2000 Watt Predator:
This thing is a game changer for me, love it.
Update so picked up the Predator 2000 Watt version of this, it’s larger and heavier 44lbs approximately. When I bought it also got a small foldable hand truck to wheel it out to my truck, It had 41% charge out the box with it showing 58 minutes till fully charged. My inverter inside truck is 2000 watts and this is charging at 1400-1700 even though 1500 is supposed to be max. It makes louder buzzing noisie than the 350 watt version which is expected while charging, it’s not super noisy but not silent either. The maximum input is 1500 watts (mine has been going to 1700+ after owning awhile) no matter how many methods of charging you use., it did fully charge in about 50 minutes, I believe the first charge calibrates the unit, noticed the watts in get lower and lower as it filled up.
Warming AC charging using inverter should only be done while truck is running, 1500 watts incoming charge will drain your batteries super fast, it’s more than most small microwaves use. My truck has bad batteries and had mine charging while stopping to get fuel in that short time drained the batteries, luckily the truck has solar power and started once I rolled truck forward into sun. My new habit is to turn on inverter and charge when I am driving for a few hours, the 2000 watt unit will charge in a little over an hour. Once the power station is fully charged it won’t drain if you forget to turn off inverter to charge.
So using it for a few days opinion, this is probably the best thing in truck since inverters back in the day, power all day and super fast charging. This 2000 watt unit had a recall about a year ago due to a shock hazard on emergency power mode. Mine is newer updated version you can check the UPC number which is different and SKU will be the same as recalled item number. I’ve seen it charge as high as 1700 incoming watts when 1500 is supposed to be max. One quick idle of truck and it is in fact charged for a day or more, the numbers showing on screen are conservative figures. It has a nice storage compartment on top with lid for the wires, two handles on the top sides. The fans in the unit are very quiet and barely notice them.
When using the Galanz small microwave it’s using around 1300 watts and the power station loses a percent for around every minute on the microwave timer. No more needing to turn on truck to microwave stuff.
350 Watt Predator (Get 600 watt or bigger, faster charging):
Update, my opinion has changed to favor faster charging, the 350 watt unit works great but has a slow charge time of around 4 hours on AC aka my inverter in truck. The Predator 600 watt and higher versions charge 3x faster at around 1.5 hours or near that. So at the very minimum I’d recommend a 600 watt predator. Personally I am looking at the 1200 watt but even considering the 2000 watt version. This makes it much more convenient to be able to start the truck for a shorter time to fully charge it up, then depending on watt hours of your unit how long you can use. This brand has a very good battery inside from what I have read. Still the 350 watt is fantastic and if it had faster charging would be so much better.
Faster charging may not seem important at first, but over time you find it’s a HUGE advantage, especially if you have a large watt hour battery.
Update solar panels, finally used them but it was cloudy and used them in worst placement ever. Placed in windshield because it was raining off and on, this is 2x the worst way to use them, they had 8-13 watts incoming not in direct line of sight of sun. Using a solar panel in windshield will reduce efficiency by around 50-60% say the experts. Even with barely anything coming in it still charged the power station slowly. The USB and AC plugged in did speed up charging quite a bit.
Highly recommend this product, but slow charge times with 350 watt version, recommend 600 watt or higher models due to 3x faster charging.
Recently purchased one of these for a specific reason, I run the truck on optimum idle often. When the truck auto starts electronics like TV, Xbox, or anything else running will be interrupted from the installed inverter causing the electronics to restart. So with a power station you can plug in these devices to it then have power station plugged into inverter charging at same time. The other benefits are that it is portable power, at first was thinking I need more watts than 350, but nope it’s more than enough. This particular 350 Watt unit is small, a little larger than a lunch box weighing less than 20 pounds.
My Freightliner Opti Idle no longer interrupts my devices when it turns on! PASSTHROUGH CHARGING!
The choice of power station and brand is up to you, I bought this particular Predator 350 Watt one from Harbor Freight due to store being right next to a truck stop. The screen has stats while it’s on showing In and out watts, time till fully charged, and duration of power for plugged in devices. They are pretty basic and am sure you can get fancier or even less expensive ones. Note on my iPad charging watts below it might be higher due to fast charging, it took lower watts later on 10-15.
Use Cases 350 Watt Version:
- Power 32 inch TV alone, 35-50 watts, 9-10 hours.
- Power Xbox Series S alone, 40-55 Watts playing a game, 9-10 hours.
- Small turbo fan alone 20-25 watts, 10-12 hours.
- Hair clippers 15 watts.
- TV Plus Xbox running around 4 hours, unit showed around 80-110 watts together.
- Plugged in to AC from inverter on truck to charge took about 4 hours first time.
- IPad charging while watching YouTube alone, 38- 42 watts (fast charging?)
- Predator 100 Watt Solar Panel, used on cloudy day in windshield 8-13 watts incoming.
- Predator solar panel in direct sun ?. Not tested yet.
Watt hours of unit divided by watts of device using for duration, 294 / 25 = 11+ hours.
https://www.harborfreight.com/350-watt-power-station-294-wh-capacity-70082.html
Update found a good video on this unit dealing with power and solar use.