For solar charging, I tested this with the 400W EcoFlow solar panel and the bifocal 220W solar panel. On a semi-sunny day, I was able to hit a peak input of 220W with both panels, which is the limit this portable power station can take from a solar panel. If you don’t have a large budget OR if you think you will only be charging your phone, tablet or laptop multiple times over say a weekend of camping then the River 2 will be perfect for you. If you’re mostly camping in place, the RIVER 2 Pro is the better choice. RIVER 2 Max Vs. RIVER 2 Pro: Head-to-Head Specs Using the supplied standard 10A IEC mains cable – often called a kettle lead in the UK, the unit can charge at up to an impressive 660W. I didn’t quite see 660W, but charging at 600W I charged the unit’s 512Wh battery from completely flat to 80% charge in just over 40 minutes and a full charge took just under 1 hour and 3 minutes. EcoFlow quotes 1 hour for a full charge – so that’s close enough.

Yes, the River 2 does allow power to be drawn out of it whilst it’s charging. This means it can be used as a quasi ‘ uninterrupted power supply‘ or UPS. This UK version has two 500W AC outlets that can surge briefly to 1000W. I confirmed their sine wave output, which is important for sensitive electronics, with a graphical multimeter. There is only one colour scheme available – dark grey for the main body of the River 2, and a lighter silver grey for the top face and edges, including the handle. It certainly looks stylish, and fits in well with the rest of the range ( for example the Delta 2 – see our review here). Obviously, the DELTA 2 is significantly more expensive and has a lot more capacity than the RIVER models. But it is quite likely a lot of potential buyers will want to evaluate portability vs capacity vs price.When it comes to output and input, the DELTA 2 is on another level entirely. This can handle 1800W (Surge 2700W) across its four outlets and up to 2400W with X-Boost. On the other hand, RIVER 2 Pro offers substantially more power. With an operating AC output of 800W (1,600W of starting power with x-boost), RIVER 2 can power up to 80% of high-wattage appliances. is still plenty to charge portable speakers, drones and laptops and run TVs, mini fridges, slow cookers and even some smaller power tools. To test it at its limits I tried running a few handheld power tools. This Festool 310W sander briefly draws over 800W at start-up but still didn’t trip the power station. And this slightly more powerful 400W Festool Rotex sander hovered comfortably around 500W. I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the creative mind behind Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking, to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

All EcoFlow portable power stations turn seamlessly into solar generators when you add solar panels. Both the RIVER 2 Max and Pro have a maximum solar input of 220W and pair perfectly with one 160W Portable Solar Panel or 220W Bifacial Portable Solar Panel. Or, you could opt for up to two 100W Flexible Solar Panels for a rated power wattage of +/- 200W – 220W. Number and Type of Outlets/Plugs It has excellent charge speed compared with the competition (around 5x faster on mains input), a great display which accurately shows time remaining and percentage capacity remaining. We like the USB-C charging as well as the general ergonomics such as the colour and carry handle. As you can see, the number of outlets provided by the RIVER 2 Max and RIVER 2 Pro is identical. But with 300W more AC output, the RIVER Pro can power higher-wattage devices. Size, Weight, and Portability The side panels of the River 2 are featureless. It’s the front and rear faces where the main action happens. Front Panel There’s no power button for the USB ports – it comes on with the unit which I prefer. And you can set the unit time out in the app to “never” to keep the USB ports on even when supplying tiny amounts of power, just like a mains wall charger. Unplugging the mains lead to simulate a power cut with no noticeable effect powering the desktop PC

Safe, for up to 10 years of use.

Keep in mind, RIVER 2 Pro doesn’t actually charge more slowly than the RIVER Max. The Pro has a bigger battery, so it takes longer to recharge fully. A 50% increase in storage of 256Wh is significant, but how it impacts you depends on your energy consumption between charges. If you need to power devices longer or run appliances, consider the Pro for extended battery life and greater power output. AC Output (Maximum Wattage in W/kW) When I loaded up the EcoFlow app, I was immediately asked if I wanted to add the RIVER 2 MAX to the app. However, the app didn’t seem to register any information or provide any way for me to control the until. Going into the device settings, it confirms that it is the RIVER 2 MAX, and I think the app has just not had the functionality pushed through to the Play Store, as I am using this before the official launch. Performance The River 2 Max has a 512Wh LiFePO4 or LFP battery which supports 3000 complete charge cycles compared to the 500 cycles of the River Max’s standard Li-ion battery. This is the smallest unit I’ve reviewed so far that comes with this more desirable battery chemistry.

Where the standard River 2 is less good is when you want to run higher power appliances for longer periods of time. In those cases, you may choose to look at the higher power variants – the River 2 Max (512Wh / 500W) or the River 2 Pro (768Wh / 800W). If these still don’t have enough power then you will need to switch to the Delta 2 range. We prefer the higher power Delta 2 for our campervan, but it is obviously more expensive. Can you Use the River 2 While it’s charging?

Specs

For the RIVER 2 Max, you can go from 0-100% battery in just 60 minutes using an outlet. At this rate, it’s five times faster than other options on the market and 38% faster than our previous RIVER generations. River 2 Max takes just an hour to recharge fully using AC electricity. The Pro takes 70 minutes with AC, but can take longer to charge with solar panels than the Max. Both RIVER 2 Max and Pro offer 220W of solar charging input, but the Pro offers more storage capacity, so it takes longer to charge from 0-100%. I have been using both the RIVER 2 and DELTA 2 for the past few weeks. As much as I love the bigger DELTA 2, I have found that the smaller size of the RIVER 2 makes it more convenient for me to use in a lot of scenarios. I did a similar test using the DC output with a 10A electronic load attached. I measured 431 Wh which is a respectable 84% efficiency. But the DC output is more efficient running something like a camping fridge which turns on and off regularly, since there’ll be very little parasitic draw from the DC subsystem itself. Conclusions

For the RIVER 2 MAX, the capacity is slightly smaller, but this is a tiny trade-off to make for the new LFP battery chemistry, which improves the longevity six-fold. Charge speeds have also been improved, and this should charge fully in about an hour vs over an hour and a half. You can also charge via 100W PD USB-C, it is probably not something you will do very often, but it provides a bit of flexibility and is helpful if you have mislaid/forgotten your kettle lead. It has a clean design but doesn’t feel quite as premium as other EcoFlow units I’ve tested. It’s made mostly from a hard plastic, but there is some movement and flex in some of its component parts. It is lighter than the original River Max though at 6.2kg – even more impressive considering it now has the LFP battery, and I much prefer its more useful flat top even it there’s a missed opportunity for a wireless charging pad or two. You can see its dimensions above, but although a little shorter than the River Max it’s a fair bit deeper, even before taking into consideration its rear carry handle. And it no longer has the removable battery of the original River Max. The faster a portable power station recharges, the sooner you can use it again. That’s great news for anyone who chooses the RIVER 2 Max or RIVER 2 Pro, as both offer impressive charging speeds 5x faster than the industry average.Another crucial factor to consider is the maximum amount of electricity a PPS can deliver at once. AC output determines what appliances you can operate and how many you can run simultaneously.