Bluetti AC 180 portable power station review

Dependability is becoming more and more important these days, especially in terms of devices and minimizing downtime. Using cloud storage has minimized the risk of losing data, and backups and time capsules prevent long-term issues for software. The one area that still remains a risk for most is power. Losing power immediately creates a slate of issues that need to be dealt with and can throw your schedule into chaos. Power banks have allowed us to solve the short-term power issue for devices and laptops, but most aren’t useful much beyond that. Uninterrupted Power Supplies are great for desktop computers but can be pricey and have pretty specific uses in a single location. Bluetti is changing up the game when it comes to available power in a portable unit. From small to large, they’ve created products that will provide peace of mind and security to those who don’t have a standard desk job and allow for power in non-standard locations. Today, we look at one of Bluetti’s larger units, the Bluetti AC180.

First impressions: Bluetti AC180 portable power station

First off we’d like to thank Bluetti for sponsoring this review. Though they have sponsored this content, the company has not told us what we must say or what we can’t say about this device and we were able to devise our own testing and evaluation process for it, so you can consider these thoughts our own.

Pulling the AC 180 out of the box, you can immediately feel how heavy it is. This battery weighs in at 35 lb and has two handles, one on either side of the unit, and you’ll need both. It’s an impressive beast, and I couldn’t wait to get started. The unit I was sent was already charged to 66%, so before I did a complete recharge, I quickly tested it on a couple of items to see how it compared to the EB3A. Compare, it did! Everything about the AC180 is a step above the previous unit I tested. The AC180 outputs 1,800 watts of AC and 2,700 W in its powerlifting mode. It has a 1,152-watt-hour capacity and 11 output ports for multiple devices.

The AC180 has four AC outputs at 120 volts/1800 watts. It also has four  USB-A outputs, one USB-C 100 W output, and a DC output at 12 volts/10 amps. There is also a 15-watt wireless charger on the top of the unit. The AC and DC input ports are located on the side of the unit.

Charging

Like most Bluetti products, the AC180 is very fast to charge. You can go from 0 to 80% in just 45 minutes, and I found that the partial charge I did took almost no time at all. I chose to use AC power to re-charge the device, but you can also charge via DC input (as in a car charge) with the cable included, as well as using a solar panel (which Bluetti also sells.)  In fact, you can use more than one charging method at the same time to speed up the process.

Charging was quick and easy, and I noticed that the fan came on in order to keep the battery cool while it was charging. Once I had completely charged the AC180, it was time to put it through the paces to see how quickly I could drain it. (Easier said than done.)

Testing Bluetti AC180

The first thing that I did was to plug it into my wall AC unit (as I had with the E3BA.) That unit could only keep my air conditioning unit running for about a minute before it exhausted itself. The AC180 told me, by way of its easy-to-read LED screen, that it could keep the wall AC unit running for just over 90 minutes. I knew right away we were looking at a whole other level of power and started to think of ideas of what would really put this battery through the paces.

Power music equipment

My son is in a band, and they just happened to be having a rehearsal in our garage, so I convinced him to hook up two of his amps to the AC180. We did a test, powering both a guitar amp and a bass amp at the same time. The AC180 didn’t even blink. It was perfectly capable of powering all of that and probably a PA system and lights at the same time. The only time it started to look like it was drawing a lot of power was when we cranked up the base and played some prolonged notes. At normal volume, the unit would have been able to keep those two amps powered for just under 19 hours.  This unit could be a mobile power source for your favorite band.

In previous tests, I had plugged in some LED lights and a Bluetooth speaker in my backyard and also hooked up the E3BA to the fan in my greenhouse. Additionally, I tested a trickle charger and powered some LED lights and fans in our Westphalia van. It was pretty obvious that none of those things were going to be a challenge for the AC 180, so I decided to test it out with a different set of items: Items that draw more power and that you might want to be able to run off of an alternate battery source should there be a power outage. That’s an area where the AC180 shines.

Keeping a freezer running

I plugged my basement deep freeze unit into the AC180, and checking the readout told me that it could keep that unit powered for about 10 hours. In case of an emergency or a blackout, cycling through and powering it up from time to time would probably keep everything in the freezer at the right temperature for a least a day before it became an issue.

Heating & cooling

The AC180 powering a fan.

I also tested the AC180 out with our heating and cooling portable fan unit. On cooling mode, the AC180 gives out enough power to keep that fan going for over a day.  When I switched to heating mode, things changed in a hurry, and it wouldn’t have been able to keep the heat running for much more than an hour.

The interesting thing about testing the AC180 is you start to get an appreciation for how much power various things in your house draw. Heating and extreme cooling in the case of the AC window fan take a lot more power in a shorter period of time than something like an amplifier or a cooling fan.

Overall review: Bluetti AC 180 portable power station

It strikes me that one of the strengths of the AC180 is as a backup generator. In case of a blackout, you could move it from place to place and plug in various things like your fridge or deep freeze, allowing them to cool for a little while and then move to the next appliance. If you had the Bluetti solar panel(s), you would also be able to charge the AC180 and keep things running for a few days. That’s a nice bit of insurance against power outages.

Another use for the AC180 would be as an uninterrupted power supply. It’s perfectly capable of handling your entire computer setup and probably all of your USB devices at the same time, and if you keep it plugged into your wall power, it will continue to charge while also supplying power to those items. If the wall power suddenly went out, you would still have your full charge on the Bluetti and be able to keep your computer running long enough to save things up or even keep it running until the power is restored.

If you happen to work in a place where AC power isn’t available, the AC180 would be a really handy device to take with you, say out into a field or a jungle or anywhere else where it’s inconvenient to get AC power. It handles any needs in terms of phones and laptops or computers, and providing you’re not using something that massively drains it, you can keep your devices running for a few days.

Regardless of how you use it, the Bluetti AC180 is a workhorse. It’s loaded with power, is quick to recharge, and should be able to handle any case use that isn’t in the extreme power needs range. You really can’t go wrong with this unit.

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