We test a portable power station that might be one of the summer's best bargains
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We put Bluetti’s new Elite 100 V2 through its paces – here’s what we think of the rugged portable power station now £499 in Amazon’s deal.
Bluetti's Elite 100 V2 has only just launched, but already it's having £300 knocked off the price. Visit Amazon right now, and you'll find a voucher offering this huge discount - slashing the cost of a brand new unit down to £499.
This means that, for as long as the offer lasts, you can grab one of the ultimate outdoor tech accessories for the price of a decent tent. And the possibilities of what you can do with the power put out by the Elite 100 V2 are pretty amazing.
It has, for example, an 1,800 watt power output from its built-in inverter, and there's a 2,700w "power lifting" mode which is enough to run pretty much any outdoor appliance you can throw at it.
All this power means you could run a 40-watt fan for 18 hours, or an electric griddle for 1.6 hours, or an electric camping kettle for an hour.
To give this a boost, you could connect it to a solar panel, and that's another big boast for the new 100 V2, it can take up to 1,000 watts of solar power.
On the subject of charging, the 100 V2 can "turbo charge up to 80% in 45 minutes, thanks to a new 1,200 watt AC input, and it charges faster than any other unit off its car input. Six times faster, in fact.
There are four USB sockets, including two USB-C, and one of these can pump out 140 watts, which is impressive, and then two three-pin AC sockets and a car cigarette lighter socket.
It all adds up to become an impressive piece of kit for outdoor work, or a decadent camping trip, or even basic off-grid living. And, to remind you, it currently costs just £500.
There are, however, a couple of caveats. Firstly, it's a big old unit. At 12.5kg it's slightly heavier than its closest competitor, the Jackery Explorer 1000 V2, and it's slightly more awkward to carry around, with a built-in fixed handle at the back of the top panel that makes the unit hang awkwardly as you lug it around.
And while it feels very robust, and you have confidence it could withstand a few knocks, it's not completely waterproof, unlike some of its rivals.
That said, the display on the front is a good size, and it pairs up well with Bluetti's excellent app for remote monitoring and control.
It also runs off the latest LiFePO4 cells, which are safer, more efficient, and have better longevity. In fact, Bluetti reckons it'll still perform strongly after 10 years of use.
There are so many portable power stations on the market now, and the choice can become a bit bewildering. If it wasn't for the £300 discount, I'd probably not champion the Elite 100 V2, but at £499 it's not just a strong contender, it's probably the smart choice.