GoKawiilPortable power stations are lifesavers during a blackout, easily keeping your phones, laptops and routers fully charged. But what happens when you need to power something much larger, such as your fridge or washing machine? Many people assume they need to drop thousands of dollars on a whole-home battery system just to keep their food from spoiling.
To test that theory, we brought 19 large and extra-large portable power stations into the lab and hooked them up to a standard refrigerator. Our testing revealed a surprising truth: You don’t need nearly as much wattage as you might think. In fact, depending on your energy draw, a smaller, budget-friendly station is often more than capable of handling your heaviest home appliances.
Best Portable Power Stations for Emergencies See at CNET
Key takeaways The Fossibot 3600 Pro performed the best overall, keeping the test refrigerator running for an impressive 44.65 hours (1.86 days). The Oupes Mega 5 followed closely behind in second place at 43.72 hours (1.82 days).
The Oscal Power Max 2400 had the shortest runtime by far, lasting only 12.58 hours (0.52 days).
The Anker Solix F3800 Plus performed poorly for its size, lasting only 25.68 hours (1.07 days) despite its large 3,840Wh capacity.
The Bluetti AC200L unit is the efficiency king for large appliances, lasting 29.27 hours on a 2,048Wh battery.
The Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 is a standout performer, lasting 27.4 hours on a 2,048Wh battery.
Lab awards for power stations:
Jeffrey Hazelwood/CNET
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