Portable and backup power
Portable power stations and solar generators for home backup, camping and the road, read on the makers' own US stores. The claims that matter here are capacity, cycle life and the conditions behind it, safety certification and switchover time, and the listings say less about them than buyers assume.
Five lines we check on every power station
Every guide in this terrain reads these five lines on the maker's own page and dates what it found. The full method is on how we check.
- 01
Price per watt-hour
Maker's US price divided by rated capacity, dated.
- 02
Cycle rating
The count, and the end-of-life capacity, temperature and charge rate behind it.
- 03
Safety standard
Whether the listing names UL 2743, UL 9540, or UL 1778 for a UPS claim.
- 04
Output and switchover
Continuous and surge watts, and the milliseconds a UPS claim promises.
- 05
Warranty
The base term the listing states, and what the extension costs.
Every power station guide
Each one prints the date its figures were read and the date they will be read again.
Best solar generator for home backup
Every 2 kWh-plus unit from five makers, priced per watt-hour and sized in days of essentials.
DELTA Pro 3 vs F3800 Plus vs Jackery 5000 Plus
Three flagships, three cycle ratings measured to three different finish lines.
Power station for CPAP
Nights of runtime from the watts ResMed measured, humidifier on and off.
Power station vs inverter generator
Cost per kWh, hours per tank or charge, and the CO standards behind the shutoffs.
Power Station Listing Disclosure Index
32 listings from four makers: what each says about the battery inside.