The Bluetti EB3A sits proudly in a crowded portable power station marketplace. It sits on the ultra-portable side of this market. It has a battery capacity of 268Wh. But if you combine it with the PV120 solar panel, you have your own free-to-power renewable solar generator that charges in a matter of hours.

One thing that might sway you in the direction of the lunchbox-sized EB3A is that it has 9 output connections. It also has a built-in LED light, so you can already see the potential this thing has if you are taking it on the road. Bluetti also don’t hold back on the standard of quality of their batteries and keeps them for their more exotic or higher-tiered top-line products.

No, they include the fast-charging LiFePO4 phosphate battery inside this humble power station that is priced keenly. These deep-cycle, no-maintenance, fast-charging batteries will stick around a lot longer than conventional lithium-ion models, and with faster recharge times, the EB3A can reach a full solar charge in 2 hours, so you can take this small unit with you to festivals or on your travels and theoretically never run out of power. Yes, and you can recharge it and plug in your devices at the same time, as it supports pass-through charging.

EB3A Multiple Charging Methods

Bluetti don’t skimp on charging means for their baby neither. With 6 ways to get back to full power including multi-combo methods, you have the versatility to use what suits you and what you have on-hand. For quick as a flash recharging you can get the EB3A back up to 80% power with a combination of AC and one x 200w solar panel.

This light little box has a fold in handle and it looks just like a retro wireless radio. It has a wireless charging pad on the top, so it maybe a modern version of the aforementioned vintage radio. You can recharge with AC straight, AC with solar, Car port (12 and 24V accepted), Dual AC or just completely with solar. So you can go completely off-grid with this little machine and power a lot of those devices that are under 600 watts combined. So what kind of appliances run below 600 watts?

Devices & Appliances The Bluetti EB3A Will Run

Well first up the EB3A has 2 AC inputs, so you could in theory, run two wall plug appliances. But if they have a combined wattage of 1200 watts, the machine won’t run. (You have to enable the Power Lifting 1200W mode in the app). Or if either of them rolls over 1200W when starting up its circuits will kick in to stop it short-circuiting, and it won’t start either. But here is what you can run.

Bear in mind that if you are running those appliances that run on the higher end of the wattage scale, even though the EB3A can run them, they are going to eat up that battery pretty quickly. So have a solar panel ready if you are off grid, or run it through the cigarette port of your car at the same time.

Or if you just want to run a pile of appliances and devices when you are having a party outside your home in the garden (think of phones/laptops/lights/bluetooth speakers/bubble making machines/electric heaters/electric grill/fridge), just run a single extension lead to your device and/or a cable to your solar panel, and you can keep your machine charged with AC and solar combined (or one of either) and prevent all the connected devices and appliances from eating all your battery. This cute little box offers a great deal of connectivity and can save you from running multiple extension reels all over the place.

So Why would you choose another Portable Power Station?

The limitations are that you cannot expand the EB3A. Just think of the joy you would have when you want to go longer without charging this unit when you’ve used up the 263 watt-hours of battery, but alas, it isn’t to be. You are also limited to a combined wattage of 1200 watts, and that is for peak only. It can output 600W of continuous power, so if you want to power something more heavy-duty, you have to go larger. You won’t boil a kettle or run a coffee machine too long on this unit, and not at all with some coffee machines, so for an all-around complete domestic power source, you’ll need something with a higher wattage and watt-hour capacity. You can read about Bluettis’ higher powered models here.

The charging cables for solar panels and car charging are not supplied. Yes, you get a lot of bang for your buck, but as Bluetti is already going so far, they really could have made your day by providing these cables.

This also has a close competitor in the market, the Jackery Explorer 300. The main advantage the Jackery has over the Bluetti is that it has 30 more watt-hours. But the EB3A trumps that with a 2500+ life cycle battery as opposed to the 500 on the Jackery. Bluetti will also support double the wattage of the 300; it can power appliances with a continuous 600 watts. It has a much higher surge of 1200W. This really is not normal for such a small power station to have these specs. You could almost say it is overspec’d. So Bluetti has stolen a march over their counterparts with their entry-level power machine. Its something Jackery may have to contend with, as Bluetti’s EB3A sells by the bucketload and has a large section of this market covered.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison:

On the subject of comparisons, see how Bluetti stacks up against EcoFlow here, and how Jackery fares against EcoFlow here.

Fantastic LED Display

Stats are easy to get a hold of on the LED screen. You can clearly see the input and output of all connected devices. It has temperature, short circuit, and overload warnings, as well as remaining charge and discharge times, courtesy of the intelligent Battery Management System (BMS), and it will tell you if you have ECO mode switched on to conserve the battery or turbo charge boost switched on, which will charge your devices much faster at the expense of battery capacity. It is easy to control and connect to the Bluetti app.

One thing Bluetti will have to look into is the number of customers who have voiced concern on websites and forums about the battery suddenly tanking at 10% and not always giving accurate readings, especially after you have just connected something. The battery can give the wrong display for a while, and then it will make an adjustment to correct itself. Something that needs work, but a small price to pay if you have a solar panel or AC charger at the ready.

Who Would The Bluetti EB3A Suit?

Those who want to keep their camper van tours touring longer. Workmen who want to make sure their power drill batteries never run out. Festival goers and wild and docked campers will love this light, fume-free, and safe power box. Fond of a cold beer when you are out throwing golf discs or fishing? Like a cool beverage or some snacks when you are hunting? Instead of carrying round bags of ice and clearing out your cooler bag after you’ve finished, grab your mini cooler and the EB3A and away you go.

The Bluetti EB3A is also a great power source to have when the electricity goes out. Its perfect to keep small lights, fans, and your phones working, and it can even run a CPAP machine for up to 9 hours. For folks who don’t want to invest in a larger, more expensive, and heavier unit, this micropower station will see you through the dark. If your area is not that prone to raging weather fronts, this is all you will need to keep those essentials running. If you have a 100 or 200W solar panel, you’ll also be able to charge it with only a couple of hours of sunlight, so if the power does stay off for longer than expected, you could keep all your electronics and a mini cooler charged for days.

The Qi wireless charging pad is also an exceptional add-on for such an inexpensively priced power station. Brands selling power stations alone in the $1000s don’t even offer this charging technology.

Finally, one reason that this power station is really worth the asking price is its long battery life. As the LiFePO4 battery is rated for 2500 cycles, it will effectively last for years. That’s something that even $5K+ models like the Goal Zero Yeti 6000X don’t even offer.

Signing off on the Bluetti EB3A

Its a more than capable compact power box that outperforms its minuscule demeanour. The long-lasting battery, quick multi-charging modes, and wireless charge pad are features normally reserved for higher-spec, premium-priced power stations. But, Bluetti has done their customers a massive favour by not segmenting their batteries into an exclusive range, which automatically means paying more.

Its small, but, with massive appeal.