⚡ Find the Best Battery, Solar Kit or Generator  ·  Bluetti, EcoFlow, Anker, Jackery, OUPES, ALLPOWERS, Mango Power and more

Home › Power Stations › Which one?

Which Power Station Should You Buy?

Answer one question about what you are powering and this tells you the capacity to look for, the models that fit, and when a battery is the wrong tool entirely.

Start with what you are powering

Almost everyone shops by price and ends up with the wrong size. Pick the closest match below and it will tell you the capacity to look for and why.

Look for 300–500Wh

Phones, laptops and lights

You are charging devices, not running appliances. Almost anything will do this, so buy on weight and price rather than capacity. Do not let anyone sell you 2,000Wh for a camping trip with a phone and a head torch.

See the rangeCheapest good option
Look for 1,000–2,000Wh

A fridge through an outage

A full-size fridge averages 100–200W, so a 24-hour outage needs roughly 2,000Wh with headroom. This is the single most common requirement and the reason 2,000Wh units are the popular bracket.

Bluetti AC200LWatts a fridge uses
Look for 2,500Wh+ and 3,000W output

Essential circuits at home

Fridge, furnace blower, internet and lights together need both capacity and high continuous output. Buy expandable — home backup requirements grow, and a sealed unit is a ceiling.

Bluetti Apex 300Home backup options
Look for 2,000Wh + 400W solar

Full-time van or RV

A fridge, Starlink, lights and a laptop lands around 1,200–1,500Wh a day. You want roughly a day and a half of buffer plus panels to refill each day, or you are permanently hunting for shore power.

Bluetti AC200LOff-grid & RVSizing solar
Look for 500–1,000Wh

A CPAP overnight

A CPAP draws only 30–60W, so even a modest unit covers several nights — much less than people assume. Run it without the humidifier and the draw drops further.

EcoFlow Delta 2What size do I need?
A battery is the wrong tool

Electric heat or a well pump

Be told this now rather than after buying. A 1,500W heater flattens a 2,000Wh station in about 80 minutes, and well pumps have brutal startup surge. This is a job for a generator, or for a battery plus a generator.

Battery vs generatorHome backup routes

By capacity

If you already know roughly what you need, this is the shortcut.

CapacityRunsTypical buyerLook at
300–500WhDevices, lightsWeekend campingALLPOWERS
1,000WhFridge for an evening, CPAPShort outages, tripsEcoFlow Delta 2
2,000WhFridge for a dayMost peopleBluetti AC200L
2,500Wh+Several circuitsHome backupBluetti Apex 300
ExpandableGrows with youLong outagesHome backup

By what you care about

PriorityBrandWhy
Most watt-hours per dollarBluetti / OUPESBoth compete directly on capacity
Fastest rechargeEcoFlowRefills in a fraction of the time
Best build qualityAnker SOLIXStrong thermal design and engineering
Easiest to ownJackeryWidely stocked, effortless panel pairing
Lowest price, still LiFePO4ALLPOWERSBudget tier without the cheap chemistry
Home backup focusMango PowerBuilt for circuits rather than campsites

Three numbers that decide it

1. Capacity (Wh) — how long

Watt-hours tell you duration. Expect 80–90% of the rated figure in practice after inverter losses, and less in cold weather.

2. Continuous output (W) — whether it starts at all

A 2,000Wh battery with a 1,000W inverter cannot run a 1,500W kettle for a second. Add up what you might run simultaneously, then leave headroom for compressor surge.

3. Cost per watt-hour — whether it is good value

Neither figure is published by any manufacturer. Divide price by capacity and compare. It is the fastest way to see through marketing, and it is why challenger brands often win on paper. See what size power station do I need.

Then add 30%. Batteries lose capacity as they age and cold weather cuts output. Sizing exactly to today’s requirement means being short within a year or two.

Still choosing between brands?

Scroll to Top