Wh vs W: power station specs explained
Every power station lists watt-hours and watts. They answer different questions: how long it runs, and what it can run.
Watt-hours (Wh): how long
Watt-hours measure stored energy, like the size of a fuel tank. A 1,024 Wh station could, in theory, supply 1,024 W for one hour or 100 W for about ten hours. In practice the inverter loses some energy, so expect around 85% of the rated figure on AC.
Watts (W): how much at once
Continuous output in watts is the most power the station can deliver at any moment, like the width of the fuel line. Plug in more than that and it shuts off, even with a full battery.
Surge watts: the first split second
Motors in fridges, pumps and power tools need a burst of two to three times their running power to start. Surge or peak watts tell you how big that burst can be.
Putting them together
A 1,500 W hair dryer on a 1,024 Wh, 1,800 W station: the output is high enough, and it would run for about 1,024 × 0.85 ÷ 1,500 ≈ 35 minutes. The same hair dryer on a 288 Wh, 300 W station won't run at all, because 1,500 W is far above 300 W.
Other numbers on the box
Cycles tell you how many full charges the battery is rated for before it drops to 70 or 80% of its capacity. The LiFePO4 stations we cover are rated for 3,000 to 6,000.
mAh figures, common on small stations, depend on the battery voltage, so they're hard to compare. Ignore them and use Wh.
X-Boost and similar modes run heating appliances above the rated output by lowering their voltage. They work for kettles and hair dryers at reduced power, not for motors or electronics.
See it in action in the runtime calculator.