EcoFlow

For common household AC plugs, the AC180 features four well-spaced NEMA sockets to allow for large wall warts. All four are three-prong NEMA 6-20P but open grounded. If you do want to actually ground the AC180 for extra safety against a ground-fault, Bluetti provides a grounding port on the right side of the unit—a nice touch that many portable power stations skip. Each port is rated at 20 amps or 1,800 watts, but you should remember that’s the total for the entire unit. The surge rating for an AC port is 2,700 watts, which is in line with EcoFlow’s Delta 2 series but lower than the Yeti 1500X

Bluetti has long been lauded for being ahead of the curve in adopting lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry versus NMC lithium ion cells. Essentially, that means much longer life cycles at the cost of slightly less energy-dense batteries. How much longer? Bluetti rates the AC180 at 3,500-plus full cycles before the battery can only charge to 80 percent of its original capacity. That’s a class-leading rating. For example, the EcoFlow’s Delta 2 is rated to 3,000 cycles to 80 percent. The disparity is even more stark when compared to NMC lithium ion cells, which can be rated at 500 or 80

Considering Bluetti’s premium brand, and its solid reputation, the AC180 offers a lot of value. It has a list price of $1,099 but kicked off its debut at $799. With its 1,152 watt-hour rating, that’s basically 69 cents per rated watt-hour, which is a bargain. Compare that to the EcoFlow Delta 2, which can be found for $849 on Amazon, or 74 cents per watt-hour, or the GoalZero’s Yeti 1500X at $1.18 per watt-hour. Even at its list price of $1,099, you’re paying 95 cents per rated watt-hour, which is still very competitive. Other than its slight weight disadvantage and its mediocre DC performance