I was recently contacted by Suaoki to see if I would be interested in testing out the Suaoki Power Generator. Its a portable power pack containing a big lithium ion battery, and is designed for charging electronic devices on the go.
But what makes it a bit special, is that it has a 240Volt AC inverter built in. That means you can power anything with a normal household plug on the end, up to 100 watts. So that includes, laptops, cooling fans, small compressors for air mattresses etc.
So lets dig a bit deeper into what this little device can do.
Why would you need one – you have the van?
Yes, you could argue that the van is a portable power generator in its own right. And of course you would be right. But for me, the Suaoki Power Generator allows me to keep my devices charged away from the van.
I am very often on Dartmoor, or the beach, and have found I needed to charge my phone or gimbal when I’m out and about. With the little Suaoki I can now do this, and its already proved really useful in making the video above on the beach in Cornwall.
Suaoki Power Generator – what’s in the box?
Bundled with the power generator is a load of leads for charging the device. And there are a number of ways to do it:
- 3 Pin Plug Transformer – you can charge the device at home
- Cigarette Lighter Adapter – so you can charge it in your van or car
- Solar Panel leads – so you can charge via a solar panel (available separately)
- Cigarette Lighter Socket – so you power any device which use a cigarett lighter socket directly from the 12v DC output
Putting it to the test
So to give the power generator a good test, I took it down to Cornwall with me. I was meeting up with a few friends for a surf, and thought I would make the review video at the same time.
I’m not going to spend to much time talking about the USB charging ports. They are standard these days on many portable power packs. However, the Suaoki Power Generator has one QC3.0 USB which allows for quick charging of up to 18 watts. That’s a nice touch.
I can report that charging of phones and tablets via the 4 USB ports worked without fault. It was also possible to charge my GoPro camera, and my DJI gimbal via the USB ports.
240 Volt AC Inverter
What makes the Suaoki Power Generator a bit different, is the 240 Volt AC inverter. You can power anything that has a 3 pin household plug on the end. (and international plugs too!) The only limiting factor is the AC output is limited to 100 watts.
So, one of my friends had brought his drone to the beach, and as we all know, drones are pretty power hungry. It was an ideal way to test the capability of the Suaoki Power Generator,
But on this occasion the power pack was unable to charge the drone battery via the 240volt AC inverter. This could have been due to the Australian style plug on the drone charger, but I rather suspect it was down to the Power Generator having inbuilt surge protection. If the power required is more than 100watts (even on surge power at start-up), the little Suaoki will shut itself down to protect itself. Fair enough.
So I wanted to check I hadn’t been sent a faulty unit, so the next test was with my laptop. I plugged it in, and it charged it without a problem. So there was something amiss with the drone battery charging. Shame.
Powering a fridge?
I thought I would really put the power generator to the test, and see if it would power my 12 volt fridge. I used the supplied cigarette lighter adapter and plugged it into the 12 volt DV output and switched on the fridge. Unfortunately the little Suaoki didn’t have enough juice to get the fridge started. :(
Charging tests
So I wanted to check that I could charge the power generator from the van. It came with a cigarette lighter adapter for charging, so I plugged this into the van. Result – it works fine off the leisure battery. In fact, the solar panel on top of the van was probably supplying most of the charge, as the voltage hardly dropped. Bonus!
Specifications
- Battery: Lithium-Ion 13500mAh, 150Wh(max)
- Dimensions: 184.5 x 109.5 x 118.5mm
- Input (adapter): 15v 2Amps
- Charging time: 7-8hours with 15v 2A adapter
- USB Output: 1x USB 4-9v, 2.1amp max (QC 3.0), 3 x USB 5v 2.1amp max
- DC Output: 9-12v 10/15amp max – Rated power 120W, Max Power 180W
- AC Output: AC Modified Sine Wave – 100W continuous power
- Lights: 2 Ultra Bright LEDs
- Life Cycle: >500 times
Conclusions
So am I going to use this? You bet I am! It has already proved to be really useful when filming away from the van. I’m just going to pop it into my rucksack every time im out and about.
As long as you can get around the limitations of the 100 watts of AC power, and not expect it to power a hairdryer, then this little device will prove to be handy in any number of situations.
Whether you are in a van, out camping in a tent, or for emergency use in a house, the Suaoki Power Generator will have you covered!
Suaoki £30 Discount Code
Suaoki have been kind enough to give me a discount code for Vanlife TV followers.
You can get £30 off when you use the code RKQOLTRZ at the checkout on Amazon.
To go straight to the Amazon listing, click the link on the right.
