Verdict
The Anker SOLIX F2000 offers reliable backup energy for nearly any family system, with sufficient storage to get even heavy responsibility home equipment via a big energy minimize. It’s large, and stuffed with heavy batteries, however with strong wheels and a deal with it’s surprisingly simple to lug round. That helps make the F2000 very best for giant tenting teams, or so as to add heavy-duty mains energy to smaller camper vans. With a variety of charging choices together with photo voltaic, it may even hold you off grid for an prolonged interval.
Professionals
- Wonderful vary of ports and features
- Rugged, good design
- Helpful app
Cons
- Large and really heavy
- It’s definitely not low cost
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A heavy responsibility energy stationThis massive, heavy energy financial institution offers USB and mains energy to even essentially the most demanding gadgets -
A great vary of ports and featuresLoads of extremely specified output ports, along with a number of charging choices
Introduction
For those who’re after a reasonably high-end energy financial institution with the grunt to provide virtually any system, Anker’s SOLIX F2000 ought to be in your record.
Beforehand often known as the PowerHouse 767, the F2000 can retailer a whopping 2,048 watt-hours (Wh) of electrical energy – sufficient to energy a dishwasher via a full wash cycle. With a peak mains energy output of two,300 watts (W), it’s in a position to deal with the facility calls for of just about any trendy equipment.
The F2000 isn’t nearly outright energy. It’s designed for comfort and suppleness, with three UK-spec plug sockets, two USB-A ports, three USB-C sockets and two cigarette lighter-style automotive charging ports. Though it’s large and heavy, it comes with rugged wheels and a telescopic deal with, so you may pull it round like a flight case. It additionally has a large gentle bar to assist gentle up your tenting pitch, or dispel the gloom of a blackout.
You possibly can recharge the F2000 from the mains, through a automotive adaptor, or via as much as 1,000W of photo voltaic panels. Anker says that it’s constructed to final for 10 years, and it comes with a robust five-year guarantee. That’s good, as a result of at £2000/$2799, it’s a big funding, though on the time of writing Anker was repeatedly discounting it by round £300/$400.
Design and options
- Rugged and good, however heavy
- Nice choice of ports and features
- Considerate design and structure
The Anker SOLIX F2000 (PowerHouse 767) is intently associated to the Anker SOLIX F1200 I examined in August, which is a really promising begin. Just like the F1200, the F2000 feels extraordinarily sturdy, with giant handles and a robust plastic physique. Inside there’s a metallic cage to carry the electronics and batteries. Importantly, these are lithium iron phosphate (LFP or LiFePO) cells. These are inherently extra steady than customary lithium cells, and are much less more likely to expertise thermal runaway which may result in hearth. Additionally they supply a a lot better service life than customary lithium-ion. Anker says the batteries will retain at the very least 80% of their capability after 3,000 cycles, and it backs that up with a five-year guarantee.
At 30kg, this energy financial institution is about as heavy as I can carry comfortably, so its wheels are useful, as is its telescopic deal with, which acts like a giant lever that reduces the hassle concerned. The wheels are fairly sturdy, and glad to trundle round pavements – they even seem like they’d make it throughout a garden or campsite supplied it wasn’t muddy. However whereas the F2000 is designed to work outdoors, it’s not splashproof, and it may overheat in direct solar.
The F2000’s outputs are organized neatly on its entrance panel. Its three energy sockets share a single on/off button, as do the 2 cigarette lighter sort automotive sockets.
There’s an influence saving mode to change these sockets off when any linked gadgets cease consuming energy – for instance, as soon as an e-bike finishes recharging. That mentioned, they appeared very fussy – the standby energy of my washer and tumble drier was sufficient to maintain them from shutting down.
Having 5 USB ports doesn’t appear particularly beneficiant on such a strong system, however Anker has at the very least favoured extra highly effective USB-C sockets over USB-A. The latter are every rated at 12.4W, whereas every of the three USB-C ports can ship 100W to a appropriate system.
This energy financial institution’s wonderful display exhibits the battery standing at a look, together with the quantity of energy flowing into and out of the station. There’s an estimation of how lengthy the battery will final if you’re powering gear, or how lengthy it’ll take to complete charging. Nonetheless, you may also join through Bluetooth and use Anker’s app, which provides extra element similar to battery temperature.
The app additionally permits you to swap the mains or automotive port sockets on and off, and set a timer after which they’ll shut down mechanically. It’s a disgrace you may’t do one thing related for the facility enter, as scheduling this may be an effective way to mechanically cost up the facility station at an inexpensive in a single day charge.
Like different Anker energy banks, the SOLIX F2000 has a big, white LED strip gentle throughout the entrance panel. Right here it comes with three totally different brightness settings, the very best of which may present tender gentle to a decent-sized room in an influence minimize. There’s additionally an emergency mode, which flashes ‘SOS’ in morse code, ought to your off-grid expertise not fairly go to plan.
The SOLIX F2000’s 2300W mains output is greater than a match for a contemporary washer, dishwasher, tumble drier or kettle. It’s even sufficient for a typical oven or air fryer, nevertheless it’s value stressing that the 2300W complete is unfold throughout all three of the AC sockets – you may’t run a washer and kettle on the similar time, for instance.
With greater than two kilowatt-hours (kWh) of saved electrical energy, a totally charged F2000 may energy a washer for a few full cycles, or final lengthy sufficient to get a single load each washed and dried in a heat-pump dryer. Alternatively it’s sufficient to energy a small kitchen via a few meals. For those who want an excellent longer lasting energy provide, you may improve the F2000 with an additional battery for about £1000. This doubles its energy storage capability to 4048Wh, however its 2300W most AC output is unchanged.
Charging
- Cost from mains, automotive, or the solar
- Most 2200W enter
- Very quick charging, even whereas offering energy
You possibly can cost the SOLIX F2000 from mains electrical energy, from a automobile, or from photo voltaic panels. Of those, automotive charging is essentially the most easy: the F2000 comes with an adaptor that helps charging at as much as 120W. Whereas that’s good to have, you’d must drive for greater than 17 hours to cost a totally exhausted battery.
This energy station’s photo voltaic charging assist is complete. You possibly can plug a single transportable photo voltaic array into the XT60 socket on the rear, or use the equipped adaptor to chain as much as 5 200W arrays. In very best circumstances, you’d want solely a few hours to totally recharge the battery, probably making this a really versatile off-grid energy provide – supplied you may afford and have house for all of the photo voltaic panels.
By default, the F2000 recharges from the mains at as much as 2200W, which is sufficient for a full recharge in simply over an hour. Nonetheless, you need to use the app to pick out energy ranges down to simply 200W. That’s clearly slower, nevertheless it could possibly be very helpful if you happen to’re tenting and solely have entry to a low-power electrical hookup, otherwise you’re making an attempt to retailer restricted spare power from a house photo voltaic system.
The F2000 has a bypass circuit, which implies you may proceed to make use of its outputs whereas it’s charging from the mains. It’ll solely take a most of about 2.6kW from its mains enter, although, so connecting up an AC load of greater than about 400W will scale back the utmost charge at which the battery can cost. I must also stress that the AC Recharging Energy setting limits solely the recharge velocity, not the general energy flowing into the F2000. Set it to 750W, for instance, join up a 500W load, and the F2000 will draw 1250W from the mains. If you’re on a reference to restricted energy, bear in mind to unplug the facility station earlier than working a high-power system.
Anker says that in an influence minimize, the F2000 will swap totally to battery energy inside 20 milliseconds. Whereas that’s not as quick as some devoted uninterruptible energy provides, it was fast sufficient to maintain all of my workplace gear working and not using a glitch. One factor to notice is that there’s no alarm or information hyperlink operate, so that you’ll must control the cost stage to keep away from a sudden shutdown when the battery’s empty.
Efficiency
- Rock-solid energy output
- Good effectivity, particularly over USB
- Loud followers on heavy load
We at all times topic energy banks to harsh exams, however the F2000’s excessive specs meant that it acquired a very tough experience.
I started by confirming it may energy my washer, which it comfortably may. It equipped greater than 2200W over about 5-10 minutes throughout the water heating section, with the cooling followers stepping up as wanted. From a full cost, it had sufficient energy for 2 40℃ washes, and nonetheless reported about 30% cost left over.
After realising that none of my home home equipment introduced the F2000 with a problem, I discovered one thing extra heavy responsibility. My electrical automotive recharges at about 2.3kW from a normal plug socket, so I totally recharged the facility financial institution, plugged the automotive in, and watched the F2000 fastidiously for the 52 minutes it took for its battery to expire of cost.
Though working close to its full rated energy, the F2000 appeared untroubled all through, with its batteries solely reaching 41℃ by the tip of the take a look at, and its case solely warming slightly close to the highest rear air output.
I measure the quantity of energy it takes to totally recharge an influence financial institution, and the way a lot it’s capable of present at numerous masses. I discovered it took barely much less power to recharge the F2000 at its quickest setting, with a full recharge taking 2323Wh in comparison with 2419Wh on the 200W setting.
As with all energy banks, the F2000 was much less environment friendly supplying mains electrical energy than energy over USB, because the inverter wanted for the previous makes use of a little bit of power itself. It equipped 1705Wh throughout my EV take a look at, and 1641Wh over the course of a medium-duty take a look at the place it was offering round 200-300W. Solely on my lightest take a look at, powering a 30W air air purifier, was it disappointing, managing simply 834Wh over the course of almost three days – that’s solely about 41% of its rated battery capability.
I examined the F2000’s USB effectivity utilizing a relentless 60W load, and measured a complete output of 1790Wh – 87% of the battery’s rated capability. Taking this, and the very best charging effectivity, I calculated a wonderful ‘spherical journey’ effectivity of 77%. One of the best round-trip effectivity utilizing the AC output was nonetheless an honest 73%.
We attempt to point out an influence station’s worth by dividing its value by the quantity of electrical energy it may well retailer in its lifetime. The SOLIX F2000 is rated for at the very least 3000 cycles, equating to an unbelievable 6.144 megawatt hours. At full worth that’s a aggressive 32.5p for each kWh saved, or 28p/kWh if you happen to handle to purchase it when discounted to £1700.
Not unhealthy, however the Dabbsson DBS2300 is even cheaper per kWh of storage, because it helps extra cost cycles and has higher-density batteries.
Newest offers
Must you purchase it?
You want heavy-duty, transportable energy: The F2000 is strong and impressively steady
You could have lighter wants: This energy station is finest for demanding functions
Remaining Ideas
Many energy banks are inefficient beneath a lightweight load, however the F2000 was notably disappointing, supplying lower than half of its rated battery capability. This caveat apart, nonetheless, it is a totally wonderful product, clearly engineered to ship excessive masses over an extended interval with out overheating or changing into unstable.
For those who dwell in an space with frequent blackouts, otherwise you need a easy onboard energy system for a smaller boat or camper van, the SOLIX F2000 could possibly be excellent, notably because it’s simple to move. Nonetheless, if you are able to do with a less-portable system, the Dabbsson DBS2300 is a superb different.
How we take a look at
We take a look at each battery station we overview totally over an prolonged time period. We use customary exams to match options correctly. We’ll at all times let you know what we discover. We by no means, ever, settle for cash to overview a product.
Discover out extra about how we take a look at in our ethics coverage.
We take a look at with quite a lot of gadgets to see how lengthy the battery will final.
We take a look at totally different charging strategies to see how rapidly the battery might be topped up.
FAQs
It’s formally rated at 2048 watt-hours (2.05 kilowatt hours). We acquired a most of 1.79kWh from a full cost.
How lengthy every cost lasts is dependent upon what you’re making an attempt to energy with it – it could possibly be as little as an hour, or it may final a number of days.
The system itself feels very effectively constructed, and makes use of long-lasting LFP batteries. Anker says it’ll final 10 years, and it comes with a five-year guarantee.
