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5 Best Portable Power Stations (2023): Power Capacity, Luxe, Budget, and More

Posted on July 3, 2023

5 Best Portable Power Stations (2023): Power Capacity, Luxe, Budget, and More

  • Photograph: Jackery

    Best Overall

    Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus

    This Jackery system ticks a lot of boxes. It is versatile, expandable, durable, and dependable. The Explorer 2000 Plus has a decent mix of ports with support for fast charging your gadgets. You can double or triple the 2,042-Wh capacity by adding battery packs—they stack neatly—and it works as an emergency power supply (EPS). The LiFePO4 battery should be good for 10 years, and Jackery has various protective mechanisms to reduce the risk of anything going wrong. In my tests, the capacity consistently matched up with Jackery’s claims. It had no trouble with the kettle test (UK kettles hit 3,000 watts), though it chewed through 6 percent. You can charge it speedily from the mains, but I also filled it from 32 percent in a single scorching day with Jackery’s SolarSaga 200-W Solar Panel. Best of all, the fan is relatively quiet at around 30 decibels. There’s even a quiet charging mode you can toggle on in the companion app.

    The Explorer 2000 Plus is not perfect. It weighs 62 pounds, and though there are indented handles on either side, a telescopic handle, and two wheels, it can be tough to move around. The covers on the car port, inputs, and expansion port on the back are annoyingly tight. (I sometimes had to use a screwdriver to open them.) The Wi-Fi connection is 2.4-GHz only, and it took me a while to figure out that the connection mode requires you to press the AC and DC buttons together, because that doesn’t seem to be documented anywhere. Minor niggles aside, this is a great power station. The warranty is three years, but you can extend it to five years by registering with Jackery.

    Capacity: 2,042 watt-hours. Max Output: 3,000 watts (6,000-W surge). AC Charging Time: 2 hours. Ports: 3 x AC, 1 x Car, 2 x USB-A (QC 3.0, 18W), 2 x USB-C (100W).

    $2,399 at Amazon
    $2,200 at The Home Depot
    $2,199 at Jackery

  • Photograph: Zendure

    Best High-Capacity

    Zendure SuperBase V6400

    If you need a lot of power, the Zendure Superbase V6400 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has you covered. Beyond the 6,438-watt-hour capacity, this is a modular system you can build all the way up to 64 kilowatt-hours, though that would cost you more than $40,000. Oof. Zendure says the semi-solid-state batteries inside are more resilient than LiFePO4, making them safer, and you can expect a decade of service from this power station. You can control the Superbase V6400 easily using the buttons and display, but Zendure’s slick app has extra options, including the ability to drive the V6400 like a remote control car, which is handy, since this thing weighs 130 pounds (there is also a telescopic handle). My tests proved Zendure’s capacity claims accurate, and this power station ran my desktop PC, speakers, and two monitors for about 34 hours. It also had no trouble with a kettle or anything else I plugged into it, and it can work as an uninterruptible power supply with no downtime.

    The downside, apart from the high price, is the fan noise. It hovered around 52 decibels and kicked in quickly anytime I used the power station or when charging it. While the remote control feature helps you roll it around, you will need help if you have to lift it. The warranty is three years, but you can extend it by another two years if you register with Zendure.

    Capacity: 6,438 watt-hours. Max Output: 3,600 watts, AC Charging Time: 2 hours. Ports: 5 x AC (4 x 120-volt, 1 x 240-volt), 1 x Car, 1 x TT30, 2 x DC5521, 1 x Anderson, 2 x USB-A (12W), 4 x USB-C (2 x 100W, 2 x 20W).

    $6,699 at Zendure
    $5,999 at Wellbots

  • Photograph: BioLite

    Best Medium-Capacity

    BioLite BaseCharge 1500

    This portable power station is a good size for a weekend camping trip. Weighing in at 29 pounds, it has recessed handles at each side that make for easy carrying, though this is as big a power station as I can imagine lugging any real distance. There’s no superfluous app. You can do everything using the buttons and display on the front. It has a good mix of ports to cover a lot of small gadgets like phones, tablets, and laptops. There’s even a wireless charging pad on top. I wouldn’t run anything too demanding on it, but it coped fine with an electric drill and blender. I tested it with Biolite’s SolarPanel 100, but the BaseCharge 1500 has a standard HPP input, so you don’t have to use Biolite’s panels. It finished just on either side of the stated capacity in my tests.

    Sadly, the BioLite BaseCharge 1500 takes a long time to charge. Even from the mains, you need a day, though you can speed it slightly by using the PD USB-C as a second input. Charging from a single Biolite SolarPanel 100 takes several days. The battery is also a Li-NMC, so it likely won't last as long as some of our other picks. The BaseCharge 1500 comes with a two-year warranty.

    Capacity: 1,521 watt-hours. Max Output: 1,200 watts (2,400-W surge). AC Charging Time: 13.5 hours (8 hours with AC and USB-C input). Ports: 3 x AC, 1 x Car, 2 x DC5521, 2 x USB-A (15W), 3 x USB-C (2 x 15W, 1 x 100W), 10W Wireless Charging.

    $1,699 at Amazon
    $1,699 at REI
    $1,699 at BioLite

  • Photograph: Goal Zero

    Another Good Medium-Capacity

    Goal Zero Yeti 1500X

    I managed to get 1,511 watt-hours out of Goal Zero's Yeti 1500X. That's enough power to keep your fridge humming through an outage, but the 1500X is portable enough to take with you. I stopped using ridiculously long extension cords and instead just brought the 1500X out to where I needed power. With a 2,000-watt output rating, it had no trouble running power tools, refrigerators, and everything else I could find. It has a decent selection of ports too: two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and a regulated 12-volt cigarette-lighter-style port. The only downside is that there are only two 120-volt AC ports. You can charge the Yeti off solar or by plugging it in, and the Yeti app is nice for monitoring power usage and battery life, as well as getting notifications and upgrading firmware.

    Compared to the BioLite above, Goal Zero's Yeti 1500X also packs a Li-NMC battery but can put out and take in a much higher wattage, so you can safely use it with power tools and appliances, and it will charge faster. On the other hand, you have fewer ports, and it is much heavier at 46 pounds. Goal Zero offers a two-year warranty.

    Capacity: 1,516 watt-hours. Max Output: 2,000 watts (3,500-W surge). AC Charging Time: 3 hours. Ports: 2 x AC, 1 x Car, 2 x DC5521, 2 x USB-A (12W), 2 x USB-C (1 x 18W, 1 x 60W).

    $1,800 at Amazon
    $1,800 at REI
    $1,800 at The Home Depot

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