Winter Storms Are Coming. This Is the Best Overall Power Station I Tested for Power Outages

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This winter has seen some of the most volatile weather patterns in years: polar vortexes, arctic blasts, cross-country storms, violent wind gusts, extreme cold, and major ice events. Videos of exploding trees took over social media (FYI: the phenomenon is called "frost cracking"—the extreme temperature drop causes water in the tree's sap to freeze, expand, and rupture the bark, producing a large crack), as did above-average snowfall. More temperate southern states have faced severe power grid strain with weeks-long outages due to high winds, ice accumulation, and less infrastructure to handle inclement weather. In short: We all need to be prepared for extreme winter storms and that starts with power stations.

While some brands use the terms “power bank” and “power station” interchangeably, most differentiate the two based on size, output, and capacity. Portable power banks are smaller, whereas portable power stations are electrical generators that provide backup power to small and large appliances.

I tested dozens of power stations for the 2026 Men's Journal Tech Awards. Here's why EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 came out on top.

Why EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 Is the Best Power Station of 2026

If you want one unit to do it all, and you’re okay with a wheeled 114-pound international carry-on-sized battery pack, there's no better choice than EcoFlow Delta Pro 3. It can handle every size job, from emergency backup of all your home’s appliances, including electric garage doors, food storage, space heaters, computers, and routers. It tackles less-demanding tasks like charging your phone and power-intensive jobs like running saws and other construction and woodworking tools with ease. I’ve used the Delta Pro 3 as a freestanding unit I wheel wherever I need, but it’s ready to be hardwired, too. It can connect to your home’s circuits via an inlet box, a manual transfer switch, or EcoFlow's Home Smarthome Panel 2. The input is just as flexible as the output. This unit can be recharged from a wall outlet, cigarette lighter, solar panels, EV car charger, and more. Unlike any gas-powered generator of this capacity, EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 is virtually silent. Even when I had it in my bedroom with fans plugged in during a power outage and a heat wave, I slept like a baby.

Depending on how much power your home, RV, camp, or other location requires, you may want to expand the Delta Pro 3 with supplemental batteries that can be linked in. It has 4kWh of power and can be expanded to 48kWh. I also appreciated that, while this unit delivers power through both 120V and 240V outputs with up to 4000W in a single unit—yes, you can run your three-ton central AC system off this goliath—it doesn’t have to be wired in unless you want. It’s not the unit I lift in and out of my RV (that would be a back breaker). But when I need it, Delta Pro 3 can output up to 6,000W of power automatically for a short time.

The unit maintains 80 percent capacity even after 4,000 cycles. It’s a true gas generator replacer that charges to 80 percent in 50 minutes. It’s also the most efficient power station I’ve used, and one that’s super easy to understand even if you’re not a tech geek. It only has four AC plugs, which is a good reason to have a plug into your home circuits, though for everyday use, four plugs plus USB charging ports were more than sufficient for my needs. The incredible capability and dependability of the Delta Pro 3 far outweigh any drawbacks, and that’s an honest review coming from someone who used it to build an off-grid camp.

EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 Specs

• Power Capacity: 4096 Wh
  Outlets: 7 AC outlets (120 V/240 V total 4000 W, 8000 W surge), 2 USB-A, 2 USB-C (100 W each), 1 × DC5521 (5 A), 1 × Anderson 12 V (30 A)
  Size: 27.3 × 13.4 × 16.1 in (693 × 341 × 410 mm)
  Weight: 113.5 lb

What to Look for in the Best Power Stations

The right portable power station or bank depends entirely on what you need to run. Higher-demand devices like microwaves, induction cooktops, or power tools require units with higher watt output—typically 1,000 watts or more—which usually corresponds to around 1,000Wh of capacity (enough to deliver roughly 1,000 watts for about an hour). Many newer models also offer surge output to handle short spikes from multiple or high-draw devices. For home backup, a 1,000W/1,000Wh unit is a practical minimum, capable of keeping essentials like a fridge, freezer, and modem running during brief outages. For camping or weekend trips where portability matters, smaller units around 300 watts or less are often sufficient—unless you’re powering an RV, charging house batteries, or running appliances like air conditioning or a microwave, which require substantially more output.

Why You Should Trust Me

I'm an avid outdoors person based in rural Vermont, who's been using portable power devices for years. I recently built an off-grid, backcountry cabin using Ecoflow batteries to power my table saw, chop saw, and other tools. I live at the end of a dirt road, where power outages are common, so I regularly need to plug my fridge, freezer, modem, and other household power-hungry devices into portable power to keep them running. 

I do a ton of camping, bikepacking, and travel, and I almost always bring a charging brick to stay connected on the road. I'm not gentle on gear either. I became a professional gear reviewer after breaking enough stuff that companies asked me to use and abuse their items pre-release to make sure it stood up to the test.