cable, and even at 10 amps it got pretty warm pretty fast charging from the accessory sockets in my pickup, so I'm gonna run a separate set of leads from my battery into the cab and use a power pole to xt-60 adapter to charge my C1000 in my pickup. Maybe someday I'll add a voltage converter to get over the 32 volt threshold to charge it at the 12. amp rate. But so far I have found a 12v plug that will reliably stay in place in the 12v socket on my C1000, sure wish it had another 12v connector option. Great video, keep them coming!! PS How do you feel about the Oscope you're using as a "First Oscope for a newb" I've never used or owned one, but would really like to start experimenting and learning what I can do with one
I always prefer to use my own DIY cabling and I always overbuild it. For example, I'd use 12awg wire for my own custom 12v charging cable vs the 16awg that these units usually come with. This 12awg option would also work well though: amzn.to/4dArTc8 Tomorrow's video I am putting out a really cool affordable 'fast car charger' for power stations. You may be interested in that. I demo the C1000 in that video charging over 400 watts!
I just got my external battery hooked it up seen both the C1000 and C1000X app said I need a firmware update I did it says v1.43 now I can't see the C1000X is there a way to back FIRMWARE OUT ? DELEDTED APP AND REINSTALLED no luck Anker closed :(
Hello guys, question how many hours would last with 2 laptops and with the WiFi router? I know that it might change the hours of use depending on the laptops. Any suggestion for this case?
That will probably be around 100 watts. To calculate runtimes take the battery capacity and divide in the wattage of your load: 1056wh / 100w = ~10 hours Adjust for the inverter power usage and you'll be around 8.5 hours realistic runtime.
This thing is so lightweight, I wonder if you can manually change the charging speed without the app like you can on the Bluetti 180p, also the fan is not loud at all,,, I have other stations and this is very quiet,,, all of them are loud when maxing out at 1400-1500 watts
I am not aware of any button presses that allow you to change the charging speed. You'll have to use the smart app to do that. I test the fans of all the power stations in my videos under max load. Some models at full load are under 48db and some are near 60db. There is a HUGE difference between 48db and 60db. It all depends on how the manufacturer wants to design the cooling system.
seems like a nice little unit, one small point it doesn't have dc charging priority. and maybe the battery is a bit small, but at least they have an external battery that can be added for more capacity. scratch all of this, just forwarding my rant. i should just delete it? --- of note at 7:11 you mention you will test the voltage, but i listened to the segment 3 times and didn't hear you mention the voltage. - oh i found it on my 4th run 13:15 you mention 121v - at 10:04 your oscilloscope shows 121v Rms and it sounds like you are testing it on the inverter, so perhaps it is 120v output? however at 11:34 it shows 102v RMs so not quite sure, although it is missing part of the signal due to the ups cut over time so? maybe the mention of the voltage could have been a bit sooner, ok nit picking definitely --- thanks for another great review video.
When testing during the max load test, the voltage was great at 121v for the inverter output. The UPS RMS voltage is definitely adjusted due to the missing wavelength and that's why it's showing lower during that segment of the video.
Great review! Startling combo of features, warranty, and price per watt. Very tempted. One question: It charges at 130 watts through the car charger. My cigarette lighter can only handle 100 watts. Does the power station have a way to limit the input? Thanks!
Another "just fine"unit. Lots of them out there, so I really like the grading system. To be perfectly honest with you, since none of these devices have ever truly failed a test in years, I just check out the price per WH and your grading sheet. I mean honestly at this point if you just made a three minute video that basically said "This unit passed all my standard tests, and here's the grading sheet results", that would do the job for me. But your sponsors I bet would not be happy.
Wow! this seems to give Delta 2 a run for its money. I was wondering, as you mentioned it had that one outlet that is 20 amps for surges, would that have powered your saw had it been plugged in to that outlet? I'm wondering if you would ever consider doing long term views of after a couple of years of using your units just to see how they are holding up. As always you do a phenomenal job in your production and reviews.
It's called the Surge Pad port, but that's only for resistive loads like electric heaters. I don't think it helps with high current loads for startup. If you look closely at the video I tested one of the saws on that port and it still failed to start up.
Maybe if you used to outlet on the far right (20A appearance) with the saws, that would have made a difference? It has some kind of "surge" word under it too....
@jasonoid someone may have already mentioned this but I noticed you didn't plug in any of your high powered saws into the C1000's "surge pad outlet" that outlet is the only outlet rated at 20amps on the unit the other 5 outlets are only 15 amps so that could be why the c1000 was overloading/tripping. I've seen the C1000 run high powered saws and a MIG200 welder but only from the surge pad 20 amp outlet which will push 2400w
The SurgePad outlet will allow 1800 watts, and then if the load is above 1800 watts it drops the voltage down to run larger loads up to 2400 watts. It's only meant for resistive loads like an electric heater. It doesn't work with electrical motors or other electronics.
Great review! Question, when you plugged in the miter saw didn't you plug it in the wrong plug? Isn't the one to the far right the one that handles more load? I saw a guy run a mig welder off of this unit and used that plug to the right and had no problems.
@@Jasonoid I was hoping BIG though. Would still like to see inverter auto start when solar becomes available, and would love to see multi charging AC + DC
Would you mind giving your opinion on which you would choose between this and the Pecron E1500LFP? Primary use would be camping in a small RV. Thank you!
Good call on reviewing this "Jack of all" Jason, and top job as always. Compact, powerful, efficient, fast charging - I like it. BUT... I do find myself growing ever more curious as to whether a 100Ah battery (i.e. 1280Wh usable capacity) coming in at around half the price, half the size and several kg lighter than a power station in this category, is the better deal in most cases and where most people don't know enough about how easy a DIY option might be (I'm referring to the "mini" versions of these batteries - I believe you reviewed one not long ago). Perhaps you've discussed or touched upon this before (and not the most lucrative idea for review channels on youtube...) but I'd be interested in a dedicated video comparing the two options, given the added considerations involved with DIY (charger, inverter, cables etc.)
Great thoughts here, Andrew. 5 years ago DIY was ALWAYS cheaper. Going with a DIY solution now is usually cheaper for the battery by itself, but by the time you add a high quality 1800w pure sine inverter ($400), a 40amp MPPT charge controller ($300), and some high quality USBc 100w ports ($75) the price quickly gets above what this power station is currently set at near $629. It's pretty interesting how things have changed in the last year or so as these power stations have gotten more advanced and cheaper. I think on a large scale for large home backup systems, DIY is still king but for a small system like this it's hard to beat how compact the unit is and what it's capable of. If space and organization is a consideration, power stations usually win at that as well since they are an 'all in one' solution vs having multiple components with wires and such.
@Jasonoid I see from the comments below that you’ve had some trouble with Oupes power stations. Have you ever tested the Oupes portable 240 watt panel? The reason I ask is that it is rated at just under 20 VOC, so theoretically it might be a good choice to quickly charge this unit or an EcoFlow Delta 2 because one could use three of them in series and perhaps get close to the full 500 watts solar input if 3 of them were used in series (without exceeding the 60V limit).
I haven't tested the Oupes solar panels before.... Well at least the newly designed options. The older ones performed okay. I got around 75 watts from their quad fold 100w PET panels. As a rule of thumb, as long as it's hot or warm you won't have an issue with the VOC being higher than rated and that could possibly work on the Delta 2. If it's cold outside, particularly under 30F, the solar panels will have above their rated VOC and that could cause damage to the 60v charge controllers since they can't handle the higher voltage.
Another great review Jason! I purchased this power station when it first launched, and have been very pleased with it. Glad to see your tests validate my experience. Hypothetical question - do you think if they used a 1200W inverter instead of 1800W that would have eliminated the inverter noise and kept the fan dB to an acceptable level, thus getting it an A- score?
Glad to hear your experience has been positive. I really like this model. It's possible the fans would be more quiet if they didn't have such a powerful inverter. However, the inverter noise appears while AC charging and while running the inverter at any load so I don't think that would go away.
Thanks for the reply, that helps me understand better! Also, thanks for all your IceCo testing! They gave me the confidence to go with them over other brands. Just got the JP40 Pro Dual zone and it’s the perfect blend of size and features for my use!
Thumbs up for a good review but... IMO. Normal price at $999 for this box is way overpriced. The "discounted price" at $629 (about 60 cents per WH) is still too much for the capacity offered as compared to other boxes. I won't mention brands but think of a tried and true popular brand starting with O. Their 1800 watt/1488 WH unit (about 34 cents per WH) can be had for about $500 with the discount on Az. Maybe not as many bells and whistles but a WH is a WH period.
The Oupes 1800 is a very old design, yes the battery is larger but that's pretty much the only thing that's better. It has super low solar, a 110v inverter, no fast a charging, and no smart app. In my opinion you cant compare a budget unit head to head against a premium one. That's like saying a BMW sedan is the same as a Honda accord. Two different playing fields. The Anker will also last much longer
@@Jasonoid 1. If the Anker was that much better why the lowish score on your rating system? 2. A Honda Accord will get me there just as good as a BMW. Been driving them for decades 3. The less "smart app's" I have the better.. Again don't and never have needed them. Just me. 4. On lasting longer? Where is that data? Peace
@@bobjones9727 uhhhh, the Oupes 1800 got an F in my grading system and this got a B-... I burned through two Oupes 600 units in my testing back in the day. I burned through a mega 2 during my testing recently. 3 Oupes units dead. Never had a big brand unit break on me (Bluetti, Anker, Ecoflow). No pressure from me to buy an expensive unit but just be aware you do get what you pay for with these power stations. Peace. Ps. I drive a 2014 Honda Accord Sport manual daily.
I have both the Anker C1000, and the Bluetti AC180. With the AC180 at 100% charge, the UPS function shows the same wattage on input and output, and the Bluetti remains at 100% charge. Using the Anker C1000 plugged into the wall with a load, once the battery reaches 100% charge, the input stops until the charge drops to 99%, and then the input turns back on to charge the battery. How is that a UPS mode when it appears that the battery is constantly being charged and discharged between 99 and 100%? Has anyone else noticed this on the Anker CS1000? I have 2 units and they both function the same.
Each brand utilizes UPS mode differently. Some brands attempt to match the power input with the output and it's shown on the screen. Some let the battery drop slightly and then fill it back up. I wouldn't consider the C1000 going from 99% to 100% over and over 'cycling' the battery. It's more of a maintenence.
@@Jasonoid Thanks for the reply! Makes sense.. haven't been able to find any conversations about these details, although I mostly charge with solar. It's interesting how every brand has unique engineering. I have high hopes for the C1000, although I've already warrantied my first one by wearing out the XT-60 input with a 400 watt 2S2P array over an extended amount of use.
@@designomatic I'd recommend having a pigtail that is always connected to the charging port and then you can connect and disconnect the pigtail and not the power station connection.
@@Jasonoid I appreciate the tip. I do use pigtails to charge, but end up unplugging usually when I use the battery because they are a couple feet long. I'll look for some shorter ones, or make some to keep plugged in at all times. Thanks!
Yes, it also failed to start them up. It's not really a surge outlet, it just drops the voltage down if you want to run resistive loads over 1800 watts.
I think it's a cool product! The ability to have bi directional charging is neat. You can tell they really put time into the design. It's pricey though at $599
@@JasonoidYeah that price kinda hurts the wallets. I recently just purchased that Bluetti Step PV step down module to keep large arrays at 150 volts and its about the same price. Its a pretty cool device, you just don't wanna be in the same room when it's really sunny out, it gets LOUD
@@Jasonoid I currently have a Bluetti EBA 3 for a small portable solution, with their solar panel. It doesn't appear that Anker has the same input for solar cable. You think I could get a little plug converter so they're cross compatible? Thank you
@@Jasonoid Just to follow up, I ended up grabbing in on Amazon, with a waterproof case, for $550. It came charged up 86% and included all the necessary cables. Very stoked! Thanks again
Thanks for the detailed review! I've had a C1000X since Jan. Until the latest firmware update (version 1.4.3) I was very happy with it. The sine wave looked smooth, even under heavy load and with induction motors. Since upgrading to firmware 1.4.3, the AC inverter output no longer looks like a smooth singe wave. When I test another pure sine inverter with the same load and oscilloscope, the wave looks good. My guess is the new firmware is causing the issue, since it started right after updating to it. I hope Anker will address this, b/c I think this could be a great power station.
@@Jasonoid Thanks for your reply, that's interesting. I tested mine just before, and right after the firmware update and the distortion appeared immediately afterward. Its subtle with no load (just a slight disturbance near the zero cross), but more pronounced with a 250 W induction motor or a battery charger. Introducing a 900W resistive load stabilizes the wave considerably (but isn't a practical solution). Since my unit's behavior changed right after installing fw 1.4.3, I figured it was due to the firmware. Maybe it was a coincidental failure instead. Anyway, thanks again for your response, and for a great review!
I returned my original C1000X b/c I thought it was faulty (given that you reported a smooth waveform with the latest firmware). I ordered a replacement and just tested it. The 2nd unit behaves just like the first on firmware 1.4.3. With no load, just slight distortion near the zero-cross. With induction loads (bench grinder, Ryobi 40V fast charger (which pulls about 250 W), or a microwave, there's significant distortion across most (if not all) of the wave. When you say your unit produces a smooth wave with latest firmware, do you mean 1.4.3? It seems unlikely that I got 2 bad units. I think the issue with mine is caused by software. I really like the C1000X in terms of features and price, but I'm reluctant to use it b/c I don't know if the distortion will damage my loads. The wave is sine-like, but not smooth (zig-zags as it rises and falls, and the peaks are sort of broadened/flattened). I opened a support case with Anker a few weeks ago. I'll give them some more time to see if they offer a solution. If not, I'll return the 2nd unit. I got it for home backup, and most of the intended loads will be induction and/or sensitive electronics. I'm not comfortable with my C1000X as it is now.
@@Jasonoid Thanks for your continued responses, I appreciate it! Firmware 1.4.3 is the latest available (according to the Anker app on my phone). I see your review is of the C1000, I bought a C1000X. I thought they're the same, and the X just signifies a different distribution channel. Maybe the X signifies a different model, and that's why you have fw 7.2.8 when the latest I can get is 1.4.3?
