two years ago i bought a Jack**y1000 and have been looking for an upgrade. A buddy of mine bought the AC180 and after playing with it my 1000 is up for sale and i will be getting one. Cust service was ok for me, i had an AC300 inverter with no ac output after 6 months daily use and the hardest part was actually finding a number to call to get my warranty started. They replaced it in about two weeks. I did have problems with Eco Flow when i ordered a Wave 2 that had problems and i just returned it and it was a long multi contact and expensive process. Going off a sample size of one i prefer Bluetti cust service.
I've also had to send back an Ecoflow Delta Pro and my replacement has a calibration issue where it reports the capacity as just 2kWh and I can't fix it, so it's not like any of them are perfect. Bluetti did not ask me to create this video, but I did get the opportunity to buy it with a discount for my trouble with the AC500.
@@assortedmountainlife sounds very frustrating. I have been leaning towards the Ecoflow Delta 2 for my camping setup. It seems very close to the AC180 but the form factor of a cube isn't as convenient... and the "customer service" from Bluetti seems absolutely terrible.
@@readyme I've been using my ecoflow delta pro daily now with a 1.8kW array (1.6kW max input) and it's been working flawlessly lately. I'm not sure if a firmware update fixed it or not, but it's correctly measuring the battery capacity now and hasn't been wrong in a very long time. I power my entire network and server stack with it (450W baseline) and even charge my EV at 8A (1000W). The bluetti is still chugging along and I have no problems with it really. The power percentage can sometimes be off, but the true capacity is still there and I can get about 0.99kWh from the AC outlet measured with a kill-a-watt plug. All in all pretty pleased with both devices. Neither have been disappointing after understanding their quirks.
@@assortedmountainlife Awesome. Glad to hear, and thanks for the update. With both units being so similar, it basically comes down to whichever one I can get the best deal on.
I ordered one a month ago and it arrived at my house dead wouldn't charge no matter what I did and it would turn off after a few seconds. It took them 3 days to reply to my refund request and then another 2 weeks for it to be delivered back to them. Extremely disappointed by the AC180 and the customer service. If they do send me a replacement I hope it works.
@@simonmountford4291 you should have no trouble at all on 15A devices. Still to this day it's been rock solid never experiencing any unexpected faults.
Just pray, you never have to go through the return process it took them almost 2 weeks to send me a return label and then charging me to send back the broken unit they sent me
Was it in EU? I've returned one unit within 30 days to get bigger one and it went without any problem. Parcel label within 2 days, cash back on account 1 day after they recieved delivery. I'd say that their customer support is rather good, at least in Europe
So with the Capacity test how long would a Desktop gaming PC but (with no gaming just browsing) last roughly with a 34 inch monitor and a modem router? Let's say total draw 200 watts.
It can output a rated maximum of 1800W continuously. In brief surges I've seen it work at 2500W for a second or two and 2200W for a few seconds. The max charging input is 1400W on AC turbo and 500W on DC solar.
I can tell so far from using my unit over the weekend just to use it so its not just sitting, This unit does not like HEAT!. Had my electric cooler plugged into DC. Pulled continuous 68-70 watts. After 3 min the fan ran from there without ceasing. Also powered my standing fan, I think pulled 30-40 watts and the fan came on every so often. It was in my air conditioned room but I guess it wasn't cool enough.
I also find that charging a laptop via USB-C PD at about 96W will also cause the fans to turn on. My Delta Pro is also very aggressive with the fans. I guess it's better than the safety hazard and premature wear of overheating.
@@hertechprep Yes, both my bluetti and ecoflow click near sunrise and sunset when the sun is very low or not fully contacting the panels. I think it's a problem with voltage dropping out below the lower limit for the units. Mine has been doing this daily for more than a year on the ecoflow with no problems.
Does it click continually on a regular rhythm? It's possible you're falling below the minimum voltage required to turn on the DC charger and it's turning on and off repeatedly until you get stronger sunlight.
@@assortedmountainlife yes, that is exactly what is happening, it tries to turn on the mppt controller every few minutes and fails ... I don't see the same behavior on other devices. And because it's always connected to the solar I have this issue twice a day.
@@djxyt Do you know how many watts that is? I'm guessing no more than 3 hours as that is probably between 300 and 500 watts, especially if it's a gaming computer.
Microwaves are not designed for solar generator as they require a groud for their faraday cage or youll get microwaves all around it and could blew your bluetti if its too close. Bad for your health as well
@@truenorthbeardco This should do great for powering a 120V office! I can power my entire network and server stack for about 2 hours (400W) without solar attached.
I can try it, but I really wouldn't expect the tool to exceed 15A under load for a sustained duration during a cut. There's still a lot of headroom after the initial startup. Thanks for the suggestion.
Honestly, if it can handle the startup current of the motor, that’s gonna be your highest peak for power usage. Startup current will greatly exceed the amount of current increase when cutting wood. I use my ac180 for my miter saw and it does just fine
I'd be glad to answer any specific questions you have. I tried to keep this short and focused on my intended uses that other reviewers may not touch on. There are already a lot of educational videos on the topic. Will Prowse has great content to understand the basics. You should check out his videos if you haven't already.
The first thing you need to understand is that these power stations don't generate electricity, so calling them generators is inaccurate. They store energy that is put into the batteries by various methods, only one of which is solar and then distribute it via different output methods.
Outstanding. Just tests clear and concise. Thank You! Best Regards and Best Wishes!
two years ago i bought a Jack**y1000 and have been looking for an upgrade. A buddy of mine bought the AC180 and after playing with it my 1000 is up for sale and i will be getting one. Cust service was ok for me, i had an AC300 inverter with no ac output after 6 months daily use and the hardest part was actually finding a number to call to get my warranty started. They replaced it in about two weeks. I did have problems with Eco Flow when i ordered a Wave 2 that had problems and i just returned it and it was a long multi contact and expensive process. Going off a sample size of one i prefer Bluetti cust service.
The one eighty is a wild card !
I'm surprised you bought another Bluetti after your experience with the AC500. Or was this a freebee from Bluetti?
I've also had to send back an Ecoflow Delta Pro and my replacement has a calibration issue where it reports the capacity as just 2kWh and I can't fix it, so it's not like any of them are perfect. Bluetti did not ask me to create this video, but I did get the opportunity to buy it with a discount for my trouble with the AC500.
@@assortedmountainlife sounds very frustrating. I have been leaning towards the Ecoflow Delta 2 for my camping setup. It seems very close to the AC180 but the form factor of a cube isn't as convenient... and the "customer service" from Bluetti seems absolutely terrible.
@@readyme I've been using my ecoflow delta pro daily now with a 1.8kW array (1.6kW max input) and it's been working flawlessly lately. I'm not sure if a firmware update fixed it or not, but it's correctly measuring the battery capacity now and hasn't been wrong in a very long time. I power my entire network and server stack with it (450W baseline) and even charge my EV at 8A (1000W). The bluetti is still chugging along and I have no problems with it really. The power percentage can sometimes be off, but the true capacity is still there and I can get about 0.99kWh from the AC outlet measured with a kill-a-watt plug. All in all pretty pleased with both devices. Neither have been disappointing after understanding their quirks.
@@assortedmountainlife Awesome. Glad to hear, and thanks for the update. With both units being so similar, it basically comes down to whichever one I can get the best deal on.
I ordered one a month ago and it arrived at my house dead wouldn't charge no matter what I did and it would turn off after a few seconds. It took them 3 days to reply to my refund request and then another 2 weeks for it to be delivered back to them. Extremely disappointed by the AC180 and the customer service. If they do send me a replacement I hope it works.
I previously had problems with the AC500 and their customer service was a pain to work with. I have another video about that ordeal... Good luck 😬
Did they make things right? What’s the outcome?
Damn, you’ve got everything
So how long did it take before the unit fail? Average time before it fails is 3-6 months. If yours still works then you are the lucky few.
I've not had any problems and use the device a few times per week. How about for you? what issues are you seeing?
Nice series of testing. Thanks.
Just purchased this for my powerless garage wood shop. Glad you tried it on your tablesaw and thicknesser 🤓🪚
@@simonmountford4291 you should have no trouble at all on 15A devices. Still to this day it's been rock solid never experiencing any unexpected faults.
Just pray, you never have to go through the return process it took them almost 2 weeks to send me a return label and then charging me to send back the broken unit they sent me
Was it in EU? I've returned one unit within 30 days to get bigger one and it went without any problem. Parcel label within 2 days, cash back on account 1 day after they recieved delivery. I'd say that their customer support is rather good, at least in Europe
So with the Capacity test how long would a Desktop gaming PC but (with no gaming just browsing) last roughly with a 34 inch monitor and a modem router? Let's say total draw 200 watts.
That should be good for about 5 hours.
Divide 990 by 200 = 4.95. Approximately 5hours.
How can an AC 180 produce 800W that reaches a maximum of 500W?
It can output a rated maximum of 1800W continuously. In brief surges I've seen it work at 2500W for a second or two and 2200W for a few seconds. The max charging input is 1400W on AC turbo and 500W on DC solar.
Great review thank you from Belfast,Northern Ireland.
Can you connect two of the AC180 to provide 220 volts...is that even possible?
They would need to be in phase and I don't think there's a controller available from bluetti to manage that.
I can tell so far from using my unit over the weekend just to use it so its not just sitting, This unit does not like HEAT!. Had my electric cooler plugged into DC. Pulled continuous 68-70 watts. After 3 min the fan ran from there without ceasing. Also powered my standing fan, I think pulled 30-40 watts and the fan came on every so often. It was in my air conditioned room but I guess it wasn't cool enough.
I also find that charging a laptop via USB-C PD at about 96W will also cause the fans to turn on. My Delta Pro is also very aggressive with the fans. I guess it's better than the safety hazard and premature wear of overheating.
@@assortedmountainlife Ok so its not just me. Does your unit click consistently duing solar charging, especially if there is not direct sunlight?
@@hertechprep Yes, both my bluetti and ecoflow click near sunrise and sunset when the sun is very low or not fully contacting the panels. I think it's a problem with voltage dropping out below the lower limit for the units. Mine has been doing this daily for more than a year on the ecoflow with no problems.
@@assortedmountainlife Whhheeeww ok cool. Just tested my AC180 with the solar panels today through the window... definitly makes sense! Thanks!
Mine has a clicking relay when there is not enough solar at sunset/sunrise. Nothing is on. Is it normal?
Does it click continually on a regular rhythm? It's possible you're falling below the minimum voltage required to turn on the DC charger and it's turning on and off repeatedly until you get stronger sunlight.
@@assortedmountainlife yes, that is exactly what is happening, it tries to turn on the mppt controller every few minutes and fails ... I don't see the same behavior on other devices. And because it's always connected to the solar I have this issue twice a day.
@@Mr_nah I can try to replicate it. My ecoflow doesn't do this though and it's on 24/7 taking as much solar as it can throughout the day.
@@assortedmountainlife That would be great! Thank you.
@@Mr_nah Oddly enough, I noticed my ecoflow doing this recently around sunset.
If im using pc and lg 77 inch oled tv and soundboard how many hours can i use it ?😊
@@djxyt Do you know how many watts that is? I'm guessing no more than 3 hours as that is probably between 300 and 500 watts, especially if it's a gaming computer.
Now make a spread with that hot water.
Just got mine very informative and to the point
Microwaves are not designed for solar generator as they require a groud for their faraday cage or youll get microwaves all around it and could blew your bluetti if its too close. Bad for your health as well
I don't think that's correct, but thanks for looking out for my health 👍
@@assortedmountainlife You can google it.. I was in electronics
is that a racoon ?
Those are barn cats that live outside all year long. They've had some confrontations with raccoons though haha.
we just built a tiny home (RUclips studio) and just bought this with Amazon Prime Days savings!
@@truenorthbeardco This should do great for powering a 120V office! I can power my entire network and server stack for about 2 hours (400W) without solar attached.
Didn't run any power tools under load. I bet it wouldn't run them once you put a piece of wood to the table saw or planer.
I can try it, but I really wouldn't expect the tool to exceed 15A under load for a sustained duration during a cut. There's still a lot of headroom after the initial startup. Thanks for the suggestion.
Here's a short video showing the table saw cutting wood with ease: ruclips.net/user/shortsZeEE_avkdtE?feature=share
Honestly, if it can handle the startup current of the motor, that’s gonna be your highest peak for power usage. Startup current will greatly exceed the amount of current increase when cutting wood. I use my ac180 for my miter saw and it does just fine
I have used mine with many power tools. The startup is more load than when cutting.
How about a version of your review for people that know nothing about solar power generators. Too much jargon.
I'd be glad to answer any specific questions you have. I tried to keep this short and focused on my intended uses that other reviewers may not touch on. There are already a lot of educational videos on the topic. Will Prowse has great content to understand the basics. You should check out his videos if you haven't already.
The first thing you need to understand is that these power stations don't generate electricity, so calling them generators is inaccurate. They store energy that is put into the batteries by various methods, only one of which is solar and then distribute it via different output methods.
@@dirtdiver2389 Depends on how you define generate...
@@t.d.harris1311 I define it the same way a dictionary does.
So if more solar power is coming in than being stored and consumed, what we it be called?