The RAVPower Power Station is a great lightweight unit for when you need power on the go. Thanks to its carrying case and portable size, it can follow you to wherever life takes you.
When you think of an outdoor source of power, what comes to mind? You might consider the classic gas-fueled outdoor generator. However, what do you turn to if you need more of a middle ground of both portable and powerful? The RAVPower Power Station promises to help get you ready for an outdoor adventure. How does it deliver on that promise?
Portable power stations allow you to take your electronic devices anywhere. But with any portable charging device, you need to know if it has the right wattage and capacity for your needs. So what does the RAVPower Power Station have to offer? With a 252.7Wh battery capacity, it can support devices up to 300W, while still staying under six pounds. Plus, it comes with its own stylish carrying case to make transport even easier.
Read on to see why this sub-$300 device is worth investing in.
RAVPower Power Station RAVPower Power Station Buy Now On Amazon $269.99RAVPower PowerStation Specifications
- Capacity: 252Wh
- AC Output: 110V (300W Max)
- DC Output: 12V (120W Max)
- Size: 5.12 x 5.12 x 7.44 inches (130 x 130 x 189mm)
- Weight: 5.5 pounds (2500g)
- Battery technology: Lithium-Ion
Unboxing the RAVPower Power Station
When you first unbox the RAVPower Power Station, you get a small matryoshka doll experience. After opening the box, you’ll open the carry bag which then contains your station and the rest of the contents. After attaching the strap to the bag, you’re left with a user guide, USB Type-C to Type-C charging cable, and a power adapter.
Using the RAVPower Power Station
The RAVPower Power Station possesses a sturdy, strong-looking case. With rubber feet and a handle with some heft to it, it definitely has the looks of an adventure-ready device. The power station, however, walks a line between an intuitive battery and a more cautionary emergency generator.
Anytime you need to check the battery level, just press the power button once to see the light display. The LED indicator lights only last around eight seconds, so it’s enough time to register without being wasteful.
While you can stumble across the battery level check intuitively, activating the AC output doesn’t occur quite as easily. At the top of the power station, you’ll have to hold the button for five seconds. Afterward, the LED indicator will briefly turn on and a solid white light will activate to showcase its readiness.
If you don’t plug in a device, it will automatically turn off to conserve power. Once you have a device plugged in, the AC output light stays lit, so it’s easy to discern the power station is in use. This was great at night and for situations where both AC outputs were filled.
Decoding the Light Show
This device possesses a heavy focus on its lighting to indicate readiness, current charge, and charging status. Since this mostly centers around its LED light indicator, you’ll get the basic picture as you watch the device charge.
A flashing LED indicates charging, and a solid blue light indicates what battery level threshold you’re at. The station goes up to five solid blue lights when it’s in the max battery level range. So each light indicates roughly 20% battery life.
Overall, the lighting decisions always made sense for the suggested scenarios for the device. If you were out camping or utilizing the device during a blackout, the visual beacons were great. Meanwhile, for everyday use, they were inconspicuous and didn’t affect my power usage.
Focusing On the Ports
While the use of lighting and overall visual clarity is great with the RAVPower Power Station, I was curious how well each port worked. I investigated the AC ports first, and it’s here that I ran into most of my major concerns. First off, the AC ports don’t have a ground, so you’re unable to utilize any 3 prong plugs.
The plugs themselves were also a little tight. Rather than the usual pull out, you have to take more of a wiggle approach to retrieve anything plugged in. As a possible emergency device, the added security made sense; it was inconvenient for casual use.
The insertion and retrieval weren’t as noticeable with larger items such as a laptop charger plug or a Nintendo Switch AC Adapter. However, I found myself having to add considerably more oomph on a smaller plug such as my Samsung travel adapter.
I also experienced a few isolated cases of the AC Adapter cutting off prematurely. To prevent this, make sure no looseness occurs.
The PD input/output, iSmart output, DC input, and DC output slots all worked as expected. It was easy to plug in and utilize each as expected.
Does RAVPower Power Station’s Battery Capacity Hold Up?
In terms of battery capacity, the 252Wh never fell into question. For my benchmark, I ran several laptop tests with a 2017 Macbook Air. With Apple’s 45w MagSafe power adapter, I was able to run the device just shy of 6 hours consistently.
To confirm the results with expectations, I divided the total Watt-hours (Wh) by the power drain (in watts). So by dividing 252.7Wh by 45W, I got approximately 5.62 hours.
Since the RAVPower Power Station also sells itself as a backup generator for CPAP devices, it was easy to check its viability there. CPAP devices run between 30-60W, so for lower wattage devices, the battery can cover a whole night. For a higher watt machine, it can still provide several crucial hours of support.
For smaller wattage devices such as cell phones, no noticeable drain occurred even with multiple devices plugged in. It was easy to charge the devices multiple times without losing a single blue light.
How Long Does Charging Take?
The RAVPower Power Station arrived between 21-40% charge (two blue lights), so it’ll just take just shy of four hours for an initial charge via the included power adapter. A 12-24V car charger or solar panel charger (output above 80W recommended) can also be used, but I went with the recommended power charger for the initial charge.
From a dead state, charging took six hours utilizing the DC Input. If you charge using the PD port, it takes about an hour less.
RAVPower Carry Bag
For anyone who frequently buys portable tech, you know there’s often a need to buy a carrying case. Either the device is too fragile, or it’s inconvenient to lug around. One thing I love about the RAVPower Power Station is it takes that annoying follow-up out of the equation.
Not only that, but the carry bag’s design encompasses the same outdoor spirit of the device. The bag’s design includes some thought towards this as evidenced by the padding inside and the spiked feet at the bottom of the bag. The straps are adjustable, so you can keep the bag at a suitable height for any venture.
On the outside of the bag, you’ll find two net pockets to stash any miscellaneous items. For the top interior flap of the bag, there’s also a zippered pouch for any tiny item or cords you want easy access to.
In the very inside, there’s a velcro divider that divides the battery’s portion with a side area for the power adapter and anything else you need. While I found the default division snuggly kept the Power Station safe, it was a welcome customization option all the same.
RAVPower’s Built-In Emergency Tool
The notion of the RAVPower Power Station as a back-up generator makes perfect sense. However, RAVPower went a step further by including lighting options for emergencies. By tapping the power button twice, you can cycle between a solid light, flashing slowly, and flashing quickly (SOS).
The light is surprisingly bright and travels a fair distance. So whether you’re lost in the woods, dealing with a blackout, or needing to make contact, these options are all viable.
Does RAVPower Power Station Deliver on the Adventure?
When considering ordinary device use, the RAVPower Power Station supports most on the go electronics. If you’re looking to use any device that’s more than 250W, this isn’t the item for you. But for everyone else, the ease of portability is a winner.
RAVPower Power Station RAVPower Power Station Buy Now On Amazon $269.99For those just wanting to be safe, the power station also works great as a back-up generator for essentials. With its built-in lighting, it’s easy to navigate even the darkest environment.
The RAVPower Power Station does deliver on its promise to keep you powered during an adventurous day out. The included carry-case is convenient, and the price point comes out to be around a dollar per Wh. If you need some extra security without breaking the bank, consider it.
Read the full article: RAVPower PowerStation Review: Convenient, Compact Charging
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