ECOFLOW River Evaluation: Do not Purchase earlier than you learn this

Lately, I reviewed the Jackery Explorer 500. Very shortly afterwards, Ecoflow contacted me and advised I is perhaps fascinated about reviewing their River 600 Max powerbank.

I will be trustworthy, I used to be intrigued. Jackery are prolific of their advertising and marketing, however I’ve heard loads of nice issues in regards to the Ecoflow items too, particularly the newer technology.

So I believed I might discover out for myself and see how they in contrast…

DISCLAIMER: Ecoflow equipped us with the Ecoflow River Max freed from cost, on the strict understanding we might return the equipment if we did not assume it was value reviewing. We acquired no different compensation for this assessment and all opinions are fully our personal.

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Okay, now that every one the authorized stuff is out the way in which, let’s get on with this Ecoflow River Max assessment.

Moveable Powerbanks- why are they helpful in a motorhome, RV or campervan?

Let’s begin with the ‘why’. When you have got so many different important motorhome equipment and doubtless have already got a photo voltaic panel fitted to your van (in addition to a leisure battery), why do you want a transportable energy financial institution?

The reply is, in case you’re ONLY ever planning to make use of campsites with electrical hookup, you in all probability do not. Save the burden on the payload and spend your cash elsewhere.

HOWEVER…

Should you get pleasure from, or need to strive spending time off-grid/ wild parking together with your motorhome or campervan, and even staying at campsites which haven’t got electrical (like grass fields close to a seashore), then you’ll greater than seemingly want a means of making, storing and utilizing electrical energy when you’re ‘off-grid’.

Do not forget to seize your free motorhome wild tenting guidelines right here that can assist you arrange your van to remain in a single day with out electrical energy or amenities.

Some individuals set up a second leisure battery onto their van, which is ok however leaves you with the identical constraints as earlier than. You may additionally want an inverter to have the ability to use the battery energy to cost your gadgets.

Working outdoors

The largest downside we have discovered with having a fitted battery as an alternative of a transportable energy financial institution is that you could’t use it outdoors. Personally, I LOVE working outdoor at any time when possible- a part of the magic of travelling in distant locations. However to do this, you want one thing moveable you may take outdoors with you.

NOTE: The Ecoflow energy stations aren’t constructed for climbing with. They’re fairly massive and pretty hefty. Consider it extra like a second, moveable leisure battery. Having mentioned that, you CAN detach the Ecoflow ‘backside’ battery, which makes it rather a lot lighter and extra moveable.

Why do we want a transportable energy station?

Personally, each myself and my husband work from the street. We use a LOT of energy. Between us, we now have two laptops, 3 ipads, 4 telephones, plus a drone, digicam, wifi and a number of other different gadgets which want energy to recharge.

Once we’re driving on a regular basis, it is easy- we cost issues as we drive utilizing an inverter. Nonetheless, once we’re camped up in a single place for a couple of days (like on the prime of Tre Cime within the Dolomites), we want a means of making electrical energy for all our gadgets.

Sure, we feature a moveable motorhome generator, however that is noisy and fairly heavy. You additionally want to hold gasoline for it. We do have a small energy financial institution, but it surely’s now 6 years outdated and is not holding its cost so effectively. So a transportable energy financial institution just like the Ecoflow has loads of benefits.

Who’re Ecoflow?

EcoFlow started as a gaggle of former DJI engineers. They ended up elevating thousands and thousands on Kickstarter and Fb to develop new powerbanks and know-how which might run with out gasoline.

Though they’ve solely been round since 2016, the know-how and merchandise are already touted as one of many market leaders for renewable energy sources.

They provide a spread of moveable energy stations/ residence batteries, together with the Ecoflow Delta and Ecoflow River Sequence. Additionally they supply photo voltaic panels, photo voltaic mills and different equipment

Ecoflow River Max Evaluation: What’s within the field?

While you open your River Max field, you may discover the next:

• EcoFlow RIVER Moveable Energy Station
• DC5521-DC5525 Cable
• 1.5m MC4 to XT60 Photo voltaic Charging Cable
• 1.5m AC Charging Cable
• 1.5m Automotive Charging Cable
• Person Handbook
• Guarantee Card

I actually preferred how the unit was offered and the way it labored straight out of the field. Additionally, I used to be happy with the packaging; very safe, little or no plastic and never a number of wasted area.

Ecoflow River Max Specification

We have been despatched the Ecoflow River Max moveable energy station. The specs of this unit are:

• Web Weight: 17 lbs (7.7kg)
• Dimensions: 11 x 6.9 x 8.8 in (28 x 17.5 x 22.5 cm)
• Cost Temperature: 0 to 45°C (± 3°C)
• Discharge Temperature: -20 to 45°C (± 3°C)
• Capability: 576Wh
• Cycle Life: 500 Cycles to 80%+ capability
• Kinds of shops: 2 x AC, 2 x USB-A, 1 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A Quick Cost, 1 x Automotive Energy Output
• Charging Strategies: AC Wall Outlet, 12V Automotive Charger, Photo voltaic Panel
• Battery Sort: Lithium-ion
• Shelf Life: 1 yr (after totally charging the machine)
• Guarantee: 24 months

What Administration techniques/ protections does the Ecoflow River 600 have?

Over Voltage Safety, Overload Safety, Over Temperature Safety, Brief Circuit Safety, Low Temperature Safety, Low Voltage Safety, Overcurrent Safety

See the Ecoflow River Max in motion

Watch the video under to see me utilizing the Ecoflow in a campervan (and utilizing it to energy my electrical blanket!)

We hope you discovered the video helpful. Should you did, we would adore it if you adopted us on Youtube. New movies with ideas for motorhoming and campervanning within the UK and Europe are launched weekly.

How lengthy does it take to recharge the EcoFlow River Max?

To be trustworthy, not lengthy at all- though in fact how lengthy the unit will take to recharge will depend upon the tactic used to recharge it.

Ecoflow are very happy with the truth that you will get from 0-80% cost in below one hour utilizing AC wall charging and their particular ‘X-Stream’ know-how. Having discharged and re-charged the unit a couple of occasions, I can verify that it’s tremendous quick to cost up once more, which is incredible in a world like motorhoming whenever you’re making an attempt to get energy as rapidly as attainable.

Tough guides are as follows:

• AC (wall charging): Approx 1.6 Hours
• 12v Automotive Charger (cigarette lighter socket): 6.5 Hours
• Utilizing 2 x 110W Photo voltaic Panels concurrently in full daylight: 3-6 Hours
• Utilizing 1x160W Photo voltaic Panel with full solar: 4.8-9.6 Hours

The inputs/ voltage for charging are as follows:

• AC Cost Enter Voltage: 220-240Vac (50Hz/60Hz)
• Photo voltaic Cost Enter: 200W 10-25V DC 12A max
• Automotive Charger Enter: 12V DC 8A max

And the spec for the outputs on the River Max are:

• AC Output (x2): 600W (Surge 1200W) complete, 230Vac (50Hz/60Hz)
• USB-C Output (x1): 5V DC,9V DC,12V DC,15V DC,20V DC,5A,100W Max
• USB-A Output (x2): 5V DC,2.4A,12W Max, per port
• USB-A Quick Cost (x1): 5V/2.4A,9V/2A,12V/1.5A 18W Max
• Automotive Energy Output (x1): 136W, 13.6V DC, 10A Max
• DC5521 Output (x2): 13.6V DC, 3A Max, per port

River Max vs River Professional

Many individuals are slightly confused in regards to the variations between the Ecoflow River Max and the River Professional.

There are literally 4 merchandise within the ‘River’ vary and they’re constructed to deal with completely different necessities.

The RIVER is designed to be light-weight and supply “grab-and-go energy”. The RIVER Max is the following degree up, and consists of an additional battery (which you’ll take away to go extra light-weight.) The RIVER Professional is created for individuals who want much more capability for off-grid, lengthy haul adventures.

If you are going to be doing loads of wild tenting/ staying off-grid together with your van and have loads of digital gadgets to energy, you would possibly need to spend money on the River Professional, however truthfully the River Max has been nice for us.

Ecoflow River 600- execs and cons

So, what’s it like truly utilizing the River Max?

Execs of the Ecoflow River Max

The reply, in a nutshell, is simple. Straight out of the field, it labored, and has continued to work ever since.

I even took it to Norfolk with me and ended up in -4c temperatures. The Ecoflow powered my electrical blanket each single evening and truthfully was my lifesaver. I additionally used it to energy a small electrical heater AND it charged up my laptop computer a number of occasions with no need a recharge.

I really like the big range of sockets and that you should utilize all of them on the similar time AND they’ve positioned them cleverly, so you may plug in too oversize plugs with out fear.

NOTE: You should flip the unit on, after which TURN ON the AC plug sockets earlier than they will work. This generally is a little bit of a ache in case you overlook, since you then must take away the plug, but it surely takes lower than a second to do.

I’m additionally a BIG fan of how rapidly it recharged. In my expertise it took round 70-80 minutes to get again to 80% cost, however the circumstances have been REALLLLLLLLY chilly, so I am going to allow them to off. Evaluate this to the Jackery, which might have taken a number of hours, and you may see why I preferred it a lot.

I really like the LCD display- I discovered it clear and straightforward to know. I preferred figuring out what watts I used to be drawing/ charging and the way lengthy I had till the battery was flat. Even higher, the battery did not ‘wane’- you may energy 600w all the way in which till the battery reaches 0%

Cons of the Ecoflow River 600 Max

Nonetheless, there are some things to concentrate on:

• No case is included; you’ll want to purchase that seperately
• It is not waterproof. In any respect. So hold below cowl in damp circumstances
• I truly fairly like the sunshine impact on the Ecoflow, however some could discover it annoying (though you may apparently management this on the app.)
• Solely lasts for 500 cycles. And there is not any technique to change the batteries. Should you reside in your van and cost it each 3 days, that is solely 1500 days (simply over 4 years). It is perhaps value getting the River Professional on this case, which has a for much longer life.

I do not know if it is a con, or only a level to notice, however you’ll want to activate the unit as a way to use the torch, which is a little bit of a ache at midnight whenever you’re freezing chilly and making an attempt to determine which button to press (ask me how I do know…!)

How lengthy does the Ecoflow River final?

That is clearly a ‘how lengthy is a chunk of string query’. Should you do not energy loads of gadgets, the Ecoflow River Max goes to final weeks. In case you have large quantities of issues to cost, it is going to run out fairly rapidly.

You’ll be able to cost as much as 9 gadgets concurrently, and it does not matter whether or not you cost them one after the other or all of sudden, the quantity of energy drained would be the similar.

Listed here are some tips for you:

• Macbook Air (my laptop computer): 10 recharges
• Cellphone: 42 recharges
• 1200w Hairdryer: 0.8 hours (sure, it may well energy as much as 1800w gadgets for a short while)
• 110w Tv: 4-6 hours
• 40w CPAP machine: 10 hours
• 65w projector: 6 hours

You’ll be able to select to unbolt the underside of the unit, which is able to take away the second battery. This makes the unit smaller and lighter (if you wish to hike with it), however clearly will lower the size of time you should utilize it for.

Ecoflow X Increase- what’s it?

Ecoflow use one thing known as ‘x-boost’, which lets you use gadgets over 600w.

Kind of.

Now, I am on no account an electrician, so let me attempt to clarify this to you.

One of many largest points with life on the street for a lady is utilizing a hairdryer, and most inverters/ energy banks could not even DREAM of powering an honest hair dryer (no, the 12v ones don’t work on lengthy, thick hair!)

So you may think about how excited I used to be once I realized the Ecoflow would possibly have the ability to energy one for me.

Let me be clear, in case you simply plug in a 1200w+ hairdryer into the Ecoflow an use it, the unit will shut down and say ‘Overload’.

HOWEVER, on the app, you may activate ‘X-Increase’. Listed here are some helpful issues to know:

• X Increase does not improve the output of the unit, it LOWERS the facility of the machine getting used. So it is going to take longer to dry your hair than you would possibly anticipate.
• Solely energy one machine at a time utilizing X-Increase
• Do not use it whereas charging, particularly from a wall.

Ecoflow Photo voltaic panel

Ecoflow supply a spread of photo voltaic panels to go alongside most of their merchandise.

With the River Max, you may join as much as two 110w photo voltaic panels they usually (assuming they’ve full daylight), will recharge the unit in below 3 hours.

Additionally they now supply a 160w photo voltaic panel, which is able to recharge it slightly sooner (assuming full daylight).

Ecoflow App

Ecoflow have an app, which you should utilize to manage the unit out of your cellphone. I will be trustworthy, I did not use the app in any respect for the primary few weeks- it is nonetheless completely attainable to make use of the unit with out the app.

These are the directions to arrange the app:

• Step 1: Obtain the EcoFlow App & connect with the RIVER Max.
• Step 2: Flip the RIVER Max on.
• Step 3: Flip the WiFi in your cellphone/ machine on
• Step 4: Discover your machine within the app. Then, you can begin controlling your RIVER Max remotely.

The Ecoflow is the primary energy station I’ve used which has an app, and there are some benefits to it.

Firstly, that is how you may must improve firmware for the unit, which is helpful. It’s also possible to flip sockets on/off and activate/ off the X-Increase by way of the app (I want you could possibly do that on the unit itself).

NOTE: You want Wifi to set this up, or a hotspot if off-grid.

Ecoflow River vs Jackery | Which is best?

Ahhh, the million greenback query. Should you’re available in the market for a transportable energy financial institution or energy station, must you purchase an Ecoflow or a Jackery?

Like something, there are execs and cons to each. My husband LOVES the Jackery. He makes use of it on a regular basis at his bike storage unit.

Nonetheless, there are some issues that are undeniably higher in regards to the Ecoflow River Max over the Jackery:

• Sooner cost time. A lot MUCH sooner
• Two AC plug sockets
• USB-C socket (which I take advantage of on a regular basis)
• The unit works even when the principle show is switched off (helpful at evening)
• 600w (and might energy gadgets above this) as an alternative of 500w

Personally, I want the Ecoflow. It fits the way in which I reside off-grid higher. Nonetheless, the Ecoflow is heavier and costlier than the Jackery, so in case you’re not nervous about quick charging or a spread in sockets, it won’t be for you.

Ecoflow low cost codes

Ecoflow UK typically supply reductions and offers on their Moveable energy stations. See the most recent offers and reductions right here.

Ecoflow River Max Conclusions

There is not any denying that the Ecoflow know-how is getting higher and better- and the Ecoflow River Max is without doubt one of the greatest powerbanks we have used.

The quick charging might be the largest promoting level and for that cause alone I might suggest it to anybody who values energy and getting it rapidly (like us vanlifers).

I additionally love the X-Increase and the truth that you may management the unit with the app (and get updates.) The big range of sockets is nice too.

As I discussed above, the River Max is mid-level and nice for ‘occasional’ use. Should you plan to make use of it 2 and even 3 occasions per week to cost gadgets, it is going to final you years and years.

Should you’re a heavier person, staying off-grid and counting on this often as an alternative of utilizing campsites, I might in all probability suggest the River Professional with its bigger energy output and longer life.

However in case you’re in search of a sturdy, moveable energy financial institution which is simple to make use of and to provide energy in your van/ automotive/ home when not plugged into mains, that is positively the vary to discover.

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