GET THE AC180: gohobo.io/ac180 use code HOBOAC180 EXTERNAL BATTERY SUPPORT: Bluetti is "claiming" the AC180 "supports" the external B80 battery. First, you can hook virtually any battery into virtually any power station already. The difference is that the external battery can't be charged from the power station unless the power station has a direct battery port. AC180 has no direct battery port therefore you can drain a battery into it (B80 or whatever you want) but you can't use the AC180 to recharge said battery. In other words, it doesn't actually "support" (charging or monitoring the charge level of) an external battery.
I didn’t need the extra features of the Bluetti AC200, so instead of buying the AC200, I bought two of these AC180 power stations. The price and total power of two AC180s were a bit better than the AC200. This will allow me to charge one power station in the sun while I’m parked in the shade with the second AC180 running my fridge. Another bonus is that the AC180 is half the weight. I won’t hurt my back as I get older moving the power stations around.
That's exactly why I never buy one of these with battery expansion. Those should be 50% the price of the power station instead of 95% of the price. And you can only charge them through an existing power station.
I've already seen a very thorough and detailed review on this excellent product, however, until Professor Hobo puts his seal of approval on it I can't pull the trigger.
I've been using this unit at home for the last few days to run my window air conditioner which is pulling 1100 watts. I also have it plugged into a wall outlet and I have a few solar panels sitting outside. What makes this unit stand out is that the power produced by the solar panels reduces the power coming from the wall outlet, saving me a few bucks in electricity. The Bluetti app shows it. I also have the Delta 2. The Delta 2 does not recognize/ignores the solar coming in unless I unplug the Delta 2 from the wall outlet, then it uses the solar. I got tired of doing this everyday so I switched to the AC180 instead. It all happens automatically with the AC180.
I have been pondering DIY vs this pre-made, been looking / reading and doing very basic math..... the DIY power station would be easy to expand Down side would be the weight / portable compared to these made systems.
These are only like $460 dollars right now Black Friday sale on Amazon. I already have 2 but laid $500 for one and $600 for the other at different sales over the months. Love them.
I just purchased the Bluetti AC 180P version and I'm happy to report that the product had no interference noise through my active speakers, Adam Audio T8V, which were connected to a Pioneer DJM A9 mixer and 2 Pioneer CDJ 3000's. Maybe the speakers have suppression built in. Thanks for these awesome vids!
Nice review. While you run your capacity test at fairly high loads many of us use these at much lower loads, ie 15w for a fridge, where the internal parasitic draw on the DC or the AC inverter becomes significant with regard to runtime. I’d appreciate you adding a parasitic load test on both the AC and DC outputs in future tests where you turn on one output at a time with no load and record the battery drain, ie, % per hour, or watts.
Then something has to give. It already takes 4-5 days to make a video. Doing parasitic load tests will add another day. Basically I'll have to produce less videos to add this test. Is that worth it?
Agreed. The First and Foremost Important thing to me, and I believe Many, would be Preserving Refrigerated and Frozen Food. Everything after that, Is a Luxury, especially in a Long term power outage.
Actuall I am glad I waffled, the prices went down to $628. I just bought mine for $879 (+ $61 tax) for the AC 180, and TWO PV 120S solar panels. $940 taxes in and free delivery. Came really quick too. I received it at around 56% charged up. I hooked up both solar panels and it charged to 100% in about two hours. I tested the unit on my water booking kettle, and my Ninja air fryer. This thing handled both of them just fine.
Great video. I watch many other reviewers on this 180, your review is far more specific and useful. You have the brain and temperament for this business you created. I also watched the 200 update, and that was highly usefull, thank you for responding to all those comments. Gonna use your link to buy one. .
Thanks for the quality review HoboTech, another competitor is the Renogy Phoenix 1000 ( I have 2) 998wh, 1500 watt invertor, 400 watt solar, 41 lbs., NO wireless charger, expandable via a second unit with a split or single phase cable, all for $750 (plus $99 for cable). I haven't seen a review from my favorites yet on the Renogy and am disappointed as it also checks many boxes. I have 5 different Bluetti generators and they perform flawlessly and this may make my buy list.
I have one of those also. Supports up to 100 volts on solar which offers some flexibility. A very quiet unit under load and charges very fast. Great price also!
@@cheizaguirre5494 My opinion is both are very good, but depending on your needs could be the decider. AC180 is slightly smaller footprint and weight, higher invertor output, larger WH battery, wireless charger. Add on battery gives you longer run time BUT not 240 volts AC. AC180 + add battery is under $1400 before tax. Renogy Phoenix 1000, allows up to 100 VDC solar input (makes it easier to configure), and if you need 240 Volts AC, you buy another + a cable and you get 240 volts AC and 2 units you can use independently. You can charge both and use them for different purposes unless you need 240 V-AC. Two units and the cable is under $1750 before tax. Still leaves you less battery capacity, but more flexible with 2 standalones and 240 v-AC. I now have the Bluetti AC180, also 2 of the Renogy and use them for different purposes.
YES!!! You FINALLY did the intro correctly with the echo effect. ❤️ Just made my day, one of the best things about your vids! Been missing it for a long time now, keep it going Mr. Hobotech! 👍
After being sorely disappointed with EcoFlow's customer service when my Delta Pro crapped out after only one year's light usage, I'm done with EcoFlow. I have been happy with the Buetti AC200P and I think the AC180 will compliment it nicely, and this is great pricing. Thanks for the thorough reviews. (It's too bad customer service can't be given such rigorous scrutiny before something goes wrong.)
@@AskIveSolar Well, the fact of the matter is that I am just one out a million-plus customers they have and they apparently didn't have the time to treat me to the level that I expected. I had heard great things about EcoFlow's Customer Service, too. So maybe my expectations were too high. I'm not sure any other company making these type products would do any better. I hope I don't have to find out. In a nutshell, I was bent out of shape by the fact that my ~$6500 worth of Solar Generator was useless after less than a year of light usage, and I thought that communications with the EcoFlow Customer Services rep were painfully slow. Consequently, it took a lot longer to resolve the problems with my Delta Pro than I thought that it should. In the end, I have a functioning unit again, though they have yet to answer my question as to why my Delta Pro malfunctioned in the first place.
Thanx Tom another Steller Review as always. I've been hanging with u since we both had our Sportsman 1000w. As far as I'm concerned your the Gold Standard for reviews. PS my Sportsman is still running
Excellent UPS with many more functional features than APC, Liebert, or other prosumer UPSs. That is what I will use this. Running 24/7. Will be buying through Hobo supply chain system.
I prefer no music in long form informative videos. Yours are great just as they are. (Needle drop music gets repetitive and old quick and many people do not mix properly and it gets in the way of the information. If it ain't broke... Thanks for asking our opinion!
If you could connect batteries to this with a 2 way connector like on their other products, this would be great I don't understand why this doesn't have a connection for a battery. The barrel port charging is not a real solution. This is a dropped ball, they make external batteries but they do not want you to use them with their products. It seems like they are competing with their own product lines to make them incompatible with each other.
I watched your video about the eco flow delta 2 max. The code for Amazon didn't work. Then I watched your video on the blueetti ac180. 799.00 with 200 watts panels I think it will be much better than the eco flow. I will use it in my Van to run DC refrigerator. Thank you so much.
I am really afraid to buy anymore Bluetti solar generator’s after what I just went through with my AC200P. My warranty expired 2 months ago. I have less then 20 hours on it and it started showing 042 error code. After a couple days, it would charge extremely fast from 3% to 100% In minutes. But, it would also go from 100% to 0% and power off in 15 minutes. I contacted Bluetti and the said they couldn’t do anything because my warranty was expired but they would send me a used unit. That’s kind and I appreciate the used unit but $ 1800.00 which is what I paid for mine is like buying the used unit for that price. The first question Bluetti asked is if is was showing the 042 error code ? That tells me that they are aware of a problem. Anyway, undecided if I’ll ever purchase another Bluetti.
At work smelled one had a electronic melt down. Not sure you could harvest anything they didn't throw it away they may be able to return it I guess. Rather try an ecoflow may have problems as well. Hope not.
I use my new AC180 to power a 1800W induction burner. The AC180 is on the same line as my 1400W Ninja grill, and I am impressed with how the Bluetti switches from passing through power to running off the battery when I turn on the grill. I understand why a laptop is used to highlight this feature, but I think the fast switching from line to battery at full power is more impressive.
I don't know anything about solar generators...but seems to me that I need two of these units...rather than one of the new bigger capacity ones. I only need it for running a frig and small freezer...possibly a very small mini split when power is out. With two units...one could be charging while the other is discharging.
Hey there, I have an AC 180 and I am running a iceco fridge/freezer combo and the DC watts going out of the AC 180 fluctuates. So if the fridge is drawing 40 W DC the screen will vacillate between 35 and 40 W. When I plug in my DC fan, it is consistent. There is no fluctuation.
Recently got the Bluetti EB3a and it's so handy! This one looks more like a heavy brick you don't want to carry around for very long while looking for the perfect place to set up camp.
Hi Tom, this Bluetti AC180 is the machine that I was waiting for, but I gave up on Bluetti to get it out in time for the 2023 RV season so I purchased an ECOFlow Delta II which I am very happy with and the best of all I paid almost the same as this Bluetti. After watching your review the Bluetti does perform a little better and does have a couple of things the ECOFlow Delta II does not, but they were slow to get this into the market place and look at the all the ECOFlow Delta II's that have been sold before the Bluetti ! If you snooze you loose and I have been getting some good use from my EcoFlow and it has been performing just great and I can charge it from my Renogy 200W suit case with ease and I use the same solar suit case to charge my RV batteries once my Ecoflow is charged.
Can't decide between the EcoFlow Delta 2 {$1,099.00 CAD} and the Bluetti AC 180 { $1,049.99 CAD. Both systems offer around 1000 WH, both have 1800 W inverters, seems that EcoFlow has better charge rate, and a more polished app, whereas the Bluetti seems to be more efficient. Both have similar batteries and both have 5 year warranty. Love to hear you feedback on these two units
I was looking at buying a Honda eu2200 before I came across the ac180. Hoping to hook this up to my solar panel on my truck camper and have power everywhere!
Thanks to your videos you’re making BLUETTI Rich this is my second product purchase from them and best of all it’s on sale right now for 650 bucks which is an no-brainer for an 1800 W inverter can use it camping in my campers as well as in my house for power outages thanks again good job
Thanks for the great review and the link for a few bucks more off at the Bluetti store. This suited my needs exactly so I jumped all over it. Such a great deal for under $780! Unfortunately, this large power supply has the same issue with wireless charging as my tiny (by comparison) EB3A. My pixel phone charges up to 22 watts and that's just too much for the wireless charger on the Bluetti, it will shut down unexpectedly and unless I'm monitor it continuously it may or may not be charging my phone 🤷♂️ it's the only fault I've found. Otherwise, I am exceptionally happy with both devices. Thanks again for your reviews. 🤙🏼
Great video with comprehensive information. Just watched a 15 min video put out by Bob Wells that was sadly lacking. The biggest concern I have with Bluetti is their customer service. I own a Bluetti and sadly had to experience their customer service, or lack thereof. The reviews on any Bluetti product are replete with customer service nightmares...
I purchased the ac180 and have been pleased so far however like others have said it lacks the need for the external battery hook up. looking at the costumer service issues I sent in the question if I could charge the unit with a 24v lifepo4 battery while I knew the answer I wanted to see the answer they would give me. This was the reply I got, a link for a cable to connect lead acid batteries{ WHAT THE HE%%} and was told to read the manual. So I guess my first dealing with CS was a total joke.
Good Job, Tom. Once again, you roped me into buying a product! Aggghh! Just Kidding, I wanted the dam thing anyways. I used your code. BTW, from my musician days, I seem to recall that some audio amplifier circuits can be sensitive to ground. Since there is no ground at all, I am wondering if providing one could possibly reduce the hum a bit. Or, perhaps a neutral-ground plug as used for generators?
Great video. We are considering buying a system (BLUETTI AC180 Solar Portable Power Station | 1,800W 1,152Wh) and your video was very helpful in our decision-making process.
Given your detailed reviews, it would be great if you included some kind of comparison chart with similar products like EcoFlow and Jackery... would be SUPER useful!
I'm learning a lot about this technology from your videos. I recently just got into solar batteries and bought a 200 Max and an extra battery. It was $800 off the Max and 400 off the battery. But that sale is gone now here in Canada even though it's still on sale is not as much of a discount anymore.
I have the EB3A with UPS function. I have had an issue with it in UPS since day 1 and Bluetti hasn't been able to fix it. In UPS mode, The EB3A will work fine for a while then will randomly turn off. It says the unit is overloaded. I sent the unit back and they sent me a new one. It does the same thing. Many people have this issue. Can you test the AC180 for an extended time on UPS mode and see if it randomly shuts off?
UPS should be passive from grid most of the time. Might be worth checking the power grid or outlet. Can also try running a hairdryer straight from another wall outlet (not off battery) to see if its a bigger issue with mains power.
Maybe someone has addressed this already, and this review is a year old, but I've tried my new AC180 with both my solid state and tube Fender amps, and there is no whine at all. The Peavey KB1 is an inexpensive amp, so I don't know if it just didn't have sufficient filters, or if Bluetti has upped their game since then and added filters that took out the bothersome noise. When I saw this video and heard the interference on the Peavey KB1 amplifier, I was afraid the Bluetti AC180 wouldn't work well with my amplifiers, but there was no noise at all except for the guitar! So if the AC180 meets your needs better than the more expensive power stations, it works for me on my Fender Deluxe Reverb '65RI and Mustang GTX100. Your mileage may vary! It would be interesting to hear from others who might use their power station with amplifiers or other sound equipment.
man your channel is growing 💪I'll be buying one of these BUT one of my pet peeves is they put FOUR soon to be outdated usb-A and ONE C-type port. MacBooks, PC's, tablets, Androids, + the upcoming iPhone 15, ALL have moved on to USB C for power. Just One C port? So of all those devices, I can only power or charge one at a time via ONE C port, while 4 old type A-ports sit idle unless I "plug in" the ac chargers for my other tech which is obviously less efficient and hogs up other AC sockets. Duh. Nice unit tho. Another nice review.✌
@@HOBOTECH true but I still think it’s a slight miss by Bluetti. Nonetheless, this is a great unit for me that I’ve been waiting for to fill that niche. I’ll use your link very soon for the purchase. Thanks for your reply :)
Nice unit. Some specs are lower then I desire but then I should go with the 200Max anyway. I will keep this unit in mind because my EF Delta isn’t working at the moment and if I switch from EF to Bluetti depends on how good EF service/warranty is…
Music, Also you forgot to mention it didn't have a light, another price saver. Shame they didn't offer at least 2 12 volt barrel outputs . But definitely better deal than the ac60.
Thank goodness I was getting worried! I'm most curious if you have like a b230 battery and buy the adapter for the solar input and keep the battery on will it automatically draw on the battery for power to basically give you 2000 more watts for emergencies if the power goes out assuming its plugged to the grid?
I much prefer the reviews without music, as the music at times covers up your voice and I find myself reviewing a segment several times and turning on the CC to try to understand what it is you are saying. This never happened in this review, sans music. Please keep the music out, Tom; I think it is a MAJOR improvement!
I was pretty sure I was going to get the Ecoflow Delta 2 until I watched this video. Just ordered the AC180 for $599 from the Bluetti site. Thanks for the great review!
Best intro in the game 😊 Thanks for the Growatt vita 550 review. I purchased one for under $400 and it works great. I can run my xbox series s and a portable screen for a good 4 hours.
Professor Hobo I believe you just have to much fun doing these videos. But I do listen to what you say and your very thorough on your reviews. I am considering getting one of these AC 180 and put 2 PV200 with it and then use another PV200 for my AC70. That should give me enough power to last a good amount of days when I go off grid unless the sun don’t shine and then I’m screwed. Thank you.
Good review as always! Just wonder if you ever worry that years down the road these sogens will accuse you of inappropriate relations for the way you touch their 12v port.
Thanks as always for the review DR hobo, I went ahead and ordered this tonight. Was going to get the pecron p1500s but the LFP vs LIon and the other features sent me this way.
A great review of a great product, which is currently at a great price. I'm going on record as saying I don't think they're going to raise the price on this much past the mid-$850 range, because prices are coming down, across the board, for products in this space. The dropping cost of lithium, dropping demand overall, and increased competition is going to keep driving a bit of a price war for these types of products. The other thing worth noting, and perhaps something to illustrate to customers, is how easy it is to charge this AC180 using a 24v LFP battery. While that isn't exactly "extending" the battery capacity, the relatively fast charging allowed using this method will improve run-times considerably.
Awesome video and extremely in-depth testing. I'm looking for a UPS (That's not a lead 'ASSid' battery UPS) that oddly still seems to be the norm with those crappy things. This puppy is $549 on Amazon today before the additional 5% off coupon. So many possibilities to use it for I'm not saying it's the best, but it's a hell of a lot better than an APC UPS for sure.
Hi. I bought this unit based on your review. I wanted to make you aware of a disappointment I have with its performance. The AC inverter consumes a stout 21 Watts per hour. This doesn't make a lot of difference if you use it to power high load devices, like a 700 Watt heater BUT it literally halves the projected use time powering small loads , like a smaller panel TV, powered speaker totalling 21-23 Watts. Thank you for your videos.
Thanks hobo I just purchased my ac 180 😊 I really enjoyed your video thanks for hard work I think you should do a video that compare different solar panels to see which one is the best.
I just discovered that when I use my Ram on board 400 watt inverter to try to charge the ac180 on silent mode the AC180 does nothing. I suspect the syne wave is not pure from the 400 watt inverter. I can however take my EB 70s with the old brick and it charges fine. I may have to take both with me and charge the eb70 off the Rams inverter while at the same time plugging the AC180 into the EB70 to get it charged. The old BRICK is good for something, filtering power supply.
Great video review. I started to think "wait, you can't test UPS on a lapto... oh he took the battery out, ok :) " I would love to see if it can do UPS reliably for a larger desktop computer with significant power draw though.
The wife and I pulled off @ a rest stop it was chilly we plugged a 1500W 120AC to our new AC180 it supported this small space heater a flat 1.5 Hr. heat and fan at it's lowest setting. Yea we woke up shivering in 1.5 Hr. got back on the road that was it for the Bluetti AC180 LO? Yes the AC180 was 100% charged!
Heater on low probably pulls 1000w. Folks don't realized how much power electric heaters take. The math isn't shocking at all. 1500Wh / 1000w = 1.5 hours. Midsize power stations are not designed to run electric heaters...
Need a parasitic testing, long-term testing may be a stretch. Bought a 200p and the parasitic drain is very bad. No regret buying the 200p, but after only 1 and a half year usages the battery is not holding charge.
To music or not to music. That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to promote artists from the UA-cam royalty free library and thereby subject the viewers to melodies not of their sensibilities, or risk being labeled as boring, old, or worse yet "boomer". I didn't miss the music (or even notice) and found this episode just as informative as ever.
I'd love to see it used with a 5000 btu ac window unit. With rolling blackouts in our future, it would be nice to know the ac 180 can run a unit for an hour or two safely. Love your channel!
Thanks for a very complete review. This will be my first venture into solar and I was wondering if I could connect a PV350 and a PV200 in series to the AC180? I realize that's a combined 550 potential watts, but I live in Oregon so I doubt I'd ever even get close to the 500 watt limit. Thanks.
I got mine today 🎉 thanks for the discount code. Now I'm going to test it on my daily products so I'll know what it can power during an outage. But how many solar panels do I use. I have a few 100 watt hard side panels
Great video. Waiting for delivery of mine. I'm planning to use the DC outlet to power my 12 volt ham radio, hopefully without causing a buzzing noise. I figure I'd lose a lot of power using the AC outlet to change DC to AC and then back to DC for my radio. Looks like using the AC inverter can cause buzzing from my radio speaker also.
How nice is it to wait...I'm ordering one at the Black Friday price of $479. I also own their new Elite 200 V2. I wonder what that will be next November. Maybe $799?
is there a way to get the display to stay on? I would think the ac wall is just topping the unit off continuously as you use unit, but I guess this is not the case? I hope not anyway!
GET THE AC180: gohobo.io/ac180 use code HOBOAC180
EXTERNAL BATTERY SUPPORT: Bluetti is "claiming" the AC180 "supports" the external B80 battery. First, you can hook virtually any battery into virtually any power station already. The difference is that the external battery can't be charged from the power station unless the power station has a direct battery port. AC180 has no direct battery port therefore you can drain a battery into it (B80 or whatever you want) but you can't use the AC180 to recharge said battery. In other words, it doesn't actually "support" (charging or monitoring the charge level of) an external battery.
The code gives $20 off currently off the $799
Your code is suppose to give a 20 percent discount but it’s only taking $20 off. Must be a glitch
@@mickbolinger8583 That was another channel, Hobo didn't give a number, just said a few more bucks off.
@@mickbolinger8583 what channel was that? On a prior channel this review made the mistake of saying 20% off when it was only 20 dollars off.
I did.
I didn’t need the extra features of the Bluetti AC200, so instead of buying the AC200, I bought two of these AC180 power stations. The price and total power of two AC180s were a bit better than the AC200. This will allow me to charge one power station in the sun while I’m parked in the shade with the second AC180 running my fridge. Another bonus is that the AC180 is half the weight. I won’t hurt my back as I get older moving the power stations around.
That's exactly why I never buy one of these with battery expansion. Those should be 50% the price of the power station instead of 95% of the price. And you can only charge them through an existing power station.
I have the ac200l and I dread picking it up so I bought the ac180 for its lower weight. My back thanks this unit.
I've already seen a very thorough and detailed review on this excellent product, however, until Professor Hobo puts his seal of approval on it I can't pull the trigger.
Yup, and Will Prouse too!
@Jeff Greenspon Me too, double tapped.
Me, three. Triple tapped.
Me 4, quadruple tapped
I pull the figure and I’m very satisfied
I've been using this unit at home for the last few days to run my window air conditioner which is pulling 1100 watts. I also have it plugged into a wall outlet and I have a few solar panels sitting outside. What makes this unit stand out is that the power produced by the solar panels reduces the power coming from the wall outlet, saving me a few bucks in electricity. The Bluetti app shows it. I also have the Delta 2. The Delta 2 does not recognize/ignores the solar coming in unless I unplug the Delta 2 from the wall outlet, then it uses the solar. I got tired of doing this everyday so I switched to the AC180 instead. It all happens automatically with the AC180.
Nice, almost like it's grid tied.
This information is super helpful
I have been pondering DIY vs this pre-made, been looking / reading and doing very basic math..... the DIY power station would be easy to expand
Down side would be the weight / portable compared to these made systems.
Possibly the single most valuable video I have seen power banks. Great info, real world testing, and not too technical to be boring. Thanks!
You got scared 😏.
These are only like $460 dollars right now Black Friday sale on Amazon. I already have 2 but laid $500 for one and $600 for the other at different sales over the months. Love them.
Bought one on Amazon Prime Day for $459!
Paid under $650 on Amazon when website said it was sold out! I am so jazzed! No fear of hurricane season this year! Great video Hobo! ❤
No fear for 2 hours lol. The 1,100 watt hour is a joke
It's on Amazon for $549 right now.
@@mrblutifultmit’s $499 now!
@@mrblutifultm it's 479 now
Oct 10,2024 picked up an AC180 during prime days with your coupon for $443.89 total out the door price.
The most thorough and practical review I've ever seen. Thank you!
Just got mine on Spring sale for $650 excited about having it for the summer!
Same here hurricane season is not not be a scary time4us
Great video. Out of the three review videos I've watched offering discount codes, yours was the most in depth and to the point. So I used your code.
I just purchased the Bluetti AC 180P version and I'm happy to report that the product had no interference noise through my active speakers, Adam Audio T8V, which were connected to a Pioneer DJM A9 mixer and 2 Pioneer CDJ 3000's. Maybe the speakers have suppression built in. Thanks for these awesome vids!
What’s the difference between the ac 180 and the 180p?
@@apa7611 1800 watts and 1152 watt hours for the 180 vs 1800 watts 1440 watt hours for the 180p. So basically more watt hours.
Nice review. While you run your capacity test at fairly high loads many of us use these at much lower loads, ie 15w for a fridge, where the internal parasitic draw on the DC or the AC inverter becomes significant with regard to runtime. I’d appreciate you adding a parasitic load test on both the AC and DC outputs in future tests where you turn on one output at a time with no load and record the battery drain, ie, % per hour, or watts.
@@ItsEverythingElse Thanks!
Then something has to give. It already takes 4-5 days to make a video. Doing parasitic load tests will add another day. Basically I'll have to produce less videos to add this test. Is that worth it?
If they sent you two units…..
Agreed. The First and Foremost Important thing to me, and I believe Many, would be Preserving Refrigerated and Frozen Food. Everything after that, Is a Luxury, especially in a Long term power outage.
Decided to make a poll for you all to answer.
Actuall I am glad I waffled, the prices went down to $628. I just bought mine for $879 (+ $61 tax) for the AC 180, and TWO PV 120S solar panels. $940 taxes in and free delivery. Came really quick too.
I received it at around 56% charged up. I hooked up both solar panels and it charged to 100% in about two hours.
I tested the unit on my water booking kettle, and my Ninja air fryer. This thing handled both of them just fine.
Great video. I watch many other reviewers on this 180, your review is far more specific and useful. You have the brain and temperament for this business you created. I also watched the 200 update, and that was highly usefull, thank you for responding to all those comments. Gonna use your link to buy one. .
Thanks for the quality review HoboTech, another competitor is the Renogy Phoenix 1000 ( I have 2) 998wh, 1500 watt invertor, 400 watt solar, 41 lbs., NO wireless charger, expandable via a second unit with a split or single phase cable, all for $750 (plus $99 for cable). I haven't seen a review from my favorites yet on the Renogy and am disappointed as it also checks many boxes. I have 5 different Bluetti generators and they perform flawlessly and this may make my buy list.
I have one of those also. Supports up to 100 volts on solar which offers some flexibility. A very quiet unit under load and charges very fast. Great price also!
Should i get the phoenix 1000 or this AC180?
@@cheizaguirre5494 My opinion is both are very good, but depending on your needs could be the decider.
AC180 is slightly smaller footprint and weight, higher invertor output, larger WH battery, wireless charger. Add on battery gives you longer run time BUT not 240 volts AC.
AC180 + add battery is under $1400 before tax.
Renogy Phoenix 1000, allows up to 100 VDC solar input (makes it easier to configure), and if you need 240 Volts AC, you buy another + a cable and you get 240 volts AC and 2 units you can use independently. You can charge both and use them for different purposes unless you need 240 V-AC.
Two units and the cable is under $1750 before tax. Still leaves you less battery capacity, but more flexible with 2 standalones and 240 v-AC.
I now have the Bluetti AC180, also 2 of the Renogy and use them for different purposes.
@@Kantuski great !! Thank you!!!
I’ve been waiting on this for over a year.
Just bought one! Great video as always.
YES!!! You FINALLY did the intro correctly with the echo effect. ❤️ Just made my day, one of the best things about your vids! Been missing it for a long time now, keep it going Mr. Hobotech! 👍
I agree
After being sorely disappointed with EcoFlow's customer service when my Delta Pro crapped out after only one year's light usage, I'm done with EcoFlow. I have been happy with the Buetti AC200P and I think the AC180 will compliment it nicely, and this is great pricing. Thanks for the thorough reviews. (It's too bad customer service can't be given such rigorous scrutiny before something goes wrong.)
Dang, what happened? People usually sing EF supports praises compared to bluetti.
@@AskIveSolar Well, the fact of the matter is that I am just one out a million-plus customers they have and they apparently didn't have the time to treat me to the level that I expected. I had heard great things about EcoFlow's Customer Service, too. So maybe my expectations were too high. I'm not sure any other company making these type products would do any better. I hope I don't have to find out.
In a nutshell, I was bent out of shape by the fact that my ~$6500 worth of Solar Generator was useless after less than a year of light usage, and I thought that communications with the EcoFlow Customer Services rep were painfully slow. Consequently, it took a lot longer to resolve the problems with my Delta Pro than I thought that it should. In the end, I have a functioning unit again, though they have yet to answer my question as to why my Delta Pro malfunctioned in the first place.
Thanx Tom another Steller Review as always. I've been hanging with u since we both had our Sportsman 1000w. As far as I'm concerned your the Gold Standard for reviews. PS my Sportsman is still running
Excellent UPS with many more functional features than APC, Liebert, or other prosumer UPSs. That is what I will use this. Running 24/7. Will be buying through Hobo supply chain system.
Purchased with the Hobotech discount! Thank you professor!
I prefer no music in long form informative videos. Yours are great just as they are. (Needle drop music gets repetitive and old quick and many people do not mix properly and it gets in the way of the information. If it ain't broke... Thanks for asking our opinion!
If you could connect batteries to this with a 2 way connector like on their other products, this would be great I don't understand why this doesn't have a connection for a battery. The barrel port charging is not a real solution. This is a dropped ball, they make external batteries but they do not want you to use them with their products. It seems like they are competing with their own product lines to make them incompatible with each other.
I watched your video about the eco flow delta 2 max. The code for Amazon didn't work. Then I watched your video on the blueetti ac180. 799.00 with 200 watts panels I think it will be much better than the eco flow. I will use it in my Van to run DC refrigerator. Thank you so much.
we just built a tiny home (UA-cam studio) and just bought this with Amazon Prime Days savings!
This is the one I’ve been waiting for 😍 fast charging 😍 1800w inverter 😍lifePO4😍rugged😍good price 😍
Thanks for staying up late to get the video posted!!
I am really afraid to buy anymore Bluetti solar generator’s after what I just went through with my AC200P.
My warranty expired 2 months ago. I have less then 20 hours on it and it started showing 042 error code. After a couple days, it would charge extremely fast from 3% to 100% In minutes. But, it would also go from 100% to 0% and power off in 15 minutes. I contacted Bluetti and the said they couldn’t do anything because my warranty was expired but they would send me a used unit. That’s kind and I appreciate the used unit but $ 1800.00 which is what I paid for mine is like buying the used unit for that price. The first question Bluetti asked is if is was showing the 042 error code ? That tells me that they are aware of a problem. Anyway, undecided if I’ll ever purchase another Bluetti.
At work smelled one had a electronic melt down. Not sure you could harvest anything they didn't throw it away they may be able to return it I guess. Rather try an ecoflow may have problems as well. Hope not.
I use my new AC180 to power a 1800W induction burner. The AC180 is on the same line as my 1400W Ninja grill, and I am impressed with how the Bluetti switches from passing through power to running off the battery when I turn on the grill. I understand why a laptop is used to highlight this feature, but I think the fast switching from line to battery at full power is more impressive.
I don't know anything about solar generators...but seems to me that I need two of these units...rather than one of the new bigger capacity ones. I only need it for running a frig and small freezer...possibly a very small mini split when power is out. With two units...one could be charging while the other is discharging.
Sold! Got mine!! Thanks for the review!!!
Hey there, I have an AC 180 and I am running a iceco fridge/freezer combo and the DC watts going out of the AC 180 fluctuates. So if the fridge is drawing 40 W DC the screen will vacillate between 35 and 40 W. When I plug in my DC fan, it is consistent. There is no fluctuation.
Recently got the Bluetti EB3a and it's so handy! This one looks more like a heavy brick you don't want to carry around for very long while looking for the perfect place to set up camp.
Just put in my order your discount code saved me 20$ thanks for all the information 👍
Hi Tom, this Bluetti AC180 is the machine that I was waiting for, but I gave up on Bluetti to get it out in time for the 2023 RV season so I purchased an ECOFlow Delta II which I am very happy with and the best of all I paid almost the same as this Bluetti. After watching your review the Bluetti does perform a little better and does have a couple of things the ECOFlow Delta II does not, but they were slow to get this into the market place and look at the all the ECOFlow Delta II's that have been sold before the Bluetti ! If you snooze you loose and I have been getting some good use from my EcoFlow and it has been performing just great and I can charge it from my Renogy 200W suit case with ease and I use the same solar suit case to charge my RV batteries once my Ecoflow is charged.
Can't decide between the EcoFlow Delta 2 {$1,099.00 CAD} and the Bluetti AC 180 { $1,049.99 CAD. Both systems offer around 1000 WH, both have 1800 W inverters, seems that EcoFlow has better charge rate, and a more polished app, whereas the Bluetti seems to be more efficient. Both have similar batteries and both have 5 year warranty. Love to hear you feedback on these two units
I was looking at buying a Honda eu2200 before I came across the ac180. Hoping to hook this up to my solar panel on my truck camper and have power everywhere!
Thanks to your videos you’re making BLUETTI Rich this is my second product purchase from them and best of all it’s on sale right now for 650 bucks which is an no-brainer for an 1800 W inverter can use it camping in my campers as well as in my house for power outages thanks again good job
Not to music. as requested, i prefer no music.
Thanks for this great review.
Thanks for the great review and the link for a few bucks more off at the Bluetti store. This suited my needs exactly so I jumped all over it. Such a great deal for under $780!
Unfortunately, this large power supply has the same issue with wireless charging as my tiny (by comparison) EB3A. My pixel phone charges up to 22 watts and that's just too much for the wireless charger on the Bluetti, it will shut down unexpectedly and unless I'm monitor it continuously it may or may not be charging my phone 🤷♂️ it's the only fault I've found.
Otherwise, I am exceptionally happy with both devices. Thanks again for your reviews. 🤙🏼
Seems like a war. Bluetti 180, Anker C1000, EcoFlow Delta 2, Dabbsson DBS1300. Good for us consumers.
I did test my AC180 with my Peavey microbass amplifier. It is dead quiet. I must have gotten lucky.
I hope to use one to power my digital recording rig. Hope it doesn't introduce hum or artifacts in my recordings...
Great video with comprehensive information. Just watched a 15 min video put out by Bob Wells that was sadly lacking. The biggest concern I have with Bluetti is their customer service. I own a Bluetti and sadly had to experience their customer service, or lack thereof. The reviews on any Bluetti product are replete with customer service nightmares...
I purchased the ac180 and have been pleased so far however like others have said it lacks the need for the external battery hook up. looking at the costumer service issues I sent in the question if I could charge the unit with a 24v lifepo4 battery while I knew the answer I wanted to see the answer they would give me. This was the reply I got, a link for a cable to connect lead acid batteries{ WHAT THE HE%%} and was told to read the manual. So I guess my first dealing with CS was a total joke.
I like the Bat music during the video especially when the Wattage is running out.
Good Job, Tom. Once again, you roped me into buying a product! Aggghh! Just Kidding, I wanted the dam thing anyways. I used your code. BTW, from my musician days, I seem to recall that some audio amplifier circuits can be sensitive to ground. Since there is no ground at all, I am wondering if providing one could possibly reduce the hum a bit. Or, perhaps a neutral-ground plug as used for generators?
As a Robotech fan from the early 80s, I find your intro hilarious.
A/C output for a computer the AC180 is fantastic. D/C output connections are very limiyed if you want this for mobile radios or D/C appliances.
Great video. We are considering buying a system (BLUETTI AC180 Solar Portable Power Station | 1,800W 1,152Wh) and your video was very helpful in our decision-making process.
Just bought the Anker 521 and I'm sure I'll buy several more excellent power banks from Anker, Jackery, Bluetti and Ecoflow
Looks like a head to head comparison with the EcoFlow Delta 2 would be awesome.
You give the best reviews evey. Because of this review I brought one. Will it run a circular saw.
It was nearly perfect except for the musicians test…bummer on the buzz 🐝
Still worth getting though…especially at the initial price 👍🏼
Great 👍 review…
Given your detailed reviews, it would be great if you included some kind of comparison chart with similar products like EcoFlow and Jackery... would be SUPER useful!
Those companies: Would they still sponsor him if they were compared?
@@carol...147 He reviews all of them, some other reviewers keep spreadsheets that viewers can download. So I doubt he would be told no.
I'm learning a lot about this technology from your videos. I recently just got into solar batteries and bought a 200 Max and an extra battery. It was $800 off the Max and 400 off the battery. But that sale is gone now here in Canada even though it's still on sale is not as much of a discount anymore.
I have the EB3A with UPS function. I have had an issue with it in UPS since day 1 and Bluetti hasn't been able to fix it. In UPS mode, The EB3A will work fine for a while then will randomly turn off. It says the unit is overloaded. I sent the unit back and they sent me a new one. It does the same thing. Many people have this issue. Can you test the AC180 for an extended time on UPS mode and see if it randomly shuts off?
UPS should be passive from grid most of the time. Might be worth checking the power grid or outlet. Can also try running a hairdryer straight from another wall outlet (not off battery) to see if its a bigger issue with mains power.
It was a hardware problem with certain versions. Their fix was the AC60. That and this do not have the issue.
Maybe someone has addressed this already, and this review is a year old, but I've tried my new AC180 with both my solid state and tube Fender amps, and there is no whine at all. The Peavey KB1 is an inexpensive amp, so I don't know if it just didn't have sufficient filters, or if Bluetti has upped their game since then and added filters that took out the bothersome noise. When I saw this video and heard the interference on the Peavey KB1 amplifier, I was afraid the Bluetti AC180 wouldn't work well with my amplifiers, but there was no noise at all except for the guitar! So if the AC180 meets your needs better than the more expensive power stations, it works for me on my Fender Deluxe Reverb '65RI and Mustang GTX100. Your mileage may vary! It would be interesting to hear from others who might use their power station with amplifiers or other sound equipment.
man your channel is growing 💪I'll be buying one of these BUT one of my pet peeves is they put FOUR soon to be outdated usb-A and ONE C-type port. MacBooks, PC's, tablets, Androids, + the upcoming iPhone 15, ALL have moved on to USB C for power. Just One C port? So of all those devices, I can only power or charge one at a time via ONE C port, while 4 old type A-ports sit idle unless I "plug in" the ac chargers for my other tech which is obviously less efficient and hogs up other AC sockets. Duh. Nice unit tho. Another nice review.✌
You can use USB-A to USB-C cables for most lower powered stuff.
@@HOBOTECH true but I still think it’s a slight miss by Bluetti. Nonetheless, this is a great unit for me that I’ve been waiting for to fill that niche. I’ll use your link very soon for the purchase. Thanks for your reply :)
Order placed. Thanks for your review and discount code.
Nice unit. Some specs are lower then I desire but then I should go with the 200Max anyway.
I will keep this unit in mind because my EF Delta isn’t working at the moment and if I switch from EF to Bluetti depends on how good EF service/warranty is…
Music,
Also you forgot to mention it didn't have a light, another price saver.
Shame they didn't offer at least 2 12 volt barrel outputs .
But definitely better deal than the ac60.
Another Great Review! It took Bluetti long enough to finally fill this gap.
As always, thank you for yet another great, informative test/review
Thank goodness I was getting worried! I'm most curious if you have like a b230 battery and buy the adapter for the solar input and keep the battery on will it automatically draw on the battery for power to basically give you 2000 more watts for emergencies if the power goes out assuming its plugged to the grid?
Did you do an inverter loss test with nothing plugged in, but AC turned on? Thanks for another great video!!
It sucks that the only 12V output is a cigarette lighter port , I hate those. They lose contact all the time and get hot under max load
I much prefer the reviews without music, as the music at times covers up your voice and I find myself reviewing a segment several times and turning on the CC to try to understand what it is you are saying. This never happened in this review, sans music. Please keep the music out, Tom; I think it is a MAJOR improvement!
I was pretty sure I was going to get the Ecoflow Delta 2 until I watched this video. Just ordered the AC180 for $599 from the Bluetti site. Thanks for the great review!
It’s $499 on their site now, if you contact them they should give you that $100 refund
ouch. you realize they are $409 on prime day?
The only review that matters
Best intro in the game 😊 Thanks for the Growatt vita 550 review. I purchased one for under $400 and it works great. I can run my xbox series s and a portable screen for a good 4 hours.
Professor Hobo I believe you just have to much fun doing these videos. But I do listen to what you say and your very thorough on your reviews. I am considering getting one of these AC 180 and put 2 PV200 with it and then use another PV200 for my AC70. That should give me enough power to last a good amount of days when I go off grid unless the sun don’t shine and then I’m screwed.
Thank you.
Good review as always! Just wonder if you ever worry that years down the road these sogens will accuse you of inappropriate relations for the way you touch their 12v port.
😄😄😄😄
Thanks as always for the review DR hobo, I went ahead and ordered this tonight. Was going to get the pecron p1500s but the LFP vs LIon and the other features sent me this way.
Pecron 2000lfp or 600lfp is the way to go for Pecron
A great review of a great product, which is currently at a great price. I'm going on record as saying I don't think they're going to raise the price on this much past the mid-$850 range, because prices are coming down, across the board, for products in this space. The dropping cost of lithium, dropping demand overall, and increased competition is going to keep driving a bit of a price war for these types of products. The other thing worth noting, and perhaps something to illustrate to customers, is how easy it is to charge this AC180 using a 24v LFP battery. While that isn't exactly "extending" the battery capacity, the relatively fast charging allowed using this method will improve run-times considerably.
What is the wattage using the 24v LFP?
@@sheridankittle761 - That depends on how big of a battery you get, in terms of watt-hours?
Awesome video and extremely in-depth testing. I'm looking for a UPS (That's not a lead 'ASSid' battery UPS) that oddly still seems to be the norm with those crappy things. This puppy is $549 on Amazon today before the additional 5% off coupon. So many possibilities to use it for I'm not saying it's the best, but it's a hell of a lot better than an APC UPS for sure.
Hi. I bought this unit based on your review. I wanted to make you aware of a disappointment I have with its performance. The AC inverter consumes a stout 21 Watts per hour. This doesn't make a lot of difference if you use it to power high load devices, like a 700 Watt heater BUT it literally halves the projected use time powering small loads , like a smaller panel TV, powered speaker totalling 21-23 Watts.
Thank you for your videos.
always the best reviews 👍
Just got mine for $549 for their 4th of July sale. I’ve got 2 jackery’s a 240 and 500 but needed more power.
Excellent review, best yet!👏
Prefer the reviews with no music 👍 keep up the good work
There was only music in the first 2 minutes
@@mrgringo7289 yes 26:33 asks for the audience’s preference
Thanks hobo I just purchased my ac 180 😊
I really enjoyed your video thanks for hard work
I think you should do a video that compare different solar panels to see which one is the best.
I just discovered that when I use my Ram on board 400 watt inverter to try to charge the ac180 on silent mode the AC180 does nothing. I suspect the syne wave is not pure from the 400 watt inverter. I can however take my EB 70s with the old brick and it charges fine. I may have to take both with me and charge the eb70 off the Rams inverter while at the same time plugging the AC180 into the EB70 to get it charged. The old BRICK is good for something, filtering power supply.
Purchased, great review, your code still works
Watched another review and amp did not buzz I have just ordered one of these but don't need it for no amp so I'm not upset.
Great video review.
I started to think "wait, you can't test UPS on a lapto... oh he took the battery out, ok :) "
I would love to see if it can do UPS reliably for a larger desktop computer with significant power draw though.
I'm planning on it but desk space and getting a big screen in frame is an issue.
The wife and I pulled off @ a rest stop it was chilly we plugged a 1500W 120AC to our new AC180 it supported this small space heater a flat 1.5 Hr. heat and fan at it's lowest setting. Yea we woke up shivering in 1.5 Hr. got back on the road that was it for the Bluetti AC180 LO? Yes the AC180 was 100% charged!
Heater on low probably pulls 1000w. Folks don't realized how much power electric heaters take. The math isn't shocking at all. 1500Wh / 1000w = 1.5 hours. Midsize power stations are not designed to run electric heaters...
Need a parasitic testing, long-term testing may be a stretch. Bought a 200p and the parasitic drain is very bad.
No regret buying the 200p, but after only 1 and a half year usages the battery is not holding charge.
It is posible use the AC180 to feed my fridge while charging it with the sportsman 1000i gas generator ??
Great commentary and slap information. You rock!
Great info. Thanks for sharing.
To music or not to music. That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to promote artists from the UA-cam royalty free library and thereby subject the viewers to melodies not of their sensibilities, or risk being labeled as boring, old, or worse yet "boomer".
I didn't miss the music (or even notice) and found this episode just as informative as ever.
I'd love to see it used with a 5000 btu ac window unit. With rolling blackouts in our future, it would be nice to know the ac 180 can run a unit for an hour or two safely. Love your channel!
Yes, 2-4 hours.
@@HOBOTECH Thank you!
Thanks for a very complete review. This will be my first venture into solar and I was wondering if I could connect a PV350 and a PV200 in series to the AC180? I realize that's a combined 550 potential watts, but I live in Oregon so I doubt I'd ever even get close to the 500 watt limit. Thanks.
Just purchased the 180, ran my desiel heater with it through the dc plug no issues. Tried the same with Oppes 1100 would not start the heater.
I got mine today 🎉 thanks for the discount code. Now I'm going to test it on my daily products so I'll know what it can power during an outage. But how many solar panels do I use. I have a few 100 watt hard side panels
Great video. Waiting for delivery of mine. I'm planning to use the DC outlet to power my 12 volt ham radio, hopefully without causing a buzzing noise. I figure I'd lose a lot of power using the AC outlet to change DC to AC and then back to DC for my radio. Looks like using the AC inverter can cause buzzing from my radio speaker also.
How nice is it to wait...I'm ordering one at the Black Friday price of $479. I also own their new Elite 200 V2. I wonder what that will be next November. Maybe $799?
is there a way to get the display to stay on? I would think the ac wall is just topping the unit off continuously as you use unit, but I guess this is not the case? I hope not anyway!