RockPals 300W Portable Power Station review: A disappointing update - brouwerjuseenoth

At a Glint

Expert's Rating

Pros

Opaline, clear screen
Above-average performance
Plenty of ports

Cons

Shattering rooter
New design has a little display

Our Verdict

The latest RockPals 300W Movable Power Station leaves out much of the nice perks of the previous variant, while oblation a smaller footprint. It's a capable support power source, but has some quirks that you should beware of.

Foremost Prices Today

$209.99

Loose

Previously, I reviewed the RockPals 300W portable power send and rated it 4.5 stars. Information technology had honest performance, plenty of ports, and a large showing that kept you adequate speed on everything the great power station was doing.

Now I'm fetching a look at a device that has the same exact name, but a completely diametric aim. The updated power plant forfeit the dual flashlights, has been shrunk down quite a bit, and the silver screen no longer details every aspect of the station's performance.

Take down: This look back is component of our roundup of portable power banks . Go there for inside information on competing products and our testing methods.

Features

There are a total of nine ports, all on the front panel of the 300W power plant. There are two DC-exterior barrel ports capable of 12V/60W. There's a District of Columbia input, which you use with the included power adapter to guardianship the unit itself. And next to the District of Columbia ports is a 12V car charger.

The rest of the ports include a blue USB port that's congruous with QuickCharge 3.0, cardinal Sir Thomas More USB ports that provide a charging rate of capable 5V/3.1A, and below them, a 30W USB-C port wine. Lastly, there's a single 110V AC outlet that buttocks handle 300W of output.

Each section of ports has its own holy power button that you have to hinge upon before the station will start providing world power to whatever's plugged in. To the left-wing of the ports is a small screen that shows a battery measure, battery percentage, and wattage for stimulant and outputs when in use.

The handle on apical of the power station provides flock of room between it and the housing.

Functioning

Rated for 300W of output, the station has a total capacity of 289Wh, just like the previous model. However, this mannequin's efficiency scored a little lower than its predecessor. Using a PortaPow power monitor lizard and DROK lade tester connected to a USB port, I recorded that 252.75Wh, or 90.01 pct of total capacity was expended before the station high-powered down.

Equally a secondary exponent test, I connected the RockPals 300W to a 4W desk lamp and monitored how long the place could power the lamp before it turned off. In absolute, the lamp was lit up for 30 hours and 5 minutes. Just that wasn't continuous. After more or less 8 hours, the station would turn on itself off and with it, the lamp. RockPals told me that because of the low power draw of the lamp, the power station turns itself off as a safety characteristic. IT's not a deal-circuit breaker, merely something to keep in mind if you end up using this station with a contemptible-wattage device. As for charging the gimmick itself, I was able to go from empty to overloaded, using the DC imput and adaptor, in 5 hours and 5 minutes with a charging rate of 68W.

Keister line

I had high hopes for the modish RockPals 300W, merely I'm left somewhat disappointed. The original smaller design is an raise over the previous version, but the lack of lights and a small showing aren't worth the smaller footprint. That said, if you'Ra looking at for a power plant for a weekend trip or to keep around in case of a power outage and you want to spend round $200, the RockPals 300W is valuable considering. Just don't rely connected it to might a pettifogging piece of equipment.

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Based in beautiful Colorado, Jason Cipriani is a freelance writer who contributes to, Greenbot, IGN, TechRadar, ZDNet and CNET.