Use battery-powered portable generators to get electricity anytime, anywhere.

Portable power stations are smaller, lesser-known generators. They can charge and run smoothly your power tools, phones and other electronic products. These multifunctional, lunchbox-sized mobile power supplies can be carried to construction sites, camping trips or other places where electricity is needed. They are also useful backup power sources during power outages when you need to keep your phone on or basic equipment running.

I tested seven portable power stations ranging from a few hundred dollars to more than one thousand dollars to compile this list. Note: The two models I initially reviewed and recommended—Klein Tools KTB5 (best mid-range) and Rockpals 300W (best budget)—have been discontinued. I replaced them with updated similar versions, but these models have not been tested for performance. 

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I focus on rechargeable battery-powered models, but gas generator models are also available. Although each power station provides mobile power in a compact design, each portable generator has a different design and range of functions. I conducted a portable charger test for each battery pack device, and considered factors such as battery life, wattage, power output, and the type of charging port provided by the power station (must have at least one USB port!).

Please keep in mind that the price I marked for each portable power station below may change as retailers launch sales and other updates. I will do my best to check regularly so that they reflect the latest prices. 

That's it. Let us find the portable power station that best suits your needs.

Jackery Explorer 1000 is by far the most comprehensive portable power station. This powerful generator weighs 22 pounds and is quite compact, especially when compared to the 44-pound Ego Nexus model. Despite the small size of this Jackery portable power station, it manages to make room for three three-phase sockets, two USB-C ports, two standard USB-A ports, and more space for power supply and device charging . 

Its display is also easy to read and dominates the performance test, exceeding its expected 3 hours and 2 minutes (with three work lights connected) battery-powered runtime of 8.5 minutes on average. For an additional $500, you can install a portable solar panel set and use it as a solar generator while camping.

If you don't need a device as powerful as the Jackery Explorer 1000, look for a mid-range portable power station with a capacity of about 500 watt-hours. 

I really like Klein Tools' KTB5 because of its performance and wide variety of sockets and ports (two three-phase sockets, two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports). This model has been discontinued. Fortunately, Klein Tools owns the Blackfire brand, which produced a model with similar specifications: Blackfire PAC505. 

Rockpals replaced the original 300W portable power station with a new model (also known as Rockpals 300).

The original Rockpals 300W I tested is my favorite affordable portable power station. It performs well, is lightweight, and has multiple ports and outlet options. 

The updated Rockpals 300W has similar specifications, including the same 280 watt-hour estimate. But this iteration adds a USB-C port to provide more charging options. I know that $286 is not exactly a budget, but if it is similar to the previous model, then the new Rockpals 300W is well worth considering.

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Portable power stations are often designed to power smaller electronic devices and appliances, from phones and desktop fans to heavy duty work lights and CPAP machines. Please pay attention to the estimated watt-hours provided by each brand in its specifications to determine which model is best for the equipment you want to power.

If a company says its portable power station has 200 watt-hours, then it should be able to power a 1-watt output device for about 200 hours. I cover this in detail in the "How We Tested" section below, but please consider the wattage of the equipment you are going to power, and then the number of watt-hours your portable power station needs. 

Portable power stations are often designed to power smaller electronic devices and appliances, from phones and desktop fans to heavy duty work lights and CPAP machines. Please pay attention to the estimated watt-hours provided by each brand in its specifications to determine which model is best for the equipment you want to power.

If a company says its portable power station has 200 watt-hours, then it should be able to power a 1-watt output device for about 200 hours. I cover this in detail in the "How We Tested" section below, but please consider the wattage of the equipment you are going to power, and then the number of watt-hours your portable power station needs. 

Possibly, depending on the refrigerator and portable power station. 

For example, this standard LG refrigerator has an estimated annual energy consumption of 608 kWh. This is equivalent to 1.67 kilowatt-hours per day, or 1,670 watt-hours per day. 

1,670 watt-hours per day is equivalent to less than 70 watt-hours per hour. If you experience a short-term power outage and you only need to power the refrigerator, a 200 watt-hour power station can run it for nearly three hours. You need a power station with a higher estimated watt-hour to keep your refrigerator running longer. The service life of mini refrigerators is much longer than that of large refrigerators. 

Before trying, be sure to confirm the electrical requirements of your specific refrigerator and portable power station, especially the peak/starting power of the refrigerator. 

Before delving into how I tested these things, here is the list of models I looked at. Please keep in mind that several original models have been discontinued.

Every company that sells portable power stations provides the expected number of watt hours that their products should last. For Goal Zero Yeti 200x, this is 187 watt-hours; Paxcess 300W is 288 watt-hours. Jackery Explorer 1000 claims a power of 1,002 watt-hours. 

This means that if you run a device with 1 watt output power on the Yeti 200x, it should last about 187 hours. You can get 288 hours from the Paxcess model and 1,002 hours using the Jackery generator. For reference, the power of a USB-C iPhone charger is up to 18 watts, the power of a 3-quart Instant Pot is 700 watts, and the power of a standard microwave oven is about 600 to 1,200 watts, depending on the model. 

Since I don’t have a 1-watt device to test (wait, is there a 1-watt device?) and because I don’t have more than 187 hours to test a power station, our laboratory manager Steve Conaway designed a smart Plan: I will use a 110-watt, 10,000-lumen portable LED work light (the following is the exact light I used).

For example, if you divide the 187 expected watt-hour of the Yeti 200x by 110 (the wattage of one of the working lights), you get 1.7. Then my accountant husband helped me convert each decimal number into the expected operating time of each power station. 1.7 is equal to 1 hour and 42 minutes of expected operating time from fully charged to zero (when the light is off). 

I plug the work lights into Goal Zero Yeti 200x, Rockpals 300W and Paxcess 300W. The more powerful Blackfire PAC500 and Klein Tools KTB5 each run two work lights, again, to reduce test time. The two largest generators, Jackery Explorer 1000 and Ego Nexus 3000 PST3042, ran three work lights for each test.

I ran the same test twice on each of the seven power plants to track consistency and rule out any abnormal results. In the end, everyone's performance was very close to the expected runtime.

As you can see, they are very close to the target, with the Paxcess and Ego models performing the worst. But only the Jackery and Rockpals power stations have always been running longer than expected. This is a clear advantage when you work long hours in the workplace, camp off the grid, or need to charge your mobile phone at home after a storm. Electricity. 

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