The Anker F3800 Plus is an up to date, refined model of the most important transportable energy station that Anker affords. With up to date photo voltaic charging and compatibility with fuel mills, it is some of the versatile methods to energy your house throughout an outage.

Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus

The Anker F3800 Plus is an up to date model of Anker’s F3800 photo voltaic generator, providing the identical 3.84kWh capability and 6000W output. This mannequin comes with improved charging, with a brand new max photo voltaic enter of 3200W and 165V, together with help for 240V from a fuel generator.

Professionals & Cons

• Elevated photo voltaic charging enter speeds
• Considerably larger max photo voltaic enter voltage
• 240V charging from fuel mills

• One fewer 240V output port
• Can not pair with unique F3800

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Worth and Availability

The Anker F3800 Plus is at the moment out there for $3200, with early birds getting a free 400W panel. The unit is accessible from Anker instantly or from Amazon. Phrase to the sensible: Anker’s transportable mills are at all times on sale, so you may count on extra reductions or offers as soon as this one is over.

A Practically An identical Design, Aside from the Ports

It is simple to take a look at the Anker F3800 Plus and mistake it for the unique. From the entrance, there’s just one inform, the up to date brand on the backside. The opposite distinction is noticeable from above. The highest of the unique was a darkish grey, virtually black, whereas the brand new one is silver. That is it. On the entrance, you get the identical three USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and a single automotive socket. On the bodily metrics, corresponding to dimension and weight, the size are equivalent. The F3800 Plus sits properly subsequent to the F3800 I already maintain close to my dwelling breaker.

It is on the perimeters of the unit the place you discover the adjustments. On the unit’s proper aspect, you continue to have the identical port on the high for the Anker Dwelling Backup Panel, which can also be utilized by the brand new generator adapter. You even have a port for charging the unit from a wall utilizing the included the 120V AC adapter. Beneath these, the 2 photo voltaic inputs have modified. The 2 new MPPT photo voltaic inputs settle for a voltage of 11-165V and a max of 17 amps. It is a huge step up from the unique, whose two ports had been restricted by a extra difficult and complicated restrict of 11-15V at 10A and 15-60V at 27A. Persevering with down, there’s additionally a brand new DC enter port beneath the port for the growth battery.

For comparability, right here you may see the brand new Anker F3800 Plus on the left and the unique F3800 on the fitting.

On the unit’s left aspect, the 240V port within the top-left has been changed by a 120V NEMA TT-30R outlet generally used with RVs. Whereas I am positive this variation could also be handy for RV house owners, it frustrates me as somebody solely utilizing this in my dwelling, since I am unable to use the Reliance PC50-10-14M 50-amp cable I already bought to attach my unique F3800 to my dwelling’s generator inlet field. For the F3800 Plus, I needed to buy a L14-30P to CS6364 cable as an alternative. This latter cable plugs into the port within the top-right on each variations of the F3800, so it is the one I might suggest in case you are trying to plug both unit into a regular dwelling switch swap or interlock package.

The remaining six AC shops stay unchanged from the unique unit and can help you plug in home equipment, devices, and extension cables on to the F3800 if you do not have the choice to attach the generator on to your house.

Drastically Improved Charging

Whereas there are different minor adjustments, for probably the most half, the improved charging is the important thing purpose to purchase the F3800 Plus over the unique. That is the case whether or not you are trying to recharge the unit by way of photo voltaic or a fuel generator.

Charging the Anker F3800 Plus with Photo voltaic

The Anker F3800 Plus’s upgraded max photo voltaic charging pace of 3200W means now you can join as much as eight 400W panels, in comparison with the unique’s help for a most of six. The first weak point of the unique F3800 was its decrease voltage restrict, which meant you largely needed to keep on with Anker’s first-party panels should you needed to realize its most charging speeds of 2400W. You additionally needed to join these panels in parallel, which is a extra difficult means of wiring up photo voltaic panels that require the usage of extra cables than connecting the panels in sequence.

You’ll be able to see one Anker SOLIX PS400 portable solar panel linked to the Anker F3800 Plus within the photograph under. I like to recommend investing in lengthy photo voltaic extension cables. This unit is simply too heavy for me to simply carry down my entrance steps and out into the yard the place the solar is shining.

To attach an extra panel in sequence, I might merely join the brand new panel on to the one in use, so solely two cables run again to the generator. When linked in parallel, quite than connecting panels to one another, panels want to every have their very own connection again to the generator, exponentially rising the variety of cables you want as you add extra panels. Because the latter is a lot hassle, why do it?

Connecting panels in sequence means you need to add the voltage of every panel collectively, rising the quantity going again to the generator. Against this, the quantity of voltage from a number of panels linked in parallel stays the identical as solely connecting a single panel. This distinction is vital to know the comfort supplied by the newer mannequin.

The brand new max photo voltaic enter of 165V expands your choices with regards to the query of whether or not you purchase panels from Anker or get extra reasonably priced choices of equal high quality elsewhere. Even when you have Anker’s panels, as I do, this flexibility means I can now join my Anker PS400 panels in sequence, whereas I’ve to attach the identical panels in parallel to the unique because of its decrease max voltage of 60V. Every PS400 panel is rated for 48V. That is decrease than 60, however provided that linked in parallel.

On the flip aspect, as somebody who now owns each variations, I’ll stick with utilizing parallel simply to keep away from the chance that I absentmindedly join my panels in sequence and plug them into the incorrect F3800, doubtlessly destroying the unit. I’ve made the error earlier than of plugging in more voltage than an Anker C100 could handle, bricking the unit. Doing that with the F3800 can be a considerably costlier mistake.

Charging the Anker F3800 Plus With Gasoline

I haven’t got a fuel generator, however the brand new F3800 Plus is value shopping for for anybody that does. When you have the non-obligatory generator adapter, you may recharge the F3800 Plus from a generator over 240V with speeds of as much as 6000W. You might plug the original into a generator, nevertheless it needed to be a pure sine wave generator, and also you had been restricted to 120V and slower speeds.

I examined out Anker’s generator adapter by plugging one finish into the 240V plug on my unique F3800 and the opposite finish into the F3800 Plus. I noticed the charger exceed speeds of 3000W.

Charging one F3800 with one other one is a use-case that makes little sense. However in case you are attempting to stretch energy as a lot as potential throughout an outage, having the ability to shortly cost from a fuel generator is a game-changer. A fuel generator and the Anker F3800 Plus working collectively permits each models to run for much longer than both can alone. A tank of fuel that you just may burn by means of working a generator all day can now offer you a number of days of energy, because it solely must run for an hour or two to recharge the F3800 Plus, which may then silently energy your wants all through the day. The Anker F3800 Plus also can proceed to energy your house whereas plugging right into a generator for the reason that 240V outlet stays enabled should you’re charging at 240V.

Minimal Efficiency Adjustments

The Anker F3800 Plus has the identical 3.84kWh storage capability as the unique unit. Its energy output can also be the identical max of 25A and 6000W. Like the unique, you may join two models collectively to double the ability output to 50A and 12000W. Regardless of the ports being the identical, you can not join an F3800 to an F3800 Plus to double their output. You’ll want to join equivalent fashions.

But whereas these numbers are the identical, there’s one other vital quantity to needless to say transportable energy stations do not but promote: idle draw. These models draw energy from their very own batteries to be able to convert power from DC to AC to help your home equipment. An Anker F3800 will use over 1kWh of energy over a 24-hour interval if left on, even when nothing is plugged in. The Anker F3800 Plus has barely much less idle draw, so it could final an additional hour or two. That is one thing to remember should you’re making an attempt to energy one thing like a fridge constantly. The mathematics is not 3.84kWh divided by the 1.2kWh the fridge might use over the course of a day (providing you with the impression you might run a fridge for 3 days). The F3800 makes use of over a kilowatt per day powering itself, so that you realistically can solely energy a fridge for sooner or later earlier than recharging the unit, until you put money into growth batteries—and that is assuming you are not additionally powering different issues.

From expertise, I do know Anker energy stations present sufficient energy for any of my kitchen home equipment. The smaller Anker C1000 can deal with these simply fantastic, and the extra highly effective F3800 Plus breaks even much less of a sweat. After working a Ninja lengthy sufficient to make a smoothie, the battery share dropped a single p.c.

After I plugged the generator into my dwelling’s inlet field, I used to be simply in a position to run many circuits on the similar time. Lights and followers are not any drawback. I even tried out the dryer, and it began up and not using a hitch. I most likely would not need to run the dryer this fashion until it is a sunny day and I’ve extra power, nevertheless it’s good to know the choice is there.

Ought to You Purchase the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus?

I already personal two F3800 energy stations, so my emotions in direction of this product line are clear. Anker affords one of many best methods to get into complete dwelling backup. Setting apart the DIY possibility, which requires extra technical information, the F3800 can also be one of many least expensive. That mentioned, neither model of the Anker F3800 is the most cost effective possibility per kilowatt of storage, nor does both supply probably the most output.

The Jackery 5000 Plus launched after the unique F3800 with 5kWh of storage and 7200W output, which doubles to 14400W should you join two models. The F3800 tends to go on sale for barely much less, however each models hover round $3000. It is laborious to not give Jackery’s product a glance.

That mentioned, the F3800 Plus is a way more aggressive possibility than the unique F3800, even regardless of its unchanged storage and output. Its improved charging additional expands the variety of methods you may push energy again into the system and lengthen its runtime throughout an outage—indefinitely.

Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus

The Anker F3800 Plus is an up to date model of Anker’s F3800 photo voltaic generator, providing the identical 3.84kWh capability and 6000W output. This mannequin comes with improved charging, with a brand new max photo voltaic enter of 3200W and 165V, together with help for 240V from a fuel generator.