BROWEY Portable Power Station 1000W with Built-in Solar Panel, 614WH/192000mAh LiFePO4 Battery Pack, Solar Generator with AC/DC/USB/PD Outputs for Outdoor Camping, RV Travel, Emergency Preparedness

The media could not be loaded. I ordered the Browey Power station because I wanted to be less dependent on fixed campsites or campsites with electricity when camping and to be able to use more energy from environmentally friendly sources at home.The decision to go with the Browey Power station was made for various reasons. On the one hand, with around 600 watts, it offers a sufficiently large amount of stored electricity, on the other hand, it offers a real sine wave inverter, which also makes it possible to safely connect AC devices to the socket without having to worry about damaging the devices. This was important to me, especially in relation to our camper, where it should play an important role. I also find the possibility to charge the power station without an additional solar panel very practical, but also to be able to connect a solar panel in parallel as an option.An additional criterion for the purchase was the higher-quality LiFePO4 battery, which is usually installed in cars rather than power banks.The power station was delivered well and securely packaged.The accessories are supplied in a separate small bag. In addition to the instructions, 10x DC adapters with cables for connecting to the power station, a power supply unit with cable and a cable for charging at the cigarette socket are included.The power station seems very stable and of high quality, so you don't have to worry that the handle or the stand could break off. The points on the device with which you set up the power station are padded with rubber so that the touchdown is cushioned.As a special feature, the Browey Power station offers a permanently installed 30 watt solar panel that can be opened almost steplessly so that at least one half can be optimally aligned to the sun.The easy-to-read, illuminated LCD display shows the charge level in 20% increments, which is quite sufficient. When charging, the bar flashes to show how full the power station is (continuously lit) or how much still needs to be charged (flashing). As soon as the solar panel is opened, the display starts and shows how much solar energy is currently being generated in watts. If you connect an external solar panel in parallel, an additional symbol lights up in the display.If you press the AC or DC button, the respective connections are activated, so that current is not permanently applied to the connections. In the case of the USB ports, only the ports in which a plug is inserted are activated. The display shows which connection types are activated and how high the current total consumption is. When the devices are charged, the display switches off automatically.There are three separate buttons for switching on the display and the two connection types AC and DC. All connections are protected from water/humidity with permanently mounted rubber covers.As connections (DC), there are 1x USB C with up to 65 watts and two USB A with up to 18 watts, as well as the possibility to connect two additional devices via 2 DC outputs. There is an outlet for alternating current (AC).In addition to the two DC outputs, there is also a DC input, which can be used to charge the power station either with the supplied car charger via a cigarette connection, the supplied power pack or an external (not included) solar panel. Charging works in parallel with the permanently installed solar panel, so that when you connect an external solar panel you can also use your own 30 watt panel. All in all, I am very satisfied with BROWEY's C600.

Great for camping and minor power outages. I have it stowed in my work van and have used it on site when long extension cords loose power.

Summary:The power station itself is pretty nice, but a bit underpowered at the price point. The built-in solar panel is really cool, but ultimately it provides such a small amount of power even under ideal conditions that in most cases it is probably more of a novelty than useful feature. This device is probably best suited for powering phones, laptops, lights and fans during a short camping trip.Full Thoughts:You can get a power station with much higher wattage and slightly bigger battery for a $100 less. You're paying extra and trading some power for the built-in solar panel. At the time of writing this, this is the only power station I could find with a solar panel built-in.A few things about solar and home power generators if you're new to it like I was:- Every other "solar generator" is just a power station (big battery with a standard power outlet) included with an external solar panel you can hook up to it. You can also hook up an external solar panel to this for extra power. In general you don't need a solar panel specifically made for the device. As long as both have the right DC input/output you should be able to use most solar panels with most power stations. In fact you can also hook up a gas generator if it has the right DC output. Solar panels for these things are not too expensive ($100-$150). To get anything close to a reasonable amount of charge you will need to get an external solar panel anyway. At 30 Watts, it would take days to charge this thing to full capacity with the built-in panel alone. Realistically, if you plan on using this in an emergency where you may need power for days, you will need an external panel as well (or some other power source).- Another thing to understand is that to get a decent charge, you really need to have the sun beating down directly on the panel. A shade tree, for example, can severely limit the amount of power you can get. With that in mind, you'll need to be very thoughtful about the placement of the panels. External panels will give you a lot of flexibility in terms of placement. On the other hand, they're a bit of a pain to setup. I live on the second floor of an apartment complex. I have a balcony which I thought would be sufficient, but there's a shade tree in front of it which blocks enough sunlight that often I get no charge. My only option is to put the panels in a window which has very little shade. With that, when the sun is facing the window with little cloud coverage, the built-in panel provides about 10 watts. The external panel provides about 20 watts. Together, I get 30 watts. It would still take days to fully charge this thing, but at least I get enough power to charge phones and maybe a laptop.- I wasn't familiar at all with the power usage of various devices so I didn't know if 600 watts was a lot or a little. It's a small to medium amount depending on the application. It's enough to power a lot of small devices, or energy efficient devices, but not enough to power anything substantial. I was hoping to power a microwave or a toaster oven or a small air conditioner, but no dice. Also understand that apparently a lot of devices draw a significant amount of extra power when they first start, so even if your device is rated at 500 watts for example, it may need 1000 to start and therefore will trip the overload protection and shut down the power bank. I was a bit surprised that this thing could power my big screen TV, but otherwise it's limited to things like fans, laptops, phones, etc. Also keep in mind that while it can theoretically power 600 watts worth of devices, it can only do that for an hour. Then you will need to recharge it which takes about 6 hours when connecting to a power outlet.With all that said I like this unit. It is well built and compact and just really well designed. The built-in solar panel is almost a novelty, but it does give me piece of mind that in an emergency I can get some power.Final Thoughts:If I were to do it over again, I might reconsider whether the built-in panel was worth the trade-offs. I would also reconsider what I hoped to accomplish with the device. I intend to use this for emergencies, probably not for camping, so that colors how I feel about all this. I would expect to power a fan and maybe a laptop and a phone for around 7 hours in an emergency, but it can only do that once with a single charge. Then, you're limited to what you can get from solar which in my case would be enough to power maybe 1 thing only while the sun is pointed directly at me. I also bought a small gas generator which I will use to charge the device when I can't get much sun. With all that, the benefit of the built-in panel (and the extra cost and trade-offs) becomes less appealing. I might buy a cheaper or more powerful or higher capacity unit and just use gas or an external panel.

Overall I like it, it's a little heavy but I love the 2 in one power station/solar charging panel. I've not tried to solar charge it yet but used it for camping 1 time. I didn't plug in much but 2 USB light and charged a fan. Took 20% battery life, not sure if the cold had any effect on the battery drainage because it was a cold night. It's sturdy and the setup for solar charging is really easy. IT comes with everything you need! I forgot to include picture of the little black bag and plug in accessories that it comes with.