The Pros and Cons of a Portable Power Station?

Now that you know a little more about portable power stations, how much one has to offer, and how you could use one, I want to mention a few of their advantages and disadvantages. Then, it’ll come down to your wants, needs, and budget.

Pros

Obviously, the biggest benefit of using a portable electric power station is you’ll have battery power at a moment’s notice. Well, as long as you store it fully charged. If the power goes out at home, you can instantly pull one out, keep your computer going, recharge a phone, or hook it up to the fridge, so food doesn’t go bad.

There are countless different situations in which one of these would come in handy. From emergencies, work, or play. They’re also smaller and lighter than an actual generator, not to mention they’re silent and don’t release generator exhaust.

Most of them can be recharged via solar panels instead of running on gas, so all you need is a little sunlight.

Cons

It’s not all good news, though. Portable and rechargeable power stations are expensive and can often cost as much as a regular generator or inverter. They range anywhere from $299 to easily over $1,000 when you start getting into the larger capacities.They’re also relatively heavy, and depending on what type of camping you’re doing, you may not want to lug one around.

And finally, they can’t run everything as a generator can. Most portable power stations have a max load limitation and only do 120V AC outlets. Meaning it’s not going to run larger appliances like a washing machine, dryer, or even some heaters. A refrigerator needs power off and on to keep things cold and work fine. In comparison, a big heater needs the heating elements constantly running, which will drain the battery faster than expected or not run at all.