Bryan Adams/ZDNET
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When you think of the best portable power stations, you might think of how easy it is to carry them or travel with them. But what you might forget is that these smaller devices still provide lots of power, whether you're going off-grid, need a source of power during an outage, or are simply camping for the weekend.
Also: The best portable power stations for camping
We ran dozens of portable power stations through the gauntlet in our lab in Kentucky, where we evaluated how much power each station can provide compared to how much it draws to charge, to determine its overall efficiency. The portable power stations that stood out above the rest were the Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus, the DJI Power 1000, the Vtoman FlashSpeed 1500, and the Oupes Mega 1.
Portable power stations were tested for power use over time, measured in watt-hours (the total amount of energy used or produced). We chose to compare the following eight portable power stations based on our editors' top picks and what we have personally gone hands-on with in real-world situations:
How we tested these portable power stations
Our lab testing process is centered around measuring the charge and discharge processes of each portable power station, with emphasis on the number of watt-hours consumed and discharged, respectively, and the time required to complete each process. Once all data is gathered, we also compared units using a "Round Trip Efficiency" metric that describes how efficiently a unit provides power compared to how much it draws to charge.
The testing apparatus consists of the unit under test (UUT), a HOBO plug load data logger, a computer to save the logged data, and a 480W LED light to consume power. During a charge test, the UUT is plugged into the wall in line with the data logger, which measures and logs the power (watt-hours) being drawn by the unit. The log shows us how long this process takes, giving us our two key takeaways (power and time).
Also: How we test portable power stations at ZDNET
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