Is that a power bank in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? That was my first thought when I was introduced to this beast delivering over 462Wh of power. That’s right, 124,800mAh at 3.7V.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love power. I always have a Xiaomi 20,000mAh in my backpack and I’ll take an Omni 20 or Ultimate out for production, but this… this is far beyond any photographer’s wildest dreams.
Let’s start with the dry specs:
- Battery Capacity: 462Wh (3.7V/124,800mAh)
- DC Input: 19V/4.5A
- 2x 120V AC Wall Outlets (300W MAX Each, 600W Combined)
- 1x QC 3.0 Port
- 2x 2.4A USB Ports
- 1x 60W USB-C PD Port
- 3x 9-12V/5A max DC Output Ports
- 1x 9-12V/5A max Cigarette Lighter Port
- LED Lights: 5W
- Bluetooth Speaker: 10W
- Weight: 12 lbs
- Dimensions: 11.4in (l) x 6.1in (w) x 7.5in (h)
- Compatibility: 110V US Only
What can you do with this powerhouse?
Well, for starters, you could recharge your average phone about 30 times. Or… It can charge four Inspire-2 97WH batteries. Or… it can power a small 5W light for about three days. Or… it can run a standard LED panel for about a day… You get the point. It’s plenty of power.
As you can see, the big bonus on this unit is that fact that it sports not one, but two, 300 Watt power sockets. Now, I don’t know when was the last time you checked your usual suspects, but 300 Watts is a lot.
This means that, for example, you run four Spekular double-kits off this unit or four 120D lights. (Two out of each socket). But you can’t run 300W lights like the 300D. While the LED itself takes 300W, the actual power consumption is a bit higher as the radio, power block and fan each take their toll. But, then, four 120Watt lights is good enough for me. That configuration will last for about an hour on the unit.
In addition, the unit has plenty of regular and custom outlets, including a QC3.0 USB port, 2 high power (2.4) USB ports and a 60W USB-C PD port on the front. That is plenty for powering any and every device in your arsenal. While the USB-C PD is not powerful enough for some laptops, you can still use the power sockets on the back with your laptop charger.
On the back, you’ll find three 9-12V direct DC ports, though I was not clear on how to set the ports to be 9 or 12V. They just say DC.
If this is not enough, you get one last port – a 12V, car-style, lighter socket.
There is a LED indicator on the back side of the unit. colors are simple: Green = good, Red = bad. Though what bad is, we can’t always tell. In our case, it was either a battery drain or too much draw. I wish it had a small LCD like the Omni.
The unit feels quite solid and of good build quality. A combination of aluminum and tough plastic in the front & back.
Ok, that’s it for ports and overall look. But there is more.
Two nice bonuses are a semi-bright 5W LED light and a 10W Bluetooth speaker. While none of those is a must for a battery, they are certainly a nice touch. And if you take the unit out for camping, you’ll be quite happy.
Real life tests
We were very intrigued to see how much of that capacity can actually be used in a real-life scenario. I mean, the fact that the battery holds 462Wh of electricity, does not necessarily mean that it can deliver all this output for usage.
So we ran a few tests.
We did some tests with a total of 240 Watt lights, a combination of Aputures and Spekulars. When doing that we timed out after about one hour and 26 minutes. So we estimate that the unit can deliver about 360WH before maxing out on high consumption units. I think that if you used less demanding devices you would squeeze more juice out of it.
Another test was using a 300W light, the Aputure 300D. The over-current protection kicked in and the Chargetech let us know that it won’t have any of that! I think that while the COB on the 300D consumes 300W, the peripherals take a few extra watts, bringing the total to over 300 watts and triggering the circuit protection.
Another thing that we noted is the fan. And the fan is something you can’t ignore. It’s loud. And it does not ramp. It’s either off (and quite) or on (and extremely loud). Actually, it is loud to the point that you will not be able to run any audio work with the unit in the same room. If you want to run an interview part it outside. I think this could have been easily fixed with a quieter fan, or a fan with RPM control.
Ok, here is some good news, the speaker is also loud. Incredibly loud. Loud enough to run a party where your neighbor will complain. And it retains a full spectrum of bass and treble surprisingly well, considering that this product is primarily a battery and not a speaker.
Charging the unit with the supplied wall wart took a few hours, but it can be charged with up to 150W supplier for a quick three hours zero to full run.
Cost & competition
OK, at $699 it’s not a cheap thrill. The competing Anker Power House 2 sells for $499, but only has one power outlet and has no max draw rating on its website. Hard call.
Conclusion
If you can afford the Chargetech 124K, it will reward you with lots of hours of usage per charge. It is the only dual 300W output unit I could find out there. If this is what you need, you’ll get your money’s worth and more.
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