If you are like most people, when you started shopping for a portable power station, you didn’t know a watt from your elbow. All you knew is that the power went out, you didn’t like that, and you want to prevent it.

Sadly, the very human thing to do these days is to rush to Amazon, click around, maybe read some reviews, but ultimately the decision is made in haste and based on discounts, not careful research.

When it comes to portable power stations, let me be super clear. Your satisfaction with your purchase hinges on the research work you are willing to put into it.

That being said, there are some common consumer complaints that run through a majority of low-star reviews. Many of these are avoidable, so let’s tackle 10 Common Consumer Frustrations and How to Avoid Them.

Frustration #1: Power Station Listed Capacity VS Real Output

“My 1000Wh power station doesn’t run my stuff as long as I thought it would!”

The complaint usually has a few colorful yet creative adjectives sprinkled liberally in between the nouns. The villain here is battery efficiency due to heat, inverter losses, idle power drain, high discharge rate inefficiency (you plugged in a big appliance with a heavy draw), heavy AC use, or a few other reasons.

The main fix to this consumer complaint is just to accept it and plan around it. You can minimize some loss by keeping the power station cool, but you bought it to use it, so use it without worrying about AC use, etc., etc. Your best move is to just plan on getting 95% at best to 85% at worst of the stated watt-hour and scale your purchase accordingly.

Frustration #2: Slow or Limited Power Station Charging Options

“It takes forever to recharge with solar.” or “I can’t charge while using it.”

Doing proper research to develop proper solar expectations is key to this frustration. Solar is what solar is; it won’t speed up charging because you didn’t plan ahead. Research how many panels your power station can accommodate, the expected recharge time from them, and factor in for cloudy days.

The second problem is, once again, best discovered before ever purchasing. Be sure you understand the recharging capabilities of your power station. Does it support full pass-through charging or does it throttle the output during charging? Do all the ports work during charging? Does it have dual charging ports?

Those are the questions you need to ask BEFORE hitting buy now.

Frustration #3: Inverter Overload / Can’t Handle High Wattage Devices

“It won’t run my ______ and just shuts down!”

This is frustrating for sure. You plop down your power station on the picnic table while camping after considerable bragging to your spouse about your purchase. You plug in the coffee maker as the family lines up, coffee cups in hand and joy on their faces.

And the power station shuts down. Smiles turn to frowns. Cups remain empty. It's all ruined.

Two things could have happened here: 1) the power station didn’t have enough continuous wattage (rated power) to run the coffee maker. Coffee makers can draw anywhere from 800W to 1500W, so the first question is: did you purchase a power station rated high enough to run your coffee maker?

The second question, if you answered yes to the first, is did you forget about surge rating? Something like a coffee maker, when it first kicks on, pulls a heavy draw for a few seconds before settling down. If your power station surge rating wasn’t high enough, it will keep kicking off your coffee maker.

The solution here is… wait for it… do your research. If you know what devices you need your power station to run, determine their W and Surge Rating to make sure you don’t end up with a line of disappointed coffee addicts darkly discussing setting you adrift on a paddleboard while they run to the local coffee shop an hour away.

Frustration #4: Poor or Confusing Power Station Display

“I can’t tell what is going on!”

Well, you get what you pay for. Brands like Anker and EcoFlow have fantastic display screens and intuitive apps that really help you understand what is happening with your power station. If a clear, well-thought-out display and app tie-in are important to you, you will want to go with one of those brands.

Frustration #5: Power Station Compatibility Issues

“This cable doesn’t fit. Do I need an adapter?”

Most people assume all solar panels can plug into all power stations. This leads to many angry reviews, crude gestures, and sweating customer service teams.

The fact is, if you are trying to plug one brand’s solar panels into another brand’s power station, you most likely need an adapter. Most brands want you to buy all of their products, so if you plan to mix your brands, do your research on what you will need.

Another important compatibility issue, especially for solar power, is voltage range mismatch. Every power station has a solar input voltage range, and if your solar panel falls outside of that range, it won’t charge even if you plead, threaten maiming, or give it the cold shoulder of disgust.

Other important compatibility issues that you need to check are amperage limitations, incompatible DC appliances, and no dual charging support.

But again, as tired as you are of me saying this, researching ahead of time can save you a lot of frustration.

Frustration #6: Noisy Fans or Heat Issues

“The fan turns on all the time even when I’m not using it much.”

Some models, when first released, are a little too aggressive on thermal management. This is why you regularly update your firmware, as a future update may solve this.

If noise is a big deal for you, look for power stations that have smart or variable fan speeds, passive cooling, high inverter efficiency, and actually list their decibels.

To avoid overheating your device and thus kicking on the fans, keep it in the shade and don’t run it close to max output.

Anker and EcoFlow are both brands that offer power stations that are quieter, while Jackery seems to be getting the message with their new models tending to be quieter than their older ones.

Frustration #7: Heavier than Expected

“This thing supposed to be portable?”

Look, I get it. Marketers sometimes don’t fully understand how heavy objects are in the real world, so take words like “portable” and “lightweight” with a grain of salt.

The best advice I can give you is to look up where you can purchase similar products in a physical store near you and then heft them. Do a few squats, overhead presses, and curls with it to get a sense of weight and size—but do NOT practice backpacking with it, as most stores frown on you stuffing unpurchased items in a backpack.

Read the weight for each of the power stations. Anything over 50 lbs that doesn’t have handles and wheels is as portable as carrying a cooler full of drinks. You can, but boy are you glad to set it down.

If the power station is heavy, doesn’t have wheels or handles, but still is labeled “portable,” you can safely assume it will be unwieldy to move. That doesn’t make it a bad power station; it’s just something to be aware of.

Frustration #8: Bluetooth/App Glitches/Privacy Concerns

“Bleeping blue tooth won’t connect!”

Look, if you are going off the grid on your homestead, the idea of setting up an account and sharing your location to install the latest update may be a bit galling. If privacy is your concern, make sure you get a power station with local control and no internet connection required. Do your research on whether you are required to make an account to use the app.

For Bluetooth and App issues, again, you get what you pay for. Top brands, in general, have better apps and connections while cheaper models struggle to connect. It’s just like that pair of Bluetooth earphones that sit in your wire junk drawer; you got them for cheap, but they are a pain to connect, so they never get used.

Frustration #9: Unclear Specs or Marketing Jargon

“I don’t understand what I am buying.”

I get the frustration and as a marketer, I apologize for the actions of unscrupulous marketers everywhere. Phrases like “Solar Generator” can make it sound like solar panels are included, or a model may claim pass-through charging but only the DC ports work during charging. It all can be very frustrating.

Here at Greenforge, we do our best to be as open and honest about our power stations. Please, if you have questions, shoot us an email or hit the chat button. We do our best to educate you with our guides, so please, take some time to read through them.

Frustration #10: Poor Customer Support or Warranty Claims

“No one will help me when something goes wrong.”

When comparing brands, check to see if the brand you are considering offers phone support. If it is just email, be aware. Read reviews on Amazon or Reddit to get a sense of other people’s experiences.

As of 2025, EcoFlow and Anker are leading brands for customer service, with Anker being the standout. If customer support is important for your peace of mind, consider these two brands.

Final Thoughts: Avoiding Power Station Regret

Power stations can be a big purchase, and for some of you, a significant investment. We want you to be as happy as you can be, so in conclusion, we urge you to do the following:

1. Read guides, watch videos, become an expert and you won’t go wrong.
   
   
2. Ask questions. Follow up. You are the customer; you deserve to get good, clear answers.
   
   
3. Don’t be in a rush. I know, I know, that slashed-through price looks great, but it is not worth a hasty decision.
   
   
4. Plan carefully to arrive at correct expectations.

Greenforge is dedicated to providing you with lots of information in our guides to help you out. If you are a bit old school and want to reach out to a real person, shoot us an email at support@greenforgepower.com.

Still unsure what model is right for you? Check out our Power Station Buyer’s Guide or chat with us directly by clicking the chat icon below.