these costco deals are getting annoying to see as european😭 jealous. More on reddit.com

It is a good product and brand. Costco does a lot of consumer research and testing before agreeing to carry anything, and Anker is basically the Amazon private label success story. However, that is a small, light duty generator. 750ish watt hours will run a typical refrigerator for 3-4 hours. That’s it. This is best used as a battery bank for small devices, like if you went camping with a family of five and wanted to keep everyone’s electronics and radios and walkie talkies and camp lights and suchlike topped off. It’d be good for powering things like hotplates, too. It won’t be adequate for major appliances longterm. You can get solar systems that are, but they aren’t going to be $600. They’re going to be $6000 or more. Often a lot more. This is something you would want to stretch your other power source. I don’t want to burn gasoline to charge my iPad or watch TV, so I’d use this thing. Also, re storage: Anything like this, you want to run and cycle and “use” semi-regularly. It would probably run after five years of being turned off, but that’s not good for the batteries. You should make it a point to cycle the batteries every quarter or so on things like this. But yes, if I needed or wanted this class of device, I would buy this kit without issue. Between the brand’s rep and Costco’s return policy, you won’t find an appreciably better deal in the range. More on reddit.com

Just FYI (short version): I want to make sure people know that this is effectively a phone/device charger only with a big battery. It's DC only and doesn't have an inverter to power AC devices. It's labeled with the nebulous marketing term "power station," which doesn't mean much (see my longer version below). Since the vast majority of "power stations" nowadays also means they have an AC inverter, which can run a fridge or TV or whatever during a power outage, it's an important distinction to draw. Just FYI (longer version): I didn't know these existed until a family member bought and returned one on Costco Next. I have a ton of "power stations" so they talked to me about it. It makes a lot of sense if you want a big DC battery for charging phones, laptops, etc. But it doesn't have an inverter, so you can't use it for most things plugged into your house outlets. It's also overpriced for what it offers, in my opinion. If you're an Anker fan, you'll likely be able to find the Anker 521 "power station" (note that same nebulous terminology) on sale for $150 or less during Black Friday, just like last year. Or currently for $160 on Anker's website, because it's already on sale. The 521, while outdated, has a few better features, like an AC inverter to power your fridge. Just be aware of these details before you buy. I blame the intentionally vague "power station" marketing term that's become popular in the past 5 years or so. DC-only units like the C300X "power stations" don't often clearly state that can't provide AC power, and this results in the consumer getting different functionality that you thought you were buying. Just like in the picture, where the Costco placard doesn't tell you its limitations. Marketing works! EDIT: Someone has informed me that the latest C300X, not the one on sale at Costco, does have an AC inverter. So if you're reading this in 2026 or so, ignore everything I'm saying. More on reddit.com

I’ve had the solix 3800 since January and my home panel kit just shipped a few days ago and should be here mid next week. I can report back after installation. This is kinda what I’m going for except daytime (peak power) More on reddit.com