This is a huge upgrade over the original Powerhouse from a few years ago. It's also heavier, weighing in at nearly 20 pounds. So there's some oomph for ya. It's also bigger than the original Powerhouse by a fair amount - slightly shorter in height (but made up for with the fixed handle), and wider and longer. So...perhaps "stout" is a good adjective? Either way, 20 pounds is pretty heavy - but some of the older jump boxes I've owned in the past have weighed in at about 20 pounds themselves with their lead-acid batteries, and were far lower on amp-hour capacity.
This tank comes deactivated out of the box - to turn it on, you first have to charge it. So I did, and a full charge - much like the original - can take a few hours.
Then I got to test with solar. I bought a new Allpowers panel along side this tank, this panel larger than the others and sporting a set of MC4 connectors - and an Anderson adapter to boot. Plug everything in, and on this strangely sunny (for the moment) Seattle spring day I was able to get it charging over solar. This is a big win over the original, which had a three-conductor connector to charge that I was simply not able to sort out so that I *could* charge with other, smaller panel sets. It'd probably be a little slow with only one panel set, though, so you'll want to buy a couple and get some adapters to connect in parallel. (Note, don't connect those panels in series - overvoltage will probably blow this tank to smithereens. No, I will not test this.)
My only real concern is this - where I cannot operate the rest of the unit while DC charging, I found that I was able to turn on the inverter while solar was connected. I don't think this is going to be a *huge* issue, and is probably less a bug and more a feature. I honestly do not know.
Even the display has added data. While charging DC you can see how long you have before it fills, as well as wattage. While running the inverter or the car adapter, you can see how long you have until you run out of power.
CPAP users for this bit. A subsequent test with my CPAP on the inverter, at 60% charge, can run the CPAP for maybe 5 hours with the heated tube and humidifier on - as always, this will significantly increase if you turn off the humidifier and use a regular hose (or turn off the heated hose). This is with a Resmed S10 Autoset (note: 24v machine), pressure 16/11, configured for full face using the mask fit feature. Word from the wise, never run the humidifier or heated hose on a battery unless you don't want a good night's sleep.
As an added bonus, it comes with two lights - a spotlight that has two brightness levels and will flash SOS in Morse code on a third setting, and a LED warm-white lamp on the back with three brightness levels that can be used as a light for whatever you may need one for. I'm not sure I'd want to use the flashlight, though, as carrying around 20 pounds of battery is going to get old real quick - I'll stick to my Maglite, thank you very much! =)
I think the only complaint I have is price. A similar battery from the competition will cost less, certainly. However, I like Anker's work, so there ya go - I'm willing to throw money at these guys.
Overall, Anker has outdone themselves with this one. This will prove to be an excellent choice for emergency power or camping, and I will hopefully be able to put it to good use out on the field very shortly.
Carbon emissions from the lifecycle of this product were measured, reduced and offset.
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ClimatePartner certified
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Certification Number
743M8T
