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I took this 130-pound power station on an off-grid adventure - here's my buying advice
Remember my caveman friend, Will Lord? He's the kind of guy you'd definitely want by your side if you suddenly found yourself transported back 4,500 years to the Bronze Age. I've watched Will craft razor-sharp flint tools, build powerful bows, and create pinpoint-accurate arrows. He's even cast swords and axe heads from bronze.
But even a real-life caveman enjoys a bit of electricity. Over the past few years, Will has been testing a variety of power stations for me. It's the perfect setting for evaluation as the power stations are exposed to the elements, moved around the site, charged by solar energy, and occasionally taken back to civilization for a quick recharge from an AC outlet. They are put to work powering a wide range of devices, including lights, heaters, kettles, and power tools.
Recently, I tested Anker's new Solix F3800 -- a massive unit boasting 3,840Wh of power and weighing 132 pounds. This powerhouse can deliver dual 120V/240V and an impressive 6,000W of AC power (with a 9,000W surge) to run everything in your home. It can handle a 4,000W air conditioner while still powering your coffee maker and bread maker.
Don't underestimate the size of this unit -- it arrives at your door on a pallet!
The Anker SOLIX F3800 arrives on a pallet!
Inside the Solix F3800 are banks of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries, which have a 3,000-recharge cycle lifespan (which, in a nutshell, means that you could start every day with it fully charged, discharge it completely and recharge it for the next day, and do this daily for over eight years), backed by a five-year warranty.
Also: 12 rules to follow when using and maintaining power stations - from an expert
On one side of the unit is six AC ports, including NEMA 14-50 and NEMA L14-30R ports for charging electric vehicles and powering RVs. On the opposite side, there's the AC input socket and two XT-60 ports for solar panels or vehicle charging. The front features three 100W USB-C ports, two 12W USB-A ports, a 12V/120W socket, and connections for an expansion battery and home power panel.
For such a large unit, charging is impressively fast -- it can draw 1,800W from an AC outlet, fully charging in 2.7 hours, or up to 2,400W from solar panels, reducing the recharge time to just two hours.
Even in a late afternoon spring sun and hooked up to two 100W solar panels, the unit was pulling in close to 100W.
Additionally, there's a bright and clear display on the front that keeps you informed about the unit's status, making it easy to read in all conditions.
The Solix F3800 features heavy-duty swivel wheels, an "Easy-Tow" telescopic handle on top, and a fold-away handle on the bottom, making it easy to maneuver. While the wheels are not exactly designed for soft ground, I managed to move its 130-pound bulk around the Bronze Age site with relative ease.
The telescopic handle folds away discreetly until it's needed.
If you need even more power, you can connect up to six expansion batteries to the Solix F3800, increasing total power storage to an astonishing 26,900Wh -- enough to run the average home for a week.
Also: Every power bank should be more like this one - for the sake of our future
As a bonus, you can connect it to an app for remote control, giving you power management at your fingertips. All in all, this system is a behemoth that delivers on all its promises; it passed every test I threw at it with flying colors. The power output of this unit is among the highest I've seen, and it's quite a sight to witness a box on wheels delivering 6,000W to devices.
ZDNET's buying advice
The Anker SOLIX F3800 is a hefty system, and as such comes with a very hefty $4,000 price tag for the power station alone. But for what you are getting, that's a really good price. The Solix F3800 meets all expectations I have for an Anker product, and to provide additional reassurance, Anker offers a five-year warranty on this unit.