EcoFlow River Pro Review

The third most powerful of four units in the EcoFlow River lineup, the EcoFlow River Pro is convenient for travel and charging your devices. It can charge up to ten devices at a time with its variety of ports.

Battery

The EcoFlow River Pro has 720 Wh of power on its own. An extra battery can be added to increase the capacity from 720 Wh to 1440 Wh, however, rather than stacking like many other solar power stations, the EcoFlow River Pro and its extra battery attach with a heavy gauge cable, sitting side by side. This, while a small inconvenience, is something that can be pretty annoying if you’re using your power bank with any regularity. Having the main unit and the extra battery plugin next to each other means you need enough ground or table space for not one power bank, but two.

With a rating of 800+ cycles, the EcoFlow River Pro has a pretty long life expectancy. The ability to adjust the maximum battery capacity in the EcoFlow app allows users to make their solar power station last even longer. 

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Recharge

With an output of 600 W, the EcoFlow River Pro can actually take in energy faster than it can discharge it. When taking in energy via the AC input (the ordinary wall charger), the EcoRiver Pro can take 660 W max. This ultra-fast charging, unique to EcoFlow, means that the EcoFlow River Pro can go from 0% to 80% in an hour when plugged into an AC power source, can fully charge in just over an hour and a half, thanks to EcoFlow’s X-Stream technology.

The EcoFlow River Pro can take 200 W of solar input, similar to other solar power stations of its size. This means it cannot charge as quickly as it can when plugged into the wall, but it still holds its own when compared to other similarly sized solar power stations. When exposed to full sunlight and hooked up to the full capacity of panels, the EcoFlow River Pro fully charges in four to eight hours depending on if you have the extra battery attached or not. The EcoFlow River Pro can also be charged from a DC outlet, such as those in a car. This allows for easy and convenient on-the-go power, as the solar generator can be charged while driving.

General Info

At 16.8 pounds the EcoFlow River Pro is pretty light considering the power it has. It measures 11.4” x 7.1” x 9.3”, or about the size of a 2.5-gallon gas can. It is made of aluminum and plastic and has a built-in solid handle for easy transportation. This, along with the ten ports, makes the EcoFlow River Pro convenient for on-the-go use. 

In addition to being a convenient size for traveling, the EcoFlow River Pro makes use of Uninterrupted Power Supply or UPS technology. This means that the station can be plugged into a wall outlet and have a device plugged into it simultaneously. If thex power goes off, the Ecoflow River Pro will take over within 30 milliseconds and begin powering the device with its stored energy. 30 milliseconds is a very fast turnaround time to switch between power inputs, which will keep everything running smoothly if whatever the EcoFlow River Pro is plugged into turns off.

The EcoFlow River Pro comes with an AC charging cable so that it can be charged from the wall, a car charging cable that allows you to charge the EcoFlow River Pro on the go, a DC to DC cord, MC4 to XT60 cords for solar charging, and a user manual. 

The EcoFlow River Pro can power some devices up to 1800 W with its special X-Boost mode on. X-Boost is a setting in the computer part of the inverter that allows the inverter to run much harder than designed to for a short period of time so it can run heavier equipment if necessary. This isn’t sustainable long term, but it can be useful in a pinch. This means that the EcoFlow River Pro can run up to 80% of kitchen appliances and DIY tools when necessary, though it is most effective when devices using under 12000 W are used.

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The EcoFlow River Pro’s LCD display screen is a convenient way to see everything that’s happening with your portable power station. The display screen shows the current percentage of the battery that’s charged, the current input and output of energy, and the estimated run time based on the current load. This allows you to monitor your energy use and adapt as needed. In the event that there is a problem with the EcoFlow River Pro, the power station will let you know with warning icons displayed on the LCD screen.

Ports

The EcoFlow River Pro has a large number of ports, allowing you to charge up to ten devices at once. It is equipped with three 600 W AC ports, one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, one fast-charge USB-A port, one DC port, and two DC 55-21 ports. This is a large number of ports for such a small unit, and it makes this unit incredibly useful for anyone who charges multiple devices at once. There is also a built in light that has a low setting, a high setting, and an SOS setting in case of emergencies.

The ports are grouped into sections so that not everything is controlled by the same power button, enabling you to turn on one or more sections at a time as needed. There are four sections.  The light is in a section of its own, the USB-C and USB-C ports are grouped together, the DC ports are together, and the AC ports are grouped together. This grouping allows you to control exactly what you need to be turned on and off rather than turning it all on and off at once.

Strengths

The EcoFlow River Pro has its own built-in wifi, something that not a lot of portable power stations can claim. Although the wifi doesn’t provide internet access it allows the user to connect to the power station and control everything from the EcoFlow app. From the app, users can control everything about the power station, including changing the standby time, controlling the maximum battery capacity to preserve the life of the battery, switching to quiet charging, turning on EcoFlow’s X-Boost, turning on and off ports, and updating firmware.

The X-Stream fast charge that the EcoFlow River Pro is equipped with is currently the fastest charging of any solar portable power generator. The extremely fast charging is convenient for those who want to get up and go rather than sit around waiting for their battery. Some users have complained about the amount of sound that the fan makes. There is a quiet charge option that can be enabled from the app, however, it does slow down the charging time. Relative to a gas or diesel-powered generator, however, the EcoFlow River Pro’s fan makes minimal sound.

There are a variety of safety features that can be found equipped on the EcoFlow River Pro, including short circuit protection, low-temperature protection, over-temperature protection, over-voltage protection, low voltage protection, and more. This makes many users feel safer about leaving the unit to charge or be used without having to be near it the entire time to monitor what is happening.

Another strength of the EcoFlow River Pro is its UPS technology. It can be plugged into a charging method and have devices plugged into it and be both receiving power and giving it at the same time. If the power stops coming from the device that was powering the EcoFlow River Pro, it powers on and begins powering the devices that are plugged into it.

Weaknesses

A weakness of the EcoFlow River Pro is that some devices, like microwaves, don’t like the auto-enabled X-Boost feature of the power station that is useful for powering other devices. Luckily, this feature can be turned off and on from the app, allowing the user to adapt the power station to their personal needs.

Another complaint that users have about this portable power station is that the fan is too loud. While it may be on the louder side compared to other solar power stations, compared to a diesel or gas generator, the EcoFlow River Pro is much quieter.

One of the few seeming “flaws” in the design of the EcoFlow River Pro is that of the charging port cover. The cover that is over the ports to charge the EcoFlow River Pro is one solid piece that flips up. This is both good and bad, as it is pretty sturdy, but seems like it could easily break off if accidentally bumped too hard, as there is nowhere for the cover to go. The cover, however, is extremely handy when the unit is not plugged into a power source, and if care is taken, should last for a long time.

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Conclusion

At only $599.00 found here, the EcoFlow River Pro isn’t the cheapest portable solar power station on the market, however, it does have a quick charge, app accessibility, and a large number of ports that seem to justify the slightly higher cost.

While it is highly convenient for charging many devices and for taking on the go, the EcoFlow River Pro isn’t the best for long-term use with lots of major appliances. While convenient for smaller devices and maybe one big appliance for a while, the EcoFlow River Pro can’t keep up with running a full household for an extended period of time.