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8.0
Like
- Supremely fast charging
- 10ms switchover time
- Beyond basic input-output connection options
Don't like
- Limited flexibility in solar charging
- A little expensive
After six years of testing portable power stations for CNET, I can spot a good product pretty easily. Most of the time, the usual brands have established product lines you can count on, and it isn't uncommon to identify poor performers from lesser brands by visual inspection alone (although we always fully test every unit). It is often the companies newest to the category that offer sub-par products early on. But they learn from the process and improve future versions.
That being said, Dakota Lithium entered the space with a banger in the PS2400.
I'm not saying the Dakota Lithium PS2400 is perfect, but there's a lot to like about it, and if they're smart, Dakota Lithium will use this as an incredible foundation to build upon. Let's break down the pros and cons.
The good
I'll start with the headline. This thing charges faster than any other power station you're likely to get your hands on. It's up to you to decide exactly how important that spec is, but most people seem to rank fast-charging near the top of their wishlists for energy-related products. How fast exactly? We saw an overall charge rate of 26.76 watt-hours per minute.
In our charge tests, we don't just rank units in order of completed charge time, since the capacities of the power stations we test range from 200 watt-hours up to 10kWh. Obviously the smaller units would finish much sooner. But, we average the time it takes to charge with the stated capacity of each battery. This gives us an average amount of watt-hour-per-minute you can expect when charging the product. Check out the other power stations and how we test them here.
One of the things I like most about this version of the test is the "above 80" aspect of battery charging. Lithium batteries tend to charge more slowly after they've reached 80%. We've seen some dramatic changes in charge times on either side of the 80% line in some products over the years, sometimes as much as 50% of charge time being spent on that last 20% of charge. The PS2400 only varied by approximately 2 watt-hour per minute on either side of the 80% line, which is a major contributor to its fastest placement, and speaks as well to the product's design and battery management system (BMS).
Another strength of the PS2400 is its switchover time. That is, how long it takes to switch from grid power (aka, 'the wall') to the battery backup when being used as an uninterruptible power supply. A few years ago, it was fairly standard for this spec to sit around 20 milliseconds for most products in this category, which is pretty good. However, you generally want a switchover time of 12ms or less in situations where the UPS is being used for critical systems like medical support equipment. The PS2400 sports a switchover time of 10ms, which is likely to become the norm over the next couple of years.
I do also like that the PS2400 offers a twist lock 30 amp outlet in addition to the traditional 20A receptacles. As a frequent user of high-powered devices (usually tools) in areas where ample power is not always available, this is a feature that has definitely guided my own purchasing decisions in the past. You also can't overlook Dakota Lithium's 11-year warranty.
The bad
I won't say there's anything I absolutely hate about this unit, but I do have suggestions for improvement. First on the list: the input and output covers.
These little doors are designed to be more effective at keeping out dust, debris, moisture -- I assume. That doesn't keep them from being annoying sometimes. I find they occasionally get in my way and cause some fumbling around. I'm not sure if I can tell you what the perfect solution is -- the balance between protection and user interface -- but I know this isn't it.
A bit of a "good" mixed in here, but the PS2400 can be linked with a second unit to double its overall capacity (that's good, if not great). But even at 2kW, I'd like to see a higher ceiling for solar charging. The spec is listed at an 800-watt maximum input, but most other units in this class are sporting between 1,200 and 1,600 watts of solar input, especially for the ones that can be linked together to increase capacity.
The pricing for the Dakota Lithium PS 2400 is OK. It isn't unreasonable, but at $2,400, it is near the top of the scale on similarly sized units. I'd like to see this just a touch lower to make it more competitive in the marketplace and an easier choice for consumers to make, especially since it's one of the first entries into this category from Dakota Lithium
The bottom line
I really like this unit and I think you should buy it. If you've read this far then I'm guessing that's what you're looking for. If this ticks your boxes, don't hesitate.
From a broader view, keep your eyes on Dakota Lithium. I think they're in a great place to build a supremely competitive product line in this space, joining the likes of other long-timers such as Jackery, Anker, EcoFlow and others.