EF Ecoflow Solar Generator Review
Author: Generator Expert
Portable power is what the Ecoflow River promises and it delivers on that promise with reliability and surprisingly light weight form. The brand is a new revolution in portable power producing the River and its big brother the Delta, these portable power stations ensure you have power no matter where you go.
Features of the EF ECOFLOW River Portable Power Station Generator
Lightweight design and construction were obviously a key part of the planning process for this little unit. Power bricks and battery packs are often heavy and bulky but the Ecoflow River is easy to port about at just eleven pounds.
Rated by the manufacturer to withstand up to 500 discharge/recharge cycles, this unit will give you reliable remote power for a long time and for many uses. The LiPo battery is capable of being fully discharged and recharged with no loss of capacity over time.
Ecoflow’s “Advanced Thermal Management System” mitigates extreme cold and heat so the power station continues to provide power or accept an incoming charge during the worst of weather conditions. This can be exceptionally important while charging with solar array as many systems overheat and shut down in extreme heat.
One needs to be wary of the word “generator” in the manufacturer’s description, this is a power storage facility and does not generate power on its own. But in providing power, this unit excels in its job. Eleven ports including a 12v car, 2 standard 120vAC plugs, two 12vDC ports, and six USBs split up by 2/USB, 2/Quick, and 2/USB-c types.
Pros and Cons of the EF ECOFLOW River Portable Power Station Generator
The EF ECOFLOW River Portable Power Station Generator is a lightweight battery unit that has its advantages and disadvantages, just like any product out there. Here we’ve listed some of the pros and cons that we’ve come across as we researched this model.
Pros
Weighing in at a feathery light eleven pounds, the ECOFLOW River Portable Power Station Generator truly is portable. Batteries are notoriously heavy and Ecoflow has packed a lot of power in as small a footprint as possible making this unit easy to carry around.
Thermal management system keeps this unit functional during the inclement weather you may need power most. Operations in extreme cold to -4° and in extreme heat up to 140°, you can still charge or draw power in the worst temperatures.
Eleven output ports include two USB quick charge ports which will allow you to get that phone or other portable device back in service faster than the standard USB ports for other devices you may not be in such a hurry to charge.
CONS
Commonly repeated complaints among users is the slow response from customer service and tech support. Ecoflow is a smaller brand and you save a few dollars versus getting the top-tier name brands, but you if you do run into trouble, you may experience minimal support.
Listed as 500W, the power is deceptively divided as 300W AC and 200W DC. So you won’t be running any devices that exceed these specific numbers, and your run time will need to be calculated at that diminished number, not the promised 500W.
Our Verdict
The Ecoflow River is a good unit, but it may be suffering from a few bad bumps in the way it is marketed or advertised. As long as you read up on the model and you are well aware of what kind of power you are really getting, and not expecting 500W AC/DC, then this unit gets a thumbs up.
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