The Professor reviews the Bluetti AC60 600w LFP lithium power station with 800wh B80 modular expansion battery. Is it the best solar generator under 1000w?
The Bluetti EB3A 600w power station was a big hit last year when it launched offering up one of the smallest UPS solar generators on the market. There is now a new & improved replacement that adds IP65 water resistance and battery expandability up to 2000wh. It’s called the Bluetti AC60 but is it any good? Let’s find out!
Quirks & Features:
Battery Capacity/Tech/Cycles: 403wh LiFePO4 rated 3000+ cycles to 80%
Size/Weight: approx 11x9x10 inches and weighs around 19lbs
Design/Display: The AC60 is IP65 rated water resistant which means it can handle low powered water spray from any direction, display is a color LCD with input output watts, time to charge discharge, and battery soc with icon
Inverter Size/Type (constant/peak) and #outlets: 600w pure sine inverter with two outlets and “power lifting” up to 1200w for some appliances
Ways To Charge (and times for each): AC charging up to 600w in turbo mode will charge from 0-80% in 45 mins or to full in 1.2 hours. 12v/24v charging in 7hrs by 12v or 3.5hrs by 24v. Will top up from 0-100% with 200w of solar from 12-28v in 3.5 hours under ideal conditions.
12v Output Types: Single 12v cigarette lighter accessory socket rated 10A at a regulated 13.6v
USB Output Types: Pair of USB ports good for charging your dinosaurs and a single 100w USB-C PD output
Other Features: Wireless 15w quick charge pad and a lantern style light on the back. It also offers battery expandability up to 2000wh with the optional B80 battery pack which we’ll demo in a bit. This product also supports Bluetti’s mobile app for wireless access.
Warranty: Bluetti is offering a class leading 6 year manufacturer’s warranty on this product
Testing
DC Battery Capacity Test (time lapse): 357wh/403 for an impressive 89%
AC Battery Capacity Test (time lapse): Almost identical 350wh/403 or 87%
These numbers are above average for Bluetti and across the industry in general
Sine wave check under load: 120v/60hz
Inverter capacity test (max): 1000w <5s
Cooling ability test (rated @ 5mins): 600w pass; 700w <1m
Inverter fan noise db: 48
Max Charge Rate @ watts/volts: AC 600w turbo / 256w std / 160w silent; DC 12v 95w, 18v 160w, 30v 200w
Charging fan noise db: 48
Simultaneous charging ability: yes, no speed boost, prioritizes solar
Pass thru / UPS: Pass 20ms laptop test
DC Output(s) Max Rate: 10A 13.0v
12v output(s) regulated: 13.6v
USB output rate check: 100w pass
Wireless/other output: 12w fast charge
Amp interference test: pass
Light demo: Has SOS
APP/solar test: demo
My Opinion:
Bluetti has knocked it out of the park with the AC60. They’ve covered every base from super fast charging, to battery expansion, to offering a clean inverter in a quiet package that includes 100w PD, a light, an app, and wireless charging, and a rock solid UPS feature. They did this and also managed almost 90% usable battery capacity. Let’s not forget it’s also IP65 water resistant to boot with an unheard of 6 year warranty.
My only gripe … it should have a 1000w inverter for this size and weight. This thing is significantly larger and heavier than the outgoing EB3A. In fact, it’s one pound shy of twice the weight. I’m not sure why they would offer a unit that could expand to over 2000wh with such a limited 600w inverter. Yes, you can “power lift” to 1200w but this can only be used for resistive loads like coffee makers and hot plates. It’s not going to start a full size fridge or a window air conditioner unless it is a fully mechanical 5000 BTU. It’s certainly not going to run a compact microwave oven. In the real world, 600w is not very much and most kitchen appliances are going to exceed that. It will run most PC computers, TV’s, fans, lights, small coffee makers, and potentially a 3qt instant pot. Just don’t expect it’s going to run everything in your cabin or RV.
Pricing and competition
Product Price with current discounts:
At the time of this recording which is about 12 hours from product launch, I have been unable to get any pricing information from Bluetti. They did promise a discount at launch so if you want to know the final price you’ll need to click the link in the description of this video and enter in the discount code provided. If you don’t see a discount code it means that it hasn’t been activated yet.
Main Competitor:
The only real competition is going to be from the Ecoflow River 2 series. They offer a lot of the same features although at a higher price, and without the water resistance, 6 year warranty, or battery expandability. Okay, nevermind. The AC60 is really in a class by itself and I’m not going to compare it to a NMC product like a Jackery. That’s like pitting a Model T up against a new Corvette.
Who’s It Aimed At?:
Who is this product for? It’s mostly for those needing portable power at home or when camping. It can be used to run 12v fridges on road trips or to power the kid’s gaming console. It can provide basic backup power during a blackout by keeping some of your essentials going. Just don’t expect it to power a full size fridge, air conditioner, or heater. For those bigger jobs look at the AC200Max or larger from Bluetti. I have reviews on all their products. You can find them easily by searching YouTube for “hobotech bluetti”.
Recommended Solar Panel Type/Size:
I’m going to recommend Bluetti’s own 200w PV200 portable panel for the AC60. You can get it in a bundle on their website. Otherwise, you can use any 200w panel you like as long as it has MC4 connectors and the adapter cable is supplied with the AC60.
If you want a cheaper more permanent solution, I’d recommend the BougeRV 180w or 200w panels which can be found on hobotech.tv/amazon under “solar kits”.
If you’re interested, you can check it out here https://gohobo.io/ac60 use code HOBOAC60 for discount!
HOBOTECH is viewer supported. When you buy through these links we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The Professor reviews the solar / battery powered Ecoflow Wave 2 portable DC heat pump that does both air conditioning (a/c) and heating via solar panels or 12v – 60v battery bank. It’s also IPX4 water resistant!
bump from 4000 to 5100 BTU, of course this new model also heats at 6100 BTU
much quieter (old one was 63db on low fan eco mode, 66db on max)
longer running 1159wh 8 hour battery vs 1008wh 6 hour battery. New battery also offers a USB QC port and a 100w USB-C PD output.
vastly upgraded solar support. It now charges from 11-60v up to 400w (also means you can charge it with ANY 12/24/36/48v battery. I will demo this in a future video)
they replaced the silly dial with proper up/down temperature buttons that can’t be accidentally bumped
larger much improved display screen that’s much more intuitive
removable / cleanable filters
IPX4 rated (original Wave had no water resistance)
“unboxing” (what it comes with)
Size & weight: 20x12x13 inches at 32lbs unit + 17lbs battery (original Wave unit was 6lbs heavier)
Temperature range setting goes from 60F to 86F
TESTS:
I did do a full firmware update before starting any testing so it’s the latest version as of 5/12/23
Will it run directly off solar? (no battery)
Prove 8 hour battery claim
11-60v 13A 400w testing
Show the remote app
There are 4 lights …
OPINIONS:
Let’s start with the Debbie downers. First, you can’t charge the battery without main unit and you can’t charge it “battery to battery” from another Ecoflow product. You’re forced to charge it either via AC power or the XT60 solar input while it is connected to the main unit. Using that input you can however charge the internal battery with an external 12/24/36/48v battery.
Hose coming out of the top is a weird design choice. Going by the documentation it seems to be for easier sideways mounting in a window assuming you are placing the output hoses horizontal instead of vertical like I have.
Ecoflow does offer a 1 year warranty on this product but I’m disappointed they didn’t offer a longer warranty competitive with their solar generator lineup.
Besides those few quirks I absolutely love this thing. I like it so much I’m considering building a shelf on the wall next to the window and mounting it permanently at least until I can get a mini split installed in this room. I ended up burning huge electricity over the winter by running an electric radiator heater, and the Wave 2 would be far more efficient – especially seeing that soon my property will be going off the grid.
By biggest likes are the fact that it can now be recharged with enough solar to keep it running 100% for free as long as you have 400w of solar coming in, and the fact you can use virtually any solar panel you want. You can also charge it with 48v external batteries now which is epic.
It’s also whisper quiet on eco mode and not that bad on max mode. It does fast heating and cooling and switching between the two and setting the temperature can be done remotely via app anywhere in the world – and you can even see the room ambient temperature which is great if you’re using it to keep your pets comfortable in a vehicle or RV.
PRICING:
Now this is Ecoflow and they love to innovate, but that also means the Wave 2 doesn’t come cheap. The bare unit without battery retails for $1099 and with battery goes for $1899 (before 8% off code). Now before the armchair warriors start posting about how they can actually buy an off brand 1 ton mini split for this kind of money, don’t forget a few very important facts. This one is truly portable, requires no special installation or vacuum equipment, and can run entirely off solar. You can take it with you camping, use it in your vehicle RV or tent, and then bring it home to use in your shed or spare room. Since it has it’s own battery you can cool or heat any small area quickly and with very little power. You can take this compact unit along with its own battery and a 400w solar panel for a truly portable HVAC system that’s mini split efficient. Since it’s remote app controlled you don’t even need to get out of bed to turn it on or off.
Those of you with the Ecoflow Delta Pro, Delta 2, or Delta Max (or their external batteries) can plug directly into the Wave 2 for super extended run times. Of course those units take tons of solar so you can easily run indefinitely off the grid at virtually no cost.
This makes the Wave 2 extremely versatile and that’s what you’re paying a premium for. If the warriors still feel like leaving a comment saying they can buy an air conditioner at Walmart for $99 feel free, but you’re totally missing the point.