Any expertise on choosing a portable power station

[SC Maintenance]

I have decided I want / need a portable power station - Jackery/ Bluetti/etc. I know the loads I need to run (measured not spec). I have watched a number of youtube videos. I still have many questions.

First, is the rated Wh fully useable? ie your not supposed to drop them below 20% charge. Is the 20% included in the rating or do I need to factor that in.

Does the Wh include inefficiencies in the inverter. Most cheap inverters are 15% inefficient?

So if its rated for 1000Wh, do I get 1000Wh at 120VAC - or do I get 1000 x 80% x 85% = 680 Wh @120VAC. Are the ratings reputable anyway?

I know recharge time can be a problem for some. How do I find this number?

I also know Bluetti and Jackery seem to be the big names. Are there other brands that are as good or stick with these two?

 

[Furious]

Anker is probably the biggest name out there, take a look at the Anker Powerhouse or the Anker Solix

 

[Cujet]

Olight makes a small one that is about 230 Wh.

I think most small inverters lose 5% to 15% in general use, so you probably will not quite get the battery's full WH rating.

You can pretty much safely use the entire charge. You might pay a penalty after a few years. Lithium batteries start losing capacity from the very first use. And are both cycle and calendar limited. If you are going to cycle it every day, you could possibly stay between 10% and 90% to maximize battery life. Otherwise, it will be like any other lithium powered device. It will have about 85% capacity after 2-3 years, no matter what.

Choose one with a little headroom for cushion.

 

[spackard]

Anker and Bluetti are more efficient than EcoFlow Delta. I’d go with 85% of whatever watt*hour they rate their units at, as long as you don’t expect it to do full load output to dead flat.
https://youtube.com/@WillProwse does a lot of reviews to see capacity. I think he ignores the fan noise though. The EcoFlow’s supposed to be on the loud side.

Unless you get a big subsidy I’d stay away from Jackery.

 

[opublic]

Otherwise, it will be like any other lithium powered device. It will have about 85% capacity after 2-3 years, no matter what.

Do you know of any studies or research that show this with only a storage charge (40-50%) and no cycles?

 

[Cujet]

Do you know of any studies or research that show this with only a storage charge (40-50%) and no cycles?

Interesting, no I don't.

However, that seems to be the sweet spot for storage and I'd guess one could expect good performance from the batteries, if they are properly stored and not more than two or three years old.

Like so many others, I have a slew of Lithium powered things. The Dewalt batteries ALL go weak at the 9 year mark, like clockwork (Sanyo cells). Other brands are similar. The pouch cells all swell. Even the cockpit standby horizon batteries fail the 1 hour capacity test after a few years, as they've dropped below 85% capacity. I don't know what's inside them, but guessing 6ea, 18650's or similar. (they don't see many cycles, and are kept charged by the avionics)

I have a seldom used Jackery power bank (with 2 18650's inside) that is older, and it clearly does not have the capacity it once did. But worse than that, it now self-discharges. So I charge it up to 100% and 2 months later, it's down to 1 bar, and won't do much for my phone.