Anker PowerHouse 535 Review: Great for weekends camping

Verdict

The Anker PowerHouse 535 is a superb selection for anybody needing a mid-range energy station for camping journeys, or mild backup duties across the house. It strikes a powerful stability between energy storage and portability, affords versatile charging, and is likely one of the best energy banks we’ve examined. Whereas it’s not appropriate for heavy-duty home equipment, it’s ultimate for computer systems, telephones, CPAP machines and different light-to-medium obligation devices.

Introduction

The Anker PowerHouse 535 is the second mannequin up in Anker’s rising vary of house energy stations, however it shares most of the robust options discovered elsewhere within the lineup.

Maybe most significantly, it’s constructed round a set of lithium iron phosphate (LFP or LiFePO) batteries, which provide an extended service lifetime of 3000 or extra recharge cycles, and are usually held to be extra protected than different lithium cells. Anker says the PowerHouse 535 is designed for 10 years of operation, and it comes with a helpful five-year guarantee.

The 535 is in regards to the dimension of a four-slot toaster, and it’s not particularly heavy, making it pretty sensible for camping journeys or transferring about the home. It affords versatile recharging, together with from the solar or in a automotive, and has output ports to cowl mains and USB-powered units. It could retailer 512 watt-hours (Wh) of electrical energy – theoretically sufficient to energy a low-energy mild bulb for greater than two days – and has a peak mains output of 500W. It’s not splashproof, nevertheless, and it may overheat in robust daylight.

With a most energy output a few quarter of a typical washer or dishwasher, the 535 gained’t enable you to do laundry in an influence minimize. Nevertheless, it’s sufficient to deal with even comparatively highly effective PC and monitor mixtures, CPAP machines, or different low to medium energy devices. It’s not dangerous worth at its full value of round £500, however on the time of writing we steadily noticed it discounted beneath £400.

Design and options

• Rugged and good with an honest display
• Good number of ports and capabilities
• Considerate design and structure

The Anker PowerHouse 535 seems a bit utilitarian, however it feels properly designed and made. On prime it has a thick deal with, whereas the underside’s massive rubber ft assist hold it the place you set it. There are vents at both sides, and only a lone energy enter port on the again – a lot of the options are on the entrance panel.

This energy station affords two UK mains sockets, each managed by the identical on/off button and each sharing a mixed 500W most output. There’s additionally a 12V automotive energy socket providing as much as 100W, plus 4 USB sockets and a light-weight. That’s not a foul choice, however I’ve a minor quibble with the selection of three USB-A ports – every rated at 12.4W – and just one 60W USB-C output. An increasing number of units are adopting USB-C, so I’d desire to see at the least two of those ports.

I’ve no complaints in regards to the massive mono display, which exhibits the battery cost at a look, together with the speed at which it’s charging or discharging, and the way lengthy both is more likely to take. This additionally has indicators exhibiting when the USB ports are offering energy, and whether or not the power-saving mode is activated. This displays the load on the mains and automotive energy sockets, switching them off routinely if it stays at a low determine – it’s essential to disable it for those who’re utilizing the 535 as a backup energy supply for important gear.

I significantly like this energy station’s LED strip mild, which supplies off greater than sufficient gentle mild to dispel shadows when camping with children, or stop barked shins in an influence minimize.

It solely has one brightness stage, which consumes 4W, however it’s also possible to put it in an emergency mode which flashes ‘SOS’ in Morse Code. At the very least, it’s meant to – actually its dot-dot-dot, dash-dash-dash spells a quite extra nonchalant ‘SO’.

Charging

• Cost from mains, automotive or the solar
• Most 180W enter
• No pass-through mode

This energy station affords quite a lot of flexibility in relation to charging. You should utilize the equipped 120W AC adaptor to completely cost it inside about 5 hours, or join a USB-C charger to the USB-C output port, which doubles up as an enter. Combining these permits you to cost at a most 180W, which will get the PowerHouse 535 as much as 80% cost in about two and a half hours.

You’ll additionally discover a automotive adaptor within the field. This once more permits you to absolutely recharge the 535 in about 5 hours, which might be helpful for those who’ve acquired a protracted drive between camping websites. Lastly, you may join as much as 120W of solar energy – certainly you should purchase the 535 bundled with a 100W panel, through which case it’s known as the Anker 535 Photo voltaic Generator.

There are some limitations. Mains, automotive and photo voltaic charging all use the only DC enter port on the again, so you may’t mix them for a faster recharge. You may, nevertheless, complement any of them with a USB-C enter. Extra considerably, the reliance on an exterior AC adaptor retains the 535 fairly compact, however it signifies that there’s no pass-through or bypass mode, which might, for instance, enable it to offer 500W of mains energy to its sockets whereas nonetheless recharging its battery. It can fortunately present some energy whereas charging, but when the overall load goes over 120W it’ll want to attract on battery energy, and the battery will in the end run down.

In apply this will not be as a lot of a problem as it’s with the entry stage PowerHouse 521, which has a extra restrictive 65W adaptor. Most laptops and a few laptop/monitor mixtures have a mean energy consumption beneath the 535’s 120W enter, which means it should stay charged total if it’s linked in collection with them. If you’re considering of utilizing it for backup energy, do test the gear you’ll be connecting – and bear in mind that there’s no alarm to warn you when the 535’s battery is almost empty.

We take a look at the quantity of power wanted to completely recharge an influence station. It took simply 574Wh to refill the Anker PowerHouse 535 which, assuming its 512Wh battery went from absolutely exhausted to completely recharged, equates to 89% effectivity. That’s the perfect efficiency I’ve but recorded. Curiously, I used a USB energy meter to measure how a lot electrical energy it took to recharge over USB. The outcome, 510Wh, equates to virtually 100% effectivity, however after all this determine doesn’t enable for the losses within the AC adaptor I used to be utilizing to offer USB energy.

Efficiency

• Rock-solid energy output
• Wonderful effectivity
• A little bit noise, even when barely working

I at all times attempt to take a look at energy banks at their most rated stage, which will be quite demanding – some show unstable and should even shut down. Not so the Anker PowerHouse 535, which seems simply able to assembly its specs. When discharging its most 500W of AC energy, it remained secure and comparatively cool till its batteries have been absolutely discharged, at which level it had equipped 420Wh, in accordance with my mains energy meter.

I normally take a look at an influence financial institution past its specification, which I don’t suggest you strive because it may trigger overheating or injury. The 535 was capable of present a continuing 600W for simply over a minute, earlier than shutting itself down. I additionally examined the 535 with lighter masses. At each 200W and 300W, it supplied greater than 440Wh from a full cost.

Energy stations by no means ship their full rated capability, significantly when offering AC energy, which has some overheads. With this in thoughts I retested the 535’s USB output, however acquired an identical whole (440Wh) to my different assessments. To attempt to put this in perspective, it’s sufficient to completely recharge a household of 4’s cellphones about 4 occasions.

My measurements present that the PowerHouse 535 may be very environment friendly, sometimes capable of provide greater than 85% of the power saved in its battery. Nevertheless, as this take a look at assumes the battery goes from absolutely charged to completely discharged, it’s extra correct to have a look at a spherical journey, which merely compares the electrical energy I put in with what I used to be later capable of take out. The 535 managed a round-trip effectivity of 78%, which means for each 10W I put in I acquired virtually 8W out. Once more, that’s among the best figures I’ve measured.

My remaining take a look at was to attach the 535 to my house workplace gear and simulate an influence minimize. As a result of there’s no pass-through mode, this energy station is successfully always offering backup energy, so there’s no switchover time and no hazard that delicate gear could be disturbed in a blackout. As anticipated, turning the ability on and off prompted no issues with my computer systems, NAS or displays.

As you’d anticipate, the Anker PowerHouse 535 has followers to assist hold issues cool when it’s working arduous. These hardly ever get loud sufficient to intrude, however they do run virtually always within the background when it’s supplying AC energy. I additionally seen a really quiet ticking noise, however that was solely audible with my ear near the system.

Some energy banks provide higher worth than others – we calculate a comparability by dividing their value by the quantity of electrical energy they’ll retailer over their lifetime. In 3000 full cost cycles the Anker PowerHouse 535 would retailer 1536 kilowatt hours (kWh). At its £499 SRP that’s equal to 32.5p per kWh. Purchase it when discounted and it might be as little as 26p/kWh – exceptionally low for this class of provide.

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