Topic: The Best Solar Generators of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 40 times)
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Topic: The Best Solar Generators of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 40 times)
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The EcoFlow Delta 2 Max stood out from the co*petition for two reasons: it’s co*parative low weight and it’s co*parative low price. Of the 2,000 watt-hour power stations I’ve tested, this is the least expensive as a standalone unit, making it an excellent option for anyone looking for a serious power station on a budget.
I was also impressed by its low weight—the Delta 2 Max is 10 pounds lighter than similarly powerful units—and its low volume. If you have limited space and higher power needs, this is an excellent choice.
In addition to having buttons to turn on the USB, AC, and car ports, there is also a main power switch. I’ll be testing over the next several months to see if this helps to prevent power loss for individuals storing their power stations over the long term for issues like power outages.
Something different about the EcoFlow Delta 2 Max co*pared to other power stations I’ve looked at is that the six AC outlets (as well as the car outlet) are on the back side of the power station, with the solar and AC input ports. If you plan to mainly use the USB-C and USB-A ports, this is unlikely to cause an issue but if there are AC plugs you need to access to, you’ll to consider how you orient your power station in your home or van to ensure easy access.
While it’s worth downloading the associated app to access control features that are not available on the actual device, like auto timeouts and discharge level controls, I wouldn’t reco*mend relying on it over the controls on the device itself due to the amount of energy it consumes.
It’s hard to find a better value than the EcoFlow 220W Bifacial Portable Solar Panel. It produces more power for its cost and weight than anything else I’ve tested. And it’s XT-60 connector cable means it’s co*patible out of the box with other power stations, including the Anker 767.
The downside to this solar panel is that it is surprisingly difficult to set up, and more fiddly to adjust, than anything else I’ve tested. While the other solar panels in this test rely on adjustable kickstand legs to optimize the angle of the panel toward the sun, the EcoFlow 220W Bifacial Portable Solar Panel takes a different approach: It uses the carrying case to support the panel.
First, four clips attach to the four corners of the carrying case. You then clip into the panel itself, angling the carrying case at a wedge to create structure to the panel. The angle of the panel can be adjusted by zipping the carrying case up or down.
As you can see, this more or less works. I was able to set up the panel to face the sun at an optimal angle, but I found that zippering up the carrying case to adjust the angle of the panel once it was already in position was fairly difficult. If you’re used to adjusting your solar panels throughout the day to optimize the position of the sun, this could be an issue.
The Goal Zero Yeti 1500X was one of the most co*plicated user interfaces to navigate, and included several details that I have mixed feelings about. The most glaring one is that when the unit is plugged into a power source, a light blinks blue continuously until it is charged, when it switches to solid blue—if you are in the same space as this unit when it is charging, this is very distracting.
Next is the three buttons above the display—which read “unit,” “light,” and “info.” Unit is fairly straightforward—it toggles the input and output measurements between volts, amperes, watts, etc. This is pretty handy if you’re curious about how much power a given device is chewing through. Next is light—on other power stations, this button turns on an actual light, which is useful if you’re trying to see what you’re doing in the evening hours. The Goal Zero, however, does not have a built-in light. This button turns on and off the display screen showing the power supply. The info button only seemed to turn on the display (not off)—it was unclear what other use this was meant to have.
Interestingly, despite having one of the most powerful AC ports in my test, there was only space for two plug-ins. Most of the time, I suspect this will be plenty for people (and it does help to cut down on the unnecessary juice being lost out of these ports), but others might find themselves digging out a powerstrip to make up for the lack of ports.
One of the more unusual features of the Yeti 1500X is a top lid, which has storage for charging cables, or anything else you want to throw in there. This proved to be surprisingly useful while camping, when stray cables can go missing with surprising regularity.
Underneath, it also has detailed descriptions of all of the power limitations of the various ports, plus evergreen reminders about not letting your power station get wet—all in semi-legible font. Su