Oupes has been muscling up the ranks of power stations for a few years now. I like the simplicity of operation and the extremely low cost per watt-hour of capacity best. There are only a few drawbacks we’ll get into after we go through the specs and talk about how the station measured up during testing.
Specs
- Output: 1500 W
- Capacity: 1488 Wh
- Charge Time: 3.93 hours
- Battery: LiFePO4, 3,500 cycles to 80%
- UPS Switchover: <20ms
- Noise: <20dB
- Dimensions: 14″ x 11″ x 11″
- Weight: 30.5 pounds
- Warranty: 36 months
The Oupes Exodus 1500 provides plenty of output socket options to access the power storage. With Boost Mode, it will support appliances and large electronics up to 1700W. The inputs include the Anderson and AC sockets, which allow 800W AC and 480W solar charging. Adapters for the Anderson socket are included for car charging and MC4 universal solar connectors. The MPPT controller is optimized for 24V solar connections, so keep that in mind. I wire two 12V Renogy solar panels in series to use them with this machine.
The outputs include:
- 120V AC outlets (120V/20A): 3
- USB-C (140W): 2
- USB-A (18W, 3.0): 2
- Car Socket (12V/10A): 1
- DC 5521 (12V/10A): 2
The inputs include:
- Anderson (solar, car, etc.): 1
- AC adapter: 1
Oupes has proven to be the best of the affordable-priced power stations- edging out other brands with higher capacity and more competitive pricing. A few things I didn’t like include the Oupes phone app, which is difficult to connect to the unit and not intuitive. This matters more significantly with larger, expandable power stations where you may be monitoring remotely more often. I also found the handle unwieldy- it juts out of the back of the unit needlessly, which makes it so it cannot fit flush against walls or other spaces. Those drawbacks lowered the portability and versatility sections of its overall score.
This makes the Oupes Exodus 1500 Power Station my top pick for most emergency applications with mid-capacity needs.
Portable Power Station
Jackery Explorer 300 Plus
Compact, Lightweight, and Rugged
A tough little case surrounding a powerful LiFePO4 battery is our pick for those on the move.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Also available to buy at Jackery and Walmart.
41
OVERALL SCORECapacityQualityVersatilityPortability1738
| Metric | Score |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 1 |
| Quality | 7 |
| Versatility | 3 |
| Portability | 8 |
Jackery has been in the power station game from the start, being the first to create mass appeal for mobile power storage. They have had many iterations of their popular devices and still manage to be cost-competitive with the influx of competitors. Particularly, we recognized the value quite quickly of the Jackery Explorer 300 Plus and the expandable Explorer 5000 Plus- on opposite ends of the product spectrum.
Specs
- Output: 300 W
- Capacity: 288 Wh
- Charge Time: 1.91 hours
- Battery: LiFePO4, 3,000 cycles to 80%
- UPS Switchover: <20ms
- Noise: <45dB
- Dimensions: 9.1″ x 6.6″ x 6.1″
- Weight: 8.1 pounds
- Warranty: 36 months
This little Jackery Explorer 300 Plus is about the size of my head but packs a lot of tough watt-hours inside. When cracking the case open in our testing I found that the Jackery is designed with a ‘box in box’ design- the batteries, boards, and internal components are mounted separately from the exterior case. This makes the exterior that you see a sacrificial layer when it’s dropped, kicked, cracked, sprayed, etc. The design makes it tough- with portability clearly in mind.
When looking at Jackery gear, you’ll want to be sure to focus on stations with ‘Plus’ or ‘v2’ in the name at this point, because those are newer products with better LiFePO4 batteries in them.
One detraction that Jackery is well known for is using proprietary plugs with their solar panels, which sometimes don’t even come with adapters to fit their products. The Explorer 300 Plus uses the In/Out 100W USB-C plug for solar charging, and it doesn’t include any adapters for it.
The outputs include:
- 120V AC outlets (120V/20A): 1
- USB-C (100W): 1
- USB-C (15W): 1
- USB-A (15W): 1
- Car Socket (12V/10A): 1
The inputs include:
- USB-C (in/out): 1
- AC adapter: 1
Another hit to the Jackerys across the board is their underwhelming phone app. Many users agree with me here, since it has an abysmal 2.6 rating in the app store- which is surprising since Jackery has been in the power station business the longest. It’s not quite as bad as some budget brands that struggle to connect the hardware at all, but it does not meet expectations.
Despite these minor detractions, Jackery is still positioned as the best portable power station with the Jackery Explorer 300 Plus.
Extra Large Power Station
Ecoflow Delta Pro 3
Quality-Made, High Capacity, and Expandable
This large power station can scale to your needs- plus it checks out with the best quality of the bunch.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Also available to buy at Amazon and Walmart.
75
OVERALL SCORECapacityQualityVersatilityPortability7992
| Metric | Score |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 7 |
| Quality | 9 |
| Versatility | 9 |
| Portability | 2 |
Once you approach these large-capacity power stations, you’re not just making a purchase- you’re making a significant investment. High capacity, good quality, and the ability to expand the platform should all be a given.
EcoFlow’s most recent release hit the mark and impressed me. Their latest lineup improved several metrics, with a blazing fast UPS switchover, virtually no noise at low burdens, and excellent charge speeds. The battery life and warranty also surpass the competition.
The EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 also excels at being a platform that can efficiently expand to power your entire home.
Specs
- Output: 4,000 W
- Capacity: 4,096 Wh
- Charge Time: 1.46 hours
- Battery: LiFePO4, 4,000 cycles to 80%
- UPS Switchover: <10ms
- Noise: 30 dB
- Dimensions: 27.3″ x 16.1″ x 13.4″
- Weight: 114 pounds
- Warranty: 60 months
EcoFlow uses the not-quite-proprietary XT60 socket for its solar and car input, using EcoFlow’s adapter (not included). It comes with a pair of these sockets though, which have different voltage settings: high and low. You can configure your existing panels relatively easily to maximize the high voltage 30-150V, 1600W port and the low voltage 11-60V, 1000W port in tandem for 2600W solar charging.
The outputs include:
- 120V AC outlets (120V/20A): 3
- USB-C (140W): 2
- USB-A (18W, 3.0): 2
- Car Socket (12V/10A): 1
- DC 5521 (12V/10A): 2
The inputs include:
- XT60: 2
- AC: 1
- EV/Smart Home: 1
- EcoFlow Alternator: 1
The EcoFlow app is also one of the best apps I tested. It was extremely fast and intuitive to set up and link to the unit and offered many customizations and settings on viewing and controlling the energy flow.
The expanding high capacity, quality, and versatility make the EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 the best extra-large power station available.
Comparison Table
| Model | Pick | Price* | Capacity | Output | Best Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oupes Exodus 1500 | Mid-Size | $449 | 1,488 Wh | 1,500 W | Capacity value |
| Jackery Explorer 300 Plus | Portable | $269 | 288 Wh | 300 W | Rugged portability |
| EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 | Extra Large | $2,999 | 4,096 Wh | 4,000 W | Expandable to 48kWh |
| Jackery Explorer 240 v2 | $249 | 256 Wh | 300 W | Rugged portability | |
| EcoFlow River 3 | $239 | 245 Wh | 300 W | Low charge time | |
| Bluetti EB3A | $269 | 268 Wh | 600 W | App control | |
| Goal Zero Yeti 300 | $299 | 297 Wh | 350 W | App control | |
| Bluetti AC70 | $399 | 768 Wh | 1,000 W | App control | |
| DJI Power 1000 | $419 | 1,024 Wh | 2,200 W | High AC output | |
| Anker Solix C1000 | $499 | 1,056 Wh | 1,800 W | Lowest cost expandable | |
| Bluetti AC180 | $499 | 1,152 Wh | 1,800 W | Low charge time | |
| EcoFlow Delta 3 | $699 | 1,024 Wh | 1,800 W | Manufacturing quality | |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | $799 | 1,070 Wh | 1,500 W | High lifetime cycles | |
| Fossibot F3600 Pro | $899 | 2,048 Wh | 4,800 W | High AC output | |
| Bluetti Elite 200 v2 | $999 | 2,073 Wh | 2,600 W | App control | |
| Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 | $1,099 | 2,042 Wh | 2,200 W | High lifetime cycles | |
| Anker Solix F2000 | $1,199 | 2,048 Wh | 2,400 W | App control | |
| Pecron E3600LFP | $1,399 | 3,072 Wh | 3,600 W | Capacity value | |
| Anker Solix F3800 | $3,199 | 3,840 Wh | 6,000 W | Expandable to 26kWh | |
| Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus | $3,499 | 5,040 Wh | 7,200 W | Expandable to 60kWh | |
| EcoFlow Delta Pro Ultra | $4,849 | 6,144 Wh | 7,200 W | Expandable to 90kWh |
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
The Stations We Compared
We narrowed the field down to several brands and models of power stations that we compared from Jackery, EcoFlow, Bluetti, Oupes, Anker, and more.
You can see our full list of review criteria below in the What to Look For section, with an explanation for each.
You’ll notice that power stations end up falling into capacity ‘buckets’ that correspond to cost, and are inversely related to portability. We classified these into 4 types:
- Portable – A highly portable power station with at least one AC outlet, measured capacity below 300 Wh, and weight below 15 pounds.
- Mid-Size – A portable station with a handle and/or wheels, capacity between 300 Wh and 2,000 Wh.
- Extra Large – A high-capacity but mobile power station with a capacity of over 2,000 Wh and possibly the ability to expand further.
- Installed – A permanent battery fixture meant to provide power to a building regularly or during an emergency.
The only installed option we looked at was the Tesla Powerwall 3, which was for an upper-bound cost comparison for the expansion of large portable power stations.
We’re always looking for new and better equipment, so if you have a power station you trust for power outages, let us know in the comments. We review most of our tested stations annually so we can try to get it in the next roundup round and see if it will beat out our top picks.