EF ECOFLOW RIVER 2 Max Solar Generator 512Wh Long-life LiFePO4 Portable Power Station& 160W Solar Panel for Home Backup Power, Camping & RVs 100% Charged in 60m with 3000+ Cycles & Up to 1000W Output

My go to power source now
I have had the River 2 Max as well as a River 2 for a few weeks now. I have been around portable power stations, batteries, solar, and generators for a long time and have been waiting for a portable unit that used LiFePo4 batteries for awhile now. I currently have an 8.64Kwh LiFePo4 battery bank with inverters for backup of may whole house, this can be vital during hurricane season, though it’s not portable in the least bit. I am very picky about my power quality and do not tolerate simulated sine-wave inverters, so I was excited when the new River series was announced featuring both pure sinewave output as well as LifePo4 battery chemistry. My last small power station used a lead acid battery, had limited solar input ability and only 120w inverter output, though it too was sinewave. I used it for a few years before the battery gave up ( as lead acid batteries do) and have been looking to replace it for some time. I have been doing a few craft shows recently and wanted power for my tent, power connection at these events costs a fair bit and can reduce your placement options as you have to be along a side with power. Generators are not allowed due to noise and emissions, so a battery is really the only option. I used this at a show a week after receiving it and was beyond thrilled, it powered the lights in my tent along with keeping my card machine and phone charged and could have done so for a long time. The river series is small enough that I can just put it in a bag and bring it along without worrying about it taking up space that I need for inventory, stands and tables. When not doing shows the versatility keeps it from just sitting on a shelf also, I have tried this as a UPS for my full computer desk setup and it switched over flawlessly without any of the devices even noticing power had gone out (unplugged from the wall) The fast charging is amazing, rarely does a power emergency happen when I’m prepared and I can be quite forgetful as well, so being able to charge to full in the time it takes me to pack up the car for a craft fair is incredibly helpful. Charging with solar is about as easy as it gets, I have a couple of the 100w rigid Ecoflow panels and managed to get 201w out of them just laying them against the side of the house in the right direction. I also have the 110w folding panel and though it is a bit more effort to setup, it is super portable and has a nice case. The solar is actually so easy to use that I haven’t been plugging my river units into the wall to charge, I have just been leaning a panel outside and charging them up in no time. I have actually found myself using both my river 2 max and river to charge my laptop and phone while working away from my desk, as its easer than reaching an outlet. only time will tell how everything holds up, but I am thrilled with the value I am getting out of these units right now.

UPDATE 2: I’m happy to report that the unit performed perfectly during a seven hour long night of astrophotography using both types of DC outputs (cigarette lighter and DC5521 port) to run both the telescope mount and wireless control unit, including dew heaters. The gear used up 40% of the capacity, consistent with the reported output wattage. In addition, EcoFlow has followed through on sorting out the refund on the original unit as promised. So, again, very impressed with their customer service and definitely can recommend dealing with them!UPDATE 1: I am updating my review based on a couple of weeks of interaction with EcoFlow’s customer service. After being quickly contacted by them and walked through some troubleshooting, I was asked to return the original unit for a replacement. This proceeded relatively smoothly and a new unit eventually arrived on my doorstep the other day.I am very happy to say that the DC outputs on this unit work as expected; where the original unit showed OVERLOAD and shut down, this one powers my astrophotography gear properly with no such issues. I will put it through some overnight imaging testing within the next week or so but I have every reason to expect that the unit will perform as advertised and expected. I am looking forward to using it for many years to come!A BIG shout out to EcoFlow’s customer service – they were unfailingly polite, responded rapidly, and “made things right” as they worked to resolve the issues I was experiencing. Once the remaining charges on my card are resolved (and I have properly night-tested the unit), I anticipate updating my rating to 5 stars to reflect their helpfulness and the products’ capabilities.ORIGINAL REVIEW:This unit was purchased after a fair bit of research and comparison to similar units by other manufacturers. It came well packaged, charged VERY quickly, is surprisingly compact and portable and has an extensive feature list including an app which connects to the unit & monitors/controls it. It was purchased with the intent of using it to run an astrophotography setup from the DC outputs. I’ve used other brands’ smaller capacity units to do this without problem and looked forward to the larger capacity and extra features this unit advertised.This is where the issues arose. Immediately I ran into OVERLOAD messages & disconnects when using either of the DC outputs. These should be capable of up to 3A at 12V, but despite my device(s) drawing only 25 W the unit would consistently shut down with the OVERLOAD message. Thinking that my heaters were potentially causing current spikes beyond the 3A limit, I used the cigarette lighter output (which supports 8A) but again, same issue. The unit SHOULD be able to handle 100W+ on the DC outputs but I could not get my 20-35 W to function. I was able to use an AC adapter from the AC outputs to run one of the devices without problem, but that requires using the adapter (rather than just a DC cable) and the inefficiency of converting the battery to AC and then back to DC again; run time was less impressive as a result.I don’t know if this is typical or if I have a defective unit, so further investigation is warranted. I DID update the firmware to the current version but it did NOT help with this issue.

I love this new gen…the new design is more compact. It’s lighter and the fan is not as loud. I like how the handle is located on the side creating a flat top so it sits in my vehicle easier. Build quality is fantastic and its solid. Definitely feels high end.It works as an ups “they call it ems” just fine with my m1 iMac. I also tested it with my pitching machine… no problem at all. I’ll definitely bring this to my practices. Can’t wait to use it to camp in the summer. Faster charging means a lot to me as my kids can drain the power station pretty quickly…Overall a awesome product to have and I highly recommend it.

excellent product–works as described–lots of power when you need it–the app works great–also very good customer service so far!