What is this 268Wh Power Station Good for?
Bluetti sent me several portable power stations to review and the EB3A was among them. The EB3A is the smallest and least expensive portable power station in the Bluetti lineup.
The first question that came to my mind was:
What is this tiny power station good for?
Most of these power stations have a place in emergency preparedness, but this one didn’t quite fit that role for me. It did, however, demonstrate that it’s a fantastic piece of kit to take along when camping, hunting, or when you need a bit of power while off the grid.
The link to the EB3A is below.
Specifications
Battery
268 Wh LiFePO4 battery
Charging Times
AC Charging Cable (Turbo Mode 350W) — 1.3–1.8 Hours
AC Charging Cable (Standard Mode 268W) — 1.5–2.0 Hours
Solar (200W) — 1.8–2.0 Hours
12V/24V Car Outlet (100W/200W) — 3.2–3.7 or 1.9–2.4 Hours
AC + Solar (430W) — 1.2-1.7 Hours
Dual AC (430W) — 1.2-1.7 Hours (With optional Adapter)
Inputs
AC Charging Cable — (Standard Mode) 268W Max
AC Charging Cable — (Turbo Mode) 350W Max
Solar Input — 200W Max, VOC 12–28VDC/ 8.5A
Car Input — 12/24V from Cigarette Lighter Port
Maximum Input — 430W, with AC and Solar Input Simultaneously
AC Outlets
2 — 120V/5A Outlets 600W total surge power 1,200W
DC Outlets
1 — USB-C Port 100W Max
2 — USB-A Port 5V/3A
1 — 12V/10A (Car Outlet)
2 — 12V/10A DC 5521 (5.5mm Outlets)
1 — Wireless Charging Pad 15W Max
What you get in the box
Out of the box you get everything that you need to make this power station a part of your camping kit. Aside from the power station itself you get an AC charging cable and a solar charging cable with MC-4 connectors.
First Impressions
The EB3A is a small power station that I had trouble seeing a place in my array of emergency preparedness and outdoor gear. I played around with it for several days and found that it was a perfectly functional unit that does the job that it’s meant to do.
All the outputs work as advertised and it charged very rapidly using the supplied AC cable. Even with the PV200 solar panel, it charged quite fast while it was not fully drained, the power station was at around 60% and charged back up to full capacity in a little over an hour.
Overall, its a solidly built unit that is pretty robust, surviving a drop out of the back of my truck without any damage.
The EB3A is small enough to pack anywhere and even with the PV200 panel, the footprint that it takes up is minimal and would fit in most vehicles that you would find at the local campground.
How I tested the Bluetti EB3A
I took the EB3A out on a hunting trip and used it as portable power for the duration of the trip alongside the EB55 and the PV200 solar panels. The EB3A performed very well and kept all our phones topped up even though we drained them daily taking pictures and videos.
The power station charged from the PV200 panels very well and I noted that for the power needs we had on this hunting trip, using this power station and the PV200 panel would keep us powered almost indefinitely.
I even used the EB3A to recharge my Bioenno batteries and my Surface Go 2 for my portable amateur radio station. I also used it to keep my Garmin InReach and Garmin Instinct smart watch fully charged.
Back at home I tested it out on several appliances and devices and found that it powered everything as advertised.
I also connected to it with the Bluetti app which is a fantastic feature that I used all the time. It’s really handy to be able to manage the power station without being physically near it.
All in all, this is a good little portable power station that I will probably take along with me on outdoor adventures when I am not expecting to need large amounts of power.
Things I didn’t like
I’m going to sound like a broken record here but I want some kind of case for the cables. It may not seem like a big deal but if you have several power stations that have different cables it can be easy to get them mixed up. As an example, the EB55 and the EB3A do not have the same plug for connecting the solar panels.
Another complaint that I have which holds true with almost every power station I’ve review is that I want at least double the USB ports. That being said, you can plug a charging dock to the AC outlet to charge multiple devices but I still want more USB ports.
My last complaint is that the EB3A as well as all the other power stations I have tested, produce a lot of RF noise when working. This is not a big deal for most people but for Ham radio operators running a portable power station while operating radios is a problem.
Who is the Bluetti EB3A Best Suited for?
The EB3A is not a great choice for emergency preparedness. It can not run your fridge or freezer and the 268 Wh battery means that you will not be running any appliances for too long before draining the battery. Like the other Bluetti power stations I’ve reviewed recently, it also did not run my Keurig or Nespresso machines but was fine for any appliances that did not have a large surge in wattage when starting up.
Instead, the EB3A is ideal for throwing in the car for day trips, camping, road trips, or any time you need some portable power to charge devices, run small appliances like fans, coolers, or portable speakers.
Being able to charge the EB3A fully from a 200 watt solar panel in about two hours makes this a perfect power station for spending time outdoors and off grid. As long as your power needs are within the 268 Wh capacity a 200 watt panel will keep you going for as long as you have a few hours of good sunlight each day.
Final Thoughts
While this power station is not very large or has a high capacity battery, it’s a good option for anyone who wants some portable power when camping or keeping devices topped up during the occasional short power outages.
