I won

[HammerheadFistpunch]

I won a thing. I commented on a youtuber that I follow and entered to win a thing, and I guess I won, which is great. I was getting pretty sick of my Anker power station that I've been using for a while now.

https://us.ecoflow.com/products/river-2-portable-power-station?variant=40589642039369

This has quite a bit less energy storage but the total amount has never been the big problem with the Anker. The trouble with the Anker, which was still a good value, is that I couldn't handle more than 60 watts input on DC, which made for difficult energy recovery. Also the thermal management sucks and the software is going glitch city in the display.

Things I like way better about this than my Anker:

1. Free
2. XT60 DC input instead of 8mm barrel plug
3. 10A input on DC (I think limited to 100 watts)
4. 110 watt solar input (instead of 60)
5. 360 watts AC input (instead of...60)
6. LiPo4 instead of NMC. Longer battery life and better thermal performance.
7. 2 AC outputs
8. App support. I really like having app support to change settings, monitor output, turn things on-off, etc.
9. Firmware updates.

Things I don't like about it:

1. Only 1 DC output.
2. One fewer USB-A port
3. much less power (256 Watt/hr compared to 388 watt/hr)
4. That dumb-ass handle. Seriously, that is going to make packaging in the car a PITA. Almost tempted to saw it off.

Things that are the same that I like.

1. USB-C input. This is actually pretty dang handy since I can bring a single charger for all my devices and its not common
2. Super small and light.

Still, nice to have a literal win.

[Man With A Reliable Jeep]

/slight derail

I think the real story here is that YouTube give aways are actually real.

[ForSweden]

HHFP-JRE meetup when?

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@ForSweden I guess I should find out who JRE is first.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@Man-With-A-Reliable-Jeep Honestly, I thought it was a scam at first until he reached out to me this morning.

[ranwhenparked]

@HammerheadFistpunch damn, I knew I should have clicked the link to message WatchJRGo on his Telegram

[ForSweden]

@HammerheadFistpunch said in I won:

I guess I should find out who JRE is first.

He's one of Utes Guys

EcoFlow regularly sponsors him

[pyroholtz]

@HammerheadFistpunch nice score! Can you run the two in tandem to help with overall capacity but not be limited in charging?

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@ForSweden oh yeah, this guy. He's not far from me. Im sure he's champing at the bit to collab with me and my 183 followers.

[415s30]

I want one of those but getting more crap on the boat is not really an option so we rely on battery packs for LED lights and things. I do want an aluminum boat and a motor so we can glamp it up a bit, it would be fun to make camp a bit more elaborate if we stay out there a few nights.

[TheBarber]

@HammerheadFistpunch

So one gripe about the Renogy box I had was that the DC input on the XT60 connector from the car was pulling 120w or so. It melted.

I see the EcoFlow car cable for sale on their site has the same complaints. One of the responses from EcoFlow was to use the app to limit the current to 6 amps because it is pulling too much from the car. So to be safe you'd be looking at charging 75w with the vehicle DC input. I wonder if this is just an issue with the XT60 design.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@415s30 I guess it depends on what kind of power you need. I also have one of those hulkman car jump packs and it handles most of my DC power needs for anything small. It will handle phones and laptops and has a 10A DC cig adapter so you can even run the fridge off it for a few hours. If you need AC power though its no good. I only mention it because I would rather drop one of those in the drink that a solar generator.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@TheBarber I've used an older ECOFLOW with the same input in my car before without trouble. Im not too worried about it, but I can also dial it back if it warms up too much. Which end melted? The XT60 or the Cig end?

[415s30]

@HammerheadFistpunch I have dry bags, it's the weight really, we have to bring water and food and that weighs a lot. I wish the park service had taps out somewhere but there isn't anything and that's also why we go there.

[TheBarber]

@HammerheadFistpunch

The XT60 end melted. Didn't seem to damage the box too bad but it did distort the plugin housing a bit.

Looking more into it, it's possible that they redesigned them with a more positive engagement connector. Also says it automatically senses current input when plugged into the car and limits it to 8 amps. So just shy of 100 watts DC isn't bad.

https://us.ecoflow.com/collections/river-accessories/products/car-charging-cable?variant=39308519604297

[WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAthenGTInowA4]

@HammerheadFistpunch My Anker 535 Powerhouse also suffers from stupid-handle-itis. A strap would be so much more convenient for transportation.