Are you considering purchasing a portable power station for your next family camping trip? Here are our Bluetti reviews for the EB3A portable power station and the PV68 solar panel.
We’ve been road-tripping a lot with our kids. We even did a long cross-Canada road trip and Western USA road trip with our campervan. We packed many things in the car, but a portable power station was one of the items we were missing and wished we had.
So we are happy to own a Bluetti EB3A portable power station now with a PV68 solar panel. Here is our review of the product as far in case you’re searching for one to.
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Bluetti reviews: The quick key takeaways
The Bluetti EB3A portable power station is a great entry-level option at a good price point.
✅ It can charge many small appliances and electronic devices (under 600W).
✅ The Bluetti EB3A has a fast-charging battery with a high capacity for its compact size.
✅ It has a 24-month warranty
✅ The EB3A portable power station has 9 outputs and 3 inputs, allowing you to charge multiple devices simultaneously.
✅ The Bluetti PV68 solar panel has a high-efficiency conversion rate (more than 23%).
✅ It takes about 1.5 to 2.0 hours to fully charge the EB3A with the AC cable, but up to 5 hours using the PV68 solar panel.
Buy your Bluetti EB3A portable power station
Bluetti reviews: Bluetti EB3A review
The Bluetti EB3A is the perfect entry-level portable power station. It’s ideal for outdoor adventures such as camping and van life, where you need to charge some basic appliances and electronics.
The Bluetti EB3A has a LiFePO4 battery (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery) that has a capacity of 268Wh (12Ah). It can power appliances and electronics with its 600W AC pure sine wave inverter (1200W surge).
It’s a great budget-friendly option for families who don’t need to be plugged in at all times but still want autonomy when adventuring.
There are 6 ways to recharge the battery:
- using the AC charging cable (using a standard wall plug)
- using the 12V DC input for the car cigarette lighter port*.
- using the 12V input for the solar panel*.
- using a generator
- using a combination of AC and solar panel
- using a combination of AC and the car charging port
* Note that the car charging cable is not included in the standard packaging. It must be purchased separately. Also, the solar panel and the solar charging cable must be purchased separately.
It takes about 1.5 to 2.0 hours to fully charge Bluetti EB3A portable power station. But it only takes about 30 minutes to charge it to 80% with its fast-charging feature.
⚠️ When charging the power battery, we noticed that the unit was a bit noisier from 80% to 100% of charge. The sound wasn’t that loud, similar to a computer overheating, but still a bit louder than before when hitting 80% of the charge.
There are 9 ways to charge appliances and devices with this portable battery:
- 2 AC outlets
- 1 USB-C port
- 2 USB-A ports
- 1 DC outlet (cigarette lighter plug)
- 2 DC5521 ports
- 1 wireless charging pad for phones
The DC5521 ports can power a router or modem if you’re using a portable one. They can also be used to power 12V camping lights.
If you’re tech-savvy, you’ll love the Bluetti app, where you can see how your portable power station is doing in terms of charge and how much power it’s using. I try to limit the number of apps I’m using, but some people might enjoy this feature.
What can you charge with a Bluetti portable power station EB3A
You can charge many small appliances and electronic devices with the Bluetti EB3A portable power station, including:
- Drone and camera
- Laptop
- iPhone
- Fan
- Camping lights
- Portable AC such as the Zero Breeze Mark 2
- Mini-fridge (Only for a short period, not continuously)
- Magic Bullet blender
- Electric cooler such as the Dometic cooler. (Only for a short period, not continuously)
- Mini Waffle Maker, like the Dash Mini Maker
- Electric Milk Frother like the Nestle Nespresso one. This is my little guilty pleasure when camping 😉
And so much more!
⚠️ Note that most appliances that heat water (such as a coffee machine or a water boiler) need 1500W to be powered. You won’t be able to use them with the Bluetti EB3A. You would need a bigger portable station such as the Bluetti AC200max.
Buy your Bluetti EB3A portable power station
Bluetti EB3A technical specifications
Below are some of the most important features of the Bluetti EB3A. It should help you see if this portable power station is right for you and your needs.
- Price: USD $200 or CAD $429
- Dimensions: 7.2 (H) x 7 (W) x 10 (L) (in.)
- Weight: 10.14 lbs (4.6 kg)
- Battery Capacity: 268.8 Wh (12Ah) 600W
- Life Cycles: 2500 cycles to 80% for original capacity
- Recharge Times: approx. 1.5 hours with AC charging cable, 2.0 hours with Solar, 3.5 hours with a 12V car outlet.
- 3 Input Outlets (to charge the power station): AC charging cable, Solar input, 12V Car input
- 9 Output Outlets (to charge equipment): AC outlets x 2, USB-C port x 1, USB-A port x 2, DC outlet x 1, DC5521 ports x 2, wireless charging pad x 1.
- Warranty: 24 months.
Bluetti EB3A portable station: Yay or nah?
Overall, the Bluetti EB3A is a useful item to add to your camping list, especially if you have to work a bit from the road.
This unit is relatively cost-effective at a regular selling price of USD $299. Make sure to look on Bluetti’s website regularly. they often have sales.
Buy your Bluetti EB3A portable power station
Bluetti VS Jackery: Bluetti EB3A VS Jackery 300
Which one is best: Bluetti VS Jackery? Here are a few features of the Bluetti EB3A VS Jackery 300.
More Lightweight Jackery Explorer 300  USD $299
| More outputs Bluetti EB3A  USD $200
|
Overall, the Bluetti EB3A is a better portable power station option than the Jackery Explorer 300.
✅ It has a longer-lasting battery.
✅ It has more port options.
✅ It has faster recharging times.
However, the Bluetti EB3A is heavier than the Jackery Explorer 300.
Bluetti VS Ecoflow: Bluetti EB3A vs Ecoflow River 2
Now which one is best: Bluetti VS Ecoflow? Here are a few features of the Bluetti EB3A VS Ecoflow River 2.
Best Warranty EcoFlow River 2  USD $239
| More outputs Bluetti EB3A USD $200
|
Those two portable power stations are pretty similar. The Ecoflow River 2 is more lightweight and offers a better warranty, but the Bluetti EB3A has more ports to charge multiple devices.
Bluetti PV68 review
The Bluetti PV68 solar panel is a great entry-level option for solar panel. Its compact design makes it perfect for families on the move, camping, and road trips. It won’t take up too much (precious) space when you pack the car for your family adventures.
The solar panel is made from high-quality monocrystalline silicon cells with a conversion rate efficiency of 23.4%.
The PV68 solar panel is considered a high-efficiency solar panel. Most solar panels have an efficiency between 15 and 22%.
The PV68 solar panel is compatible with most Bluetty portable power stations such as the EB3A, EB55 and EB70S.
Bluetti solar generator reviews
The Bluetti solar generator combo with the EB3A portable power station and the PV68 solar panel is a good option if you want to be more off-grid when camping but don’t need to charge up big appliances.
But it takes quite some time to charge the EB3A station using the PV68 solar panel fully.
It takes about 5 hours to charge from 0 to 100%.
If you’re moving often and not staying still for hours in a row, the PV68 solar panel may not be your best option. You might want to consider the PV120 or the PV200.
Here is a comparison chart to fully charge the EB3A power station.
- 5.0 hours to charge from 0 to 100% using one PV68
- 3.3 hours to charge from 0 to 100% using one PV120
- 2.3 hours to charge from 0 to 100% using one PV200
With young children, we can easily start for a few hours in a playground or relax at the campground when the kids are playing, so we can wait many hours until the power station is charged up.
Plus, we are lucky to live in Alberta, where we have a lot of sun all year round.
But 5 hours can be long if you’re looking at being mostly off-grid and independent.
I think the best combination would be the EB3A portable power station with the PV120 solar panels to stay in a budget-friendly zone but with higher capacity.
F.A.Q Bluetti portable power station
Can Bluetti EB3A power a fridge?
The Bluetti EB3A can power a mini-fridge for up to 3.6 hours.
How long does a Bluetti EB3A last?
THE Bluetti EB3A battery has a life span of more than 2,500 cycles to 80% of its original capacity. This means if you charged it from empty every day, it would last 7 years.
Does Bluetti have WIFI?
The Bluetti portable power station supports Bluetooth. The Bluetti app works with Andriod and iPhone through Bluetooth
Can you run Bluetti while charging?
Yes, you can run your Bluetti portable power station while charging. It supports charging and discharge at the same time. But it’s not ideal.
Does Bluetti use lithium-ion batteries?
Bluetti uses high-quality lithium-iron phosphate batteries (LifePO4).
Final Thoughts: Bluetti reviews from a vanlife family
The EB3A portable station with a solar panel is exactly what we were missing on our long road trip last year. We”re so happy to have it, as we are planning a second cross-country road trip now.
The Bluetti portable power station is perfect for charging small appliances and electronic devices when you want to stay off-grid, stay at some Harvest Host location or simply book camping without electricity.
If you’re a road-tripping family, I would highly recommend purchasing the car charging cable so you can fully charge your portable station when you’re driving.
Emilie is the founder of Love Life Abroad. She helps moms plan epic road trips and outdoor adventures with their families. Because who said adventuring had to stop once we have kids? She’s based in the Canadian Rockies and shares her love for the region as well as other unique places in Canada & USA. She works with tourism boards and outdoor brands to inspire families to experience new unique destinations and outdoor activities.