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For over a decade now, I've been using UPS units (think CyberPower PFC units) behind computers and other important home electronics. These have large, heavy and relatively low capacity lead acid batteries that usually I can get 4-5 years out of and provide a pretty decent sine wave reproduction on their output stage. In exchange for a ~ $100-200 unit that's heavy to move and not terribly functional, I've gotten A+ 100% electronics protection (not one piece of gear affected during an outage or storm) and a paltry half hour or so of runtime. I also get crappy usability like LCD screens that become unreadable after a year or two, and USB ports that flake out if you look at them the wrong way.
Recently, with some sales going on and the need for some portable storage for a road trip, I bought an Anker Solix C800 Plus. With the sale, it was a solid $400 - not inexpensive by any means. It's not meant to be a home UPS - it's portable storage for camping and the like. In that context, it has some 800Wh of capacity (much more than the Cyperpowers...) using cells that will last 3-4x longer. It provides the "UPS" features one wants like no loss of power for connected devices when losing grid power. It has a long list of nice little features that you wouldn't find a "computer UPS" like integrated lighting and flashlights, comfortable handles and balanced weight distribution for easy pick-up and travel, gobs of integrated inputs (solar DC, etc.) and outputs (USB, DC12V etc.), apps with rich features like energy monitoring, schedules etc. and much, much more. And yes, easily 5-10x the runtime if I do lose power, and an inverter that isn't scared of beyond-kilowatt loads like my consumer-esque APC/CyberPower units often are. This particular unit is just the entry level to a class of portable energy storage devices that can be very large, powerful and capable.
So, in short, it's expensive but far, far more capable and in some ways, perceived greater bang-for-buck, at least with the right sales.
What I have not been able to gather from anywhere is the quality of the 120VAC output on these devices, and I don't feel comfortable measuring directly like I once might have been. So whereas the older units have given me an amazing track record of always protecting equipment downstream of them, I don't know if I'd get that same benefit with this class of UPS.
Has anyone kicked the tires on such portable battery backup units?
Recently, with some sales going on and the need for some portable storage for a road trip, I bought an Anker Solix C800 Plus. With the sale, it was a solid $400 - not inexpensive by any means. It's not meant to be a home UPS - it's portable storage for camping and the like. In that context, it has some 800Wh of capacity (much more than the Cyperpowers...) using cells that will last 3-4x longer. It provides the "UPS" features one wants like no loss of power for connected devices when losing grid power. It has a long list of nice little features that you wouldn't find a "computer UPS" like integrated lighting and flashlights, comfortable handles and balanced weight distribution for easy pick-up and travel, gobs of integrated inputs (solar DC, etc.) and outputs (USB, DC12V etc.), apps with rich features like energy monitoring, schedules etc. and much, much more. And yes, easily 5-10x the runtime if I do lose power, and an inverter that isn't scared of beyond-kilowatt loads like my consumer-esque APC/CyberPower units often are. This particular unit is just the entry level to a class of portable energy storage devices that can be very large, powerful and capable.
So, in short, it's expensive but far, far more capable and in some ways, perceived greater bang-for-buck, at least with the right sales.
What I have not been able to gather from anywhere is the quality of the 120VAC output on these devices, and I don't feel comfortable measuring directly like I once might have been. So whereas the older units have given me an amazing track record of always protecting equipment downstream of them, I don't know if I'd get that same benefit with this class of UPS.
Has anyone kicked the tires on such portable battery backup units?