Bluetti EB70S 800W Portable Power Station Review
The Bluetti EB70S is a great entry into the portable power station market. It’s a budget-friendly 716Wh, 800W power station that fills a unique niche between more common 500W and 1000W models, and competes handily with power stations larger and smaller than itself.
I would argue that everyone should own a portable power station. While they may be most often associated with preppers, RVers, campers and van lifers, portable power stations are also very useful in the event of an everyday emergency.
Basically, they’ll keep you going when you’re off the grid, or when the grid fails you. And if you’re going to invest in a portable power station, you’re better off investing in a good one.
Bluetti EB70S: First Impressions
I like to have a portable power station handy for power outages and emergencies, though I’ll certainly take one with me on camping trips too. One reason I was excited to try out the Bluetti EB70S Portable Power Station is that it looks like a great option for both of those scenarios.
Upon unboxing, I like what I see. The Bluetti has a simple and intuitive design and has an excellent selection of output ports. I’ll get into those in more detail further down the line. I also like that the Bluetti is a bit smaller and lighter than the Jackery Explorer 1000, power station, to which it often gets compared.
In addition to the Bluetti EB70S Portable Power Station itself, the package also includes:
- AC adapter and charging cable
- Car charging cable (12V car port / cigarette lighter)
- Solar panel charging cable (solar panel not included)
- User’s manual
Battery Capacity & Charging
Let’s look at some of the big questions one always has about a power station. Firstly, how much juice does it hold?
The EB70S has 716Wh capacity and 800W rated wattage (1,400W surge power). Put simply, that means the battery has the capacity to store 716Wh (watt hours) of energy, and can push out up to 800 watts of energy at any one time.
The power station can be fully charged from an AC wall outlet in 3 to 4 hours, or from a 12V car port in 7 to 8 hours. It’s also compatible with solar panels, which can typically recharge the unit in 3 or 4 hours. Also worth noting is that the Bluetti EB70S can provide power output while being charged. It has over-charge and over-draw protection circuitry, and is well ventilated to prevent overheating.
Another important consideration is the lifespan of the battery. This is an area where the Bluetti really shines compared to many competitors. Utilizing an exceptionally stable LiFePO4 lithium battery, this unit has a great lifespan. It’s designed to give you 2500+ life cycles before battery capacity is reduced to 80%.
Power Output & Ports
With 800W power output, the Bluetti EB70S is intermediate between many other brands’ power stations, which typically are made in 500W and 1000W increments. Blackfire and Jackery, for example, each make 500W and 1000W versions of their power stations.
Ultimately, that makes this Bluetti model somewhat unique in that its output is closer to a 1000W power station, but its price point is closer to what I would expect to pay for a 500W model. I’m certainly not complaining about that. I’m also not complaining about its ability to provide around 50 charges for an average cell phone, or 9 to 10 charges for an average laptop. It can also run a fan for around 18 hours, or a coffee maker for 62 minutes.
Speaking of things I like about the Bluetti EB70S, let’s talk about the available output ports. This thing has a great variety of ports, allowing you to run or charge multiple devices at once. The EB70S offers the following:
- Four 110V AC outlets
- Two 100W PD ports
- Two 5V/3A USB-A ports
- Two regulated 12V/10A DC outputs
- One 12V/10A car port
- One 15W wireless charging pad
That’s a lot of ways to plug in, so you probably won’t have to worry about multiple family members squabbling over who gets to charge their phones first. As long as you stay within the 800W max output, you can hypothetically charge up to 12 devices at once.
Design & Dimensions
One of the big factors when it comes to choosing a portable power station is, of course, its portability. You need something that’s easy to carry, and also the right size and shape for convenient storage. Weighing 21.4 pounds and measuring 12.6 x 8.54 x 8.74 inches, the Bluetti EB70S is fairly trim compared to a lot of other portable power stations in its class.
In terms of shape, it’s essentially a slightly rounded-off rectangle, which makes it very easy to store in one’s vehicle or RV. I’m a huge fan of the handle design, which not only makes it easy to pick up and move, but also folds down into the top of the unit, making it much more easily stowable than Jackery power stations.
Display Screen
The LCD display screen of the Bluetti power station is crisp and easy to read in any light, with blue and white text and battery indicators over a black background. The display includes input and output wattage, as well as battery percentage.
My one criticism of the display—and I must say this is the one area where Jackery power stations have the Bluetti beat—is that there isn’t a precise battery percentage. The battery indicator only shows how full it is in 20% increments, whereas Jackery display screens will give you the exact charge down to a fraction of a percent.
The Bluetti’s screen will also give you a heads-up when you plug a device that draws too much power from the unit. If you plug something in that pulls more than 800W, rather than attempt to power it, the Bluetti will simply give you an “overload” message on the screen.
Final Thoughts on the Bluetti EB70S
I have no real complaints about the Bluetti EB70S. Even my minor quibble about the display screen is a minor nit-pick at best. At the end of the day, the Bluetti matches or outperforms any other portable power station I’ve tried out.
We used the EB70S on a recent car camping trip to charge devices, power some string lights and run a TV and DVD player, and it performed perfectly. It also came in handy during a recent power outage, and I can’t overstate how much I would recommend having a portable power station like this one handy in case of just such an emergency.
The Bluetti EB70S is reliable, built like a tank, intuitive and easy to use. It’s also a handsome little unit, available in various colors including dark gray, medium red, mint green and sapphire blue.
Given all of the above, I wouldn’t expect this power station to be cheap. And it’s not, exactly, but it is very competitively priced compared to similar models by other brands. I consider it worth every penny.
Blair Witkowski is an avid watch nut, loves pocket knives and flashlights, and when he is not trying to be a good dad to his nine kids, you will find him running or posting pics on Instagram. Besides writing articles for Tech Writer EDC he is also the founder of Lowcountry Style & Living. In addition to writing, he is focused on improving his client’s websites for his other passion, Search Engine Optimization. His wife Jennifer and he live in coastal South Carolina.
