I needed a portable power station for my boondocking and travel. After doing a TON of research (and even though other models had slightly better reviews), I decided on the Pecron unit. There was a 10% drop in the already low price, so I couldn’t resist.
There’s no way around it…of all options, the E600LFP seemed to be the best value. The most bang for the buck.
Power Station Specs
In fact, it’s actually quite amazing how many features they managed to pack into such a reasonably priced model. While most competitors at this range feature 600W peak power, the Pecron boasts a whopping 1,200W, with an AC Pure Sine Wave Inverter. It even has a surge of up to 2,400W! This was the main selling point for me.
There’s a large capacity 614WH (watt hours). I don’t use it, but there is also a wireless charging surface on the top of the unit. Again, shocking at this price point.
Multiple Charging Options
The E600LFP can be topped up quite rapidly with an external charge pack (provided). You plug it into the wall, and it can finish charging in just a few hours. There is a special input for this, and amazingly, you can also use up to 400W of solar charging through this input as well! I tested up to about 300W and it worked great.
(Note, the new units seem to mention a max of 300W solar charging, instead of the 400W that mine came with. Not sure what’s going on with that.)
There is also a normal DC style input, for use with provided 12v car charger, and smaller panels as well. I believe it goes up to 100W max. I tried this with a 120W Elecaenta portable solar panel.
LiFePo4 Technology
I don’t know much about it, but this unit has a “LiFePo4 Battery with 3,500+ Life Cycles to 80%”. This is said to increase the lifespan substantially.
11 Output Options
The Pecron has plenty of outputs to run / charge appliances & devices. There’s standard USB of course, as well as a super fast 100W USB-C option. 3 AC outputs, and 3 DC as well.
E600LFP Pros
- Folding handle, with flat top surface for storage / small spaces
- Rugged design, with protection on corners
- Feature-rich, at a great price point
- Customer service (in China, I assume) answered questions quickly
E600LFP Cons
- Less sleek, more utilitarian (some may prefer this, I guess)
- Fan kicks on for some reason when panels have no more sunlight (must unplug or battery slowly drains)
- Some users have reported inability to charge multiple USB devices at once, though I don’t think I’ve had this issue.
Real World Use – Pecron’s Portable Power
Honestly, I found this unit to be so useful that I bought a second one. I charge each of them with Vevor 200W portable panels, and believe it or not, I run them almost daily. I have used them extensively – at home and on the road.
Surprisingly, after many many months of continuous use, all features still work. I do notice a bit of a rough “cycle” sound with the fan when I turn one unit on. It hasn’t affected use so far, though.
These models can even run certain appliances that are over their max ratings. Somehow the technology is able to lower the current to a manageable level.
It can flawlessly run a 1200W microwave during power outages, and I sometimes even power my medium sized fridge with the Pecrons. I might only get 4-5 hours of power, but if it saves my food during summer, it’s worth it.
One thing I’ve noticed is recently one of the units will shut off while running the microwave, once it’s down to 20% battery. Before, it could go all the way down to 1% without shutting off.
Conclusion
For the money, I would not hesitate to recommend this product to friends and family. I think anything remotely comparable will cost 50%-100% more. As for reliability, it’s still going strong for me!
You can find it on Amazon HERE. (I was not provided anything for this review, and have no connection to the company. However, if you use these Amazon links, it will help me continue providing useful information like this. )
Cheers,
Nathan
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You can check my boondocking adventures HERE
