The DABBSSON 2000L is a budget-friendly portable power station that wears a familiar design. Basically, it’s an EcoFlow DELTA-series lookalike, and it’s supposed to offer a lot for a low price.
After our more than underwhelming experience with the DABBSSON 600L, we wanted to give the brand another shot. So, is the DABBSSON 2000L Portable Power Station a legitimate and affordable alternative to an EcoFlow DELTA power station, or is it just a cheap knockoff from a brand you should avoid?
Spoiler Alert: the 2000L is a big step up from the 600L in performance and features, but it still has some important drawbacks. It’s marketed as a cheap power station for camping and basic home backup, but we’ll explain why you should probably look elsewhere.
Before we dive into all of the things we like and dislike about this affordable portable power station, let’s take a look at what it looks like on paper:
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To find out if this DABBSSON power station actually delivered on those advertised specifications, we put it through a wide range of performance tests. Here’s how it performed:
When we tested the efficiency with a variety of different loads, we found it continuously hit 93%, which is excellent for an inexpensive power station. Typically, we give any power station that hits over 80% on our efficiency tests a thumbs up, so cracking the 90% mark is hugely impressive.
When we tested how the unit idles by turning the inverter on and letting the battery drain without running any loads, we calculated the idle consumption to be 26W. This isn’t bad, but it’s far from the industry-leading idle rates we’ve seen from Jackery and Anker SOLIX power stations.
All of the output ports also worked as advertised. As we’ll explain below, the surging wasn’t great, but it didn’t seem to have any issues hitting that 2,200W continuous output the inverter is rated for.
The DABBSSON handled surges pretty well, but we don’t know where they came up with that 3,300W number. We activated “Power Boost Mode” using the app, but it couldn’t hit surges that high, forget actually sustaining those types of loads with a continuous output.
The UPS function worked fine, and it switched over quickly. For such an affordable power station, having any sort of UPS functioning is good, but the fact it actually works when you need it is impressive.
The 800W solar input worked as advertised, and we didn’t run into any issues pairing the unit with the solar panels we had on hand.
It’s worth pointing out that an 800W solar input isn’t overly impressive for a power station with a battery over 2,000Wh. For perspective, the DJI Power 2000 has a 1,800W solar input, while the EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max that this DABBSSON power station seems to be modelled off can be solar charged at 1,000W. Still, even the fact solar charging worked is something, especially given the price of this unit.
Where things got a little dicey was when we tried to test the AC input by plugging this unit into a wall outlet. It’s supposed to have a 1,800W AC input, which is pretty standard for a 2kW power station; however, it seems to pull power at an even higher rate than that, which is actually pretty dangerous.
When we measured it, the AC input seemed to be pulling in around 2,200W to 2,400W. Not only could that damage the unit’s battery if left unchecked, it could be a potential fire risk in older homes. We’ll jump into this in a bit more detail below, but it was probably the most concerning thing about this power station.
After testing this unit for a few weeks, there was a couple of things we really liked about it, so let’s jump into all of the areas where this cheap power station shines:
A lot of these cheaper power stations that you can order from Amazon are incredibly inefficient. Given our testing revealed a 93% efficiency rating, we were really impressed. If you’re unsure what we mean by efficiency, it basically means that less of the energy stored in the unit’s internal battery is wasted during the conversion process (DC power to AC power).
When it comes to using the power station in the real world, it means your stored battery power will go further than if you had an inefficient inverter. For power outages, emergency prep, and even just off-grid camping trips, a 93% efficiency rating is going to make a big difference.
Behind able to charge this unit in under two hours is pretty solid. And even though that 800W solar input doesn’t look great compared to more expensive power stations, it’s still enough to top the unit up in about 2.5 hours with the right solar panel set up.
Again, this is an inexpensive power station from a relatively unknown brand, so being able to charge the 2,048Wh battery in less than two hours is pretty solid.
Six AC outlets (even if three aren’t grounded) is really impressive, and enables you to run a variety of loads at the same time. To make things better, DAABBSSON equipped it with a 12-volt car socket, as well as a single 100 W USB-C PD port for fast-charging portable electronics.
Some of these cheaper units only come equipped with two or three AC plugs and a couple of USB inputs, but DABBSSON gives you a nice variety of options. Whether you’re running appliances at home, DC camping electronics, or a bunch of smaller loads at the same time, laptops and phone chargers, you can do it all from a single unit.
If you’re familiar with our video reviews, you’ll know that we’re huge fans of power stations that come equipped with a built-in light or lantern. It’s a simple feature, but one that is really appreciated during camping trips and emergency situations.
Given it weighs in at just over 40 lbs, you’ll probably want to carry this thing with two hands, so not having to carry a separate flashlight while you walk around in the dark can make a big difference.
Again, it’s a feature that not a lot of budget power stations include, so it’s worth pointing out. Actually, even the EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max that this unit is based off of doesn’t include a light, so good job, DABBSSON.
It’s also worth pointing out the fact that this unit has a reasonably good display screen and it supports app connectivity via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Neither the screen or app are going to blow you away, but they work and make it easy to check performance stats and adjust some of the settings.
Another thing that surprised us about this DAABSSON unit was the fact that it is noticeably quieter than a lot of other cheap power stations we’ve tested. It’s nowhere near EcoFlow-quiet, as they’re probably the best brand in the game for making noise-free power stations, but it’s certainly tolerable for indoor use.
At around $600 on sale, this unit would be an attractive option for those on a tight budget, or just not wanting to spend too much on a power station. Similar units from more mainstream brands often cost two to three times more than this unit.
For example, take the Anker SOLIX F1500, which has a battery capacity of about 1,500Wh and a 1,800W inverter. While we’re not going to act like it isn’t a higher quality power station, it retails for about $999, which is roughly $300 more than the 2000L, but the Anker power station has less impressive specs.
If you’re looking to keep costs low, the DABBSSON starts to look pretty enticing compared to units from the big boys, like Anker, EcoFlow, Jackery, and DJI.
While there was a lot to like about this unit, especially the relatively low price point, it was far from perfect. Here are the main things that concerned us about this DABBSSON power station.
Dabbsson’s website looks like a near-clone of EcoFlow’s, which erodes our trust in them. Their marketing imagery and website styling feel like they were directly copied rather than original. Even the images are just computer-rendered copies of what you’ll see on the EcoFlow website. Honestly, that’s just plain weird. Why not just take real photographs of your own power stations in action, rather than creating these weird fakes.
Even if their power stations are relatively cheap, not having a unique brand identity and instead biting what another power station brand does makes us question everything about DABBSSON.
Speaking of the DABBSSON brand, their customer support is incredibly poor, and this is probably the biggest red flag about them.
The phone numbers listed on their website aren’t active. When we called them, it just went flat, without even taking us to a voicemail or anything. Email responses are either very slow or non-existent.
For a brand that focuses a lot on selling through Amazon, poor support makes returns, replacements, or warranty issues painful. Sure, you’ll save money on the upfront costs, especially compared to buying an EcoFlow power station, but this is still a $600 purchase, so having little to no support worries us.
We praised this unit for having a nice variety of outlets, but when it comes to those 120V AC plugs, only have of them are grounded, which limits what you can actually plug into them. These outlets are also located very close together, making it so large camera chargers and other bulky adapters block neighboring plugs.
Even though you get a huge number of ports and a nice variety of different options, actually using them at the same time is a little bit difficult.
If you remember earlier in this review, we mentioned how the AC input can exceed the 1,800W the unit is rated for.
This occurs when you enable the UPS mode (pass-through charging + output power) and you are running any sort of heavy load. When this occurs, the unit can try to draw its full inverter capacity from a standard house outlet. This can be over 2,000W from a single 120V plug.
When you’re pulling that kind of power, you risk tripping a breaker or potentially melting wires and risking a fire. It’s a serious issue that we don’t take likely. It would be much safer if the unit would cap the AC input at a more conservative level, regardless of how much power was being pulled from the unit’s own plugs.
At the time of our review, DABBSSON didn’t provide clear information on this unit’s battery chemistry, long-term cycle life, or safety certifications. That’s common in low-cost units, but something buyers should weigh against name-brand options, like power stations from EcoFlow, Jackery, Anker SOLIX, and even Pecron.
So, given that this power station is available at a low price and has some good specifications, as well as a few questionable issues, who should actually buy it?
· Buyers on a tight budget who want a portable power station with a 2kWh battery and 2,000+ inverter
· Campers or van lifers who need the portability, built-in light, and 12V socket, but have a high tolerance for customer service frustrations
Honestly, we’d say pretty much anyone who wants reliable customer service, clear certifications, or long-term warranty support. Even at the relatively low price, we still think the DABBSSON 2000L is not really worth those major issues.
Plus, the price isn’t even low enough to get overly excited about. Sure, it’s fairly cheap for a power station of its size, but brands like Pecron also offer power stations that are suitable for budget-conscious buyers, but you get better support, as well as the peace of mind that comes from ordering a unit from a brand that we trust.
Take the Pecron E2400LFP, which has the same 2,048Wh battery capacity and a slightly more powerful 2,400W inverter, but it’s only $629. That’s pretty much the same price you’d pay for the 2000L, but for a unit from a much more trustworthy brand.
Even if you want to shell out a little bit more for a power station from a more established brand, the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus is only $699. Sure, it has a smaller battery, but you know you’re getting lasting quality when you choose an EcoFlow power station.
We have to admit it, the Dabbsson 2000L is a surprisingly capable budget power station for its price point. It’s highly efficient, offers reasonable solar charging speeds, gives you a useful mix of outlets, and the front light is a nice touch.
However, that bargain price starts to make sense when you consider the poor customer support, somewhat sketchy branding, and overcharging safety issues.
If you’re buying a power station for occasional camping or really basic emergency prep, and you’re comfortable taking on those issues, it could be worth a look. On the other hand, if you want long-term peace of mind for home backup or you just want to buy something from a more established and trusted brand, we’d highly recommend a Pecron power station, such as the Pecron E2400LFP or even the newer Pecron F3000.
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