Wagan EL8840 Portable Power Station EX18 Lithium Cube Solar Generator 1229Wh LiFePO4 Battery Fast Charge 1800W 3000W peak

Does all that and more. Haven’t worn down its charge yet! Very flexible. Read more

UPDATED 1-3-24: A day after writing this review, Wagan Tech answered my email. They explained that the first production run of these units had an automatic shutoff that was intended to prevent users from accidentally draining the battery. The newer version of the Cube no longer has a shutoff so that people like me who want the Cube to stay on, even if the power draw is intermittent, can use it for purposes such as running a 12V fridge. Wagan customer service and I exchanged a few messages before the new year holiday, then today I got another email saying that they will replace my unit when the new models arrive. Because my unit is long past the warranty period, I was not expecting a replacement. I just hoped they could give me some suggestions or help me disable the automatic shutoff. I am happy to say that I have renewed trust in Wagan Tech customer service and certainly do appreciate them for replacing my unit. I updated this review from 3 to 4 stars. I will update this review once again after I receive and test the replacement. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I purchased this 500 Watt Cube around 2 years ago for camping trips and short power outages at home. At the time of my purchase, I did not yet have a 12V fridge, but I purchased this unit with the intention of using it to power a small fridge for weekend camping. I recently discovered that although the unit is great for charging small electronics, running a USB fan, or LED lights, it is not suitable for a 12V fridge. The ICECO fridge that I have is very efficient and well insulated. So much so that it can sometimes go for quite a while without the compressor coming on. The Cube must have an automatic shutoff if there is not draw on the 12V power for a certain period of time. I tested it several times. After roughly 3 hours of use, I find that the cube is off and therefore the fridge is off as well. Neither the fridge or the cube have ever shown any error messages. I had hoped that I could disable the auto shutoff, like other similar solar generators, so I tried to contact customer service through the contact info on the Wagan Tech website. It's been a month, and I never received a reply to my email from customer service. The voicemail that the customer service line directed me to was full, so until my most recent call, today, I could not leave a message. I found that the AC inverter on the Cube does not have the auto shutoff, so I can use that, but it is very inefficient to change DC to AC, then back to DC with the adapter that came with my fridge. The fridge has 2 USB ports. I discovered that if I run a fan or something that continually draws 2 watts or more through the fridge, then the cube does not shutoff. Again, this is not very efficient, so the battery does not last as long as it should, and it is just inconvenient. Had I known that the cube would not work with a 12V fridge, I would not have purchased it. However, even with the limitations on voltage from solar panels and this issue for my personal desired use, it is a quality product. Too bad that there appears to be no customer support. I really liked the brand and have a couple of other products from Wagan Tech. Perhaps they will call me back. However, if I never hear from them, I think I will choose a different brand for all my future purchases. Read more