I know, I know, I know. Be careful about what you wish for. But in this case, I’m not hoping for an entire summer or winter power outage, just a small one, for an hour, so I can test the new Anker 757 Portable Power Station.
The portable power station is built with LiFePO4 batteries and has a capacity of 384000mAh. Based on what you’re trying to power, it can be divided among what ports are used and for how long. Anker lists the standard AC household plugs as 6 x 1500 watts.
Comparing a power station and a gas generator, both have advantages, but the 757 Portable Power Station, as Anker states, is clean, green, and quiet with zero fumes, zero noise, and lots of power.
Other tech specs include an AC power surge of 2400 watts, four USB-A ports with 12 watts each, and a pair of USB-C outputs of 100 and 60 watts, respectively. A single car socket output has 120 watts, and to get the Anker 757 back to total capacity, an hour and a half AC charge will bring it to 100 percent, while an hour does 80 percent with HyperFlash Technology.
You can charge, power, and run up to 13 devices simultaneously with it fully charged. And it’s built with a capacity of more than 3,000 charge cycles.
The Anker 757 is portable with built-in handles, but it’s not something you will carry around on a hike. The weight comes in at 43.9 pounds for the 18.2-by-11.3-by-9.3-inch power station.
Because of the winter power outages over the past few years in my home state of Texas, the Anker 757 instantly brought to mind the need to have it during these unfortunate situations. I know it will shine for space heaters, laptops, charging phones, and other necessities.
The power pack has far-reaching uses beyond outages, but it does not have a waterproof or water-resistant rating. The benefits can be endless for camping trips and include powering a coffee pot, CPAP machines, 43-inch TV, small stoves, fans and a portable refrigerator.
For the summer months, outside patios, or beach cabanas where AC power isn’t within reach, make it a perfect match for higher-powered fans, electronics and even portable adult beverage machines. There’s no limit to what it will power. Or use it as a charging station for the endless amount of power-hungry smartphones, tablets and computers from those gathered in attendance.
A power-saving mode is activated with a button to prevent power from being wasted. The power station will turn off in this mode when all the connected devices are fully charged. To use it as an uninterruptible power supply, connect the Anker 757 to a wall outlet with the included charging cable, and all the ports will be powered.
Anker-supplied numbers list a 45-watt mini-fridge running time for 22 hours, an iPhone 12 can charge 97.3 times, and a 12-watt lamp runs for 81.9 hours.
The front of the power station has all the ports in easy-access locations. The six AC outlets are spaced in two rows of three, with the bottom three built to accept a 3-prong grounding receptacle plug. All six USB ports (4-A, 2-C) are in the middle, and the car socket is to the left.
Above the ports is a large, easy-to-read display to show the battery percentage and remaining hours, high or low-temperature alerts, and various other features. Right above the display is a powered ambient light (approximately 11-by-0.5-inches), controlled by a button on the bottom right of the light. Press it once to turn it on and up to two times to increase the brightness level. A fourth press will turn it off. To activate the SOS mode, press and hold the button for two seconds.
Anker rates the 757 to have up to 50,000 hours of life expectancy, enabling it to run for 2,083 days, 24 hours a day. The inputs for charging are on the back, which brings up the different ways of charging.
The easiest way to charge for packing to total capacity is by connecting the included charging cables to an AC outlet or a vehicle’s output port. But during a power outage or in the wilderness when power isn’t available, Anker has a solar panel recharging system to connect up to three 100-watt solar panels.
Once aligned, the solar panel takes the Anker 757 Portable Power Station from zero to 80-percent in 3.6 hours. Each solar panel also has a USB-C and a USB-A output port to charge two devices simultaneously. The panels are scratch- and weather-resistant and include connectors and a charging cable.
The weather-resistant solar panel weighs 11 pounds and measures 20.7-by-18.5-by-3.4-inches when folded, and 56.9-by-20.7-by-1.8-inches unfolded. They have operating temperatures of minus 4-degree to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Anker’s website states the 757 Portable Power Station comes with an exclusive 5-year warranty for a guaranteed, worry-free experience.
https://us.anker.com $1,399.00 for the 757 Power Station, $2,299.00 with the 757 Power Station, and 3 Solar Panels (100 watts each), or $329.99 for each solar panel.
(Contact Gregg Ellman at greggellman@mac.com. Follow him on Twitter @greggellman.)
©2022 Gregg Ellman. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
