Goal Zero Yeti 1500X review: A capacious and quiet power station

Price When Reviewed

$1,799.95

Best Prices Today: Yeti 1500X

Goal Zero is the corporate that largely created the transportable energy station class nearly 15 years in the past, together with making the primary lithium-ion primarily based unit that kicked off the present solar-generator struggle.

Category leaders, nonetheless, typically discover themselves trailing hungrier rivals in options, and that reality was evident in Yeti’s 1500X transportable energy station.

Further studying: See our roundup of the best portable power stations to study competing merchandise.

Goal Zero Yeti 1500X design and specs

This beefy, well-built unit boasts a hefty 1,500 watt-hour capability in an aluminum-bodied shell. For those that want just a bit extra oomph to hold you thru an influence outage or tenting journey, 1,500 watt-hours is maybe the best capability, for those who ask us.

You rise up to 50 % extra capability than with typical 1,000 watt-hour energy stations, however nonetheless hold the majority to a luggable weight of 45 kilos. Once you get to the much-higher 2,000 watt-hour or 3,000 watt-hour fashions, you begin searching for a cart with wheels and a second individual to maneuver that “portable” energy station round.

In ports, the Yeti 1500X options what you’d anticipate in a mixture of DC and AC ports. For DC output you get a 12 volt “cigarette” energy plug, a pair of 6mm DC outputs, in addition to a set of Powerpole connectors supporting as much as 300 watts of output.

To cost your small units, the Yeti 1500X contains a pair of USB-A ports and a pair of USB-C ports. One of the USB-C ports helps QuickCharge 3+ for as much as 20 watts whereas the second helps USB Power Delivery for as much as 60 watts. That’s effective for many thin-and-light laptops comparable to a Dell XPS 13 or MacBook Pro 13, however extra power-hungry laptops comparable to an XPS 15 or MacBook Pro 16 will cost at a slower fee because the Yeti 1500X doesn’t assist the USB-PD 100-watt cost charges. The excellent news is you may simply plug the laptop computer’s AC adapter into the AC inverter, however 60 watts is low for the class.

Gordon Mah Ung

For AC, you get a pair of acquainted customary Type A wallplugs operating off the pure sine-wave inverter. That’s additionally a bit on the sparse aspect for plug rely as comparable rivals usually function extra. Yeti barely makes up for the decrease port rely by not less than supporting a better customary output of two,000 watts with a surge score of 3,500 watts. Competing fashions from EcoFlow, Jackery, and Bluetti supply a mixture of three to 6 AC wall plugs, however usually at 1,800 watts.

Some of these competing fashions additionally supply superior higher-wattage limits too. For instance, the EcoFlow Delta 2 and Bluetti’s new AC180 have modes that allow steady operation at 2,700 watts by decreasing the voltage output. Those modes, nonetheless, are greatest fitted to gadgets that aren’t delicate to operating on decrease voltage, comparable to an area heater, or electrical kettle.

For charging ports, the Yeti 1500X options two DC in ports in addition to Anderson Powerpole. All ports truly assist a number of inputs for charging from quite a lot of photo voltaic or AC.

How does the Goal Zero Yeti 1500X carry out?

In our exams, we recorded a good 83 % effectivity, or 1,267 watt-hours, out of the Yeti 1500X below a 200-watt fixed load. Efficiency, nonetheless, drops below a heavier 800-watt load, to 1,093 watt-hours, or 72 %. That’s roughly according to EcoFlow’s Delta 2—not nice, however not horrible. Both models are bested by Jackery’s new Explorer Pro 1500, which we recorded at 81 % below the 200-watt load, and a fair higher 83 % below the 800-watt load. All advised, it’s about common for effectivity.

The Yeti 1500X helps each Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and the app expertise is respectable however not fairly as feature-packed as rivals. You can’t, for instance, change when the unit robotically shuts off ports when not in use. You can replace firmware utilizing the app, although, which is important for future updates.

IDG

How lengthy does it take to cost the Goal Zero Yeti 1500X?

We discovered no surprises with the inverter, which displayed a good looking pure sine wave on our oscilloscope. Where the Yeti 1500X actually will get outshined is in its cost circuit. Unlike most of its big-name rivals that combine cost circuits, the Yeti 1500X makes use of an exterior laptop-style energy brick that helps charging at as much as 120 watts. The charger can be utilized exterior of the unit or truly tucked right into a useful storage compartment on high (the place an extra charging port is positioned too.)

If 120 watts doesn’t sound like lots, that’s as a result of it isn’t. Taking the unit from empty to full can take a full 12.5 hours of charging utilizing the inventory charger. Goal Zero sells a heftier 600-watt charger ($200) that cuts charging to about three hours, besides, it’s nonetheless slower than its rivals.

The EcoFlow Delta 2, for instance, costs at as much as 1,200 watts (1,600 with its Delta 2 Extra Battery connected), as does the brand new Jackery Explorer 1500 Pro. Bluetti’s new AC180 can push as much as 1,440 watts in its Turbo mode if wanted. That principally means competing models can go from empty to full in about an hour or so when operating off the AC. For an prolonged outage the place you may drive to your workplace or relative’s home with energy to recharge, it means a lot shorter wait occasions than the Yeti 1500X.

Solar charging, nonetheless, is according to the competitors with a most cost fee over photo voltaic of 600 watts.

We additionally discovered that amongst energy stations we’ve examined, the Yeti 1500X exhibited maybe the best self-discharge fee, with energy dropping just a few % in a month of sitting. The excellent news, nonetheless, is that Goal Zero recommends you retain the Yeti 1500X plugged in always, if attainable. That’s truly fairly completely different than rivals, who often advocate disconnecting from the wall as soon as the unit is charged, and not to depart them plugged in completely. That signifies that quite than a battery at 50 % or worse when an emergency comes, the Yeti 1500X may be left in a full-state always.

What form of battery does the Goal Zero Yeti 1500X use?

The battery chemistry within the Yeti 1500X is also seen as a damaging in comparison with newer choices. Using lithium-ion NMC cells, the Yeti 1500X is rated at 500 cycles to 80 % capability, which sounds paltry in comparison with the Jackery Explorer 1500’s 1,000 cycles (additionally utilizing NMC chemistry). It’s even worse when in comparison with models such because the EcoFlow Delta 2 or Bluetti AC180, which use lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, batteries, and are rated at 3,000 cycles to 80 %.

Before that scares you off an excessive amount of, it is best to take into account that most individuals hardly ever cycle any energy station that closely in regular use. If you’re like most and shopping for it for emergencies, tenting, or the occasional must run energy gear away from a wall plug, the Yeti 1500X will nonetheless provide you with many, a few years of service. Indeed, it is best to anticipate its life to exceed that of your laptop computer or telephone, which use related battery chemistry below far harsher charging cycles. That mentioned, individuals who do plan to closely cycle an influence station, comparable to in a full-time off-the-grid van-life scenario, then sure, a battery with longer obligation cycles may be the higher choice.

Is the Goal Zero Yeti 1500X value it?

If all this appears like an obstacle in comparison with the upstart rivals, allow us to level out the place Goal Zero’s expertise pays dividends. 

For instance, we respect that the highest opens to disclose a cavernous storage compartment. It’s large enough to suit the included 120 watt charger cable in addition to extra cables for photo voltaic panels or USB units or some other doodads you don’t wish to lose. We want competing models would comply with go well with. And whereas the compartment is giant sufficient to suit the properly documented handbook, we actually respect that Goal Zero is aware of these manuals are going to get misplaced, so it additionally consists of important specs and a few fundamental directions you would possibly must know within the subject printed on the underside of the lid.

Gordon Mah Ung

That compartment will also be reconfigured to take a Goal Zero Expansion Module Port that lets the Yeti 1500X join one of many firm’s inexpensive YetiTank Expansion Batteries. Those YetiTank batteries use much less unique chemistry and are bulkier, however sealed lead acid batteries additionally imply far much less value per kilowatt-hour. For instance, whereas a 3,500 watt-hour energy station utilizing lithium ion batteries may cost a little you $3,500, a 4,800 watt-hour YetiTank will set you again $2,000. With the 1,500 watt-hours of the Yeti 1500X, that’s sufficient to really run important (not counting HVAC) techniques in a typical dwelling.

Even higher, quite than operating extension cables by your property, Goal Zero truly sells a Yeti Home Integration Kit that an electrician can add, and from which you’ll run your total dwelling. That’s a reasonably superior function for those who’re prepared to pay the expense.

One final space that exhibits Goal Zero’s lengthy expertise is the noise, or lack of it. Very compact, very power-dense energy stations that cost shortly typically entail annoying fan noise even below mild masses (we’re taking a look at you, EcoFlow).

The Yeti 1500X has two followers, however we hardly ever heard them ever kick on, which we are able to’t say for some rivals. So if you wish to run your CPAP machine in blissful silence at night time—the Yeti 1500X will do it simply effective.

In the top, the Yeti 1500X could not fairly have a number of the fancy options of the competitors however when the elemental factor you want is to energy up your fridge throughout an outage or cost laptops within the subject, the Yeti 1500X brings strong efficiency, a rugged build-quality, some spectacular modular options, and the rock strong reliability of actually the oldest title in transportable energy stations.