Buyer's guide
How much power station do you need?
Capacity is sold in watt-hours, and nobody shops in watt-hours. Start from the devices you want to keep running, get a number, then read it off the table. Every price, capacity and output below was read on the manufacturer's own US store on October 29, 2026.
13 power stations, plus 2 bare 12 V lithium batteries for anyone wiring a van or RV. Where a number is a starting point rather than a published spec, it says so.
1. Turn your day into watt-hours
Watts × hours = watt-hours. Four common days are worked out below. The device watts are starting values, not vendor data — check the label or manual on your own kit andedit them in the calculator.
A work day away from a socket
Laptop 8 h, external monitor 6 h, router or hotspot 10 h, phone 2 h
- Energy
- 780 Wh
- All on at once
- 110 W
Needs about 918 Wh of rated capacity to deliver once, after inverter losses.
A night in a van or camper
12 V fridge 24 h, LED lights 5 h, phone 2 h, laptop 3 h
- Energy
- 1.33 kWh
- All on at once
- 125 W
Needs about 1.56 kWh of rated capacity to deliver once, after inverter losses.
One night on a CPAP
CPAP without the humidifier, 8 h
- Energy
- 320 Wh
- All on at once
- 40 W
Needs about 376 Wh of rated capacity to deliver once, after inverter losses.
A blackout day indoors
Fridge 24 h, router 10 h, LED lights 5 h, phone 2 h, laptop 4 h
- Energy
- 1.49 kWh
- All on at once
- 135 W
Needs about 1.75 kWh of rated capacity to deliver once, after inverter losses.
2. Read it off the table
Nights covered is rated capacity × 85% divided by the 1.33 kWh of “a night in a van or camper”. Cost per cycled kWh is the price divided by rated cycles × capacity: what one stored kilowatt-hour costs over the life the manufacturer rates, before the electricity you put in.
| Model | Capacity | Price | AC output | Nights covered | Fridge only | Cost per cycled kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluetti AC180Out of stock on October 29, 2026 | 1.15 kWh | $499 | 1,800 W | 0.7× | 22 h | $0.124 |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2Out of stock on October 29, 2026 | 1.07 kWh | $559 | 1,500 W | 0.7× | 20 h | $0.131 |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus | 1.26 kWh | $619 sale ($699 list) | 2,000 W | 0.8× | 24 h | $0.122 |
| Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 | 1.02 kWh | $699.99 | 2,000 W | 0.7× | 19 h | $0.171 |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus | 1.02 kWh | $719 sale ($799 list) | 1,800 W | 0.7× | 19 h | $0.176 |
| Jackery Explorer 1500 v2 | 1.54 kWh | $849 sale ($949 list) | 2,000 W | 1.0× | 29 h | $0.092 |
| Bluetti Elite 200 V2Out of stock on October 29, 2026 | 2.07 kWh | $899 | 2,600 W | 1.3× | 39 h | Cycles not rated |
| EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max | 2.05 kWh | $1,049 sale ($1,299 list) | 2,400 W | 1.3× | 39 h | $0.171 |
| Jackery HomePower 2000 Plus v2 | 2.05 kWh | $1,199 | 2,400 W | 1.3× | 39 h | $0.098 |
| Goal Zero Yeti 1500 | 1.51 kWh | $1,499.95 | 2,000 W | 1.0× | 28 h | $0.249 |
| Bluetti Apex 300 | 2.76 kWh | $1,599 sale ($1,699 list) | 3,840 W | 1.8× | 2.2 days | $0.096 |
| EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3Out of stock on October 29, 2026 | 4.10 kWh | $2,799 sale ($3,299 list) | 4,000 W | 2.6× | 3.2 days | $0.171 |
| Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus | 3.84 kWh | $2,999.99 | 2,400 W | 2.5× | 3.0 days | $0.260 |
Motors and compressors can need two to three times their running watts for a second or two when they start, so compare the “all on at once” figure with AC output and leave headroom.Methodology
3. Shop by what you can spend
Three ways to be the cheapest
Same verified price list read three ways. Which reading matters depends on how often you will actually cycle it.
Four numbers that decide whether you regret it
- Continuous AC output, not capacity
- Capacity decides how long; output decides whether it starts at all. A 1,500 W kettle or microwave needs a station rated above it however big the battery is. Output here runs from 1,500 W to 4,000 W.
- Rated cycles
- The LiFePO₄ packs here are rated 3,000–6,000 cycles. Weekend use is a few dozen cycles a year, so cycles rarely decide a camping buy and always decide a daily one.
- Solar input, if you will ever refill off-grid
- Max solar input caps how fast a sunny day refills the pack. It is the spec buyers most often skip when they plan to stay out longer than one charge, and it is listed per model on each comparison below.
- Weight, honestly
- Past about 2 kWh these stop being carried and start being installed. The lightest here is 35.3 lb; check it against where it will actually live.
Then compare the two you are down to
- Bluetti AC180 vs Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2
- Bluetti AC180 vs Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus
- EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus vs Jackery Explorer 1000 v2
- Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus vs Jackery Explorer 1000 v2
- Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 vs EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus
- Goal Zero Yeti 1500 vs Jackery Explorer 1500 v2
- Bluetti Elite 200 V2 vs EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max
- Jackery HomePower 2000 Plus v2 vs Bluetti Apex 300
- Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus vs EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3
Runtime calculator for your own device list·Full rankings by capacity per dollar