Portable Power? (Battery)

[da_jokker]

So first I don't know what the official name of these are, but I'm talking about those portable power stations that run on lipos and are used for charging and running your stuff.

I know that Jackery is the "go to" brand like Warn is for winches, But there seems to be a lot of really good competition out there that is much more reasonably priced and in some cases better and offer more features.

I've watched a couple reviews and comparison videos But there are a ton of options out there.

So for those that have used these things, especially if you've run your refrigerators off of them, any feedback you can provide?

(Fyi I was thinking of a 300wh - 500wh)

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[Mdemieville]

Look at the blueetti (not spelled right I'm sure) they seem to offer more and are better priced. Watch hobotech on youtube. He reviews this stuff all the time and has a ton of discount codes

 

[Techun]

A second car battery is way cheaper and has more capacity than these things. And the bronco already has a (crappy) inverter.

 

[sledboy]

Interesting that you should ask. After a lot of research, I just settled on this one and ordered it yesterday:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08H1TYFFP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was really leaning towards the Jackery 300 or 500 but found this Ecoflow River Max. It currently has a $50 off coupon on Amazon. That puts it at the same price as the Jackery Explorer 300 which has the same capacity. I settled on the Ecoflow for the following reasons:

• The Ecoflow has a 600 watt inverter instead of the 300 watt of the Jackery.
• It can charge faster than the Jackery.
• You can double the battery capacity by adding their battery module.
• The 12 volt (cigarette lighter output) is regulated so it will run your fridge until the battery completely drains.
• It has a 100 watt USB-C port vs the Jackery 300's 60 watt port (or no USB-C on the Jackery 500).

My wife plans on cooking with all her little Dash appliances (waffle iron, griddle, etc). This "generator" should work very well for that and our fridge. Should be here on Wednesday and can't wait to play with it! I mean, what else can I do while I wait for my Bronco...?

 

[Jdc]

A second car battery is way cheaper and has more capacity than these things. And the bronco already has a (crappy) inverter.

Whoa this is incorrect. A car battery is not meant for this use case. Lifepo4 batteries have much more usable power than car batteries but they usually have significantly less cranking amps. I.e you usually can't start your car with one of them. Deep cell batteries are the cheapest short term investment but lithium LiFePO4 batteries have lower price per usable watt over their lifetime use

 

[sledboy]

Whoa this is incorrect. A car battery is not meant for this use case. Lifepo4 batteries have much more usable power than car batteries but they usually have significantly less cranking amps. I.e you usually can't start your car with one of them. Deep cell batteries are the cheapest short term investment but lithium LiFePO4 batteries have lower price per usable watt over their lifetime use

And by the time you buy an isolator (to protect your main vehicle battery) and/or a battery controller, you end up with a system that usually works well, is nicely tucked away but isn't much cheaper because deep cycle batteries cost more than regular lead acid batteries. These little "generators" are also much more versatile. Just my 2 cents...

 

[BEM-S4]

I just saw a Smoking Tire video, I forget which truck but I am fairly certain it was a new Ford F150 maybe? The vehicle itself serves as a generator, when the power gets low the engine kicks on.

 

[mootruck98]

Three youtube channels I would recommend:

• Hobo Tech - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVsNMiYQkqwIq_gd0rTJF9g
• DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse - https://www.youtube.com/user/errolprowse
• Ozark Overland Adventures - https://www.youtube.com/user/mattmc1171
  • This one isn't as technical but a lot of recent reviews from a usability perspective.

 

[Jdc]

Three youtube channels I would recommend:

• Hobo Tech - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVsNMiYQkqwIq_gd0rTJF9g
• DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse - https://www.youtube.com/user/errolprowse
• Ozark Overland Adventures - https://www.youtube.com/user/mattmc1171
  • This one isn't as technical but a lot of recent reviews from a usability perspective.

Are you spying on my youtube history?

 

[Techun]

Whoa this is incorrect. A car battery is not meant for this use case. Lifepo4 batteries have much more usable power than car batteries but they usually have significantly less cranking amps. I.e you usually can't start your car with one of them. Deep cell batteries are the cheapest short term investment but lithium LiFePO4 batteries have lower price per usable watt over their lifetime use

What do you mean? A deep cycle car battery can be over 1kwh. For $150.

A jackery 1kwh is $1000. Yeah it's portable...

Also there are plenty of lithium ion batteries suitable for starting cars. You can buy a low capacity, lightweight lipo for your car or motorcycle if you want.

 

[MaverickMan]

When I go camping for more than a night I just take old 50 watt panel direct to a marine battery and run my 1000 watt inverter I have mounted in my bronco to run it. I even went as far as cutting wire holes in a plastic tote to put the battery in. Ran as long as 3 days straight on my fridge, a few light, many phones charging, a tablet, a portable projector etc. Spent about $250 on it. Simple cheap. Works. I used to bolt the inverter to the box. But since I mounted the fridge permanently in the bronco I did the same with the inverter.

 

[North7]

What does everyone think of the Goal Zero or EGO brands?

 

[Theherofails]

I use a ROCKPALS branded Power station with 200w of solar panels as part of my survival kit.


I am a disabled combat veteran, and part of my injuries is TBI.. I now have central nervous system sleep apnea and require a breathing machine at night to get solid sleep. The 300w range is enough to run and charge everything from my VPAP to cell phones to recharging flashlights.

Free pro tip for anyone looking to get a lithium power station - DC out is near 100% efficient. If you use DC primarily, you’ll get days and days out of smaller battery capacity when using machines like a VPAP or charging cellphones. If you use 110v outlets instead, expect the listed power capacity to be reduced by 50% or more. Incredibly inefficient.

My emergency backup is the battery bank fed in by solar panels and it works great. If it’s cloudy, you can charge from a car battery. The benefit over a second car battery or other non lithium technology is the weight and portability. Car batteries are HEAVY, where my 300w unit is the size of a car battery but weighs less than 10lb.

 

[Theherofails]

What does everyone think of the Goal Zero or EGO brands?

Goal zero is the Yeti of power banks. Take that however you want.

 

[Jdc]

What do you mean? A deep cycle car battery can be over 1kwh. For $150.

A jackery 1kwh is $1000. Yeah it's portable...

Also there are plenty of lithium ion batteries suitable for starting cars. You can buy a low capacity, lightweight lipo for your car or motorcycle if you want.

Here's a quick comparison of deep cell and car batteries. https://auto.howstuffworks.com/question219.htm
You generally don't want to drain a deep cycle lower than 50% or else you'll damage it. That means you'll only have 500 watt usable. Depending on your use case that might be good enough. With LiFePO4 the whole 1200 watts is usable. Plus LiFePO4 batteries usually last thousands of cycles. For the record I went with a diy option

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