What should I look for in a portable power station?

Look at three numbers first: rated output (W) above everything you will run at once, a surge rating above the biggest motor start (a fridge needs 2200 to 2900 W), and capacity (Wh) big enough for your hours, using Wh = watts x hours / 0.85. After that, compare charging speed, expandability, weight and outlets. Across the 38 stations in our data, capacity runs from 286 to 5040 Wh and rated output from 350 to 7200 W.

How many watts of output do you need?

Enough to cover the running watts of everything plugged in at the same time. This is the hard limit: if the load is over the rated (continuous) AC output, the station shuts off or refuses it, however full the battery.

Add up the running watts from our appliance list or your appliances' labels. A few examples from our sources: a full-size fridge runs at 700 to 725 W while its compressor is on, a microwave at 750 to 1480 W and an electric kettle at 1500 W. A 600 W station like the EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus will not run any of those; an 1800 W station like the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus runs them one at a time.

Some stations have a boost mode (EcoFlow X-Boost, BLUETTI Power Lifting, Anker SurgePad) that runs heating loads above the rating at reduced power, for example up to 2200 W on the DELTA 3 Plus and 2700 W on the BLUETTI AC180. Treat that as a bonus, not as rated output; we don't count it.

Why does the surge rating matter?

Motors and compressors pull a burst several times their running watts when they start. The station's surge rating has to cover that burst, or it trips at the moment the appliance switches on.

In the generator charts we use, a full-size fridge needs 2200 to 2900 W to start and a 1/3 to 1/2 HP sump pump 1300 to 3200 W. The Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 lists a 3000 W surge, enough for the fridge figures; the BLUETTI AC180 lists 2700 W, a check against the high fridge figure.

Not every maker publishes surge. 30 of the 38 stations in our data do; for the other 8, including the BLUETTI Elite 400 and several DJI models, we mark motor loads as "check" rather than guess. If you plan to run a fridge, pump or air conditioner, prefer a station with a published surge figure.

How much battery capacity (Wh) do you need?

Work it out from your loads:

Battery Wh needed = load W x hours / inverter efficiency

Take a full-size fridge. It averages about 52 W over a day (the median ENERGY STAR model's 457 kWh a year / 8,760 hours). For 24 hours: 52 x 24 = 1248 Wh, and 1248 / 0.85 = about 1,470 Wh of battery. A 1,000 Wh station would cover most of a day; a 1,500 Wh or 2,000 Wh one covers all of it.

Why 0.85? Some battery energy is lost turning DC into household AC. Only 6 of the 38 stations in our data publish an inverter efficiency (0.85 to 0.92); for the rest we assume 0.85, as explained on our methods page.

Turned around, runtime = Wh x 0.85 / load W. The EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus (1024 Wh) gives 1024 x 0.85 / 52 = about 16.7 hours of fridge.

How fast does it recharge?

Check the maximum solar input and AC charging watts. Charging time is at least battery Wh / input W. In our data, solar input runs from 200 to 4000 W and AC charging from 380 to 3600 W.

This matters most in a long outage, when you recharge from solar every day. Two stations of similar size can differ a lot: the Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 takes 400 W of solar (1070 Wh, at least 2.7 hours to fill) while the DELTA 3 Plus takes 1000 W (1024 Wh, about an hour). See how long it takes to charge a power station with solar for why real-world times are longer.

Should you get an expandable one?

If you might want more runtime later, yes. 15 of the 38 stations in our data take add-on batteries. The Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 doubles from 2048 Wh to 4096 Wh; the Anker SOLIX F3800 goes from 3840 Wh to 26880 Wh and the Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus from 5040 Wh to 30000 Wh. An expansion battery adds Wh but not output: the station's rated and surge watts stay the same.

How heavy is too heavy?

Weight climbs with capacity. From the makers' specs in our data:

If you will carry it to a campsite, the first two rows are realistic. The biggest home backup units, like the 136.7 lb Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus, are meant to stay put.

Which battery chemistry should you look for?

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP, also called LiFePO4). All 38 current models in our data list LFP cells, so you will rarely face the choice with a new station. It matters more when looking at older or used units, so check the spec sheet.

What else is worth checking?

• Outlets. AC outlet counts run from 2 to 8 in our data. Count what you will plug in, plus USB-C for laptops and phones.
• Published specs. Prefer a maker that publishes capacity, rated output, surge and charging figures on its own spec page. Every number on our station pages links to that source.
• Your real loads. The label on each appliance, or a plug-in watt meter, beats any chart.

What goes on a quick checklist?

Before you buy, check:

1. Rated output above the total running watts you will use at once.
2. Published surge above your biggest motor's starting watts.
3. Capacity of at least load W x hours / 0.85.
4. Solar input and AC charging fast enough to refill between uses.
5. Expandable if your needs may grow.
6. A weight you can actually move.

Try any station against your loads in the runtime calculator or compare them all on the stations page. For specific uses, see can a power station run a sump pump, can a power station run an air conditioner and can a solar generator run a house.