EcoFlow River 3 portable power station review
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The Ecoflow River 3 is the latest entry-level portable power station in the Ecoflow River family. It offers compact design, fast charging and application integration using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. 3 River 3 is the ideal travel-friendly power solution for campers, digital nomads, emergency backup needs and power.
With some Best portable power stations I’ve tested that the Ecoflow River 3 offers advanced GAN technology and compact form, with integrated handles, standard IEC cable charging, and all output ports on the front of the device for ease of use. The digital screen also displays key information for perfectly pairing with the Companion app.
Ecoflow River 3: Price and Availability
The Ecoflow River 3 has a base price of $239 (currently discounted to $179 at the time of review), and there are several bundled options. You can grab the power station or 3 Rivers with just $219 with 45W solar panels. While you can find the Ecoflow River 3 on the Ecoflow website, you can also find it at major retailers like Walmart, Bestbuy, etc. AmazonHome Depot, etc.
Ecoflow River 3: Unboxing and First Impression
The Ecoflow River 3 is not my first Ecoflow power station. I’ve reviewed a lot from Ecoflow over the years. I just reviewed one of my favorite power stations from Ecoflow Delta 3 Plus. But the River lineup is incredibly portability, lightweight design and charging speed.
Even when I was initially unboxing, I was shocked by the light at this power station, especially though it still has 245Wh and solid ports. River 3 is 10 x 8.3 x 4.4 inches and less than 8 pounds. With its comfortable integrated handle and excellent shape, the station is easy to move and use. It’s so easy to carry around. My 5-year-old son helped me with some tests and moved them. In addition, River 3 is also IP54-level dust and waterproof; it has a buck shell and landing ability up to 1.5 meters.
In the box is the River 3 portable power station, AC power cable, car charger cable and user guide. I chose the basic unit without the solar panel bundle, although you can add it quickly.
Ecoflow River 3: Design and Construction Quality
Specification
capacity: 245Wh
Battery: LifePo4 (LFP), over 3000 cycles to 80%
Output:
AC: 300W (600W X-BOOST)
USB: 2 x USB-A (12W), 1 x USB-C (100W)
DC: 12V car port (maximum 126W)
Charging options:
AC (320W): 0-100% within 60 minutes
Solar energy (110W): 3 hours in the sun
Car (100W): 2.8 hours of charging
UPS mode: <20ms switching time
As mentioned earlier, the Ecoflow River 3 is highly compact and portable, especially compared to power plants with similar ratings and specifications. Ecoflow has the unit 30% smaller than the industry average and is very focused on making sure this is so easy to carry that they build an easy carry handle.
To see how compact the unit is, I tested some places that can be placed. It fits the rear pallet at the rear of my Jeep Cherokee, the bottom of the standard backpack, it fits the cabinet for my storage space, it fits the storage space on the boat, in the transports on the four-wheeled bike, and even in the portable tech car like I currently do, but use it later.
In front of the River 3 is an LED display, two AC sockets (a three-prong, a three-button), a USB-C with 100W PD charging, two USB-A ports and a DC car port. Two electric ports are on the right.
Ecoflow River 3: Use
As I mentioned, I’ve tried power stations using several use cases. Although this is great in many areas, the use case I rely on this power station is the portable work cart I use for a few days a week. One of the many roles I have held in a large church is the system director. In this role, I need a lot of gear when I’m on site, and when I’m on site, I can be in many places throughout the campus. So to solve this problem I built a shopping cart with all the cables, gear, adapters and materials I might need any project. The last piece of missing piece was a way to power it, allowing me to charge my daily delivery gear in my backpack while working throughout the building (I’m perfectly suited in a non-common backpack), while also being able to power any computer or other computer or other technology that I might need to plug in at any given time. I solved all of these problems with Ecoflow River 3.
The 100W USB-C power output is perfect for charging any of my gear (especially because 90% of what I carry every day starts with USB-C). I’ve connected two power strips to two AC ports, granting a lot of ports as I need to be able to plug in any equipment that needs to be charged. Also, since there was an internal battery with a River 3 back then, I could run this setup without plugging in, and then when the battery level was lower, I could plug in the battery quickly and watch it quickly, even if there was a load on the battery (of course, if I would certainly fill a ton of gear with a ton of gear on a ton of gear, it would cost a ton of weight). So far, I’ve noticed that the battery in River 3 will last until about three top-ups on my MacBook Pro, while also being able to roll out a portable monitor from SOTSU (reviewed soon).
While I don’t use solar or car input, if we have a power outage, or just because of the portability and comfort of using this power station, I’ll grab this power station the moment I need it. I also know that the use case for this power station is unique, but I hope it shows how versatile it is for.
|
property |
notes |
grade |
|---|---|---|
|
design |
Fantastic design |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Ease of use |
Easy to use |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Practicality |
Practical for most people |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
price |
Reasonable price |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Ecoflow River 3: Final Verdict
The Ecoflow River 3 is a lightweight power station for light use, fast charging, UPS support and a compact design, and is ideal for traveling, backing up smaller devices at home, emergency preparation or powering a portable workstation. It won’t run high fighters, nor charge Tesla or keep my house for hours. However, its efficiency, reliability and portability make it a power station worth keeping and standing out.
