Our research indicates that the EcoFlow RIVER Pro Portable Power Station is $119.01 lower (21% savings) than the next best available price from a reputable merchant with prices starting from $549
These prices match the most recent Frontpage deal.
Please read the Forum Thread for more deal discussion.
About this product:
Rating of 4.6 from over 120 Costco customer reviews.
This collaborative space allows users to contribute additional information, tips, and insights to enhance the original deal post. Feel free to share your knowledge and help fellow shoppers make informed decisions.
Our research indicates that the EcoFlow RIVER Pro Portable Power Station is $119.01 lower (21% savings) than the next best available price from a reputable merchant with prices starting from $549
These prices match the most recent Frontpage deal.
Please read the Forum Thread for more deal discussion.
About this product:
Rating of 4.6 from over 120 Costco customer reviews.
OP here. Perhaps as a helpful comparison, I have been considering the Tesla Powerwall. The current version is spec'ed to have 13.5kWh accessible at around $10,500, before installation, permitting, and other accessory parts. Plus, Tesla no longer sells this without bundling with Tesla solar. There are other brands that sell battery backups for the home these days, but I trust Tesla for the battery cells at the moment.
With the Tesla pricing, that's about $778/kWh (without taxes, installation, circuitry, etc), and the Powerwall is not portable, if that matters to some of us.
With the EcoFlow pricing, it's $791/kWh (without taxes and still need something like a power transfer switch installed) at the Costco price or $1,000/kWh (at the EcoFlow retail price of $3,600) and $750/kWh for the extension batteries (at the EcoFlow retail price of $2,699).
I consider the EcoFlow Delta Pro model as a DIY (as someone else has put it) starter version of a home battery backup system, with some other benefits, such as having clean energy for camping and other peripheral uses. To have it fully able to be a home backup system for a decent amount of time (12-24 hours), I will probably need 4 of these linked in series, which might be the max at this point in time. With ~14kWh, that should be more than enough for my essential needs, if I turn off non-essentials. (I'm using around 6-8kWh for essentials per day and about 12-14kWh for a typical day that includes non-essentials, too. This is in San Francisco, so no A/C.)
Delta Pro cannot do everything a gas generator can do, but not everybody lives in a residence that is conducive to running a gas generator. For example, If you're in a small apartment, where are you going to run the gas generator? If the power is out because of a violent storm or hurricane weather, are you going to set up the generator outside in that situation?
The Delta Pro can power essential things for at least a few hours in a serious pinch.
i have my units setup for passthru which means i have everything (tv, computer, router, extension cord, ups,etc) plugged into the ecoflow and then the ecoflow is ON and plugged into the wall. all day everyday, the ecoflow app is showing 99%100% plus some activity. anything wrong with this setup?
No, but I would consider dropping the max charge to to 80-90% to help keep the battery healthy.
Anyone who is looking at these kind of devices needs to look at 3 factors:
1) Inverter strength - what you plan to power and the energy demand it has
2) Capacity - how long you want/need to power said device
3) Charging speed - how fast can it get to 100%
I have the EcoFlow River Pro with the extra battery. My usage scenario is predominately for power outages/emergencies so that I don't need to break out my dual fuel generator and the occasional camping trip. The benefits of this are that it's quiet, can be kept inside the home, and is very portable at 20 lbs. The combo can power my fridge and backup freezer for 8-10 hours before needing a recharge. When it does need a recharge I have several options: use my solar panels, charge it in my car, take it somewhere that has power and fast charge it, or break out my dual fuel generator. In an emergency, I have other things to keep the lights on that are battery powered and can cook with a gas stove or portable butane/propane stoves. For prolonged outages where I need my generator, then I can power it up as needed, typically 2-3 hours at a time to get the battery charged to full and shut it down, conserving fuel. With a 20lb propane tank, I can get approximately 30 hours of run time, which could give me about 3-5 days with some energy to spare. Beyond that, I can tap into my vehicle's gasoline and go longer.
These types of devices are particularly useful for devices that cycle on and off like fridges/freezers and are considerably more efficient than a gas generator that needs to be constantly running. These are terrible for resistive heating such as heaters, blow dryers, etc. If you live somewhere really cold and need heat, then consider a 12V blanket or just buy something like a Mr. Buddy with propane tanks.
This is also a good option for people that live in an apartment/condo that need to keep their fridges running. It would be impossible to use a gas generator or a powerwall. Even better if they have a sun facing porch so they can throw on some solar panels to get a little more juice. Even if they don't, due to the fast charging, you could go out to your local Starbucks or McDonalds, grab a coffee/lunch and charge it up in an 1-2 hours and likely keep your fridge running for 8-12 hours.
If you're in a blackout prone area and have a lot of valuable food/medications in your fridge, something like this is a good consideration.
We got that one too. Have not seen it on sale since, the combo.
It seems to be a hardware problem. I left it unplugged for a month and the batteries have been mostly drained. I charged it back up last night and stuck at 99% on the app. Then I found the power button blinking on both the main unit and the extra battery but cannot be turned on. It worked fine for a couple months when I tested it with a small fridge.
It seems to be a hardware problem. I left it unplugged for a month and the batteries have been mostly drained. I charged it back up last night and stuck at 99% on the app. Then I found the power button blinking on both the main unit and the extra battery but cannot be turned on. It worked fine for a couple months when I tested it with a small fridge.
It seems to be a hardware problem. I left it unplugged for a month and the batteries have been mostly drained. I charged it back up last night and stuck at 99% on the app. Then I found the power button blinking on both the main unit and the extra battery but cannot be turned on. It worked fine for a couple months when I tested it with a small fridge.
Keeping it stored in a discharged state is bad for the battery. Consider running a couple of charge and discharge cycles then run a capacity check with a Kill A Watt meter.
The main unit still has 40%, it is the extra battery that got drained first. I think the problem was with the firmware and fan control leading to overheat when charging at 600W. This is actually the first time I did not use slow charge. After sitting overnight, I finally got it started and connected to the app transiently. I updated to the latest firmware 1.2.5.8 and it seems to be working again. I failed to reconnect it to the app though so I cannot change the settings. It turns out they have a server issue as I found many people are having problem to log in.
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The main unit still has 40%, it is the extra battery that got drained first. I think the problem was with the firmware and fan control leading to overheat when charging at 600W. This is actually the first time I did not use slow charge. After sitting overnight, I finally got it started and connected to the app transiently. I updated to the latest firmware 1.2.5.8 and it seems to be working again. I failed to reconnect it to the app though so I cannot change the settings. It turns out they have a server issue as I found many people are having problem to log in.
If there is a power outage and this "runs on" electricity instead of gas or propane... how would you "refill" it to keep it going? Seems like this is best for camping or other planned needs for mobile electricity, not for an outage at home.
I have my own small backup at home. The Biggest Issue is you really want to extend the capability of just the batteries by using solar with it. Otherwise, the battery by itself is not going to do a whole lot.
The Issue is: a lot of the time you're in a situation that pretty much takes solar out. Power failures usually happen when? During some type of storm. Those same storm conditions make the solar part of the system impotent.
Due to the recent forecast of ice storms, I decided to pull out my second solar panel and connect it up to the system which normally just has 1. Lucky I haven't lost power because the ice storm has made these panels basically useless. It's been so overcast for days that I have been pulling around 10 watts on both (100 watts each). It's amazing what not being able to see the sun will do.
That's something to think about. You're not going far on just the battery by itself. it's going to take some serious solar array to keep this thing juiced through a real emergency (Not even close in price to what mine cost). You better hope that array Actually Works when it's needed.
Last edited by graphixv February 4, 2022 at 12:18 AM.
I disagree.
I would buy it to power the router and cable modem and small USB fans.
I would buy it for charging smartphones and tablets.
You can do all that with a PS much smaller and cheaper. I have a totally portable PS I built which could do that. This is Overkill (both in size and certainly criminal crazy $$$ spent) for the purposes you mention. Charging a smart phone and tablet? Really?
Last edited by graphixv February 3, 2022 at 11:49 PM.
Yes. The main problem is that you need the server access to change setting or manage the unit. Finally, I got it back up and running now with the latest firmware. The last thing I need to do this weekend is to change the wifi setting to my travel router or my cell phone access point so I can still have access to it during power outage.
Anyone who is looking at these kind of devices needs to look at 3 factors:
1) Inverter strength - what you plan to power and the energy demand it has
2) Capacity - how long you want/need to power said device
3) Charging speed - how fast can it get to 100%
I have the EcoFlow River Pro with the extra battery. My usage scenario is predominately for power outages/emergencies so that I don't need to break out my dual fuel generator and the occasional camping trip. The benefits of this are that it's quiet, can be kept inside the home, and is very portable at 20 lbs. The combo can power my fridge and backup freezer for 8-10 hours before needing a recharge. When it does need a recharge I have several options: use my solar panels, charge it in my car, take it somewhere that has power and fast charge it, or break out my dual fuel generator. In an emergency, I have other things to keep the lights on that are battery powered and can cook with a gas stove or portable butane/propane stoves. For prolonged outages where I need my generator, then I can power it up as needed, typically 2-3 hours at a time to get the battery charged to full and shut it down, conserving fuel. With a 20lb propane tank, I can get approximately 30 hours of run time, which could give me about 3-5 days with some energy to spare. Beyond that, I can tap into my vehicle's gasoline and go longer.
These types of devices are particularly useful for devices that cycle on and off like fridges/freezers and are considerably more efficient than a gas generator that needs to be constantly running. These are terrible for resistive heating such as heaters, blow dryers, etc. If you live somewhere really cold and need heat, then consider a 12V blanket or just buy something like a Mr. Buddy with propane tanks.
This is also a good option for people that live in an apartment/condo that need to keep their fridges running. It would be impossible to use a gas generator or a powerwall. Even better if they have a sun facing porch so they can throw on some solar panels to get a little more juice. Even if they don't, due to the fast charging, you could go out to your local Starbucks or McDonalds, grab a coffee/lunch and charge it up in an 1-2 hours and likely keep your fridge running for 8-12 hours.
If you're in a blackout prone area and have a lot of valuable food/medications in your fridge, something like this is a good consideration.
I have similar set up as yours with the exception of solar panel which I am currently shopping for one. Do you have any recommendation?
I bought a dual fuel inverter generator a couple years ago and ran it for several days on propane last summer during a blackout. Then I got the River Pro with extra battery a few months ago mainly for indoor/winter use during blackout. I also have 10 or so UPS around the house to maintain my network drives, routers, hubs, and some home automation devices.
You can do all that with a PS much smaller and cheaper. I have a totally portable PS I built which could do that. This is Overkill (both in size and certainly criminal crazy $$$ spent) for the purposes you mention. Charging a smart phone and tablet? Really?
Depends on how long the power is out.
Does your totally portable power supply charge from solar and 12V car port?
I bought the River Pro with extra battery during the last Costco event. The unit has great features but DO NOT UPDATE THE FIRMWARE! These are known to brick themselves during update. It happened to me. I got a replacement and will not be updating it.
I updated the firmware twice. First update (to 1.2.4.2?) was at the time I just set it up. It went smoothly. The second update (to 1.2.5.8) a couple days ago and I think it crashed due to their server issue. I thought it was bricked as I could not turn it on or off. After unlinking it and relinking it several times, I finally got it connected again and repeat the firmware update. Now it is working fine again. I think both updates are related to the cooling fan settings. Indeed, I was having an overheat issue when charging at 600W for over a couple hours (River Pro plus the extra battery) before the last firmware update. I would suggest to to so slow charging to avoid overheating unless necessary. I guess charging just the main unit with 600W should be fine.
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My power outtage kit includes a DIY 1000W AC portbale power station with 3kWh capacity paired 350W solar panel plus a small Westinghouse iGen2200 gas Generator , hope these will keep my essential household items on for several days
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With the Tesla pricing, that's about $778/kWh (without taxes, installation, circuitry, etc), and the Powerwall is not portable, if that matters to some of us.
With the EcoFlow pricing, it's $791/kWh (without taxes and still need something like a power transfer switch installed) at the Costco price or $1,000/kWh (at the EcoFlow retail price of $3,600) and $750/kWh for the extension batteries (at the EcoFlow retail price of $2,699).
I consider the EcoFlow Delta Pro model as a DIY (as someone else has put it) starter version of a home battery backup system, with some other benefits, such as having clean energy for camping and other peripheral uses. To have it fully able to be a home backup system for a decent amount of time (12-24 hours), I will probably need 4 of these linked in series, which might be the max at this point in time. With ~14kWh, that should be more than enough for my essential needs, if I turn off non-essentials. (I'm using around 6-8kWh for essentials per day and about 12-14kWh for a typical day that includes non-essentials, too. This is in San Francisco, so no A/C.)
The Delta Pro can power essential things for at least a few hours in a serious pinch.
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1) Inverter strength - what you plan to power and the energy demand it has
2) Capacity - how long you want/need to power said device
3) Charging speed - how fast can it get to 100%
I have the EcoFlow River Pro with the extra battery. My usage scenario is predominately for power outages/emergencies so that I don't need to break out my dual fuel generator and the occasional camping trip. The benefits of this are that it's quiet, can be kept inside the home, and is very portable at 20 lbs. The combo can power my fridge and backup freezer for 8-10 hours before needing a recharge. When it does need a recharge I have several options: use my solar panels, charge it in my car, take it somewhere that has power and fast charge it, or break out my dual fuel generator. In an emergency, I have other things to keep the lights on that are battery powered and can cook with a gas stove or portable butane/propane stoves. For prolonged outages where I need my generator, then I can power it up as needed, typically 2-3 hours at a time to get the battery charged to full and shut it down, conserving fuel. With a 20lb propane tank, I can get approximately 30 hours of run time, which could give me about 3-5 days with some energy to spare. Beyond that, I can tap into my vehicle's gasoline and go longer.
These types of devices are particularly useful for devices that cycle on and off like fridges/freezers and are considerably more efficient than a gas generator that needs to be constantly running. These are terrible for resistive heating such as heaters, blow dryers, etc. If you live somewhere really cold and need heat, then consider a 12V blanket or just buy something like a Mr. Buddy with propane tanks.
This is also a good option for people that live in an apartment/condo that need to keep their fridges running. It would be impossible to use a gas generator or a powerwall. Even better if they have a sun facing porch so they can throw on some solar panels to get a little more juice. Even if they don't, due to the fast charging, you could go out to your local Starbucks or McDonalds, grab a coffee/lunch and charge it up in an 1-2 hours and likely keep your fridge running for 8-12 hours.
If you're in a blackout prone area and have a lot of valuable food/medications in your fridge, something like this is a good consideration.
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The Issue is: a lot of the time you're in a situation that pretty much takes solar out. Power failures usually happen when? During some type of storm. Those same storm conditions make the solar part of the system impotent.
Due to the recent forecast of ice storms, I decided to pull out my second solar panel and connect it up to the system which normally just has 1. Lucky I haven't lost power because the ice storm has made these panels basically useless. It's been so overcast for days that I have been pulling around 10 watts on both (100 watts each). It's amazing what not being able to see the sun will do.
That's something to think about. You're not going far on just the battery by itself. it's going to take some serious solar array to keep this thing juiced through a real emergency (Not even close in price to what mine cost). You better hope that array Actually Works when it's needed.
I would buy it to power the router and cable modem and small USB fans.
I would buy it for charging smartphones and tablets.
1) Inverter strength - what you plan to power and the energy demand it has
2) Capacity - how long you want/need to power said device
3) Charging speed - how fast can it get to 100%
I have the EcoFlow River Pro with the extra battery. My usage scenario is predominately for power outages/emergencies so that I don't need to break out my dual fuel generator and the occasional camping trip. The benefits of this are that it's quiet, can be kept inside the home, and is very portable at 20 lbs. The combo can power my fridge and backup freezer for 8-10 hours before needing a recharge. When it does need a recharge I have several options: use my solar panels, charge it in my car, take it somewhere that has power and fast charge it, or break out my dual fuel generator. In an emergency, I have other things to keep the lights on that are battery powered and can cook with a gas stove or portable butane/propane stoves. For prolonged outages where I need my generator, then I can power it up as needed, typically 2-3 hours at a time to get the battery charged to full and shut it down, conserving fuel. With a 20lb propane tank, I can get approximately 30 hours of run time, which could give me about 3-5 days with some energy to spare. Beyond that, I can tap into my vehicle's gasoline and go longer.
These types of devices are particularly useful for devices that cycle on and off like fridges/freezers and are considerably more efficient than a gas generator that needs to be constantly running. These are terrible for resistive heating such as heaters, blow dryers, etc. If you live somewhere really cold and need heat, then consider a 12V blanket or just buy something like a Mr. Buddy with propane tanks.
This is also a good option for people that live in an apartment/condo that need to keep their fridges running. It would be impossible to use a gas generator or a powerwall. Even better if they have a sun facing porch so they can throw on some solar panels to get a little more juice. Even if they don't, due to the fast charging, you could go out to your local Starbucks or McDonalds, grab a coffee/lunch and charge it up in an 1-2 hours and likely keep your fridge running for 8-12 hours.
If you're in a blackout prone area and have a lot of valuable food/medications in your fridge, something like this is a good consideration.
I bought a dual fuel inverter generator a couple years ago and ran it for several days on propane last summer during a blackout. Then I got the River Pro with extra battery a few months ago mainly for indoor/winter use during blackout. I also have 10 or so UPS around the house to maintain my network drives, routers, hubs, and some home automation devices.
Does your totally portable power supply charge from solar and 12V car port?
The River Pro $430 for 720Wh.
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