Any power bank whores about?

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V8Granite
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Any power bank whores about?

Post by V8Granite »

After making my own for camping to run a fridge I now decided I NEEDED a seperate one for flashlights, phones, tablets etc.

I upgraded my MPPT controller to a Victron Smart Solar MPPT 75/15 with Bluetooth so I could see watts in, watts out, the voltage regulation for charging current etc. this pleased me far more than it should have 😂. That's giving me 480 watt hours.

So I purchased an Anker Solix C300 DC, 288 watt hours.

It shows me how many watts per connection, has charged 8 items at once, you can charge through 2 USB C connectors at the same time as discharging from the other connections. Has a fancy display, will charge at 85 watts with a cigarette connector to a XT60 connector. Has a light I can control by the app and gives discharge and charge times at the current usage. Seeing what it can do as I can charge it through my trailer wiring I did for my other battery bank, it's the simple things 😂

I'll charge this from my own power bank as when the solar is good it makes more power than I need so won't get seperate solar for it.

https://www.ankersolix.com/uk/products/ ... 1800599227

From jump leads and a car battery to this, it's all oddly pleasing.

Dave!
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Jobbo
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by Jobbo »

How long will 288Wh last? I've seen Jackery being spammed on influencer videos recently and they do a 1000Wh one (1000W load capacity) with two UK plug sockets for £450 currently; doubtless there will be a discount code floating around.

Harry Dwyer on Youtube has clearly been given a big capacity one to promote but he's using it without it being blatant product whoring. Nice video of him flying drones the whole length of Hadrian's Wall recently, charging from the power bank in the boot of his car.
IanF
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by IanF »

Lots of choice here.. with a possible saving on the one you were looking at..

https://www.costco.co.uk/Home-Improveme ... cos_8.1.10
Cheers,

Ian
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Gavster
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by Gavster »

I have zero use cases for that Anker Solix unit but it's CAF and I want it 😅
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Mito Man
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by Mito Man »

I’ve used Ecoflow for 7 years now. The original Delta is still going strong, I got it just after the Kickstarter ended and it started to be sold online as it seemed too good to be true/a scam at the time.
How about not having a sig at all?
V8Granite
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by V8Granite »

Jobbo wrote: Thu Jan 22, 2026 8:19 am How long will 288Wh last? I've seen Jackery being spammed on influencer videos recently and they do a 1000Wh one (1000W load capacity) with two UK plug sockets for £450 currently; doubtless there will be a discount code floating around.

Harry Dwyer on Youtube has clearly been given a big capacity one to promote but he's using it without it being blatant product whoring. Nice video of him flying drones the whole length of Hadrian's Wall recently, charging from the power bank in the boot of his car.
If you look at it like a fast to charge 90,000 mAh battery bank then it's a simpler way to look at it. The good thing about this though is that it can push out nearly 300 watts if you needed to charge a lot of things at the same time.
For everything we need it will last a week camping, it would charge up in just over 3 hours from our other battery bank so will be fine. I specifically kept away from AC power as it's not as efficient as you have transformer losses and also we dont use anything that's 230v.

If we were running the fridge aswell then the 1000Wbone would be about perfect and pretty much the same cost as the one I built and this one.

There is a huge mix of stuff out there though and the value is getting better and better. Anything to keep away from a powered pitch.

Dave!
V8Granite
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by V8Granite »

Gavster wrote: Thu Jan 22, 2026 8:38 am I have zero use cases for that Anker Solix unit but it's CAF and I want it 😅
It does have a lovely feel to it, they even do some lovey home charging stations with screens and clicky buttons.

Impulse buy!

Dave!
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Jobbo
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by Jobbo »

Anker stuff is my go-to for normal USB chargers, charging cables etc. Really good quality.
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Gavster
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by Gavster »

Same here, I've got a bunch of their 16,000mAh power banks for general use, they're really reliable and have lasted for years.
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Beany
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by Beany »

Can also confirm that Anker stuff is solid - I've lunked a 20ah battery of theirs around for a few years to meetings, peoples houses, etc and it just keeps on trucking, and can chuck out 120w from a single port when necessary. Not as fancy as the one linked, obvs.

Their power bricks are also good, for around the house, etc.
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Barry
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by Barry »

Mito Man wrote: Thu Jan 22, 2026 10:51 am I’ve used Ecoflow for 7 years now. The original Delta is still going strong, I got it just after the Kickstarter ended and it started to be sold online as it seemed too good to be true/a scam at the time.
Same, I have a Delta2 1kwh and 200w PV panel kit (yet to need to use that mind you). It easily covered my basic demands during a 2hour power cut a few weeks back, fridge/freezer, lamp, couple of low drain items. Am looking to get a 2/3kwh pack, seeing as the grid appears to be a bit sh!t these days.

(Am still looking at house PV/Battery but the installers I want to use are busy until late spring)
simon_g
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by simon_g »

I’ve got a little 288wh Allpowers one, it’s a perfect size if you’re not running anything heavy. Will run our little compressor fridge for about 24h tops. Gets used a lot in the family bus as there’s no rear power so keeps the kids iPads going on long trips.

Have a 1000wh Jackery for longer camping trips (and as a just-in-case for the house) but it’s a chunky thing.
V8Granite
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by V8Granite »

Just adding to similar geekery.

Just order a 500 Watt Victron 12V to 230V Inverter, bluetooth connection widget, Victron 30amp smart solar, Cabling, 300ah Battery with shunt and once home i'll measure up and decide what solar panel I want for the roof. The current smaller 10amp Victron smart solar will go in the Defender.

I'll be able to use the big panel to charge the home made camping battery as the Smart Solar should clip anything more than 15 amps off, i'm not so sure about the Anker so will have to do some reading.

Just deciding on the battery but will probably go with a 300ah Renogy and a display, it needs to be wife and kids friendly as trying to explain loads and current is proving difficult. They just see cable, electric, all worky.

This is all so we have more power in the shed, I'll charge my Makita batteries in there and the pond will (hopefully) run 365 days a year from it. Just the pond should save £140 a year in electric but it's all about learning. If I'm happy with this then next year i'll make a bigger system up for the garage and take it away from the mains. It can all come with us when we move so I don't mind spending a bit.

Dave!
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Barry
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by Barry »

I've just put deposit on solar/battery install at home, 8pv panels @3.4kw, and 9kwh battery, mostly Sigenergy kit, with the gateway to switch in a power cut. Needs a new consumer unit but that's expected. Will integrate the car charger so I can shunt excess solar to a car if desired.
V8Granite
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Re: Any power bank whores about?

Post by V8Granite »

It's how it should be done, domestic solar and battery are by far the best solution.

You will soon be putting your head out the window before starting the tumble drier 😂

It's a really interesting topic imo.

Dave!
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