Light-duty power stations help when the power goes out

I’ve been interested in portable power plants for years, but the cold snap and blackouts that Texas experienced in February put them the focus of people’s attention.

I’ve been asked dozens of times to post a link or give a recommendation to a review of my current favorite power plant.

The newest power plants to find on my desk are a pair from Aukey – the PowerZeus 500 ($ 406.98) and the PowerTitan 300 ($ 249.99) Portable Power Stations. I’ve put them through their paces and I like what I’ve seen so far. Save $ 40 by using the code AUKEYPLUS when checking out. This code is valid until the end of the year. These are not affiliate links. We don’t make any money selling these products.

What they do

Power plants are big batteries. You charge the batteries and then use the electricity when and where you need it.

This can be while camping, if you work far away from electrical outlets, or in your living room if the power goes out.

The battery power runs through an inverter and the juice flows through various types of sockets and connections. Power plants almost always have AC outlets (wall plugs), USB ports, and a 12-volt accessory port (you could call it a cigarette lighter socket).

The power plants have certain capacity restrictions, such as the amount of energy stored in the batteries (listed in watt hours) and the amount of energy they can provide via the output connections (stated in watts).

The portable power plant Aukey PowerTitan

PowerTitan 300

The smaller of the two Aukey stations, the PowerTitan 300, has lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 288 watt hours and its maximum output power is 400 watts. The AC inverter has an output of 300 watts with a peak of 600 watts.

Peak power is the maximum power that the power plant can maintain for a short period of time and is also known as peak power. For example, if a device with a motor is switched on, the motor consumes more power when it is started than when it is running.

The PowerTitan has two power sockets, two USB-A ports, a USB-A Quick Charge 3.0 port with up to 18 watts and a USB-C power delivery port with up to 60 watts (enough to power my 13th -Inch MacBook Pro to charge).

There are two 12 V DC outputs – a cigarette lighter socket with 10 amps and a DC6530 socket with 8 amps.

All seven ports can be used at the same time as long as the power consumption of everything remains below 400 watts.

For each port bank (AC and DC) there is a button that must be pressed to turn these ports on or off.

The PowerTitan can be charged in 5.5 hours using the wall charger supplied or a USB-C PD. It can be charged in seven hours via your car’s cigarette lighter or in just five hours via a solar panel (depending on the amount and capacity of the solar panel).

The PowerTitan has MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracker) technology to maximize efficiency when charging solar modules.

You can follow the status of the power plant through a 4-inch color LED screen. You can see the incoming and outgoing power (in watts) as well as the percentage of the remaining battery power.

There are also icons that light up to indicate which ports are in use.

The PowerTitan’s case measures 10.2 x 6.7 x 7.2 inches and weighs 9.5 pounds.

Aukey says the PowerTitan can charge a laptop four times, run a mini fridge for 20 hours, charge an iPhone 11 30 times, and run a TV for 4.5 hours.

Pros: Lightweight, integrated handle, many outputs, charging via USB-C.

Disadvantages: none

Conclusion: It is the smallest Aukey power plant, but it has great features.

The portable power plant Aukey PowerZeus

PowerZeus 500

The larger of the Aukey Power Stations, the PowerZeus, offers a battery capacity of 518 watt hours with a maximum total output of 650 watts.

The PowerZeus has exactly the same number of ports as the PowerTitan.

The two AC sockets have a maximum output of 500 watts with a peak of 1,000 watts.

The Power Zeus is designed to power devices such as blenders, CPAPs, fans, lights, and small power tools.

As long as the power consumption of all devices is less than 650 watts, all ports can be used.

The PowerZeus can be charged in nine hours using the power supply unit supplied, in around 11 hours using a 100 watt solar panel (in bright sunshine) and in around eight hours using a car’s 12 volt cigarette lighter. In contrast to its smaller brother, the PowerZeus does not support charging via its USB-C port.

The LCD screen is the same size and provides the same information as the PowerTitan.

The PowerZeus measures 12.1 x 7.6 x 7.1 inches and weighs 14.3 pounds. The case has a foldable, padded handle to make it easier to carry.

The two power plants are very similar except for the increased battery and power capacities.

Pros: Easy to carry, clear display, good power capacity for its size.

Cons: No USB-C charging.

Conclusion: a great power plant for the price.

Conclusions

The Aukey Power Stations are what I would call an easy task. Power plants with an output of 1,000 or 2,000 watt hours are easy to find, but every size has its place.

The PowerTitan and PowerZeus are cheaper than similarly sized competitors such as Jackery and Goal Zero.

Don’t expect miracles. When you need to power a full size refrigerator, you need to spend more on a larger capacity device.

But for the money, these two power plants offer the right equipment at attractive prices.

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