EcoFlow River 2 PRO Test - It Surprised Me!

[@97marqedman]

Just picked one up and am so far quite impressed by it. I’m an old-school home power nut, having installed my first solar panels at age 13 in 1995. Back then, solar had just broken the $5/watt barrier and it was a big deal. I’ve had 600 watts worth of solar on my roof for the past ten years, but no actual system - just “guerrilla solar” utility intertie with the individual panel-mount intertie inverters plugged into an outlet in my shop. So they just offset my usage, but never actually “sell” back to the grid. It’s enough to knock about $15-20 off my bill every month. These are the same panels I saved up for and bought back in 1995, and their outputs have only decreased by an average of 8%. Pretty darn good. So I’ve been thinking about getting back into an actual solar home system, mainly for energy use offset and also for backup during outages in the winter (it gets very cold here). The electricals on my boiler pull a constant 166 watts when running, which is my only real concern other than phone and flashlight charging. I’ve been looking at these “portable power stations” (of various brands) over the past few years, wondering if they’re actually any good. After seeing a few reviews, I decided to go for the one featured in this video, as it was on sale for $499. I pulled two of my older frameless 100 watt solar panels out of storage to dedicate to charging the unit, and terminated the wire run in my basement with a fuse and a disconnect since that’s where the River will live in the winter. Temps down there average 58f over the cold season so it should do fine. With the boiler averaging 20 minutes of runtime per hour at 0°f, I should be able to get a solid 10-12 hours out of the River…and that’s only if I don’t make any changes to our heating strategy (which we will in the case of an outage - lower set temp, which means the boiler won’t operate for the first 6 hours due to the thermal mass of our home). In the end, this unit is perfect for dipping my toe back into the home power stuff - no batteries to lug around and maintain, no space taken up by inverters and cabling and disconnects, and easy enough for my kids to just turn it on, plug in the boiler, and it’s good to go. Perhaps someday I’ll step up to a multi-kilowatt version with the extra battery capacity and switch a few rooms of the house over to full-time solar power, then eventually the whole house. I really like the idea of these self-contained units, and the anxiety I felt over the Li-Ion chemistry’s relatively short life cycle rating has now been cured with the switch to LiFePo cells. All in all, I’m extremely happy with the River 2 Pro…looking forward to expanding my system in the future!

[@AdventureGearTV]

Thank you for sharing such a detailed experience with your setup. It’s awesome that you could find a new use for the old solar panels. I’m happy to hear that everything is working well for you.

[@oshinproduction6532]

So how many hours long do you calculate a 65” Tv 100kwh/1000 can run for in a power cut

[@bryanmathew2079]

This Now@ $399.00😊Vg Price i' Think i'm Getting iT Soon, Thanks!! Nice Review bye

[@marklewus5468]

You do a better job of explaining ex-boost than most of the reviewers. But I think all reviewers need to make it crystal clear that you cannot use x boost with a refrigerator or you will damage it. The low voltage can cause the compressor to seriously overheat.

[@MJay581]

X-boost is a gimmick IMO. I just leave it disabled as I'd rather not risk damaging any of my electrical items. If you think you're going to need more then step up to the Delta 2 and skip the R2Pro.

[@tonyinfinity]

Only if the fridge uses more then 800 watts which most modern fridges don't

[@jacobpetersen5662]

@@MJay581 It's not a gimmick, id rather have it than not. It's not ideal, but I wouldn't call it a gimmick.

[@iang5395]

@@jacobpetersen5662 agreed. if it allows me to use something i otherwise couldn't, like a hair dryer, or a tool i need, im certainly glad to be able to.

[@william_SMMA]

BY FAR and away the best review out there. You're gifted at this man

[@tdwilcox]

Love this little unit. It runs my BougeRV refrigerator freezer for 17 hours

[@AdventureGearTV]

They do pack a punch. I’ve had this one in my minivan camper all summer. Not a single issue.

[@haxyquinn]

Thank you! I'm not sure if buying this one or the EcoFlow River 2 MAX. I need it for some lights set ups for interviews in national parks and other small stuff. We tried the EcoFlow River 2 Max thanks to a friend and it worked perfectly. it was just enough for our 2 hours interview and we still had most of the equipment changed so we were there an extra hour without issues. The 10 years battery life sounds like a good deal I think that the only thing that can't be easily tested XD

[@AdventureGearTV]

I’ve tried the river 2 max , and it works just as well with slightly lower specs. If it works for you, then it’s also an excellent option.

[@klebberbezerra1610]

this should be the official eco flow video. I wrote them that. thank you.

[@AdventureGearTV]

I appreciate your feedback! Thanks for this.

[@jaimereyes7480]

Just picked up a gently used one with a 160w panel for $360. Excited to test it out

[@JamesBrown-cm9fv]

Thank you for the real questions answered!!!. What can I bring camping and know what I can plug in, and for how long. The simple layman's answers.

[@delyxdel5095]

Is it possible to use it while charging by the solar panel ?

[@aerozg]

Did you test it in below freezing temps? I purchased another brand power station and it shuts down at -1°C/30°F.

[@troutstalker7855]

Good question. I hope it get answered.

[@PetersonCharlesMONSTAH]

Can you run your fridge with this?

[@diywarren1776]

A little frustrated but still getting the hang of things. My river 2 pro completely drained a fully charged delta 2

[@v12_dante26]

River 2 pro or Bluetti AC70. Specs are very similar. Price here in Canada is the same. I’m having a hard time deciding. Can you help?

[@danlux4954]

Does it turn off if the product plugged in isn’t pulling power?

[@roderickwilliams3988]

Thanks!

[@AdventureGearTV]

Hi, thank you so much!

[@hughseagraves7036]

So how long to charge on the solar panel? It was cut out or cut off.

[@stevenziegler2523]

Can this be used to power a 1/3 HP sump pump when I lose power at home?

[@DENSUTUBE2008]

I wish more reviewers would cover sump pumps as a lot of people want these to use it for that .

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

@@DENSUTUBE2008 - Yeah, I don't need to cook a damn egg in a power crisis.

[@wayneberry3453]

​@DENSUTUBE2008 all the details are on your items.

[@doddt2002]

It’s also important to know how much power drain over time you have with measurements for both AC & DC output.

[@johnlee8250]

I don’t think you mentioned the fact that AC power has to be pure sinewave and most vehicle inverters don’t have a pure sign wave so you can’t actually charge this from your vehicle with AC power you have to use the slower DC power so we can’t charge it in 70 minutes with Your truck AC from what I’ve seen.

[@cazenjackpots]

I’m surprised your unit did not overload!? Have you had any weird problems or issues post testing?

[@MrTmax74]

Nice thorough review, thank you. Only downside I see is that it doesn't have a built-in light. As far as I'm concerned, they should all have something built in. Seems like a great unit though

[@Something_in_the_Forest]

You guys missed out I got the Black Friday

[@eevox680]

Add diesel heater to your test, the max capacity is kinda pointless, people rarely use the full capacity

[@richardng3736]

Nice review. I am considering either this unit or the Bluetti EB70. Other than price difference...what are the pro and con of this vs the EB70? Your choice based on your experience...?

[@AdventureGearTV]

The big pro is x boost mode. I don’t believe the EB70 has that flexibility. Also, connectivity is available on the River series.

[@richardng3736]

@@AdventureGearTV thanks for your reply

[@LaResistenciaEDC]

Finaly a real usage review ! Thank you without an hour of boring info which dumbs like me.wont understand 😂 thank you 🙏🏼

[@churchillrico3559]

Can i use it on my TV?

[@johnq6123]

Started out with a River 2 and quickly realized...not enough capacity to last a day or two of Winter carCamping/ tentCamping: running two 50w (AC) heating pads, maybe a 200w (AC) micro heater and recharge iPad and phone. Would it make better sense to get two River 2 Pros (1536Wh) or one EF Delta 2 (1024Wh)?

[@Khrissicks]

Look into solar charging when possible. Or look into the capacity “hack” for power stations. Essentially connecting a spare lifepo4 to the power station .

[@ASTHMAVideoZ]

Hi how much is the 220w solar panel & does it come with the powerstation?

[@ChrisDavis333]

Would you recommend this River 2 Pro or the Jackery 700 plus? They’re both $399 right now. Or is there another option in that range you’d recommend? Thanks!

[@no1up]

Wondering which one you ended up with?

[@rua.001]

I am thinking of getting this but I need to travel with it on an airplane. I know Lithium Ion above 160wh are prohibited on a plane but are there any regulations banning LiFePo4 batteries? Or is LiFePo4 have the same concerns as Lithium Ion and the TSA will keep them banned? Thanks!

[@AdventureGearTV]

The limit is 100Wh. They don’t make a distinction between chemistrys.

[@timmoody7600]

I'd like the app to connect over bluetooth. On android, when I go to BT pairing, add a device, I see the River 2 Pro device. I click it and the BT icon illuminates on the EC screen. But it never pairs. Any suggestions welcome. I can connect over wifi in the house.

[@undefeatedgaul3201]

I thought it could only handle 200 solar input How long will this thing power my iceco vl45

[@AdventureGearTV]

Correct. 220w max, I’m fixing the video now! Thank you for pointing that out.

[@MJay581]

I easily ran a Dometic CFX3 45 on it with the Dometic at 34f and medium batt protect setting. The R2Pro was at 85% 48 hours later.

[@dylancuccia970]

Can you charge it off a normal generator in a pinch?

[@william_SMMA]

You'd probably have to get a stabilizer so it doesn't blow up the fuse or something

[@JAMTOAM]

Cannu power a small microwave

[@kalilosaeth4255]

Can it charge and discharge simultaneously?

[@AdventureGearTV]

Yes

[@newsles2]

I thought I left a comment about powering a ham radio. Maybe I posted it on the wrong comment thread. Anyway, how do you think it would fare powering a power supply for a ham radio in the field, said radio putting out 100W max at around 21A for transmission. Thanks. (Edit: I DID leave said comment but on one of your Bluetti reviews. Doesn't matter too much now though because in large part thanks to you video here I just ordered a River 2 Pro, so here's hoping it can do what I want it to, as well as not crweate too much RFI. Thanks for an excellent test and review.

[@AdventureGearTV]

Hi, it was in a different video thread. I’m not sure if this one will support your HAM radio setup. Do you know the actual power draw of the transmitter? Is it 100W at 21A? If so, you’ll need something with a 30A 12v outlet unless you can run it off of AC power.

[@newsles2]

@@AdventureGearTV Hi, thanks for the reply. Yes, the power supply which powers the radio is fed from an AC outlet and converts to 13.8VDC for the radio.

[@georgehadjiyiannis8614]

Does it support LG ac aircoditioning?

[@AdventureGearTV]

Air conditioners use too much power.

[@mindofown]

Impressive review

[@shin-ishikiri-no]

Aggressive intro... I feel attacked.

[@AdventureGearTV]

That’s an interesting take on the intro.

[@ElegalvicnLa]

Has anyone had an issue with the output voltage display not showing when plugging in certain devices or appliances?

[@HistoricHospitality]

Live on a narrowboat. Would this sort me out for daily use for tv, phone charge etc if away from my mooring and power hook up on site?? How long possibly would it last before next charge? All new to me 😂

[@wayneberry3453]

Check wattage of all you're plugging into it.

[@RealtorAtWork]

what about a frig. test that DUDE

[@klvntmi]

Can i use it while its charging with the solar panel?

[@carguy.4591]

Yes

[@Dubbdthills]

Click output. It will change over. So you can turn the ac or dc from the app.

[@AdventureGearTV]

Thanks for the tip. I’ll try it right now!

[@Dubbdthills]

@@AdventureGearTV No problem. It's the same way for the other rivers i have. But great video. 👍

[@Khrissicks]

Can one disconnect charging from DC using the app? It would be nice to turn on charging from my car. And disconnect to not drain my car battery. I know it can be done manually, but through an app would be nice to not have to disconnect the charging cable

[@Mega1andy2]

im just wondering, can one plug in a computer using these battery banks? cause i would really like to get one. that lasts like a couple of hours or so. just wondering. if its possible for me to hook a computer to a battery powerbank. and which is the best one if i were able to choose? im just wondering. since im looking for one.

[@AdventureGearTV]

There a quite a few good options out there. But, yes. This will run a laptop for several hours.

[@Mega1andy2]

@@AdventureGearTV does this supply UPS? cause im thinking of putting the ecoflow delta 2 river pro with the desktop computer, cause the computer i have is like only 200 - 300 watts of power, and im wondering, how long will the battery last, considering if the electricity goes out? talking about hours, like 2 or maybe 3 hours. also, sometimes, youtube has weird bugs that doesn't notify anyone who actually does message them. so that was a long delay of a message, and im sorry about that! Cheers!

[@DaveSquibbSr]

The inverter is using at least 10% to run and heat those devices. There's your 10% discrepancy.

[@neurodivergentlily]

lol wouldn't be an OGA video without you throwin' somethin! :D

[@AdventureGearTV]

It’s a great way to have fun!

[@darksoul509]

I have one. Cheaply made. Mine is currently at their warehouse being repair. lol 😢

[@HeatherReddit]

Your review says 550 solar input, the Amazon listing says 220.

[@AdventureGearTV]

It is definitely 220w. Do you recall when I said that?

[@AdventureGearTV]

I found it, I’ll edit that out. Thank you!❤

[@HeatherReddit]

@Off Grid Adventure You're welcome! I just had to return a Pecron 600LFP - I'm looking for something comparable. Must accept at least 300w solar. Can you advise?

[@AdventureGearTV]

@@HeatherReddit what happened with the Pecron? I’m planning to review it soon and compare it to this Ecoflow.

[@HeatherReddit]

@Off Grid Adventure When it first arrived, my concerns were: - When it said it was 100% charged, it took an additional 30 minutes to stop charging. - After discharging to 97%, the unit said I had 14.7 hours left at a usage rate of 30 watts - That is a capacity of 441 hours, not even close to the advertised 614wh. -When charging with the power brick, the bottom right corner always indicated 999 hours to finish charging. After about two weeks: - With DC and AC outlets both turned OFF - nothing using power at all - the fan suddenly started running and wouldn't stop. It wasn't receiving any solar input. Attempted to trouble shoot - unplugged everything even though the outlets were off, nothing changed. Turning DC out *ON* did turn the fan off. Still trying to trouble shoot, I turned DC out back OFF again and the fan went back on. Again, not using any power, not receiving any power, and it was 60ish degrees so the unit was definitely not hot. Disconnecting the solar input cord did stop the fan from running. Last issue that made me return it - I was running a USB lightbulb and when I plugged in my tablet to charge, the lightbulb went off. Unplugged the bulb and plugged it back in - it worked for a split second, then stopped working again. I plugged the bulb into a different unit, and it worked fine. When I put it back into the Pecron, it again stopped working and also ... my tablet made a sound like it had JUST been plugged in despite not touching that plug - and it's USB C vs bulb type A. Same thing kept happening.

[@jokerxd407]

How much electricity did it cost to charge up your power station from 0 to 100%. Please tell me because it’s important. Thanks.

[@AdventureGearTV]

It’s a factor I’ve considered testing, but have not done so yet. A ball park is 768Wh x 1.1 to 1.2 = 845-922Wh.

[@jokerxd407]

@@AdventureGearTV thanks you for your reply and I have no idea what that calculation means. Sorry.

[@AdventureGearTV]

@@jokerxd407 hi, no worries. It means that it’ll cost around 1KWh (845-922 watts) to recharge the device from empty to 100%. Does this answer your question? Here, that’s between 10 and 13 cents.

[@jokerxd407]

@@AdventureGearTV yes I some what understand now thanks. Wow so that is about 10p in British pounds? I’m finding it very hard to believe it’s that cheap.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Everybody's electricity costs are different. Dirt cheap where I live (BC Hydro), very expensive one province over.

[@DoritosResidue]

No expansion battery's like the early reviews stated but I'm cool with that. This or the pecron 600lfp for me. I need a help deciding lol!

[@AdventureGearTV]

This is my second video on the River 2 Pro. My first video was back in November, but no mention of an expansion battery. If I recall, the original river series had expansion packs.

[@DoritosResidue]

@@AdventureGearTV you are right I didn't see it on your review. But there quite a few videos that stated there is expansion. Thanks for the great reviews!

[@donbrloks3959]

Can it run a refrigerator in normal mode?

[@AdventureGearTV]

It depends on how powerful the compressor is. This wouldn’t last long with a full size fridge.

[@samuelbarillas6302]

Ecoflow is a Chinese company im wondering if they intentionally put bugs in their software to destroy these systems

[@mahamudmunna5000]

Ur racist bro 😂

[@Rabeea09]

Smell's a bit fishy around here!

[@graemeneale9311]

This outlet at 1 : 03 is actually an inlet

[@AdventureGearTV]

Ha! I said inlet almost 10 times, but it only takes once.

[@graemeneale9311]

@@AdventureGearTV not to worry, we will forgive you.

[@shapursasanian8494]

Can River 2 pro run my Everbilt sump pump 1/2 hp 120V 5.2 amp. thanks

[@carguy.4591]

Maybe

[@shapursasanian8494]

@carguy.4591 Yes, it is working %100 😊

[@user-zc3vj2lj7v]

WHAT ABOUT FULL SIZE REFRIGERATOR. NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT . I NEED ONE FOR MY REFRIGERATOR AS WELL AS FOR FANS . FORGET SBOUT COOKING. I HAVE A WONDERFUL GRILL

[@ShowemRight]

Greetings bro, did you get this unit with the 220watt bifacial solar panels ....if so, just wanna know if the panel is 220 watt on the front side or is it some kind of combination between the front and back side for 220 watt.?

[@AdventureGearTV]

I’ll have to check if it’s the 220w bifacial one, but I’ve used it a few times this summer. I only faced it “up,” so I’m not sure if it’ll perform the same with the other side up.

[@ShowemRight]

@@AdventureGearTV thank you

[@supernova8962]

Has anyone has this problem. I have a 12v Socket car tire inflator...The one you connect to the AKA Cigarette Lighter port that comes with a 15 foot cord wire. When I attempt to use the Ecoflow River 2 Pro 12v Socket.... it doesn't work... Yes The power is turn on ...I do have light on the 12v Tire inflator ...but when I try turning on the compressor.....nothing happens. Anyone else seem to have this problem ....I tested on two compressor requires 150 watts 12v input for compressor.

[@AdventureGearTV]

Hi, I have not been able to get any of those inflaters to work with any of these power stations. The reason is that the inflators pull more than 10 amps at start up causing the circuit to go into protection mode on the power station which is usually rated at 10 amps. The car sockets are usually 15 amps. The power station only puts out 120w.

[@jampam-jf8mt]

I bought one and it failed, the customer service is awful.

[@panosdourouklakis9460]

Why it hasn't extendable battery?

[@wedoluxury]

nice

[@AdventureGearTV]

Awesome!

[@BellagiosBangerz]

No audio

[@Hax0rZ1]

price is too high

[@prozac1127]

I bought it after seeing the review. This product is full of bugs. Stay away from it. It refuses to connect to app, it doesn't charge via dc after 2 days of use, bad customer care and it doesn't come with a reset. This is a prototype at most.

[@dimsumpizza4746]

Really? Damn that sucks.. i was about to buy one

[@rontech1671]

BS, mine works fine!

[@ndfan1317]

I’ve had my R2 Pro for over six months. Used it multiple times for camping, softball tournaments, backyard work and get togethers. Never missed a beat. App works fine, charges via AC/DC and solar with no issues. Can’t speak for customer care as I haven’t had any problems with mine.

[@Turkes]

Loved mine, as well.

[@samuelbarillas6302]

I have a river pro and I've had a ton of problems from over heating while charging, to not turning on I would not buy a ecoflow device again

[@thomaspersson688]

Pecron LFP 600

[@AdventureGearTV]

I haven’t tried it yet. But, I’ve had some success with other Pecron devices recently. So, I’m sure it works great.

[@DoritosResidue]

Man I'm torn right now. I've been buying ecoflow since last year. I was about to pull the trigger on the pecron e600 lfp then I see this river pro 2 on my yt feed lol. I need guidance!

[@AdventureGearTV]

@@DoritosResidue I feel like the EcoFlow is a little more refined. I have not tested the Pecron 600, but recently tested their lager device with good results. So, it’s a tough call. There are some deals on this River 2 Pro that bring the price down to $539. So, that’s an excellent deal.

[@DoritosResidue]

@@AdventureGearTV a lot of factors play in to these two brands like warranty and price. I've have had no major issues with ecoflow. I already have the river pro w/expansion, river 2, river max 2. Shall I buy the pro and complete the river collection or should be logical for a great deal and go for pecron lol. I'm still torn!

[@thomaspersson688]

@@DoritosResidue pecron has an inverter at 1200 Watt ecoflow only 800 watt

[@pintorthepintor3964]

You botched the yard test solar panel result

[@AdventureGearTV]

What went wrong?

[@djdannis]

​@@AdventureGearTV The video cut. We never saw the results of how long it actually took to charge.