Bluetti was kind enough to send me several of their power stations for review, and the AC 60 was among them. I spent the last few weeks playing around with this power station, and here are my thoughts.
What is it?
The AC 60 is a 600W portable power station with a 403Wh LiFePO4 battery. It can be charged through an AC wall outlet, solar, vehicle, or from a lead-acid battery. One neat feature of this power station is that it can make use of battery expansion packs to increase the overall capacity.
You can check out the link below to find out more or get one for yourself:
Specifications
Battery — 403Wh (18Ah) LiFePO4 with MPPT controller and BMS
Charging Times
AC Charging Cable (600W Turbo Charging) — 1–1.5 Hours
Solar Panel (200W) — 2.5–3 Hours
12V/24V Car Outlet (100W/200W) — 4.5–5 Hours / 2.5–3 Hours
Outputs
2 — AC Outlets — 120V/5A (600W In Total 1,200W surge)
1 — USB-C Port 100W Max
2 — USB-A Port 5V/3A
1 — 12V DC Outlet — 12V/10A (Car outlet, regulated.)
1 — Wireless Charging Pad 15W Max.
Inputs
AC Power Input (Turbo Mode) — 600W Max.
Solar Input — 200W Max., VOC 12–28V, 8A
Car Input — 12/24V from Cigarette Lighter Port
Max Input — 600W
What You Get in the Box
In the box, you get everything you need to use the AC 60 power station. Included is the power station itself, manuals, a cable for connecting the solar panel, a cable to plug into the wall, and a cable to plug into a 12V car socket for charging.
You also get a fuse and grounding screw as well.
First Impressions
The unit is solidly built, and I really liked that the outlets had dust covers. The integrated carry handle makes it easy to transport, but since it folds away into the case, it is also easy to store and stack items on top of it.
Off the bat, there are several things that I really like about the AC-60:
Expandable — A 403Wh battery is not very large, and for an extended power outage, it would be nice to have more battery power but still maintain the small size for taking out on the road. The AC-60 has the ability to use expansion batteries to increase the total capacity to 2015Wh. These expansion batteries plug into sockets on the side of the power station.
Bluetti App — It’s not every day that I find an app for a product that is actually useful, but I found that I was using the Bluetti app to check on the status of the power station regularly. It was easy to install and pairing it with the power station could not have been any more straightforward.
IP65 Rating — I love that the AC-60 is dustproof and water-resistant. I have always been a little nervous about taking other power stations camping or hunting because I didn’t want them to be damaged by dust, dirt, or water. The AC-60 gives me some piece of mind in that regard.
How I Tested the Bluetti
I spent a couple of weeks using the AC-60 to charge devices and run small appliances. Here are my thoughts on how the AC-60 stood up:
Charging — The AC-60 charges very rapidly. Out of the box, I was able to charge it to full power in less than an hour. Charging with a 200W solar panel in direct good sunlight where you have a full 200W of power would definitely charge the unit in less than 3 hours. With the included cables, connecting a solar panel was quick and easy.
Devices — The AC-60 charged all my phones, tablets, and other devices without any issues. The wireless charging pad worked well as long as my phone was not in the case. It would be nice to have more USB outlets, but I was able to plug a charging station into the AC socket to expand the ability to charge devices.
Appliances — The AC-60 is capable of powering appliances to a maximum of 600W. It can power appliances up to 1200W for a short time because it is rated for a surge capacity of 1200W.
The power station ran all appliances that did not surge above 1200W without any issues, but I would not tax the inverter too much by exceeding the 600W maximum. At 1200W, you would drain the power station in about fifteen to twenty minutes, so it is best to run only low-wattage appliances.
12V Socket — The 12V socket is a nice feature, and I used it to power a portable inflator which the AC-60 handled without any issues.
How it Stacks up to Other Portable Power Stations
The AC 60 is similar to other power stations that I have reviewed, but there are a few features that set it apart from the competition.
The first is the inclusion of a wireless charging pad. Many devices today have wireless charging capability, and the inclusion of one of these pads is a great feature.
Second, Bluetti has created an app for remotely controlling some of their power stations. This is a neat feature that I found to be very useful, especially when monitoring the status of the power station when in use or charging.
Third is the 6-year warranty. I doubt you’ll need to use it since these power stations are solidly built, but it is good peace of mind knowing that Bluetti backs their products.
Lastly, the Bluetti app was a great feature that I was surprised at how much I actually used. Being able to monitor the charging, or what its status is when powering appliances, was very useful. I also liked that I could turn the AC and DC power on and off through the app.
Compared to Jackery and BougeRV, I prefer the Bluetti line of power stations. They have a great build quality, awesome features and are reasonably priced.
Things I didn’t like
There are a few things that I thought could be improved.
First is a complaint that I’ve had about nearly every power station that I’ve reviewed. The AC-60 only has three USB ports which I think is about half what it should be.
My second complaint is that the cables do not come with a case or carrying bag. When you take something like this on the road, it is nice to have the charging cables organized and secured in some type of case.
The only other thing that I didn’t like was the inclusion of a light on the back side of the unit. I find that lights like this are gimmicky and would rarely actually be used by anyone.
Who is the Bluetti AC60 Best Suited for?
I think that this particular power station is best suited for outdoor use or emergency backup power source for charging phones, devices, batteries, or running small appliances.
If you want to use this for emergency backup power, you’ll probably want to buy at least one expansion battery and make sure that you have a solar panel to charge it off-grid.
The IP65 rating makes it also a great choice for taking on the road or during camping trips. You’ll definitely want to get a solar panel as well so you can charge it in the field.
I am going to be using this power station on all future outdoor adventures, whether that be camping, hunting, off-roading, or doing some off-grid ham radio. I’ll also be using it for charging phones, tablets, and batteries during power outages while my larger power stations power my fridge and freezer.
Final thoughts
The AC-60 is a great power station, but if your plan is to power your fridge and freezers during a blackout, you should look to one of the larger Bluetti power stations. If your goal is to keep things charged, run some small appliances, or take out in the bush. You can’t go wrong with a Bluetti AC-60.
