REVIEW – As power stations are becoming more ubiquitous in the market, we’re starting to see some new segments emerge. One of those positive segments is a “value power station,” and the Deeno GT X1500 is one of the first aiming in that direction. At around $700 for a 1000 Wh power station, the Deeno GT X1500 breaks the “dollar a watt hour” trend. But that’s not the only trend that the Deeno breaks. Most power stations are named for the size of the battery (i.e. a power station with 600 in the name would likely have a 600 Wh battery). The Deeno has 1500 in the name, but that is the capacity of the AC inverter, not the battery. The battery is 1036Wh unit, so be sure you are aware of that fact if you are comparing units. This is still a strong value, but not as strong as you might expect given the naming convention.
What is it?
The Deeno GT X1500 is a portable power station, which includes a 1036 Wh LiFePO4 battery, a charge controller, and a pure sine wave 1500W inverter.
What’s in the box?
- Deeno GT X1500 power station
- Bag to hold cables and adapters
- AC adapter
- MC4 to DC7.9×0.9 charging cable
- Car charger (cigarette lighter) to DC7.9×0.9 charging cable
- Manual
Hardware specs
Design and features
The Deeno GT X1500 power station shares features with most other power stations. It’s basically a large battery, a charge controller, a pure sine wave inverter capable of 1500 watts at 120V AC, and a collection of ports. Despite having 1500 in the name, that is not the capacity of the battery, as is the normal naming convention among power stations.
The capacity is 1036Wh of lithium iron phosphate batteries, which is still plenty for many applications. The top of the device features a wireless charger for phones and other devices, and the front features all the ports and the display. There are 3 AC ports, 2 100W-PD USB-C ports, 3 18W USB-A ports, a 10A 12V car port, a 5A 24V output, a 5A 12V output, and the single input port that can charge anywhere between 12 and 32V. Having all the ports on the same side (the front) is nice, as it makes using this power station in a tight location much easier.
The top features a wireless charger and two retractable handles. The two sides only feature vents for the cooling fans, and the only thing on the back is the light, which has three brightness modes and the standard SOS signal.
Despite being a strong value, one downside to this power station is the slow charging. Charging from the included AC adapter takes over 6 hours. Charging from solar is up to 10 hours, depending on solar panel size and sun conditions (200W maximum solar input). One unfortunate aspect of the AC charging is the very large charging brick. Most other power stations I’ve seen lately have the charging circuitry integrated so they only need a simple cable, and not a big charging brick. But that may be one of the sacrifices in the name of value.
The Deeno GT X1500 apparently has Bluetooth capacity, but no mention of it is made in the manual other than a notation about the Bluetooth icon on the display. I could not find an associated app, but perhaps that’s a future feature.
Performance
From a power perspective, the Deeno GT X1500 operates exactly like you’d expect. It was able to power my outdoor work station for two days without needing to be recharged. It was able to make several cups of coffee using a Keurig and an electric kettle while camping, and it’s charging my laptop right now, as I write this review.
The included cable bag is large enough to hold all the cables, including the overly-large AC adapter, with room for a few extras if needed. The display is bright and simple to use, and the ports are all on the front panel, and laid out sensibly. One unique feature that this power station includes is a 24V output. It sits right next to the much more common 12V output, and uses the same plug. This could be somewhat dangerous as if you plug a 12V device into a 24V source, you might have some problems. I put a small piece of electrical tape over the 24V port to prevent this unfortunate occurrence, since I don’t have any 24V devices.
A few gripes. The wireless charging area on the top is a nice addition, but execution could be better. It’s hard slippery plastic, and if your phone does not have a case, it slides right off. Even more so if you get a call or notification and the phone vibrates. The area should be rubberized or have some sort of raised ridge to prevent this from happening.
I’m torn on the handle configuration. The retractable handles are really nice as it creates a flat surface on the top to facilitate stacking when packing. But the only option to carry the Deeno level is with two hands (two handles). For whatever reason, I always found myself carrying it with one hand (probably because I usually had something else in my other hand.)
Because the handles are on the outsides, it made carrying the Deeno very awkward. But of course, I was not carrying it as it was designed to be carried. Perhaps that’s on me, but none the less, I would have preferred a single central handle to the two outboard handles. Lastly, the fan is pretty loud. Again, a budget power station so, tradeoffs.
What I like
- Strong value
- Good battery capacity
- Retractable handles (but I would have liked just one)
- All ports on the front
- Good display
- Well designed front panel
What I’d change
- Slow to charge
- Wireless charging port slippery – phone falls off
- 2 handles awkward
- 24V port same size as 12 – could fry stuff
- Fan is a bit loud
Final thoughts
If you’re looking for a power station that packs a lot of capacity with a lot of value, the Deeno GT X1500 could be the one.
Price: $799 ($599 at Amazon with coupon)
Where to buy: Deeno or Amazon (Amazon is featuring a $100 coupon at the time of this writing)
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Deeno.
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The handle issue is an easy fix. I would use something comfortable to grip attached to both handles thus making a carrying handle on the center top.