Portable Power Stations

[Park@82]

So many 1-star reviews on Ellies cubes

The Ellies cubes look crappy to me. Seems like they have bad quality control from the reviews on takealot.

Very limited info is available on these, I cant even tell how long it would take to recharge one of them. I would look elsewhere.

 

[AlphaJohn]

So many 1-star reviews on Ellies cubes

Did you read the reviews, its like they all missed the "300Wh" part.

Its basically good for lights and that is about it.

 

[Park@82]

Did you read the reviews, its like they all missed the "300Wh" part.

Its basically good for lights and that is about it.

One should be able to run a 100w load for 2 hours with that (TV and mi box in my case). No?

 

[AlphaJohn]

One should be able to run a 100w laod for 2 hours with that (TV and mi box in my case). No?

On 100W sure, but assuming your TV is 100w is a whole nother story.

ie: my TV + Sound + internet =305W

 

[AlphaJohn]

Uh... yes?

Ok there are other that complain on bad quality but there is also loads that just assume their usage.

 

[Park@82]

On 100W sure, but assuming your TV is 100w is a whole nother story.

ie: my TV + Sound + internet =305W

Mine (TV and Mi Box) < 100W.

Nothing special about my TV though, its an older 40" FHD Hisense.

I did quick check and it seems like a 55" 4k smart tv would not use more than 150W.

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[safejack]

The Ellies cubes look crappy to me. Seems like they have bad quality control from the reviews on takealot.

Very limited info is available on these, I cant even tell how long it would take to recharge one of them. I would look elsewhere.

Build quality would give it a 6.5/10
used it to power a 55inch led hisense tv and DSTV decoder for +-1hour only took one bar away
dad only used it twice so far so far a little bulky but ended up picking one up from a friend for R4500

cant find almost any documentation around like can i keep it plugged in all the time or is it like the gizzu you must connect only when you need it ?

if anyone knows the above answer please let me know Thank you

 

[Park@82]

Build quality would give it a 6.5/10
used it to power a 55inch led hisense tv and DSTV decoder for +-1hour only took one bar away
dad only used it twice so far so far a little bulky but ended up picking one up from a friend for R4500

cant find almost any documentation around like can i keep it plugged in all the time or is it like the gizzu you must connect only when you need it ?

if anyone knows the above answer please let me know Thank you

How many bars does it have? Maybe the bars aren't accurate. It only have 300Wh so I don't think it would last more than 2 hours with a 55" tv.

"Please note:
It is recommended to always keep the Cube Terra Power Station plugged into a 230V mains outlet that remains switched ON. This
helps keep your battery in a good condition"

https://ellies.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/0FSLLTERRA.pdf

It would be interesting to see how long this unit will last if you keep it plugged in 24x7.

 

[safejack]

Thank you much appreciated

 

[zubs10]

Any thoughts on these rct megapower banks. https://www.rctzone.co.za/power-solutions/megapower-bank/megapower-bank/rct-mp-ups54ac . Looking at powering a TV and decoder < 90W

 

[Park@82]

Any thoughts on these rct megapower banks. https://www.rctzone.co.za/power-solutions/megapower-bank/megapower-bank/rct-mp-ups54ac . Looking at powering a TV and decoder < 90W

I don't like them because there is very little info available on them. They don't state the battery chemistry for example. If it is similar to this one: https://www.takealot.com/rct-megapower-54000-mah-ac-power-bank/PLID69314278 then it only has 160Wh.

I would look for something with around 200 - 300Wh at least (more = better).

 

[Hemps]

How are the Gizzu units, I see they on special at the moment.

 

[R13...]

How are the Gizzu units, I see they on special at the moment.

Someone compared them, but the price looks tempting (overall good reviews)
from takealot,

A friend brought the EcoFlow and we compared our purchases: What I like about the Gizzu: Baterry has 2x bigger capacity for same price EcoFlow, built in South African Wall plug, EcoFlow requires adapters. What I dislike about the Gizzu and where the EcoFlow shines: Gizzu only shows an icon of a baterry, EcoFlow gives you stats of how much power is currently being drawn, how fast it changes etc. Gizzu takes like 6 hours to charge vs EcoFlow 1 hour. Gizzu ALWAYS draw power from baterry even when plugged in. So if your appliance draw power faster than the charger your appliance will empty the battery while plugged into the wall and even switch off when the battery is empty. EcoFlow bypass batterry when plugged in so your appliance will always stay on.

 

[safejack]

How are the Gizzu units, I see they on special at the moment.

personal experience, bought the 296W --> experience
Build --> small compact 8/10
support --> 2/10 (The fan would only go off when battery is completely dead tried finding a solution but there was nothing, ended up returning it.)
another negative point you cant leave it plugged in 24/7 which parents weren't happy with.

Battery life --> 7/10

 

[Crusader]

Wonder what's up with the stock levels of the Ecoflow River Pros. Have been keeping an eye on them and they appear on online sites only to disappear a day later. Only place with stock seems to be a 3rd party seller on Takealot who wants to charge quite a premium.

 

[Park@82]

Someone compared them, but the price looks tempting (overall good reviews)
from takealot,

What I really love about the EcoFlow units are the app, display and firmware updates.

This doesn't seem good for the Gizzu:
"Ensure the total power consumption for all connected appliances is less than 500W prior to connecting the device to the AC port. If the power requirement draw exceeds 500W, the device will shut down and this may cause damage"

With EcoFlow x-boost (drops the voltage it fool the appliance into thinking it can deliver high wattage) I can plug a hair dryer my EcoFlow River and there is no damage to the unit.

It can so surge up to 1200w which is useful for something like a freezer where power usage surges as the motor kicks in.

Not sure what the gizzu can surge to.

 

[Mirai]

Someone compared them, but the price looks tempting (overall good reviews)
from takealot,

500 cycles though. Other makes have >1000 cycles.

 

[Park@82]

Heads up. Gizzu is launching new models with LFP batteries early next year.

 

[grok]

I would look for something with around 200 - 300Wh at least (more = better).

I need more..

If loadshitting is going to be a daily thing I'm going to need something that can drive my gaming PC. I have a genny, gas, a Ratel for ONT & router, don't care about TV just need my PC & internet.

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

Pretty happy with my Ecoflow River Pro, bought it beginning October. Just ordered the extra battery for it yesterday. A bit pricey overall but I like the form factor and the quality and feature set is really superb.