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.
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.
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.
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.
The Bluetti EB70S is a good portable solar generator for travel, portability, and on-the-go use. However, it is not ideal for running a home or emergency prep for the long term.
Battery
While the other comparable solar generators of its size have Lithium NMC batteries, the Bluetti EB70S power station has a LiFePO4 battery. While a heavier battery than the Lithium NMCs, the LiFePO4 battery will last significantly longer than its competitors, meaning that were this unit to be drained every day down to nothing, it would last for almost ten years before going down to 80% efficiency, as it is rated for over 3,000 cycles.
While this is a nice feature to have, it is debatable whether this is necessary, as it cannot power a full house, and is more useful for travel than home or emergency prep use. In the event of an emergency, despite its long life, the Bluetti EB70S solar generator would be unable to power a house simply because it doesn’t have the output ability or battery size. Despite this, however, it remains a good solar generator for travel and portable use.
The Bluetti EB70S solar power station comes with multiple ways to recharge. It comes with a wall plug that will charge it in roughly three to four hours, as well as a 12v car adapter that will allow it to charge in roughly seven to eight hours, convenient for long trips where power will be needed, adding to its portable functionality. Having the car charger is another great way to be charging the unit while it’s running a DC fridge while on the road trip.
It has a max input of 200 W from solar panels, and with advanced MPPT technology that ensures faster solar recharge rates, this power station can be fully recharged via solar in three to four hours with the full amount of solar panels, though that can be affected by cloud cover.
General Info
At 12.6 x 8.5 x 8.7 inches, the Bluetti EB70S is a convenient size for transportation, featuring a sturdy handle that folds down into the top for easy portability. Though it does weigh more than some of the comparative generators such as the Ecoflow River Max and the Jackery, which are both slightly smaller, the battery life makes up for the extra weight, and even though it weighs more than the other units, it is still light, weighing only 21.4 pounds, which is still a convenient weight for carrying when needed. The weight is well worth it for the LiFePo4 battery, compared to Jackery and River Max’s Lithium NMC/Lithium-ion batteries, which are lighter but will not last as long.
It has a 12-month warranty, allowing plenty of time for testing before the warranty expires. It comes with a corded wall charger, a car charger, a USB-c to USB-c cable for fast charging small devices, a solar panel connector, and a simple, easy-to-read and understand user’s manual.
Ports
For a smaller unit, the Bluetti EB70S has a lot of ports, adding to its functionality. It comes with four 120 V AC outputs that can supply 700 W. These AC ports also have a peak output capacity of up to 1400 W, which is a nice added safety feature.
The Bluetti EB70S also has one DC, 12 V, 10A car port. It also comes with two DC, 12 V, 10 A, outports that measure 5.5 mm x 2.1 mm. There are two USB-A outputs with 5 V and 3 A capabilities, which are convenient for charging phones. A unique feature that the Bluetti EB70S has is two 100 W type-C PD outputs.
Most similar models don’t feature a 100 W type-c charger. The closest comparison is the EcoFlow River Max, which only has one, whereas the Bluetti EB70S has two, adding functionality for charging rechargeable batteries. The Bluetti EB70S has a 15 W wireless charging pad, which can be used to charge compatible phones if the other USB-A ports are being used, something which is both convenient and unique to this solar generator and the BougeRV 716wh solar generator (which is identical to the Bluetti EB70S). The Bluetti EB70S also has LED lighting that can be set to full bright or SOS flash mode for emergency use. The input port is a 12-18v, 8 A, 200 W Max port, which can be charged in a variety of ways (see Recharge).
Strengths
The 200 watts of solar input is impressive for a solar generator of this size. The Ecoflow River and Bluetti EB55 are the only comparable solar generators that have the capacity for equal solar input. The Jackery and other comparable solar generators have only 100 watts of solar input, allowing the Bluetti EB70S solar generator to charge far faster than its competitors.
Another strength of the Bluetti EB70S is that it can both charge and discharge at the same time. Allowing you to charge the solar generator at the same time it’s plugged into and charging from solar panels, the wall, or a car. This means that the Bluetti EB70S can be running non-stop, not needing to stop to charge as long as whatever is running is taking less from the power station than what is being input.
After fully discharging, the Bluetti EB70S remains surprisingly cool, not even feeling warm to the touch on any portion of the surface. The fans are quiet and not annoying at all, an important feature of any generator that will be used for portability or travel, particularly if it will be used when camping or in an RV or trailer.
The 200 W of the Bluetti EB70S solar generator is capable of running a laptop, a USB charger, a fan, LED lights, and other small appliances, making this convenient for travel and adventuring.
Weaknesses
The Bluetti EB70S can run a fridge, but only for about six to eight hours. Helpful in a pinch, but long term, it’s not strong enough to run a house or major appliances for long. A minor annoyance, though it doesn’t affect the function of the solar power station very much, is that of the display screen.
The display screen doesn’t stay on, and there is no button to turn it on. This is a common complaint on many solar generators. Though they have nice display screens, they won’t stay turned on, and it makes it very difficult for the user to see what’s going on with their generator.
The inverter is not quite as efficient as desired, running a little low at about 75% efficiency at a 1c rate (1c rate meaning it is running at the capacity that it is rated as, or full capacity). Were it to be run with a lighter load it would be more efficient, but it’s important to know just how much a generator can handle before you decide what to buy (or what not to buy).
Comparable Units
Two other units that are similar in size and capability to the Bluetti EB70S are the EcoFlow River Max and the Jackery 500. Both are midsize solar generators, good for portability like the Bluetti EB70S, but neither has the charging speed, number of ports, or lifespan of the Bluetti EB70S.
With a 200 W solar input capacity, the Bluetti EB70S has the same solar input capacity as the EcoFlow River Max (which can take 200 W), but more than the Jackery 500 and most other solar generators similar in size and capacity. The two 100 W type-C PD ports are unique to this solar generator, with the only comparable being the EcoFlow River Max, which has one, and the identical BougeRV 716wh, which has two.
The two ports allow the Bluetti EB70S to be more efficient in charging small devices, whereas the other comparable solar generators have both less charging speed and less capacity for charging things like cell phones and other small devices.
Purchasing
The Bluetti EB70S is currently available and in stock ready to ship. Though it is similar to the EcoFlow River Max and the Jackery, the Bluetti EB70S will last significantly longer due to the LiFePO4 battery, rather than the Lithium NMC batteries of the EcoFlow River Max and the Jackery.
For a comparative price, the Bluetti EB70S will last 2,500 cycles more than the EcoFlow River Max (rated at 500 cycles), and 2,500 more cycles than the Jackery 500 (also rated at 500 cycles), which is particularly useful if you are an avid traveler in need of constant portable energy, as this means you will not have to replace your solar generator for quite some time, making it a more cost-efficient choice.
Conclusion
Though the EcoFlow River Max has the capability to take the same amount of solar power at 200 W, the Bluetti EB70S has a battery that will long outlast it. With more ports and more cycles, the Bluetti EB70S seems to be a more utilitarian choice, allowing for longer life and more versatile use than the competition for a portable solar generator. While not ideal for powering a house or being the sole source of power in an emergency, the Bluetti EB70S is a great choice for on-the-go and portable use.
The EcoFlow River 600 Max was set to be the best small solar generator to hit the market in a very long time. Did the River 600 Max accomplish that? Is it better than the Jackery Explorer 500 solar generator? Is the EcoFlow River 600 Max safe to use? All of that will be put to rest in this full review.
The EcoFlow River 600 Max launched on IndieGoGo and looked amazing but when influencers on YouTube started getting their test units things were not adding up to be very good.
The prototype model was different from the current model of the River Max. The River 600 Max had a light gray-colored body and an aqua blue handle. However, the production model that is available right now has a dark gray body and a light gray handle. Some basic features are different between the two generations such as the ability to link many units together which you could do with the prototype. But other than that they are pretty much the same.
To be clear, there are technically two different options when purchasing the EcoFlow River. There is either the EcoFlow River 600 or the EcoFlow River 600 Max. The only one worth getting is the EcoFlow River 600 Max.
The Max edition comes with an expansion battery that brings the total battery capacity up to 572wh. The basic version only has 288wh which is not very much at all.
Also, to be clear, the EcoFlow River 600 Max is not going to be a good unit for emergency preparedness, backup power, RV power or anything like that. This is meant to be a very basic and portable unit that is good for charging on the go. It will charge laptops, drones, phones, speakers, or run equipment like lighting, fans, speakers, DC fridges, and so on.
The battery isn’t large enough to handle larger tasks like running a fridge for very long. It is capable of running a fridge because it has a 600w inverter, but the battery will only last about 5 to 6 hours before the battery will be empty.
Maybe you could run a fridge if you use an outlet timer and had 200w of solar panels connected to the River 600 Max, but it should not be used for that purpose in my opinion. It’s not built for that.
Adding the second battery to the River 600 is very easy. By simply screwing in 4 screws the extra battery slips into place under the main unit, then replace the screws and you are good to go. There’s no extra calibrating or anything that needs to be done to add the extra battery.
One very nice feature about the River 600 Max is that the battery is capable of running 600w non-stop until it hits 0%. You can see this test my in my full detailed review video here:
One of the best features of the EcoFlow River 600 Max battery is that it will hold a charge for up to 12 months on the shelf. That is a very long time when compared to other small units like the Bluetti AC50 and ACOPOWER PS500. Even many larger solar generators will not hold a charge for up to a year. Many say that they must be charged every 6 months or even every 3 months.
The Titan is the largest and best solar generator available and that will hold a charge for up to 5 years. But the Titan is really in a different class of solar generators.
The River 600 Max is UL listed and has all the expected protection levels such as overload protection, short circuit protection, and so on. But, in my video and my review of the EcoFlow River 600 Max I actually had my first unit catch on fire! Well, not a full-fledge fire but it did get fried and was smoking pretty bad.
After trying to run a load of laundry the River 600 Max would not reset and work again. I tried resetting it multiple times and eventually decided to put it on the wall charger. For some reason, when I did that, the circuit in my house’s electrical panel flipped. I flipped the breaker back and when I came back into my office where I was recharging the unit, smoke was coming out of it!
I very quickly ran outside with it and put it on a non-burnable surface and waited to see what would happen. Luckily, nothing else did, but the unit was now dead.
It turns out that I had done a “heavy discharge” even though it did not run for very long or very hard. EcoFlow is very specific and says that after doing a heavy discharge that the unit should not be recharged for quite some time until cooled. My unit was not warm when I tried to recharge it. So I am not sure what they classify as a heavy discharge but keep that in mind, don’t recharge it shortly after using it very hard at all.
Luckily the customer service at EcoFlow was very good and they got me a replacement unit pretty quick. The second unit has not had that problem and it has been 100% solid. I have had zero issues with the replacement unit even when doing heavy discharges and recharging. Maybe they had a batch that was not good and my first one was from that batch. It’s been known to happen.
Either way, I now feel confident that my system is good to go since I have done a lot more testing and reviewing and have had no issues.
Output
The EcoFlow River 600 Max is capable of pushing out 600w nonstop out of the pure sine wave inverter. It will surge all the way up to 1,200w which is plenty for this little unit.
It has more AC outlets than any other 500w sized solar generator on the market. The Jackery 500 only has one AC outlet. The Bluetti AC50 has two AC outlets. The ACOPOWER PS500 has two AC outlets. The Sungzu 500 has two AC outlets. The point is, the EcoFlow River 600 has three AC outlets which do make a big difference when trying to run a laptop, light, and fan, or whatever combination of equipment.
One of my absolute favorite features of the River 600 Max is that it has a 100w PD USB C port which means I can use a USB C cable to recharge different items up to 100w. That’s really fast! For example, my Skydio 2 Drone has a dual battery charger that draws 100w to recharge the batteries quickly. This means that I can keep flying all day long by rotating my three batteries on the River 600’s fast USB C PD port.
The River 600 also has another fast charging port rated to 28w as well as two USB A ports that are fast charging for phones, tablets and other small electronics.
It also has a 12v cigarette lighter port that is regulated to keep the proper voltage while operating and is rated to over 130w output. Included are two other DC 5521 ports that can also push about 40w through them.
Charging
The next biggest thing that I love about my EcoFlow River 600 max is how fast it can recharge. Once again it has a much faster recharge rate than any other 500w sized solar generator on the market.
The River 600 Max will allow up to 200w of solar power to go into it via the MPPT charge controller that is onboard. It is very easy to series together two 100w solar panels and get a very quick recharge time in about 3 hours. I was able to do this in my video and got incredible solar input. Truly no other 500w sized solar generator will charge off of solar as fast as the EcoFlow River 600.
The Jackery Explorer 500, Bluetti AC50, Sungzu 500, PS500, and all the other small solar generators max out at 100w solar input. But even more than that the River 600 charges faster than the Jackery 1000! My Jackery Explorer 1000 will only let in about 120w of solar power even though it’s rated to let in 200w. It doesn’t get anywhere close to that.
Also, the Sungzu 1000 is rated to let in more power but the River 600 Max allows more solar power to go into it than the Sungzu 1000.
The EcoFlow River 600 max also comes with a simple to use the car charger. It will charge at about 120w input from any cigarette lighter port in any vehicle. Since most 12v cigarette lighter ports are rated to 10amps or more the River 600 will not likely blow any fuses while charging.
But what about when I am just at home or between trips and want to charge it up at home? The wall charger is a simple power cable that doesn’t include a large box adapter on the cable so it is very portable and easy to take anywhere. That cable pushes up to 500w wall charging into the River 600 which is really fast, especially for a unit this size. Once again beating all the other smaller solar generators, the River 600 Max will charge 5x faster than the next small solar generator will at home.
It’s a very compact and lightweight unit at only 17lbs so it’s very easy to tote around and use. It also includes a 24 months warranty which I used and found that they do want to help and are ready to help in any way they can. I did find that it’s best to contact them by email though. They did not answer any of my phone calls but were very responsive to my emails and even emailed me back after office hours.
The EcoFlow River 600 Max does have a special Phone App that you can use to monitor the unit and see what’s going on with it wirelessly. I honestly have not found it to be that great. It’s a little difficult to connect and there’s not much benefit besides seeing the current state of charge. I really never use it, but it is a cool feature.
The River 600 Max is supposed to be able to chain with other units and make it a bigger system but no one seems to be doing that because EcoFlow didn’t seem to have that feature 100% worked out by the time they were shipping units. They do say it will be a feature in future models though.
Conclusion
I truly use and like my EcoFlow River 600 Max more than any of my other similar-sized solar generators. There are at least a dozen 500w sized solar generators and this one is my favorite so far.
But that being said, my first one did get fried and that was quite scary. I would just say that be mindful of recharging it and make sure it has cooled off for quite a while before recharging it from the wall. I haven’t had any issues doing a heavy discharge and recharging by solar. But maybe that’s just because the first one I had was a lemon, who knows.
Either way, if you’re looking for a very small, lightweight, compact, and powerful portable solar generator, I would definitely recommend the EcoFlow River 600 Max. The inverter is good, the battery is good, the charging capability is good, and has an awesome 100w USB C PD port that I love.
It’s definitely a winner for lightweight portable power.
When looking at solar generators it can be very hard to compare them all and know which one is the best to get. This is what happened to me when I was looking at the MAXOAK Bluetti and the ExpertPower Alpha. They looked to be very similar, but one was a little cheaper than the other. What are their differences and is one better than the other?
Since they were so similar, I decided to make a detailed spec sheet about each one to see what the differences were. I was extremely surprised by the results to see their exact specs.
Here is a picture of the detailed spec sheet I made of the Bluetti vs Alpha:
The short story is that they are 97% identical. The two differences are the price and branding on the outside. Here’s the research:
Batteries
They both use the same LG batteries which are great quality. Both the Alpha and Bluetti have the same battery capacity of 1,500wh. This is large enough to run a fridge and freezer all night long. Or perhaps a CPAP machine, fridge, and freezer if you use an outlet timer and power strip.
Because they use lithium-ion battery packs they are lighter and still portable. The batteries have a battery draw limit of 1,000 watts. Even though the batteries are 1,500wh they can only handle 1,000 watts being pulled off of them continuously.
Inverters
The battery size and draw capacity is quite good because the inverter is rated to 1,000 watts as well. Both MAXOAK and ExpertPower use the same idea of not putting in a larger inverter than what the battery can handle.
There are some companies that make solar generators that have larger inverters than what the battery inside the generator can handle. For example, there’s one solar generator that has a 1,500-watt inverter but the battery can only draw 550 watts continuously. If more than 550 watts are drawn for more than just a few minutes then the unit goes into safety mode and stops giving out power. This is really sad because as a consumer I have to pay more money for a 1,500-watt inverter when I can only use 550 watts non stop. I don’t like paying for features I can’t use.
MAXOAK and ExpertPower didn’t go down that road of trying to make their generators look like more than what they really are. They also use Pure Sine Wave. This makes it easy to run anything that you’d need to under the 1,000-watt mark.
The Bluetti and Alpha inverters both peak at 1,200 watts though which to me is a bit low. Although, items that use less than 1,000 watts don’t often have a large peak. Most items that have large peaks either have large condensers or heating elements in them that surge really high. Since the inverter is rated to 1000 watts continuous power that eliminates the worry for the most part of using items with a higher surge than 1,200 watts.
Lifecycles
The Bluetti is rated to have 1,000 lifecycles. Guess how many the Alpha is rated to? That’s right, 1,000 lifecycles. That rating based on a 60% draw. Meaning that the battery is drained to 60% then recharged.
After draining them to 60% and recharging them 1,000 times the battery is at about an 80% efficiency rating. So, if I use my Bluetti or Alpha every single day and drain it to 60% each time before recharging them then I can do that for 3 years before seeing the battery inefficiency. The point is I’m most likely not going to reach 1,000 cycles in three years because I don’t use them THAT much. They will both last plenty long.
Solar Charging
Both of them can input 500 watts of solar according to their user manuals and what the manufacturers claim. The hard part with that is I simply can’t just plug 5 solar panels in series together to do that.
When solar panels are connected in series (panel to panel to panel) it increases the voltage output but keeps the amperage output the same. This is great because voltage is really easy to send over long distances, but amps are hard to send over long distances. So keeping amps lower is better in almost every situation.
If I put five 100-watt panels together and each panel makes 18v of power that means I’ll have 90 volts of power. Each panel makes about 5 to 6 amps so I would have a panel array of 90v and 5a. The problem though is that both the Bluetti and Alpha can only input 60v and 10a at a max.
What is needed is a series/parallel combo where we have two arrays of panels that combine together. To get the full 500 watts it’s necessary to put either one array with two 100-watt panels and the other array with three 100-watt panels for a total of 500 watts. Or, both arrays have two 100-watt panels and one 50-watt panel for a total of 250 watts in each array/ 500 watts total.
This is still a hard thing to do because the panels could technically make more than 10 amps combined together which would exceed the limit on the charge port. It would’ve been nice if either MAXOAK or ExpertPower had fixed this to be a 12 or 15 amp max input. Both have the same limit though of 60v and 10a.
Ideally, it’s best to use two arrays of 200 watts each for a total of 400 watts so that nothing gets damaged or turned off.
The fastest charge speed with these systems is 3 hours in full perfect sun if 500 watts in panels are connected.
Connections
Both the Alpha and Bluetti use the DC7909 barrel connector for their charge port. Each has two 110/120v house outlet plugs, four 5v USB ports, one USB-C 45w port, and one 12v DC port rated to 9 amps.
To connect the wall charger you simply plug the ac adapter into a wall outlet at home and then plug the barrel connector into the charge port. The charger pushes out about 160 watts of power. With a 1,500wh battery that means it takes about 9 hours to charge up completely. In reality, it takes about 10 hours because as the Alpha and Bluetti get close to being full they don’t draw the full 160 watts of power. When it hits about 90% the charging slows down gradually until it’s at 100%
Size
They both weigh 38lbs which is a tiny bit on the heavy side but still portable and light enough to take places semi-easily. They measure exactly the same at 14.6” long x 6.5” wide x 14.4” tall. They are 100% identical in shape, size, and weight. They are the exact same system if you haven’t guessed by now. They likely come out of the exact same manufacturing warehouse.
Conclusion
The biggest thing that gives it away that they are the exact same unit is obviously their looks. They look 100% the same except for the names on them. They weigh the same, look the same, measure the same, work the same and everything is the same.
When I opened up the user manual in both the Bluetti and Alpha it was surprising to me that they even had the exact same user manual. Both said EB150 Solar Generator on it. I was surprised to see that these truly were the exact same product with just two different brands on them. So, in the end, does it really matter which one I buy? No. They both have the same warranty, same customer support, and everything. The only thing that really matters is which one is more cost-effective?
Prices vary here and there but generally the Alpha is slightly more cost-effective than the Bluetti. But that doesn’t mean that MAXOAK won’t eventually catch on and lower the price of the Bluetti. And it also doesn’t mean that ExpertPower doesn’t catch on and raise their price of the Alpha.
In the end, I think both are good units. They have excellent reviews on Amazon and people really like them. They will work when the power is out to run basics around the house and charge up fast enough to use for extended periods of time.
I like them both equally and would just recommend purchasing the one that is lower priced.
I always get excited when I receive a new solar generator and get to try it out. I purchased the ExpertPower Alpha and put it through its paces to see how well it would do. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was right up there with the few good solar generators on the market.
It is often compared to the Bluetti solar generator made by MAXOAK. For more info on the direct comparison between the two click here.
The ExpertPower Alpha has a nice sized 1,500 watt-hour lithium-ion battery. The battery is big enough to run important items through the night since that is when the battery is mostly used. The solar input offsets the battery capacity as I’ll talk about down below. It uses LG batteries which are considered very high quality. The 1,500wh capacity is enough to run plenty of items once the sun has gone down.
Commonly run items during the night are things like TVs, phone chargers, laptop chargers, humidifiers, de-humidifiers, CPAP machines, fridges, freezers, fans and so on. It all depends on the application. If I am using the Alpha while camping then I just need to run an air pump shortly, charge phones, maybe my walkie talkies depending on the type of camping trip.
If I were using the Alpha for RVing then I’d want to run a blender, lights, fans, chargers, TV, and so on. There are so many different applications for the Alpha because it’s not a large generator. It is quite portable and easy to store.
It has a 1,000-watt pure sine wave inverter. I was sad to see that it was only 1,000 watts of continuous power because some appliances such as coffee makers, electric cooktops, and microwaves will use more than 1,000 watts continuously. It would’ve been nice to have a 1,500-watt inverter but there’s a good reason as to why it only has a 1,000-watt inverter which I’ll get into in just a second.
The inverter is a pure sine wave that will allow it to run all appliances normally just like at home. I was surprised to see that even at the low price point that it wasn’t a modified sine wave since those are more affordable and the Alpha is for sure on the more affordable side when it comes to solar generators. It will easily run older non-energy-efficient items to brand new LEDs and other energy-efficient items.
The peak power that the ExpertPower inverter can give out is only 1,200 watts. That really should be higher too but for the most part, I am not running equipment that has a huge start-up. Since I can’t run things like a toaster oven, microwave or hot plate then I don’t have to worry about high surges. I do like that they sized the inverter and battery properly together.
Draw Capacity
My understanding of the solar generator market is that companies understand solar, electricity, volts, amps, watts, loads, and all of those things very well. People on the other hand generally have no idea how that works. Sadly, MOST solar generator companies take advantage of people’s lack of understanding and will use that against them. I obviously don’t think that is right at all.
ExpertPower has not done this though which is one of the reasons I like them. They have a 1,500-watt-hour battery, with a 1,000-watt inverter and the battery can use 1,000 watts until the battery is dead. This is important for one major reason:
Other solar generators will have a 1,500-watt inverter, a 1,100-watt-hour battery and a draw capacity/battery can only use 550 watts continuously for more than a few minutes. What this means is that other companies use batteries that are not sized to the inverter. Or the inverter is too large for the battery since the battery can only do 1/3 of what the inverter can do. This to me is very misleading and can cause some serious buyer remorse.
The Alpha is different. It has a large battery which is nice, and the inverter is 1,000 watts and the battery is matched to what the inverter can do. This means I don’t have to overpay for a feature I can’t use. If the Alpha had a 1,500-watt inverter and the battery can only put out 1,000 watts continuously then that would mean I would be paying a higher price for the 1,500-watt inverter but couldn’t use 1,500 watts. Nice going ExpertPower.
Lifecycles
The Alpha is rated to 1,000 lifecycles at a 60% draw. What this means is that if I use the Alpha every day and drain it down to 60% before charging it, I will be able to do that 1,000 times before the battery has degraded. This is less than 2,000 which is the max lifecycle capability of a large lithium-ion battery.
Most of the time I use my Alpha I don’t drain it much farther than 60% because I don’t have a ton of things to run. This means I could do that every single day for 3 years before I must worry about my battery being degraded. For most users, they will never reach 1,000 cycles on the battery. Therefore, I am okay with the 1,000-lifecycle rating.
Powering Up
The first time I turned on my Alpha it took me a second to figure it out. I pressed the power button, and nothing happened. Naturally, I held the button down and that did the trick. I had to hold it down for about 2 to 3 seconds for it to power on. After doing that there was still no power in the plugs.
The Alpha has three buttons on the front of it: Power, DC Power and AC Power. To see battery level, input power and screen info all I have to do is turn it on.
If I want to run the DC plugs on it then I hold the DC Power button for 2 to 3 seconds and it will turn that on. Then if I want to use any AC power from the house outlets, I turn on the AC power by holding that button for 2 to 3 seconds.
Pretty self-explanatory when it’s in front of you but it definitely confused me at first since I didn’t know I needed to hold the buttons down.
Solar Input
The Alpha allows up to 500 watts of solar panels to be used for charging. I love that! The reason is that 500 watts of power from the sun is quite a bit when the battery is 1,500wh. That means I could charge it from 0% to 100% in 3 hours in ideal conditions. There are about 5 hours a day that can be counted on in the USA where the sun is bright enough that the panels can make their full potential.
Effectively what this means is that I can make 2,500 watts of power in a clear ideal day. 500 watts of panels x 5 hours max charging power = 2,500 watts. Realistically though it’s not going to be ideal conditions every single day. I will be able to make power outside of that 5-hour window though because the sun is obviously out and shining for more than 5 hours a day in the USA.
That means even in non-ideal conditions I will likely be able to make anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 watts of power a day from those panels. When the battery is 1,500wh that means I can fully charge the Alpha each day while still running important equipment such as a fridge, freezer, fans, computer or whatever.
One point to understand though is that it cannot exceed 60 volts or 10 amps going into the power plug or it will shut off the input charge ability. ExpertPower says it’s best to chain five 100-watt solar panels together to achieve the 500 watts wanted. The problem is that often 100-watt solar panels will make about 18 volts of power each. When I chain solar panels together that increases the voltage but keeps the amperage the same.
This means if I have five 100-watt solar panels it would be 18v x 5 panels = 90 volts! That’s way too much and would definitely not work.
If I connect the solar panels in parallel, then the volts stay the same and the amps go up. Each panel makes about 5 to 6 amps each. 5 amps x 5 panels = 25 amps! That is more than the allotted 10-amp max. So how on earth can I connect my panels to make this work?
Because of the voltage and amperage range that is allowed to go into the Alpha it’s really only possible to get a max of 400 watts in panels to go into the Alpha. The way that is done is by making two sets of two panels for a total of four 100w panels. See this diagram on how that connects together.
Connection Style
The Alpha uses a semi-common DC7909 barrel connector. In the world of barrel connectors, it’s fairly common however in the world of solar it’s not used very often. The only other solar generator I am aware of that uses that same DC7909 connection type is the Bluetti.
This means it’s very important to not misplace the DC7909 to PV Connector adapter cable. The adapter allows me to use any solar panel that uses PV Connector connectors, which is about 95%+, and use it with the Alpha. If I lose it, I will have to get ahold of ExpertPower and order another one since it is not a common cable.
Because it only has one charging port for both AC wall charging and solar charging, this means I cannot simultaneously charge from two sources. For me, it’s fine since I never charge from two types of power sources, but some people like to do that.
Car Charging
There is no car charger. This is the biggest let down of the system. It’s nice when I’m on the road on the way to my camping location or wherever and I want to top off the unit before arriving. Or even when I’m coming home from a trip, I like to have my equipment ready for use again. If I were able to charge it while driving, then I could to it off and have a ready unit when I arrive.
There is a way around this though. The simplest way to do it is to simply buy a car DC inverter and plug the wall outlet into that. This is an easy solution that I like but it’s sad that it doesn’t come with the ability to charge from a car. I have to get a third-party item to make it work.
MPPT or PWM
The Alpha comes with an MPPT charge controller which is very nice. This means that even on cloudy days I will have a far better chance of being able to charge my Alpha faster. The MPPT charge controller is essentially a computer that figures out how to work the solar panels so that they make more power with the amount of light that they are receiving. This makes charging a lot more consistent and faster.
Weight and Size
The ExpertPower Alpha weighs in right at 38lbs which can be a bit hefty for some people. For me my comfort zone is 35lbs and under. This is just outside of my comfort zone but is still absolutely manageable. I don’t know if they could’ve shaved off a few pounds on the internal components in order to have a lower weight but in the end is probably not necessary.
It measures 14.4” tall x 6.5” wide x 14.6” long.
Plugs and Ports
It is quite simple when it comes to ports and plugs on the Alpha. It has two 110/120v house plugs on the backside of it. Four 5v USB ports. One USB-C 45W port. One DC cigarette lighter style port rated to 9 amps. The charge port is rated to 60v and 10a.
As far as the ports go, I really wish they would’ve added at least two more 110/120v house plugs because that is what I use the most. I don’t use the USB ports very much so I would’ve preferred more house plugs so I can plug more things in at one time.
There is also no 30amp RV plug which is too bad because that makes life so much easier when camping with an RV or camper. However, this system would be a bit light to run a lot of RV type items since the inverter is rated to 1000-watts. I’m glad they didn’t put an RV plug on there and then limit it to 10 amps or something like that because that would make it pointless.
Shelf Life
The user manual says that it should be used and charged every three months. I have never had an issue though that if I leave the unit charged at 100% and then come back to it in one year it still works perfectly fine and the battery is full.
Warranty
It comes with a complete 1-year manufacturer warranty. This is nice because since I use my solar generators often if there is an issue it will usually present itself in the first few uses. I think it is important that once people receive this item, they put it through its paces and see how well it works. If there are any manufacturer defects they will come up and it will be fixed quite easily.
Do I think that ExpertPower Alpha is worth having around? Yes. I think it’s a well put together product. There are just a couple things I would change but they are not big deals as previously mentioned.
I like that it will also fit easily into an XXL EMP Faraday Bag for protecting from an EMP attack as well as water, dust, and abrasion.
It is very competitively priced and seems to be worth every penny.
There’s a new solar generator that has come out that has caught my eye. It’s doing as well or better than most well-known solar generators on the market. It’s called the “Bluetti” made by MAXOAK.
Testing it has been fun and I have been pretty blown away by how well it works. I have used MAXOAK items in the past and they have always worked well. The Bluetti is right up there with the Goal Zero Lithium 1000 as well as the Inergy Apex and Kodiak (Kodiak no longer in production).
The Bluetti boasts a surprising 1,500wh lithium ion battery. That’s a really good size battery for what most people need to run during power outages. I always like to look at solar generators from the standpoint of a power outage because that’s when I use mine the most. I always find ways to use my solar generators for little things here and there, but a power outage is when I truly need it to work and work hard for me.
The most common items to run during a power outage are fridge, freezer, laptops/computers, fans, lights, and microwaves. Of course, there are plenty of other things that people run but these I have found to be the most consistent things people run during power outages. So, the question is can the Bluetti run all of those things? For the most part yes.
Running all of those items except for the microwave are easily doable for the Bluetti. The only way to run a microwave from the Bluetti would be to get a smaller or “weaker” microwave when it comes to power draw. I personally also like to use my toaster oven as well an electric cooktop off my solar generators. Being able to run all 3 of these items (not at the same time) is a true test to me that it’s a solid solar generator. Simply because a solar generator should be able to do the light work and some of the hard work, like running small cooking appliances.
1,500wh battery is generally enough power to run necessary items and still have enough power at the end of the day to get through the night and chargeback up the next day.
One thing that I have truly come to realize is that a battery is only as good as how much power can actually be drawn from it. This was the major lesson learned about the Inergy Apex. The Apex has a 1,500w inverter but can only draw 550w of power non-stop. Anything over that will put the Apex into safety mode. This is for good reason because if more power is drawn for an extended period of time then the Apex battery can get damaged. BUT, 550w of continuous power is not a lot especially when the inverter is 1,500w.
With the Bluetti it is able to draw about 900+ watts of continuous power without having any issues on the battery. At that rate it will also completely drain to empty. The inverter is only 1,000 watts which for me is a little light duty but since the battery draw is truly only 900 or so watts then it makes sense to not put in a larger inverter. Basically, they went ahead and put in an inverter that matches the battery capability.
I think this is a smart move rather than putting in a more expensive 1,500w inverter but then not being able to use all 1,500w. Instead they went with the 1,000w inverter to match the battery they have, and I think that makes a lot of sense.
Battery Type
It does have a Lithium Ion battery which to me is great. I think too many people have jumped on the band wagon that “lithium ion is evil and will explode and burn your house down.” All of these people say the ONLY way to go is to use Lithium Iron Phosphate. Now to a degree they’re right, but not really. There haven’t been hundreds of people’s houses burning down from lithium ion solar generators. There haven’t even been dozens of fires burning people’s houses down from solar generators. The #1 items that causes fires that are related to solar, are solar panels.
For me, Lithium Ion batteries are perfectly safe. Basically, as long as you don’t drop it from up high and then throw it in the pool or the lake then the batteries will not likely cause any fire issues ever. I have had multiple lithium ion solar generators for about 5 years now and still have never had an overheating, fire or other related problem on any of them. I like Lithium Ion because it’s so much lighter than the Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. Yes, a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo4) battery will last much longer and that’s great, but we’re talking terms of portability. If you get a LiFePo4 battery of decent capacity it weighs a ton.
Inverter
The inverter only has a 1,000w continuous draw rating but as previously mentioned that’s largely due to the fact that the battery can only put out a little less than that nonstop. As much as I wish it were a 1,500w or larger inverter there’s no point since the battery wouldn’t be able to handle it.
I like a little larger inverter, so it allows me to run items like my toaster oven, microwave and electric cook top. Each of those use just a little less than 1,500w on average. It’s pointless though to try and cook breakfast on the electric stove top when the power is out if I can’t get the battery push out enough power to continuously cook nonstop. I don’t like runny eggs like that.
The good news is that it is a Pure Sine Wave inverter so it will easily run all my gadgets that use less than 1,000w of power. This makes it easy to run my TV, fridge, freezer, laptop, fans or whatever I feel like or need.
The saddest thing about the inverter, and one of my major gripes about the Bluetti, is that the Peak output capacity is only 1,200w. Really, that’s it? It can only muster up enough power to jump from 1,000w to 1,200w? I guess this is fine if not a lot of power is being drawn anyway which for most people is the case. Normally people don’t use items that have a huge jump, at least not when it comes to necessary electronics for power outages. There are always exceptions and every single person’s situation varies of course.
To me I really wish that the peak capacity was at least 2,000w. It’s pretty standard across the board that the peak capacity be double of the continuous capacity rating. Oh well, definitely not a deal breaker but kind of sad.
Lifecycles
One of the big arguments people have for why Lithium Ion is not as good as Lithium Iron is that Lithium Ion has lower lifecycles, and they’re right. Now that being said this is where math really comes in handy.
A lithium ion battery is generally rated to 2,000 cycles. And that is correct. But only if the battery is not used in harsh conditions. If it were used in harsh conditions where the battery is being drained quickly, charged quickly, and happening very often then it really has about 500 lifecycles. The Bluetti is rated to 1,000 lifecycles. Now I don’t know if they just took that from the average of a normal lithium ion battery or if they actually did the math and figured that out. Either way, it’s rated to 1,000 lifecycles. Which means after using it fully 1,000 times the battery will be at about 80% efficient. Meaning rather than being 1,500wh it would be more like 1,200wh.
A lifecycle is when the battery cycles from being drained to refilled. Technically a 20% drain and then recharge is one cycle. So is a 95% drain and then recharge. A cycle just means it’s been drained and then recharged. So, this is why it can be 500 to 2,000 lifecycles out of a lithium ion battery. A LiFePo4 battery rated generally to 3,000+ lifecycles. But they weigh a ton which makes them not portable.
Now here’s the math that’s the most important part. Let’s say every year I go through one major hurricane that knocks out my power for 2 weeks. Pretty serious power outages, really I think it would be time to move. 2 weeks is 14 days. 1,000 lifecycles ÷ 14 days = 71.4 years of going through a 2-week power outage every year. See the point? Do I really need 3,000 lifecycles? No. It would be nice if it were rated to 2,000 lifecycles instead but it’s not a deal breaker by any means.
Even if we look at it from an EMP standpoint where there’s no power period it’s not bad at all. It’s essentially 2-3 years of power before the battery reaches that 80% mark. That doesn’t mean it’s now dead and no longer works at all, it just means it doesn’t work as well. The same as any motorized vehicle or gas generator, after being used for many years starts to have efficiency losses.
Solar Input
The Bluetti can handle up to a max of 500 watts of solar power input according to the user manual. That’s great! 500 watts into a 1,500wh battery means it can charge in 3 hours. Since I can account for an average of 5 hours per day of maximum power producing sunlight, on bright sunny days, that means I can make enough power to charge the Bluetti completely full while still running items like my fridge and freezer.
The hard part is actually getting to 500 watts. The way to calculate watts is by taking volts and multiplying it by amps. Volts x Amps = Watts. What the real solar input value is on the Bluetti is 60v and 10 amps. But wait, 60v x 10a = 600 watts. So, couldn’t I get 600 watts into it? No not really, not easily at least.
The issue comes in when it comes to connecting the solar panels. For example, a 20v solar panel will make about 5 amps and that is an average 100w solar panel. When panels are connected in series (panel to panel to panel) then the volts will increase, and the amps will stay the same. When panels are connected in parallel (all positive panel cables combine, and all negative panel cables combine into the generator) then the volts stay the same, but the amps go up.
So, if I take a 20v panel and put 3 of them together I’d be at 20v x 3 = 60volts. Which is the maximum allotted volts that can go into the Bluetti. The amps are only about 5 amps so I’m well below the 10-amp mark. The difficulty is that the panels can go up to 21 volts per panel and if that happens that having all three of them combined will go up to 63 volts which is more than the Bluetti can handle.
The best thing to do is have two sets of panels and each set have two 100 watt panels. This will keep the volts at a usable level and when combined together as seen in the picture below it will be combined into a parallel connection. This will make the volts be about 40 volts and the amps about 10 amps.
The charging plug is what is called a DC7909 plug. It’s not a very common one but MAXOAK provides the necessary adapters to connect easily to the PV Connector connectors on solar panels. Over 95% of solar panels use the common PV Connector connector so it’s really nice that the Bluetti comes with the right adapter.
So, if I can truly get 500 watts an hour on a perfectly sunny day then I’ll be able to make 2,500w of power for sure that day in a 5-hour period. That means during the day I can use 1,000w of energy running my fridge, freezer and other items and by the time the sun goes down have a battery that’s 100% full and still was able to run things throughout the day. For the most part, I stick with 400 watts in panels. Either way, it’s pretty good. I like those numbers.
Charge Ability
Because there is only one charging port on the Bluetti it doesn’t allow for any kind of simultaneous charging. It can either use the supplied wall charger or solar panels. There is no car charging capability on it. Now there is a way to wire a small inverter to your car then attach cables to the charge port to actually charge from a car cigarette lighter port but it’s not super easy. It’s not super hard either but basically the Bluetti was not designed for charging from a car.
Charge Controller
It comes with an MPPT charge controller which is wonderful! I still can’t believe there are some solar generator manufacturers that are putting PWM charge controllers in their generators. You don’t have to know what MPPT and PWM are, you just need to know that MPPT is better even though it weighs more and costs more.
Basically, the MPPT will allow the solar panels to make more power than a PWM charge controller. It’s a computer essentially, kind of like a tuner. It tunes the solar panels to be able to make more power. I’m glad they put an MPPT charge controller on the Bluetti. It’s absolutely worth it.
Weight
It’s not crazy heavy and it’s not crazy light. It’s 38lbs of solid power. Generally, for me once I hit the 35lb mark I begin seeing people have trouble moving things easily. It’s barely over that mark so it’s not a deal breaker and it’s not a back breaker either. It’s still easy enough to move around because it has a really nice large handle on the top.
The handle is very robust and doesn’t feel cheap. This gives me the confidence to move it around and not worry about dropping it on the floor and breaking it.
Output Plugs
The Bluetti comes with a variety of output power plugs. Sadly, though it only has two 110/120v outlets. I personally feel that 4 should be the minimum for a solar generator of this size. When the power goes out the first things I plug in my fridge and then my freezer. Well, now what? Both plugs are full. So, this, of course, leads to using extension cords and power strips coming off of each plug. Well the problem is it becomes too easy to add too much stuff to those plugs and then pop a fuse. The fuses are inside the case too so I believe that would require a screwdriver and some digging around.
Now it’s not going to hurt it too bad as long as I keep it in mind to not overload the plugs. I’m not going to run my fridge, freezer, fans, lights and TV all off one plug that has a power strip in it. The load needs to be evenly distributed between the two plugs, but I will definitely need a power strip to run everything I would like.
It does have a 12v cigarette lighter port that makes it easy to use any 12v items. Rated to 10 amps it will run most things pretty well. It’s not a heavy-duty solar generator so it’s not going to run big heavy-duty communication devices that need 15 amps.
It does come with 4 USB ports which is much more than most solar generators on the market. This makes it the central hub for cell phone charging when the power is out. The good news is that everyone will be all together around the Bluetti because the phone charger ports are on it. I guess it brings people together more in that sense. It also has one USB-C port for people who have USB-C fast charging devices.
There is no 30amp RV plug which is too bad. Not surprising though since the inverter is rated to 1,000 watts of continuous power. The 30amp RV plug really gives a solar generator the ability to go farther. Usually, that plug is rated to a higher number of amps and so it makes it easy to get a 30amp to 15amp adapter and add a third wall outlet plug. But that’s not an option with the Bluetti.
Shelf Life
According to the manufacturer it is recommended to give the Bluetti a charge once every 3 months. This is a good battery conditioning to make sure that the battery stays full and healthy. Letting it sit for years without ever touching it will reduce the lifecycles of the battery.
Warranty
It does come with a complete 1-year manufacturer warranty. This is always nice to know that if I have a problem along the way that it will be fixed. That being said, the MAXOAK website and customer service line and have left me wanting for more. It doesn’t look well put together or anything but in my past dealings with MAXOAK I’ve always been able to get some help eventually.
Expandability
There is zero expandability with the Bluetti. There is no way to add more batteries or solar panels to it. It is what it is and there’s no adding to it. I find this sad since I have grown accustomed to having that option of being able to add more batteries to a system.
Since the Bluetti can produce a solid 2,500 watts in a day from solar panels it’d be nice to be able to add another 1,000wh of battery to the built in 1,500wh battery so when there are days that I hardly use any power I can store more for later.
EMP Protection
For many people EMP protection is of no concern. But for others it is, and I feel that since an EMP attack would directly affect people’s way to get power that it’s an important aspect to consider. The Bluetti is in no way EMP proof. The good news is that because it’s not too heavy and because it’s not overly big it is quite easy to fit into a Tech Protect XXL Faraday/EMP bag.
The EMP bags are tested and approved to be 100% EMP proof. And by putting one bag inside of another bag, called “nesting,” this will actually make it Super EMP proof. It’s easy to take in and out of the bag and use when needed as well as charge when needed.
X Factor
For me the “X Factor” of the Bluetti is that the inverter and battery are properly sized together. They didn’t put on an inverter that was too big for the battery. They knew what the battery could do so they matched the right sized inverter. In the end this helps reduce weight and price which is nice they did that. No one likes to pay for a feature they can’t use.
Weakness
By the same definition, the inverter is also the weakness of the Bluetti. Where they matched the battery and inverter properly, it would’ve been nice if they were able to get a 1,500w inverter since the battery is 1,500w. And it would have been great to be able to pull all 1,500w when needed from the battery.
The second weakness is that it only has two 110/120v plugs. It needs more. This is why I recommend getting two of the high amp 1ft extension cords because it will be able to handle higher power loads and will double the plugs from 2 to 4 total.
The Bluetti is easily and readily available on Amazon which is awesome. It normally sells for about $1,399 on Amazon which I feel is a very fair price. Being compared with the Goal Zero Lithium 1000 which sells for about $1,795, it’s about $400 cheaper and offers very similar results. Also, very similar to the Inergy Apex which generally sells for about $1,500 the Bluetti is $100 less. Definitely worth taking a look at with that price on it.
Pairing the Bluetti with four Flexx 100 solar panels would still be a perfect setup to make lots of power and have a full battery every day. Two additional 50 watt panels are not necessities.
Conclusion
There is a place in the market for the Bluetti. It has performed better than most solar generators on the market and deserves a spot near the top of the suggestion list. I can whole heartedly say that I can recommend it to people who are needing a solar generator in this price range. It’s no Titan Solar Generator but it will definitely get a lot of work done.
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.
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 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.
however, the EcoFlow River Pro’s fan makes minimal sound.
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.
Purchasing
