Biolite BaseCharge 1500: First Thoughts - Review and Features

[@OXFOOT]

Nice! Looks great

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

It’s a really nice unit!

[@shawnthomas6460]

Thank you for sharing. These are great features for the overlander. Having the capability of charging with dual inputs make it a great pack to have. There are a few items I wish they would provide. One is Tie downs points these things can be heavy, depending on the size, up to 30 pounds. Two the charging pad on top is awesome but we need two please. Three an app that will give you usage information and warnings on when power level is below ?? %. Number Four. battery pack extender. have the ability to link additional power pack would also be a great feature. I built an 100 amph battery back and it cost me near $400 plus the time to make it, for the features that it has, I would say it a good value.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

All great points! I would love to have app connectivity…

[@bigfootgoesboom]

I honestly don't see the purpose of more expensive solar generators. Yeah they look a bit better but between mine(pretty much the cheapest 500wH one available) and comparable premium options that people I know have I really see no functional difference. If you got money to burn go premium but my advice would be use that money on other items.

[@bigfootgoesboom]

Too be fair though this one is priced much more fair than alot of other options and looks better than most of them

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Yeah, I guess it kind of depends on your overall set up. If you have multiple uses for it like using it around the house or using it while at sporting events as well as camping in overlanding and don’t want to have a vehicle bound dual battery system, which costs usually quite a bit as well then something like this makes more sense. If you’re going to spend a lot of days consecutively camping and running a fridge, then it’ll last a lot longer without having to charge it. Again though, it just depends on your style of overlanding or camping and how often you’re moving camp.

[@peterholub7662]

One thing I learned in researching solar generators is there are a couple different battery technologies companies use (unfortunately I don't remember what they are). I believe the tech Anker uses lasts longer as you get more cycles for the life of the battery before the charge percentage starts to degrade and can hold the charge longer. But also I'm sure there are "higher-end" brands that use the cheaper tech and assume no one is actually going to look at their specs.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

@@peterholub7662 That’s a good point. I believe LiFepO4 batteries have the most cycles, then lithium (like this battery), and then basically AGM style power banks (lots of the DIY Batteries in a box are these). The way I look at lithium is it still usually 500 or so cycles? Which for me will be years. As much as I try to go I’m lucky if I can get out a couple times a month for a day or two at a time. So, even at 500 cycles, that’s still lots of life. I think if you were living on the road full-time and constantly cycling the batteries, then it would make sense to invest in the LiFepO4 units.

[@wowyummyyy]

👍👍👍👍👍 💯 💯 💯 😻😻😻😻

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

It’s pretty great!