EF ECOFLOW Portable Power Station RIVER 2 with 45W Solar Panel, 256Wh LiFePO4 Battery/ 1 Hour Fast Charging, Up to 600W Output, Solar Generator for Outdoor Camping/RVs/Home Use

So I bought this because the company had good reviews and I really liked the idea of having a portable power station to charge things on the go, but also have it serve as a potential POOP-HITS-THE-FAN emergency backup to power a fridge or something for a short time. It's clearly under-powered for that sort of thing, but it still COULD do it. I like that flexibility! Lo and behold, it has started to change my entire life! Suddenly I realized that I could have electric power in that old tool shed that has just served as a storage bin for old toys and mowers. That inspired me to clean up and order the shed, to put in shelving, and more! A few weeks later I also bought my first e-bike, and now I can store it in the shed and recharge the thing without navigating through the garage or removing the battery. This little unit is definitely too small for what I use it for-- it probably has enough juice to recharge 50% of my e-bike in one go, but that's OK! The unit itself is so compact that its easier to charge IT back at the house than move my tools or bike to where the electric is at. That's the beauty of this technology! After a few days of doing that, I realized that there was an even lazier solution I could use: solar! YEP, I could hook up some solar panels on that same shed and it'll recharge the unit automatically and, essentially, my shed is both off-grid and fully electric. I appreciate that it does all of the technical stuff I don't understand, so I just plug in the solar panels and it converts that into sweet, sweet tool juice. The app is also absolutely fantastic- It's fun to see how much it is charging or discharging at any given time. This has inspired me to buy the much bigger brother, a Delta 2, and a 160 watt solar panel to really complete the job. My plans for that are outside the scope of a review of the River 2, but it's worth mentioning that this little device inspired so much madness. So, in conclusion--watch out. This is a gateway device to much larger toys and an increasingly eco-sensitive lifestyle. EDIT: After enjoying this product for about six months now, I wanted to give a quick update. I still LOVE it, especially for the cost and size. It still powers my e-bike on completely solar energy. I use the Delta 2 to recharge this unit on overcast days using USB-C 100watt cables (ends up pulling in about 54watts), and that allows me to reap a little benefit from the Delta 2's 500watt solar input potential (the River 2 can only pull in 110watts max). Another thing to be aware of is that I did have some recent issues with the unit no longer displaying AC charging numbers and no longer pulling a charge through USB-C. This happened after a Firmware update. I contacted support, and the good news is that an updated Firmware update came out three days later that fixed these problems. It was over a weekend, so I didn't get a reply from Support until after it was fixed again, but it is something to be aware of. The Firmware updates sometimes bring new features, but if you have this as backup to a life-saving device, I think you'll want to time those updates to times when the impact would be lessened.

I am a user of multiple products from EcoFlow, including one of the original River series power stations. I looked forward to this newest version, the River 3 once they announced it was coming. I was not disappointed. This is a small form factor power station that is good for travel and when you don't have a lot of room but you need something to charge up some of your portable devices or power some small appliances. This weighs in about 10lbs so it is easily moved by most people. Out of the box, I was impressed with the feel of this device. It just seems really well put together. I plugged it into an AC outlet to charge it up and just as advertised, it charged up very quickly. One of the things that I like very much is the accompanying EcoFlow application. When I opened the app, it immediately recognized the new device via bluetooth. Setup on my network was quick and easy and required no real effort on my part. As I looked through the app, one feature that was new to any EcoFlow device that I have seen was a section that showed the current Wifi connectivity. It allows you to verify the connection, see the signal strength, IP address, and even the MAC address. Very handy indeed! It will let you change to a different network, if needed and is just an excellent feature. It is so handy that I even emailed EcoFlow and told them they need to add this to ALL their device applications. I used the River 3 to charge my cell phone and also to power up my laptop, both use USB C connectivity. This is a 300 Watt device with an X-boost up to 600 Watts, so it will handle most small appliances. It is super quiet also. Even when it was charging, I had it in my bedroom while I was sleeping and didn't even hear it. If you need something as a UPS support for a network device or some other small appliance, this device will handle that job. It has 20 MS UPS support, which I tested. It worked flawlessly. I have a network based over the air tuner/DVR that is very sensitive to power outages. It kept going when I unplugged the AC without a hiccup. Very, very pleased with this device and so happy that I made this purchase!

Background & Use Case I purchased this power bank as an emergency replacement when my dedicated UPS failed, specifically to protect my computer networking and home server equipment. After extensive testing, I'm impressed enough to consider this as my go-to solution for future UPS failures. Performance & Reliability Seamless Power Transition: The switchover from AC to battery power is impressively fast. When I unplugged the unit from the wall outlet during testing, my networking hardware didn't even register a blip - no reboots, no connection drops, nothing. The transition appears instantaneous. Real-Time Monitoring: One significant advantage over traditional UPS units is the built-in display that shows actual power draw from connected devices. This makes it easy to monitor your equipment's power consumption and estimate runtime. Charging Speed: The unit charges rapidly, which means less downtime when preparing for potential outages. Quiet Operation: Unlike many UPS units with cooling fans, this power bank runs silently - a major plus for home office environments. Key Considerations Surge Protection: The main trade-off compared to dedicated UPS systems is the lack of built-in surge protection. However, this is easily addressed (and potentially improved) by using a quality surge protector power strip in conjunction with the power bank. This combination may actually provide better surge protection than many budget UPS units. Power Capacity: This power bank delivers more usable power than the UPS it replaced, while the cost difference compared to replacing SLA batteries in the old UPS was minimal. Bottom Line For networking equipment and home servers, this power bank performs as well as or better than traditional UPS solutions at a competitive price point. The combination of seamless switching, real-time power monitoring, silent operation, and superior power capacity makes it an excellent alternative to conventional UPS systems. Recommendation: Highly recommended for anyone needing backup power for networking equipment, especially when paired with a quality surge protector. I'm already planning to replace my other aging UPS units with similar power banks.

EcoFlow products are dependable. Their interface is good and there is always a good connection between WiFi and the unit, so checking its’ status while away is flawless. I have a large number of portable power devices, both EcoFlow and many other brands. This particular unit (245 WH) has the highest AC inverter efficiency of all my power stations. This really helps to ensure all the battery power gets used by your load. It also produces very little heat when using the AC inverter part of the power station. Other higher power ecofliw devices are not nearly as efficient as the new River 3 model. The USB C PD port is very nice and can supply 100 watts continuously. It makes fast work of charging other USB C PD devices, like high power boom boxes, and laptops. The 2 USB A ports work equally well. And the 12 VDC lighter socket can supply 10 amps for portable refrigerators and the like. Everything about this station works well, except solar charging. I plug this into a panel outside before the sun comes up. When it gets light enough to start charging, the unit goes into a fault mode. It doesn’t charge at all for the entire day. However, if I plug it into a solar panel, and the light is just enough to start charging, it works flawlessly. So there is room for improvement. And I expect EcoFlow to correct this with a future software update. I have other units that do not have this issue. They charge normally when the light becomes bright enough to produce power from the panel. For the record, I’m using a 100 watt solar panel to charge this unit. I use this a lot in the winter to run an electric blanket. Charges during the day and warms me at night. It also keeps all my small electronics charged. Overall, a very efficient, light, portable unit. Just need to resolve the solar charging issue. If they fix this frustrating bug, it would be 5 stars.

The EcoFlow RIVER 3 Portable Power Station has completely exceeded my expectations. It's compact, powerful, and very easy to use, ideal for camping, travel, or as a backup power source at home. It charges very quickly, you can power several devices simultaneously, and the noise level is really low. I bought it to send to my mom, and it has met my expectations; it's perfect.

I use my River 2 sinewave power station in my off grid shed for low power electronics, indoor light, and 40 watt spotlight with a 5 minute timer set. it works perfectly as intended especially when paired with 110w solar panel so its always charged up and ready to go in the future! Its a solid built device especially when used as designed to serve low energy devices. RIVER 2 has 256Wh state of the art LiFePO4 Battery and a method to rapidly charge in 1 Hour, that's incredibly fast against my older end of life portable power products. Another nice to have, River 2 also connects to an app via Bluetooth which means future updates and improvements. At the current time of writing this review, Jan 20 2023 At a price of $249 I'd say its a fair asking price for the level of features you'll receive investing in this unit. If sales promotions price dips to sub $200, id say that's incredible value and time to jump and that's exactly how I received mine. Undoubtedly this portable power station anyone can find a use; let it be located at your place of work or a gathering where AC power is extremely limited or not readily available to you. First I'll address the size, its light weight and easy for anyone to carry or move. that's due to limited capacity but for two hundred and change in US dollars that's the going rate of LFE battery at about 1 USD to 1 watt hour. LifePO4 battery chemistry has been the answer to longevity over its big brother Lithium Ion that's commonly found in your smartphones. close to a decade of daily use verses 3 years on lithium ion. I don't know about you, the time it takes to charge is very important and that's incredible value this kind of battery chemistry! The app, is so easy to use. Go to the Appstore or Play Store: download the ecoflow app. Its so easy to connect no extra accessories to buy in doing so, best of all its free. It shows everything for power details at the ports. The only strange bug I've notice is if the low power devices under 14 watts don't show the power draw just the remaining power. Last, the small power station noise level is not noticeably loud when the fan comes on to cool itself down. A huge important over previous power stations especially at nighttime. My advice, curb your expectations for use of this device. NO high end equipment, Its not used for your coffee maker, hair dryer microwave or small fridge. there are bigger models of ecoflow power stations to serve those needs albeit triple the price tag. 256 WHr isn't a crazy ton of power storage and it maxes out at 300 watt continuous pull with x boast feature turned off to keep sinewave protection for s. In fact when the inverter is powered on, the invertor function will consume about a quarter of the storage to produce 12v/5v and 110v power output. Best advice, keep the ports off in order to preserve its storage until you need it to serve it use! last and important review is on ecoflow customer support. Now everyone experience can differ, mine was surprisingly great due to ecoflow support going above and beyond to make the matter right. Using amazon support I ran into a promotion offer for the additional accessory. At first Amazon supports message came with no empathy and the attitude of your mistake, sorry but your issue and please go away. after three calls for the same problem I was finally put in touch with ecoflow channel using amazon chat and email service. ecoflow was prompt to answer and worked on it to make it right. the delivery was fast at neck break speeds as we grown to enjoy and expect. Would I buy another product from EcoFlow, YES absolutely. Would I recommend, Absolutely assuming practical use came up in topic Ecoflow features in a small package is incredible. My only disclaimer is the life of the product. Although LifePO4 or LFE chemisty is a decade of use, I cant claim this unit will live up to daily use of this since its really new. Fast charge im sure will impact the life cycle, the mppt, charge controller and inverters are all failure points, however with a outstanding 5 year warranty, i'll happy believe ecoflow will be around for the next decade to deliver on that promise.

Love It! I've had this for several months and it has been used a UPS more than anything else. It's quiet, has decent battery life, and can keep my wifi router/modem powered for days. So far it has served admirably to keep the modem running during those periods when the weather causes the lights to blink off and on repeatedly. By keeping the modem/router connected as well as my cpu & monitor, I can keep on working without interruption or loss of data. It recharges quickly and is very quiet (unlike a couple of other units I have). Recharges quickly from either direct AC or a 100 watt solar panel. It won't power my fridge, but will keep my computer station up and running for several hours with the power off. I've used this unit since it's so light an portable to take on trips to the store to power my 12 volt fridge for frozen items purchased. Now I no longer have to rush home to put purchases in the freezer because of the 100 degree temps here in Texas. The 100 watt usb connection has been handy for charging a laptop while using it. The app allows a level of control that enhances the usefulness of the power station as well. Great entry level power station. This makes a great UPS that can keep you powered for less . Mine is plugged in and working as such 24/7 with no complaints. It was my first power station purchase and has resulted in my purchase of 3 other units to fit niches in my preparedness plans. Catch this on sale and you won't regret it.

I purchased the EF ECOFLOW Portable Charging Generator primarily to use as a UPS for a Sony OLED TV, but unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend it for that specific use case. While the unit is compact, charges quickly, and offers a solid range of output ports with EcoFlow’s usual smart features, it has a key limitation: the continuous power output is capped at 300W. OLED TVs, like my Sony model, can occasionally spike above that during certain scenes, especially with HDR content or bright highlights which causes the battery to shut down unexpectedly. I had hoped the X-Boost feature would help mitigate this, but X-Boost only works when the unit is not being charged by the grid. Since a UPS setup involves constant charging, that option isn’t available in this context. That said, I have had success using this same EcoFlow unit as a UPS for a Samsung Frame TV, which is LED-based and does not suffer from the same high-wattage spikes. It’s been working flawlessly in that configuration with no shutdowns or interruptions, making it a viable UPS solution for non-OLED TVs or other electronics with consistent power draws. Addendum: I’ve since switched to using the EF ECOFLOW River 3 Plus as a UPS for my Sony OLED TV, and that setup has been working perfectly. The River 3 Plus offers a 600W continuous output, which comfortably handles the occasional power spikes from the OLED panel. So if you’re looking to back up an OLED TV with an EcoFlow system, I highly recommend stepping up to the River 3 Plus for peace of mind and reliable performance.