Maxoak Bluetti 1500Wh Solar Generator Review

Preparing for emergencies is more important than ever. An important aspect of emergency preparedness is electricity. Whether you need to store food in a fridge, charge your everyday device such as smartphone and laptop, having a portable power station or a solar generator ready in your household will help you stay prepared.

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At A Glance: Our Picks for Solar Generator & Solar Panel Combo

• MAXOAK Portable Power Station BLUETTI EB150
  Our Top Pick
• Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel

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One of the best solar generators available today is the Maxoak Bluetti EB150, also sold in the UK under the PowerOak brand.  It is a huge 1500Wh energy storage device with 1000W AC output and includes an MPPT controller that can be directly connected to a large solar panel.

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Maxoak Bluetti EB150 Design and Specs

• Input: AC adapter or solar power (16-60V 10A), 9 mm DC connector
• Output: 2 AC sockets, 4 2.1A 5V USB ports, 1 45W PD USB-C, 1 12V 9A car port
• Total capacity: 1500Wh
• Maximum output: 1000W continuous, 1200 peaks
• Battery Technology: Lithium-ion
• Charging time: 10 hours of alternating current, variable solar energy (minimum 4 hours)

The Maxoak Bluetti EB150 weighs 38 pounds (17 kg), which is about the size of a small office PC. There is no reinforcement function, such as a rubber bumper or socket cover, but the case itself is solid metal with a safe ABS handle and front and rear panels. 

But keep in mind The Maxoak Bluetti EB150 is not waterproof. And since it contains a large lithium-ion battery, do not pierce the battery, otherwise it may cause a fire.

The AC outlet is located at the rear, and all other components are located at the front.

There are three power buttons, AC and DC output. Press and hold the relevant button for a few seconds to activate the output. The small display shows the current battery level, and the exact number of input, AC and DC output power.

Although I had no problem seeing the LCD screen in direct sunlight, I was only able to capture it indoors. If I have one complaint about the Bluetti, it’s that the battery remaining indicator is too vague, consisting only of five segments, a simple percentage would have been preferred here.

What is a “solar generator”?

The Maxoak Bluetti EB150 does not generate electricity by itself, but it does include the circuits needed to charge the battery from a standard solar panel, and even the correct cables.

Built into Bluetti is the MPPT charge controller, it can charge and discharge at the same time. These are better than the old PWM, especially on cloudy days, because they can balance the conversion to get more power.

Maxoak Bluetti can be used for almost any type of solar panel, but there are several specifications. It must operate at a voltage of 16-60V and a maximum current of 10A.  We recommend the Renogy 100 watt solar panel. The combination of the Bluetti and Renogy solar panel is demonstrated well in this video before if you need a better visualization on the pairing.

The possible total input power is 500W. For testing, I connected it to an old single crystal panel with a rated power of 175W, and was able to generate about 120W of power at its peak. I did not use an electricity meter to accurately test the output voltage of the panel, but it seems to work properly. In a sunny day, Bluetti’s power is about 50%, and then it is fully charged. I should also note that the fan is almost always running when charging or using AC.

If you have multiple panels, but their voltage is insufficient, you can wire them in series. Increase the voltage to the desired range. Or, if they are already at the correct voltage, but far below the maximum current, you can wire them in parallel, which will increase the current while keeping the voltage unchanged.

Maxoak Bluetti Solar Charge Time

Under ideal conditions, it may only take 4 hours to fully charge the Bluetti battery from solar energy. If you are doing the math, you may be wondering why it is not 1500 (total capacity) divided by 500 (possible total input) or 3 hours. This is due to the inherent inefficiency of any charge controller; in this case, 25% of the electrical energy is lost in the process. This is not a defect of Bluetti, and it is correct when performing this conversion.

Bluetti includes overcharge protection, which means that once the battery is fully charged, it will not continue to charge and explode.

Charging from AC

If you want to charge from the grid, a standard AC charger (168W) is also included, which is a good thing. It is a fixed input and we can tell you that it will take about 10 hours.

One of Bluetti’s compromises is that there is only one input. So, for example, you cannot combine the solar panel on top of a camper with a wind turbine. Although this is a good feature, for most people, it may be used less, and the price will be greatly increased.

Maxoak Bluetti is rated for 1500 charging cycles, which is about average. After the battery is used, it can be recharged (even if it is not fully discharged). Although it sounds like a short life span, in practice, this means that you can drain the battery and charge it for about 5 years every day. 

By then, it will still be operational, but the capacity has “reduced” by 80%. It is difficult to test these claims extensively, but Maxoak provides a 1-year warranty. If you have to use it as the sole source of power for several years in a row, you may have greater worry.

What devices can run on this battery?

Bluetti has a rated continuous power of 1100W and a peak power of 1200W (for a few minutes). This is the sum of all content (AC and DC) plugged into the device, not just any single device. If the two AC sockets are not enough, you can insert an extension cord. 

These extra sockets do not consume extra power by themselves, this is just a case of ensuring that the equipment plugged into it is within the overall limits. Exceeding this limit will not damage anything, it will only cause the device to shut down.

A 42 inch LED TV power consumption is about 33W. A typical mini fridge ranges between 50W and 65W. The power of CPAP machine is about 30 to 60W.  Bluetti can comfortably run all these devices simultaneously, as well as charging multiple smartphones and a Macbook Pro. On the other hand, major battery powered tool like an electric chainsaw is about 2000W, so it cannot run that.

This is only half of the picture, the other half is how long it will last. To find the answer, divide the total capacity by watt hours (Wh), and then divide by the total power consumption (in watts). This will give you a few hours. Therefore, from a fully charged 1500Wh, a 100W refrigerator will last 15 hours.

We tested the rated capacity of Bluetti, with a total load of 750W, including plasma TVs, gaming PCs, lights and dehumidifiers. . Sure enough, it lasted about two hours, as we expected.

Take it to the extreme, the average smartphone battery is 10Wh. If you completely drain your smartphone and charge it with Bluetti, you can survive for about six months.

Should you buy Maxoak Bluetti EB150?

Maxoak Bluetti provides enough motivation for most people at a reasonable price. You will find that competitor models have the highest peak output, even if they do not have a larger total capacity; these will cost more, but perhaps your specific use case needs to do so. You will also find models that can be charged faster, if you want more solar panels, or you can charge from the grid in just a few hours, it may be more suitable. But again, these prices may be higher or affected elsewhere. Maxoak Bluetti is a good all-rounder for most people.

The package does not include solar panels, but this may be a good thing – for you, purchasing them locally will be much cheaper or use. There is no need to buy a brand new panel or a brand-named panel. They are almost the same and have a longer lifespan than the battery. Although you can charge Bluetti only from an AC power outlet, if you have permanently free energy, you will be safer in case of any bad situation.

If you really need more capacity, Maxoak can cover you there too. EB240 can store up to 2400Wh of power. Continuous ratings and peak ratings are the same, but last longer. If you want to power critical medical equipment, it is best to buy the largest battery that can be affordable.