EcoFlow RIVER Pro with Extra Battery Review and Comparison to Goal Zero and Bluetti Solar Generators
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 เม.ย. 2021
- My in-depth review of the EcoFlow RIVER Pro solar generator with 720wh and extra battery to expand to 1440wh. I test the X-Stream wall charging up to 620 watts, X-Boost inverter mode to power hungry appliances, USB-C and A charging, and the car charger. Overall, this is a great value and really impressive unit.
RIVER Pro on Amazon:
amzn.to/3IR8JAM
RIVER Pro from Ecoflow.com:
shrsl.com/43ct0
Disclosure: I was provided a free review unit from Ecoflow but as always, my reviews are fair and unbiased. - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
We have used the th-cam.com/users/postUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!
Thank You for what you do. I have seen a number of reviews and all seem to say what you did. So, I bought the River Pro. I wanted a mid-size unit, and for the price and fetches, this is the best.
This was by far the most through review of this unit I have watched. Extremely informative. Thank you!!
By far the best review of this battery system on TH-cam. You really hit all the bullet points! I ordered one this week and was a little nervous about the no return policy, this review has me feeling very good about my decision and helps me understand the strengths and limitations of the pack. Thank you!
Glad to hear it. I think you’ll enjoy it
Agreed
What's the difference between the regular ecopro river and the pro other than the boost
@@frediventure3 The standard River has a much smaller battery (288 vs. 720wh), has a smaller expansion battery (576 vs. 720wh), slower wall charging, etc. I'd go with the Pro or Delta Mini over these older products
@@todd.parker thank you so much really aporeciate your quick reply. One more queation tho. Im planning to buy a protable ref freezer. Alpicool which is about 45watts do u know how long i could run it with river pro? Tnk u so much man. Your review is is amazing. Good luck to you🤗
One of the best videos I have watched comparing the River Pro with one of its direct competitors.
Very helpful. Just beginning to outfit for overlanding and just dying with so many options. Thank you!! For my needs, this is going to be ideal, I think.
Perfect review of the River Pro could not ask for more. Thanks Todd.
I dig the display of the River Pro. It gives you all the necessary info you need. Most important of all, the usable time left.
We were hovering between Bluetti EB70 and EcoFlow River Pro. Went for the River Pro primarily for the internal charger where-as bluetti had a noisy external power brick. Fastcharge is also a good feature. This review really helped us getting a good view of the EcoFlow product. We're getting the EU version with 2x230V tho :)
Awesome. I’m reviewing the Delta 2 now and that’s another winner
Ecoflow delta 2 way better
Perfect timing. I have been considering this River Pro. Was originally wanting the Yeti 1000x but they never came out with that model, instead they go right up to 1500 and a much higher price than I wanted to pay. So been wanting something more along the lines with this model. I am watching the video now but hoping you review it to run a full-size fridge.
It ran my full sized fridge but will only run it for about 12 hours with the expansion battery, maybe 16 if your fridge is more efficient than mine. I really like the River Pro, good stuff.
An update: Goal Zero released a 1000 Core exclusive to Amazon that looks interesting. I'm working on getting. review unit. www.amazon.com/Goal-Zero-Generator-Tailgating-Emergency/dp/B0988916ZK/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=yeti%2B1000%2Bcore&qid=1628701071&sr=8-2&th=1
Much appreciated this review! Confirms my confidence in my choice. I originally picked up one of the Duracell 660 units and couldn’t return it fast enough! My wife couldn’t even budge it! I just ordered one of these. I am still waiting for FedEx to get their act together and deliver it. Great customer service from ECOFLOW though.
No extra battery yet, but most likely will add this on before next winter storm season. However I gave it some thought and I think the connection cable for the 2 units is probably that way for 3 reasons:
1- stiff cable is more resistant to repeated flexing and damage to internal wire strands
2- size of cable (diameter) is to avoid power loss
3- length of cable allows you to carry both units while walking with one in each hand without tripping yourself or hindering your stride
Considering the location of the plug, I think they should make another cable with a 90 degree out sitting flush with the body of main unit. The way it is right now, I am scared one could easily hit or tug on it and cause it to break internally.
Yeah. I wish the cables connected in back too
If you like this one. Then you would really like their delta 1300. I own both.
I've just bought one!!! Great review 👏
Really informative video. I’ve just ordered this eco flow unit will extra battery. With proposed power blackouts in the UK and Europe this winter I think it’s going to come in handy.
My EcoFlow river pro arrived on sale from Costco. Your review helped in many ways. Thank you for clear and concise review.
Excellent, glad it was helpful
Extremely well done. I am in the market for a unit that I can use overlanding while being a decent backup at home during short outages. Thank you for this review.
Dude, trust me, this is absolutely EXACTLY what you are looking for. It will not disappoint on either front. Though, when overlanding, I do bring my 160 Watt Eco Flow solar panel set-up (the best in the business, by the way) and my slightly older Renergy 300 solar battery, just in case.
We have the river max and love it it’s perfect for a weekend of camping , we used to on Saturday charge it in the suv while we ran to gas station or to get firewood but I recently picked up the 110w solar panel for it so I can’t wait to try it in the spring with that
Great review. I really like my River pro. I don't have the expansion battery but I converted two 400 watt scooter batteries that I use to back up all my small solar gens and it's way cheaper ($90 total for used batteries, charger, connectors and special "dongle"). Not as pretty but saves $300 and I get an extra 100 watts.
parts list and schematic for your expansion batt?
I'd be curious to see what you did there. I though connecting lithium batteries of different sizes/voltages was tricky to pull off. I think that's why Goal Zero went with lead acid (boo).
I used/ watched some tutorials on jehugarcia ("jag35") channel. Bought the dongle from his site, sourced the rest from Craigslist and Amazon.
This is a great review. I received my River Pro and extra battery this morning along with the 160 solar panel. I never was able to connect the extra battery, nor was I able to use the app. After a couple calls to Ecoflow, they admitted that there was a problem getting the main unit to recognize the extra battery. I was told I needed to upgrade the software but because I could never get the app to work, there was no way to get the units to work together. You should never be able to do more with the app than the main unit. This all goes back to Costco in the morning.
That’s a bummer. The app has worked perfectly for me but I’ve heard others have had the same problem
very good review brother, very in depth and HONEST.
First time on your channel. What a thorough review! I feel like I got a really close-up look at the Eco-Flow system. It looks like a really well thought out and engineered system. You took a lot of time reviewing all the key features. Nice production work on the video, great camera work and solid audio, something that others on TH-cam struggle disregard. Looking forward to watching more videos from your channel, Todd. Thank you.
Thank you so much, that’s really nice to hear. I do like to show the details and get a bit more close up so you can feel what it’s like. Also, I hate being on camera. I’m working on an Ecoflow’s Delta Max review as we speak so be sure to subscribe if interested.
@@todd.parker - I'm subscribed! Can't wait.
@@larryware1 my delta max is out btw
@@todd.parker - saw it. Nicely done! I think EcoFlow has the best system available.
Thank you for info. Had a portable lead acid unit that I gave away to a recycling concern. For home use most draw would be the expresso machine in early am. Am single with scant knowledge of electricity. My Toyota battery failed, at seven yrs old. Had to "jump start" and bought a new one. Will probably get one anyway as a backup for infrequent power outages.
Thank you very much for this review. You gave a lot of valuable technical information.
My only nitpick is that the "wild display activity" during the heat gun test was probably the unit reacting poorly to the heat gun's power control circuitry.
You probably can't get a proper load above 600w without triggering its surge/overload system.
The reason the heat gun could run at such high power was because it was constantly going into and out of its surge algo, but never "timing out". This is probably bad for the unit.
This is why the space heater couldn't run without the "x-boost" trickery enabled.
Also, it is valuable to know that the companion application, at least according to the top Amazon one-star review, DOES NOT WORK if you do not have cell service.
This is a significant problem for a product whose major use case is to be taken out into the sticks where the comforts of civilization might not follow, or when the comforts of civilization have failed you.
Fortunately its basic functionality remains functional via the front panel, but losing the ability to configure the X- modes could become a problem.
I plan to buy one, and personally will leave the fast charger disabled unless I want to take it on the go, where I will want to optimize my time with a gas generator running or when I have limited access to "shore" power. I'll also probably leave the voltage trickery feature enabled, as I want to see how it'll work with a 700w microwave oven.
There is one last neat feature it supports according to the manual: UPS mode.
If you turn on the AC outlets while plugged in, it'll shunt the incoming power to the outlets.
Then if the incoming power goes out, it'll (after a ~30ms delay) start up its inverter and run your device on battery.
Any updates after owning this? The required cell service for app seems odd. Some versions of android require bluetooth to be used with location on. This might be the confusion? Otherwise bluetooth connection shouldn't require cell service. Or even Wi-Fi direct. Any update on this? Thanks.
Luckily I bought this unit 2 days before I saw this post and video..so glad I watched it as it confirmed my choice. By far the best review I've seen and I understood all of it as I'm not a high tech person. Delta was my second choice but seemed for my needs this one was better and cheaper even after buying the expansion battery. And at $399.99. I can afford more expansion batteries as needed to survive longer days of uncertainty. Very well put together. Thank you
Months later are you still enjoying it? Researching this thing and mostly just coming across promo reviews where someone was sent one but little follow up or someone using it regularly.
@@bucky716 yes, works perfectly. Its very portable and has enough power for what I'm using it for. Ego generator is what I'm using for my heavy backup. But I have 15 batteries to keep it running. It just has a slow recharge time otherwise I'd give it a higher rating. You won't go wrong with this choice, because you will need a fast solar charge to be ready for the next day without power
@@markf6932 appreciate the follow up and info! I'm waiting for UPS to deliver mine today.
@@bucky716 Amazon has the extra battery on sell. And With a 30 dollar extra coupon. Just ordered another 5 min ago. Cheap buy.
Thanks for the detailed review, based on this just ordered mine! Looking forward to using this product
Awesome, you’ll really like it
Just bought a unit after watching your review
By far the best ecoflow review, ive been watching hundreds of vids & this one helped me decide way better than others! Great job thanx!🙃
So great to hear, thanks!
Thank you so much for thorough review!
Can do a review or test to see if Ecoflow River plus will power a portable fridge like Dometic CFX28 12 volt or Alpicool C15. I already was disappointed that it would not run my instapot 😒
Thanks Todd, great review as always!
Thanks !! This was the best review I've seen !! I was going to order a Jackery & heard about the River Pro & this was a great to see the different things it does.. thanks again!!
Nice! I think you’ll like this much more than a Jackery
Your speaking ability is worth commenting on, first of all.😁 I love to hear such well spoken narration over an interesting video. Thank you for this great video. 🌥️
Excellent review, touched on everything I was looking for, thanks 👍
What's up my man. Im watching so I wanted to drop a comment. I have the river base model. Cool little device. Got a bluetti eb70 coming soon.
Thank you Sir and nicely delivered... I'll be getting one tomorrow !
They may still be on sale at Costco
@@todd.parker Found them at Amazon after eBay sold out.
Hi Tod. Very neat and easy for a solo female. Thank you again.
I have a Bluetti AC50S, a EcoFlow River Pro, plus a Jackery Explorer_1000 which is really good!.. but far away the EcoFlow River Pro is the more advanced in every aspect. I love it! 👍
2 months ago, is everything still running good on it..?? i see reviews where back up service isnt great??? wanting to buy one myself
But will it last as long as the other two!
Thanks for a great review, Todd. I have learnt a lot and just purchased my River Pro. My first time using the Solar panel was a bit of a surprise in that, even it started to collect the sun energy immediately, as shown in the Input watts on the display, there was no increase in the total stored energy % . In fact, it has gone down from 51% to 47%. It is possible that my sun capture was not too high, @36% input only. Just wonder if I have done something incorrectly and thus not will never achieve any benefits from this green energy. Knowing I can make use of the sun's energy is exciting, just need to do it right to make it worth the time too. Your comments are appreciated.
Huh, that seems odd. So you were getting 36w of solar input and the state of charge dropped 4%? Did you have anything connected to the AC, DC, or USB ports that was draining the battery as you charged it? That would explain the losses if the sola input was less than the output.
Great clear review and comparisons. The only thing I didn’t see you cover was cycle counts. Is there any way to know if the faster charging will decrease the unit’s lifespan? (Or do all lithium batteries pretty much do the same thing?)
I used to get hung up on cycle counts but I’ve come to realize that each company rates their cycles differently so it’s hard to compare. All these are lithium ion chemistry so I think they are roughly the same though battery quality will also contribute but that data is hard to come by. To maximize life just don’t cycle them too deeply and don’t fill them to 100%. I’m a fan of LiFePO4 because they offer much longer battery life and are safer but are a bit heavier.
Great review! You covered pretty much everything. The only thing I missed was capacity testing @ 12v.
Thanks! Yeah, I did the fridge testing but don’t have a power meter to test DC output.
@@todd.parker I was me or do i miss
If the unit will allow "pass-throug" charging???
Can be used as UBS device??
Best review I’ve seen so far! Thank you!
Thank you!
Great review. Thank you so much.
Thanks so much for the wonderful video! Lots of great, useful info and your delivery is smooth as butter! I was wondering what the advantage is of getting this setup vs. the Delta. In our use case, the grid is to the point where we have rolling blackouts every year. I’m not looking to power everything when we lose power. Instead, we’ll transfer the most important food and meds to a smaller fridge, power lights and our devices.
I think the main advantage of the river pro is if you want some thing portable and don’t need a large inverter. The capacity with the extra battery is a little bigger than a Delta also. But if you can afford it the Delta is a much more capable unit with a much larger inverter so for your use case I’d probably go with a Delta. On sale at REI now - www.rei.com/product/197018/ecoflow-delta-portable-power-station
I have the Pro and the extra battery, and they are nice. Took some figuring out but I think it's great 👍🏼and got them both on sell
great review ... delayed my entry into portable gen market and glad I did .. quick question ( being that having coffee on road is big reason ) - was that espresso machine a 600 watt unit more or less ? I'd like to know I can run one without stressing unit .. thanks
The Nespresso Citiz is rated to use 1710W of electricity which is odd because this never tripped the unit. Definitely look for something in the 600-800w ranger safety
Thanks for the great review. Can you simultaneously charge via solar and AC? I ask because my vehicle has a 400w AC port that I can use when I'm parked, otherwise it's 100w while I'm driving. I'm wondering if I could I use my 100w/400w AC port on my car, and combine that with a 200w solar panel to charge even faster.
If I listened correctly, its internally regulated to accept 200 watts of "DC in", and there is a reason why you can only charge a lithium ion battery at a certain rate....... have you ever spent any time around RC cars? So in short (haha pun intebded), I think your overall charge rate is internally regulated.
Just bought mine! Amazing Detailed review! Open boxed model for $349.99 Free shipping! Cant beat that!
Great review, now I want to see your larger delta review!
I don’t have a Delta yet, but maybe they will send me one..
Exactly! The delta has a better position in the bigger inverters that the pro, even though the pro stacks up well. I have a pro and a standard river, enjoy them alot.
Thank you for the best professional review! River Pro it is.
I really liked your review on this. You didn't glean over the fact that there is a reduction of appliance or tool voltage when needing to use the X Boost function and true, we don't know how that will affect the appliance or tool. Many reviewers omitted that information, so really appreciate your fair evaluation on this point. I think it's still the best unit out there as a mid capacity generator and have looked at many reviews. I did look at the Delta's reviews and it seems to overheat periodically causing down time, so I went with this unit. I will simply put the extra battery on the floor... not a big deal for me.
One thing I might mention is that it's important to set up the EcoFlow from the app the way you like it as soon as you get it and, before taking it out on the road. If your in an area where there's no cell service or we loose service for some other crazy reason, you won't be able to access the app to make changes. Maybe it would work if one has one of the newer satellite phones. Please correct me if my thinking is wrong on this. All that said, I am excited to say I did just buy this unit... along with the extra battery and am waiting for delivery.
I liked your set up for the refrigerator generator circuit and want to learn how you did that. This technology is fairly new to me and I'm still learning. Looks like that is a panel box set up?
Hi, thanks. That is a transfer panel, specifically the Goal Zero hone integration kit, I have a few videos on it
@@todd.parker I just watched your video on the home integration kit... great info. Was wondering how it was all connected. Looks very doable... Thank you. BTW, concerning the fridge and microwave coming on at same time... someone suggested putting the fridge on a plug in timer. Those work well, as I have one hooked up to my distiller.
@@Martha-ug2gh Good idea on the timer, that could help with making sure you don't have multiple energy hungry applicants kicking on a the same time.
Excellent review - thank you so much for all of the info provided. I do have one question. How does the fan noise compare to other generators? I've seen another review of this product where it sounded like maybe the fan noise was quite noticeable. But maybe that was just the guy's environment? I'm hoping to buy a generator to run and change multiple small devises - laptops, phone, monitor.. but I don't want a loud distracting fan noise. Thanks again!
Fans are pretty quiet and you only hear them under high loads or fast charging, otherwise it’s silent. Similar to a Goal Zero. Charger is much quieter than the Bluetti because it has a loud fan on the power brick that never shuts off plus the internal fans.
This was really good. Clear, focussed on the important. Thank you.
Thanks, I appreciate it!
@@todd.parker I’ve seen nothing on it but wonder if it can charge a 12 volt trolling motor. That’s a deep cycle battery (as opposed to a cranking battery used to start you boat engine or car). My boat has an inverter/charger already so it’d be simply like plugging it into the wall. I have found nothing but super sketchy stuff online about connecting solar panels directly to the battery, which does not seem wise.
@@johnbmadwis You could plug a battery charger into the AC outlets on this to charge a battery for sure. If you want to charge via solar, you need a charge controller but those are pretty small an inexpensive if you wanted to go that way. Sort of depends on if you want to leave something out in the weather long term (solar panel + battery and controller in a battery box is best) or just need to periodically charge up the battery (River would work well)
Great review that caught my attention. Been using Goal Zero from almost their beginning are made local and have wonderful customer service but since COVID thins different. Have old 350 battery which is now dead. Looking to replace. Have Goal Zero 150x2 & 1000 Yeti. But wife wants mid size. Have many Goal Zero solar panels, 20x2 and 8 hard panel Boulder 30s. Will these work? Does your review battery need to plugged in when not in use as Goal Zeros do? Paid $750 for old unit.
Your GZ panels will work with any solar generator, it's just a matter of getting the right adapter cables and keeping the voltage within the limits of the unit. For the Ecoflow, it' probably easiest to convert the 8mm panels to MC4, then connect them via the included MC4 cable. If you go with a Bluetti EB70, another good choice, it uses an 8mm input so you can just connect these directly. www.bluettipower.com/products/bluetti-eb70-716wh-700w-portable-power-station
Great informative video. I have a question. I'm planning to use the River Pro for emergency home backup. Do you know if it's recommended to have the unit plugged on to AC? Thanks
Yes, you can leave it plugged in and have it work like a UPS
It works like a standard UPS for common items. Or you can just leave it unplugged like mine and will hold a full charge and not lose any charge sitting on my desk. We do sometimes use it for power outages for TV, router, few lights etc.
I like the fact you could use after market MCA solar panels. I like jackary but not crazy about them trying to steer everyone toward their proprietary panels at x3 the cost per watt.
Costco has this set up for $699 currently through the end of April. That’s with the extra battery.
How many hours for full size fridge ? Looking for hurricane season. Pass thru power ? Did you try any window ac?
Hey Todd...Great video. 2 questions...can this run a Keurig ? and is the River Pro with battery better than the standard Delta from ecoflow ?
The main difference is the Delta has a much bigger inverter and is a good choice for things like a Keurig. The River Pro has a smaller inverter and it would be a stretch to run a Keurig. If you can afford the Delta, I think you’d like it but the River is good for smaller AC applicable like laptops and TVs
Todd, excellent review and comparison. The newer Yeti 1500X has a better standing with the regulated 12v and the enhanced (built in) charging speeds, but not as fast as the Eco Flow and they don't currently offer expansion batts for the 1500X. The Eco Flow looks like a great set up. The only thing I would like to see is a way to make the extra batteries chainable since you can't charge them unless they're connect to the main power station (Just like Goal Zero). I supposed you could just buy and keep a several extra River Pro batteries on hand. Maybe Yeti is panning to follow suit and switch from Lead Acid to Lithium for their expandable batteries. I'm sure Yeti will let us know soon enough. Take care.
I wish you could chain multiple batteries too. At least you could buy a few expansion batteries and cycle through them if you needed to, like you said. For the size and capability, this is hard to beat but let's hope all these upstarts get Goal Zero to level up quick.
You can use most external battery types with this unit.
I am pessimistic if it comes to high charging rates as in general the lower charging efficiency the higher charge rate.
Great review! Thanks. How many watts is the Vornado heater? I have a small Duracraft heater with a thermostat that ranges from 800 - 1500 watts. Wondering if it could run on the lowest setting?
The Vornado is pretty much the same: 750/1500 watts so it would run it but would kill your battery very fast
I pulled the trigger and ordered the Ecoflow River Pro and extra battery. As I was undecided about the solar panel to buy, I am now researching that deeper. I liked the 160w Ecoflow but seems amiss to lose that 40w on the table since the River Pro can handle 200w total from solar. I want to get as close to that as I can. I am considering the Goal Zero Nomad 200 or the Bluetti SP200 200W Solar Panels. I still lose a tad since neither will give me a full 200 but closer than the 160w panel would from Ecoflow. Now to just decipher what connectors come with each. I think the Goal Zero has an Anderson connector or HPP and the Bluetti has the MC4. Something tells me the Ecoflow River Pro comes with a MC4 to XT60 adapter already? Maybe that will allow me to connect directly with that one. Goal Zero I guess I need an Anderson to XT60 adapter.
The Ecoflow includes the MC4 cable so you just need panels that you can adapt to that. You can also easily parallel connect a pair of panels, like two 120w to get there
Hello again Todd. I hope you don't mind me asking one more Question. I was having difficulty locating a single 250 w 24v panel for this so I started eyeballing a couple 120w panels on Amazon from Newpowa to run in parallel. The title says "120w 24v designed for 24v charge system but looking at the description it shows "Maximum power (Pmax): 120W Voltage at Pmax (Vmp):34.0V Current at Pmax (Imp): 3.52A." Does that imply that these are actually 34v panels and not appropriate for the River Pro? Seems strange that they throw 24v up everywhere but would then be 34 instead.
Yeah those seem like too high voltage. There are lots of 19-24v panels and you can just hook in parallel
Thank you for a great review. If you combine with an expansion battery, does it handle a higher peak surge wattage? Meaning can it handle 1200 W x 2 (peak surge)? Or is the peak wattage limit still the same?
Peak wattage is still the same but you gain longer runtimes with the extra battery
A very great review, I’m not IT in this stuff but your review was user friendly, thank you ☺️
Nice review. I bought one. Looking forward to enjoying it.
It’s really great. Enjoy!
Great information on ecoflow river pro, thanks for the comparison too👍🏾
Great review! You helped me in making the purchase decision. It would be great to see a review of how it stands today 😀
Still really liking it. The small size a quick charging makes it like a bucket of electrons you can fill up and bring somewhere
@@todd.parker thanks for the follow-up
Great review.
I am considering this to connect as a ups for my 1/3 hp sump pump, could take it out once in a while when needed for something else. I am a little concerned though about the x-boost, which may be needed with an electric motor startup. Another negative is that it doesn't run off of the extra battery first and it doesn't appear to have a way to charge the extra battery separate.
I don’t think xboost works for most situations so only plan on running 600-700w appliances with this. After a firmware update and some fiddling, the internal and external batteries now discharge at roughly the same rate. You’re right that the extra battery can’t be charged or discharged by itself, would be nice.
Great review man thanks for taking the time to post this!
thanks for this awesome review!!
I have a question regarding the DC output. I am a bit worried about the 10A limit, will it be enough to power my van? I'll have a small fridge (around 60W), a vent, a webasto heater and led lights.
Can I plug some of these to the barrel connectors, does it then count towards the 10A limit?
thank you a lot for any help!
cheers
Each barrel connector will output 3A (36w) so together you have 16A. I wish they had a dedicated high output DC port
I agree with you on the Xboost since the lower the voltage the higher the current and it could cause an appliance to burn out a motor possibly or a capacitor. A hot plate would probably be OK.
Hi, today I got my additional battery and - of course - I had the same problem with the arrangement and this stiff cable. So here's my solution:
I took off those little plastic caps on the four sides of the grip of the main unit. Unscrew them and deinstalled the grip. Afterwards screw them in again. They will fit even without the grip.
So here you have now a nice platform to stack the additional battery on top of the main appliance. Looks good for me now. The cable is "a little bit" to long but it hides behind the stack.
That’s a great idea
Great review! Can you charge the main unit and the external battery via solar when they are tethered?
Yep. When connected they both charge from any input. I didn’t test if they charge at the same time or one then the other.
Awesome review! What will make you choose this with the extra battery vs the delta? In my country the first combo is cheaper than the delta
The river pro is perfect for a one handed, lightweight unit that is good for medium sized appliances. If you need to run larger AC appliances you should go with the Delta Mini or Max.
Excellent review in great detail. Was wondering in due time when the internal battery goes bad and needs a replacement. Can you just buy a new battery and swap it out or is this battery sealed inside the unit just wondering thank you in advance
Unfortunately I don' think any lithium power stations make it easy to swap battery packs because they tend to have unique cell configurations with the BMS closely matched to them. That's why I like to recommend LFP battery units now because they have a longer lifespan
Hey Todd. I reached out to Ecoflow regarding solar panel max wattage, voltage, etc and got a canned response that wasn't very helpful, so I was hoping to get your opinion. I just picked up the river pro and battery, and I was thinking about grabbing a single 250 watt 24v solar panel to use with my minivan, and based on my understanding that the River pro can only handle 12A max, the math 250w/24v clocks in at 10.416 amps and this should be ok to use, and based on your video whatever power I get will likely be hard limited at 200 watt. Does that sound like an ideal panel, or is it better to go with two smaller panels? I'm very new to this so I am being cautious, but my assumption was since you rarely get full wattage out of a panel anyway going for the 250 and letting the device limit would get me the best results.
I think that sounds like a great setup. You’re lucky to get 80% of rated output under ideal conditions, even lower if mounted flat on a roof so I think you’ll be fine. One vs. 2 panels is up to you but one might be less to mount
Thanks for this video, Todd. I don't think I saw you comment on whether or not the River Pro can charge simultaneously via AC and solar. Do you know if that is possible? Thank you!
Good question, I haven’t tested that
Thanks, excellent review and you were able to answer all of my questions. I’m scratching my head though on the design of these units. The top handle just adds to the height of each unit and prevents units from stacking. Why they couldn’t make foldable handle like in Bluetti is beyond me. I like the ability to quickly pair two units by the cable, but the whole design begs for main unit to sit on top of the extension with short cable or even connector adapter that could snap two units together. What EvoFlow engineers created instead is abomination.
I agree that XBoost is very dangerous in playing with voltage so merrily without warning users. Many voltage sensitive appliances, especially the ones with electric motors can be permanently damaged by the owner who doesn’t understand what XBoost is. They should have really not implement this feature at all for a fractional benefit it provides over danger of killing sensitive appliances.
Agreed on all points
I own this unit with the xternal battery. Power went out and kept things going for several hrs before lights came back on.
Did you have issue with the external battery not being seen by the main unit? I just ordered this package from Costco and found a few videos that show that issue. It seems it's isolated to Costco purchases. The way I see it all the ones from Costco have older firmware which could be the issue
@@DoritosResidue i bought mine thru amazon, so no issues. But i updated the firmware before i plugged the external battery. Then every couple of months i upgrade firmware if needed.
Excellent review, thanks so much! I bought mine a couple months ago after watching your video. So far so good, except I can't get the EcoFlow to pair with my iPhone via Bluetooth (but can connect over WiFi).
I didn't buy the extra battery, but I think a better design would be a stackable locking mechanism, kind of like connecting two lego blocks.
Yeah, I agree that a stackable design without cables would be way better
I cannot get the Bluetooth to pair with my Motorola stylus or over WiFi.
Great reviews always 👍
I use your review on the EF River Pro as the manual, and how to use the pair. Thank you,
After sending both units in for the firmware upgrade, so the main unit recognizing the slave battery, they work great together. I just wish that EF had U.S. support. China Tech’s (Roly) we’re helpful, Philippines CS was terrible. Thank you for such a Great Review and explaining in detail how both EF works. Tom C
Thanks. I’ve had good luck emailing their support team and the Facebook group is also helpful
I've got these both! Also, a 160 watt panel.
Would love to see you do a review of the Delta Pro!
I would too! I reached out to Ecoflow to see if I can score a review unit.
Hello, great video. When you plugged the Nespresso, did you use both batteries? Because with only the River Pro I could´t use my Dolce Gusto, another brand of coffee machine 🤷♂️.
I just had the main unit. Seems it just barely worked, some coffee makers may pull more power
@@todd.parker Thank you. I’ll test another brands ☺️
I know my small nespresso machine is about 1200w
I’m going to buy the extra battery . Im excited to see the power difference
Hey Todd, thank you for the great review. Until now the 800 cycle times were a deal-breaker for me. As I learned from your video, the quit charging disables the X-Stream charge function. Do you have a figure or guess how this affects the expected cycle times, if only charged in "quit charching" mode. Many thanks in advance and Greetings from Germany
Hi. It's hard to say but with this battery chemistry, they are usually rated at ~800 cycles even with slower charging so I don't know if Ecoflow is already being fairly generous with cycle count with their fast charging but my hunch is this will be a lot gentler on the battery so you can expect a longer life.
@@todd.parker You mean if you use the battery with it?
@@sixpackbinky I was just saying that in general, you can increase the cycle life by NOT charging fast or to 100% or discharging deeply.
@@todd.parker Great review - thanks (just ordered one here in NZ). As a newcomer to these sorts of generators what upper and lower charging levels would you recommend for longevity of battery(cycles)?
Thanks! Basically you want to avoid extremes if you can so 20-90% or 20-80% it will be kinder on the battery
I got a River Pro when they first came out on Kickstarter and got delivery in January. February in Texas saw us get hit with a snow/ice storm and this thing saved my butt. They had rolling blackouts where we got power only for a couple of hours at time and then off for 10 yours. That means with this supercharging unit, I could get fully charged before the electricity would shut off for another 10 hours. I had only wished they had a more powerful inverter. Come to find out, they are putting out a Delta Pro which will be the high end. I'm all in.
I just bought the River and the Delta. They will be used for emergency power so the lower amt cycles won't be an issue. I also got both for just over $1960 including one 160w solar panel.
Mine will be coming friday cant wait
Todd, will this unit supply enough power for 2 ResMed CPAP units and for how long?
Seems those use 30-60w continuously so if we used the high end that means each used 60w per hour (60wh) x 2 = 120wh. The main unit is 720wh divided by 120wh = 6 hours of run time but I’d round down to 5 hours to account for losses. If you had the extension battery you’d comfortably make through the night.
Hi, can this generator be used to charge a small electric car?
No. In fact, even a very large unit like the Delta Pro can only add a few miles of range to a car. For reference, the River Pro holds 0.7kwh of energy and I think even a small electric car like the Bolt is 65khw. I think even a basic level 1 charger needs 15-20A or 1,500w+ so the inverter in this couldn't run it and if it could, it would add enough energy to make a difference, maybe just a mile or two of range
If you ever get a chance, would love to see another video showing dual charging the River Pro from AC via 110v (even if from your Ryobi propane generator giving the 110v) or wall jack along with Solar at the same time. Is there any way to do Car charging and solar at the same time? Or does car charging only feed to the solar m4 connector that the solar panel would need and you can't do car and solar at same time.
Good call, I could give that a try. As I see it, charging a 740wh battery at 620w is already pretty extreme and will degrade the cells quickly from all the heat. Maybe it will let you charge from solar at the same time but then you're charging at 1C+ rates which is...a lot. I'd imagine cycle life would fall to ~300 if you did it regularly.
@@todd.parker Would be nice to know if it can do this in an emergency. Here in California where we get these frequent PG&E shutdowns for 2 to 4 days because of high winds, would be nice to know if we can quick charge just during this time to keep stuff going. Rest of the time low and slow charging sounds fine for me. ;-)
Yep, it's really great to be able to speed charge. Since you can get this filled to 80%+ in an hour, it's the closest I've seen to a bucket of electrons. Just fill it up. If I lived in CA, I'd have lots of backup power in a mobile format too. The combination of extended blackouts and fires means you need to be on the move quick and stay powered.
HELP PLEASE, i love your videos very clean and informative. I have a problem with my River Pro, when i try to charge from cigarette lighter. It shows like 15,20,35 watts then drops to 0. after two seconds, it it starts and drops again. its not charging my unit. My source is about 13,6 volts.
I’d suggest calling tech support/ they’ve very good
Thanks for review! Regarding this power station built-in battery, power source : any idea if Pro's BMS keeps all in-parallel groups of cells in serial connection always in balance concerning cells health condition? Only always balanced cells make max possible lifetime possible, among prerequisites other kinds.
The BMS inside both batteries keep the cells balanced for sure. The internal and external batteries are usually at a different state of charge but that’s not an issue since it treats the external battery as a separate electrical system
Nice review thank you. When I charge my Eco Flow Pro to 50%, it discharges itself in a day to 0%, although there is no load. That seems wrong to me, could you think why this happens? Thanks.
That does seem quite high but the inverter on the Pro is huge so maybe it uses a lot of power on standby. I assume you have the AC and maybe DC ports on? Here is some rough data of other units after 26 hours of running with AC and DC on:
EB150 - 4 bars (25%, 375wh) - 14.4
AC200 - 22% (78%, 1572wh) - 60.5w/h
Delta Max - 78% (22%, 444wh) - 5.5w/h
River Pro - 84% (15%, 216wh) - 8.3w/h
Yeti 1000 - 77% (15%, 137wh) - 5.3w/h
Todd, if you needed to choose between the Ecoflow Delta, or the Ecoflow River Pro with the extra battery, which would you choose for home use? Talking simple battery back up for a CPAP and other comparable uses. But, may also be used to help power tools or a portable fridge/cooler for weekends out of the house. Thank you.
Since they are both similar prices, I might go for the Delta because the inverter is so much more powerful and it’s one box. Both would run that size appliance though.
@@todd.parker Costco has a great sale on the River Pro and battery $ 699, Delta for $949. Through the 24th. Tough choice…
@@ThanksForTheLaugh that is a good price. Really just comes down to if you favor portability vs. inverter power. Both are great choices
Great vid. I'd purchased before viewing, so it's great to see I've made a good choice having considered Goal Zero, Jackery, Bluetti and even Anker. A new install for my small van. I've picked a couple of Renogy's 175W flexi solar panels with a VOC of 23.9V. In the UK I hope that's enough to approach 200W and I'm pleased the unit self-regulates any excess on the occasional sunny day. I guess the spare battery gets charged through the main unit? I'm not so clear on that. Later I might install a 'traditional' power set-up in this van, routing the solar panels to a fixed battery. I guess the best way to charge the Ecoflow Pro in that scenario is simply the DC plug, but wonder if that 'banana'(?) cable could be used somehow? Anyone got experience of that set-up? I'd really like to know. I came quite late to power stations having spent hours researching van installs. They seem perfect for my needs: running a Mobicool, charging phones, batteries and lights. And when I'm not in the van I can take it to the allotment :)
You can connect this 2 panels in parallel to stay within the solar charging limits. It will charge the external battery once the main battery is full, yep. I think this will work well for you as long as you don’t have AC appliances that draw more than 600-700w, it’s a great unit
I've improved my design (I think). I'm using a couple of DIN rail mounted Hager changeovers and some rail mounted Wago terminals to switch the feed of the solar panels. Both to Ecoflow and none to onboard, one to Ecoflow and one to onboard, or both to onboard. I can then set the system based on charge state and weather. The enclosure will also have space for a couple of isolators. I will blog when completed if anyone's interested.
@@todd.parker So you cant charge the external battery seperate from the main unit with Solar or AC wall charger?
@@jmb-cm7mr unfortunately no
Great video. When you were running your refrigerator, was that in normal or X-Boost mode? Also, you mentioned "resistive heat." Not an electronics guy here, what does that mean when running a refrigerator vs a heat gun? I get the heat gun but is the refrigerator equal resistive heat? Thanks.
I had X-Boost off unless I was testing the feature because I wasn’t sure how unhappy it would make certain appliances so it ran my fridge ok with it off. Resistive heat would be a space heater, hair dryer, heat gun, etc. The fridge isn’t resistive, it’s inductive and the main challenge there is there is a brief peak when the compressor kicks on but it handled it fine.
@@todd.parker Awesome, thanks Todd. Sounds like it worked ok with X-Boost off which is a good indicator then. Thank you.
Hi,
Enjoyed your video, very informative. I have a question:
Could River Pro 600 + extra battery handle a portable ac with 905 cooling wattage consumption?
Thank you again.
I would say no because an AC has a bit of a surge when they kick on. With Boost, it can in theory handle surges but lowering the voltage but I think for a compressor that wouldn't work. If you want to run an AC, you should look for a unit that has at least 1,000 continuous but ideally closer to 1500w. Also, consider how long this will run. If this uses about 900w, that means a 1,000wh batter will run it for 1 hour only
@@todd.parker Thank you for your response. I am guessing the Ecoflow Delta will do the job.
I got a 1700w continuous/2000 surge gas generator just for my A/C. It only gets used for about 7 hrs per day, and it's pretty quiet. That frees up the mid- sized Ecoflow to easily handle everything else on my 24ft travel trailer :)
I like the fact that it fully charges in one hour
Very informative, many thanks
Have you by any chance tried to use an instant pot mini (700 watt) with the ecoflow? I noticed in another video someone testing it with a delta and the output was apparently something like 660 watts max (didn't note any surges). I'm tempted to get one and try it, but I am unsure of my River Pro will be damaged.
I think it should work. It it's too much, it should work with XBoost on. If it’s too much, it will shut off the AC to protect it
@@todd.parker Haven't tried it with an instant pot yet, but I thought I'd followup and note that using my 950 watt inverter microwave on a power level of 4 (685 watts) it runs fine for at least 5 minutes. I've also noticed some of the the earliest reviewers looking at the OG prototype call this The Ecoflow River 700 and I wonder if that was their original target but went with a "better safe that sorry" approach and rated for 600 watts.