For infrequent off-grid working and for maintaining your electrical gadgets powered while tenting, we discovered the EcoFlow River Mini to be wonderful worth, tremendous quick and it packs in some nice options. Learn on for our full overview…
What’s it?
EcoFlow River Mini Transportable Energy Station £299
General Ranking 
(4 / 5)
Stockists
Options
- 300W (Surge 600W) Battery capability 210Wh
- Silent & zero emissions rechargeable NCM battery
- Fast charging
- 3 pin plug socket
- 12v socket
- 3 USB ports
- Very light-weight and transportable
- Constructed-in seize deal with
- Fees a number of gadgets on the similar time
What we thought
Straight out of the field, the EcoFlow River mini feels sturdy with a barely rugged, rubberised really feel to it. I plugged it straight into the mains to cost, and in lower than 2 hours it was at 100% and able to go.
There’s no deal with as such, as an alternative, on the again there’s a build-in wedge that lets you seize and carry the machine and at underneath 3kgs, it’s so mild, it’s simple to hold round one-handed.
The facility station featured a giant clear display on the entrance and I discovered it simple to learn in any mild, even in brilliant daylight. The display exhibits you the enter and output in watts and the battery share, so you’ll be able to clearly see how a lot you’ve received left and what I actually appreciated, is that it exhibits you the way a lot time you’ve received left which is exceptionally useful.
With my laptop computer plugged in for instance, I may see the ability station was on 62% which gave me an additional 4 hours of charging time. Seeing not solely the quantity of battery left, however figuring out how a lot time that gives makes it very easy to stability use and doesn’t depart you guessing.
I’ve used it to energy my laptop computer a number of occasions and every time the charging time has been astonishingly quick, akin to being plugged into the mains. The identical was true when charging my USB C cell phone, totally charged in just below an hour from nearly empty.
Though the ability station can be utilized with a photo voltaic enter and I already personal two completely different photo voltaic panels, neither of them had the proper of connector on them to permit me to connect them to the EcoFlow River Mini. With a suitable photo voltaic panel of as much as 110w enter nonetheless, the River Mini can cost in simply 3 hours.
Execs
- It fees actually quick
- Small and light-weight
- Feels sturdy
- Brilliant and clear entrance display
- The battery quantity remaining is clearly proven together with usable time left
- Can be utilized with a photo voltaic enter as much as 110w
- 24-month guarantee for further peace of thoughts
- App obtainable
- Loads of equipment obtainable together with carry bag, batteries, cables and photo voltaic panels
Cons
- I would like an precise deal with on the unit
- At £319 the suitable 110w photo voltaic panel is kind of pricy
The decision
Our Ranking
Practicality 4/5
Appears to be like 4.5/5
Efficiency 4.5/5
Worth 4/5
General Ranking (4 / 5)
On a latest glamping break, I labored on one of many days I used to be away. I spent a lot of the day snuggled up in a wearable sleeping bag, working outdoors on an unusually delicate day. Though I made positive my laptop computer was totally charged, by mid-afternoon my battery warning mild was flashing, I grabbed the EcoFlow River Mini, plugged it in, and was capable of proceed working outdoors.
I typically run workshops and coaching classes and don’t all the time have entry to mains electrical energy after I do them, so figuring out I can depend on the EcoFlow River Mini as a dependable backup to maintain my laptop computer powered when out and about offers implausible peace of thoughts.
The facility station is straightforward and intuitive to make use of, and while there’s a companion app that my husband downloaded and performed with, all it actually appears to do is present you the stats you’ll be able to already see on the display.
With the power to alter a wise from 50% as much as 100% in lower than half-hour, and taking my laptop computer up from 60% to 100% in underneath an hour, the speedy charging alone is a good purpose to think about the EcoFlow River Mini.
Totally charged and used over the course of a glamping weekend, the EcoFlow River Mini offered us with adequate energy to maintain each of our telephones topped up, it recharged a tenting lantern we forgot to cost earlier than going away, and it stored my laptop computer powered for a full day of labor.
The EcoFlow River Mini is very transportable and feels fairly rugged too, and my solely gripe could be it’s a disgrace there’s not a real deal with on the ability station and no little carry bag which would supply a little bit of sensible safety when tenting with it, although a bag may be bought individually. Add a suitable photo voltaic panel, and also you’ve received an off-grid energy station that fees home equipment extraordinarily shortly and can keep totally powered on longer breaks.
In case you’re on the lookout for one thing highly effective sufficient to maintain your electrical gadgets up and working throughout a weekend of tenting or glamping, the EcoFlow River Mini makes an excellent selection, particularly in case you can’t stretch to a dearer energy station with a bigger capability.
DISCLOSURE | Thanks to EcoFlow who provided the featured product to us to check. We weren’t paid to put in writing this overview.
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