EcoFlow River 2 Max review | Best 500W portable power station?

It has a very useful app to control and monitor it remotely and it’s lightweight, especially considering its LFP battery. It’s pretty good value too, comparable to similar units - you can check the current price down below.

These power stations are perfect for power cuts, camping, travel and festivals and around the house and out and about to charge all your tech. And the River 2 Max can charge at up to 220W off solar panels alone when mains isn’t available.

I’ll run through its capabilities and thoroughly test all its claims to help you decide if this is the right power station for you. So let’s take a closer look.

If you want to skip forward or back at any time in this video, please use the chapter markers YouTube creates from the timestamps down below and in the pinned comment.
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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:52 Unboxing, what's included
1:02 Spec including LiFePO4 or LFP battery
1:23 Build quality, weight, dimensions
1:54 Overview of outputs and inputs
3:10 Charging: mains. Confirm charging speeds
3:52 Noise levels charging
4:06 Use app to lower mains charging speed, thermal measurements
4:32 LCD display
4:52 WiFi / Bluetooth connection to app for remote control and monitoring
5:26 12V/24V car charging
5:54 Manually selecting solar (or car charging)
6:07 Solar charging
7:19 USB-C charging
7:36 Performance. Sine Wave output of AC outlets
7:47 X-Boost to power devices up to 1000W continuously
8:27 AC outlet testing and overload protection
9:24 Parasitic draw of AC
9:41 Testing DC outputs with load tester
10:14 Testing USB ports
10:49 Testing UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) demonstration
11:26 Measuring capacity unit - AC load
12:06 Measuring capacity unit - DC load
12:26 Conclusions

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#ecoflow #river2max #portablepowerstation

[mariuscarrick]

This is exactly what reviews should look like.

[chopdepraful]

This is the only video on YouTube globe that talked about endurance of 512 watt hour capacity & even showed it. Thanks. Good job.
I did my test with 125 watt High speed table fan for Camping, it only ran for 3. 15 hours . Which means abt 400 watt hours... It is falling short by 100 watt hrs everytime. X boost is kept off....

[JeromeMoisand]

Terrific review, thank you! I was a little confused about the comment around 9:20 and the unit discharging if left connected to AC. Why would that be? My use case is a koi pond air pump which continuously draws 40W, which I'd like to protect against power outages, so it's a (not demanding) UPS scenario. I wonder if there is a cheaper unit with similar features, but less peak wattage and less pricey... I'd use a US version of the power station.

[TheTechnologyMan]

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:52 Unboxing, what's included
1:02 Spec including LiFePO4 or LFP battery
1:23 Build quality, weight, dimensions
1:54 Overview of outputs and inputs
3:10 Charging: mains. Confirm charging speeds
3:52 Noise levels charging
4:06 Use app to lower mains charging speed, thermal measurements
4:32 LCD display
4:52 WiFi / Bluetooth connection to app for remote control and monitoring
5:26 12V/24V car charging
5:54 Manually selecting solar (or car charging)
6:07 Solar charging
7:19 USB-C charging
7:36 Performance. Sine Wave output of AC outlets
7:47 X-Boost to power devices up to 1000W continuously
8:27 AC outlet testing and overload protection
9:24 Parasitic draw of AC
9:41 Testing DC outputs with load tester
10:14 Testing USB ports
10:49 Testing UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) demonstration
11:26 Measuring capacity unit - AC load
12:06 Measuring capacity unit - DC load
12:26 Conclusions

[yashinlallchander]

Always find your reviews thorough and well presented.

Would have loved if the battery was user replaceable.

[oldboyoverland]

MY GUY!! Best review, of anything, ever.

[Spica]

Excellent review. About to return a Rocksolar unit and looking for a more powerful replacement. This fits the bill for about 150$ more than the inferior unit.

[Michelle-srnk]

Thanks for this video, it was very helpful. I am in South Africa and we are experiencing terrible power cuts every day. This unit looks like it will power my laptop. second screen and a led light for the office, for 2-5 hours at a time. Did you run appliances for a few hours while you were testing the unit? I am just concerned about its longevity if used regularly, it is not cheap but as there are way more expensive options out there I am very keen on this one. Also concerned about warranties, although I read EcoFlow is opening an office here soon.

[henryjtodd]

Eerie… I was looking at exactly this unit yesterday. This review is both thorough and timely 🙂. I can’t think of anything you haven’t covered… I’m looking at it for powering a shed for working; ~50W load so the 86% tested efficiency you found would certainly do me for a full day. Nice that it can function as a UPS in the house the rest of the time and be ready for a day trip somewhere with the family if needed.

[panzr]

Great video, I'm looking at this exact unit as a back up for my campervan, if my DC to DC dual leisure battery system were to have issues.

[stephenwill]

What accessories (cables/adapters) would you recommend and/or have found useful? Can an extension cord be plugged into the AC ports to provide more 3-prong outlets? Thanks again!

[seanjamescameron]

This could be what I’m looking for. I’d like to have internet on my allotment to run a streaming camera. I’m interested to find out if the solar panels continue to recharge the system so something can continue to work 24/7.

[NerdZap]

Awesome video! Data driven and straight to the point. You've earned a sub 😁 Keep up the great content 👏

[jaysjourney]

Wow this is an insanely detailed review, if only every product had a review like this it would take all of the indecisiveness out of the decision making, great content thank you for taking the time and effort to make a fantastic video

[SebasSebas-htuc]

Hola desde Spain!! Excelent Job!! Una pregunta porfavor : la River2 Max admite batería auxiliar?? Se puede ampliar la capacidad de la batería? Gracias!!!!

[grega]

Thank you for this comprehensive review! I purchased one of these units (prior to seeing your review) for use with an astrophotography rig running from the DC outputs BUT I have been unable to get it to work; both the DC55 ports AND the cigarette lighter output both cut out as my astro control box starts up (the panel reads 25-30W) and the unit reads OVERLOAD. So I was both heartened and frustrated to see you were able to draw 36W and 120W, respectively, with no issue. I've updated the firmware, etc. and (so far) EcoFlow has not suggested anything that has helped.

Were there any specific settings you were using? Perhaps I have just simply not turned on/off something in the app...? Thanks!

[truesight]

Can you confirm at what wattage charging using solar the fan turns on? This is the biggest issue with my bluetti eb55, soon as it hits 60+ watts the fan goes on and disturbs my peace.

[erinsable]

what a great review, your knowledge of the subject matter is great. question, so if the battery on the 500w genny dies, i have to buy another power station, or can i get it replaced?

[LookatBowen]

Great review - you mentioned it can act as a UPS. Does it make a noise in the UPS mode? I want to connect my router and Rasperry Pi to it, as it controls the smart home, which I know sounds like overkill, but that is while we are home. When we go camping it seems a great device for a fridge, charging drone, phones and with the ability to be charged by the 12v socket in the car, or via solar, it has plenty of versatility. If not used as a UPS, what would you recommend?

[IJ_uk]

At 2 mins into the video am I correct in saying that quick charging USB outlets won't charge other devices such as rechargeable torches, usb socket led light and other devices that don't communicate with the charger to tell it what charged profile to use?

I've just been trying to charge or use other bits of usb chargeable/powered equipment that aren't technical bits of kit and they would only charge with a standard low power usb port. So now in my campervan I make sure I have a 12v socket and an old low power USB socket I can plug in.

I've seen a few reviews on this Exoflow unit and this is looking at the technical side of things which is really good. So that's why I'm communicating on this video of yours. 😊