EcoFlow DELTA 2 vs Bluetti AC180 vs Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus
Three of the most-compared portable power stations in the ~1 kWh class, all with LFP batteries. This is a calculated comparison, not a hands-on review: we took each manufacturer's published specifications and ran the same three loads through the same formula for all three units. Nothing here is a test result, and no unit was plugged into anything to produce it.
Data as of Oct 19, 2026. Runtime formula: hours = capacity (Wh) × 0.85 ÷ load (W). Full method and grades on how we calculate.
The specs, as published
| Specification | EcoFlow DELTA 2 | Bluetti AC180 | Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 1,024 Wh | 1,152 Wh | 1,264.64 Wh |
| Continuous AC output | 1,800 W | 1,800 W | 2,000 W |
| Surge (peak) output | 2,700 W | 2,700 W | 4,000 W |
| Battery chemistry | LFP (LiFePO4) | LFP (LiFePO4) | LFP (LiFePO4) |
| Weight | 27 lb | 35.27 lb | 32 lb |
| Max solar input | 500 W | 500 W | 800 W |
| Cycle life (manufacturer rating) | 3,000 cycles to 80% | 3,500 cycles to 80% | 4,000 cycles to 70% |
Continuous and surge are kept separate, as the manufacturers publish them. The DELTA 2's X-Boost figure (2,200 W) is a boost mode, not a rating — it appears nowhere in the math below. See why boost numbers aren't ratings.
Calculated runtime: same three loads, same formula
The loads are standardized so the comparison is apples-to-apples: a fridge drawing 150 W while its compressor runs, with a 40% duty cycle (60 W average — the site's default planning assumption); a CPAP at 40 W continuous; a laptop at 65 W continuous. Usable energy is capacity × 0.85 in every case: 870.4 Wh for the DELTA 2, 979.2 Wh for the AC180, 1,074.9 Wh for the Explorer 1000 Plus.
| Load | EcoFlow DELTA 2 | Bluetti AC180 | Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fridge (150 W, 40% duty cycle) | 14.5 h | 16.3 h | 17.9 h |
| CPAP (40 W) | 21.8 h | 24.5 h | 26.9 h |
| Laptop (65 W) | 13.4 h | 15.1 h | 16.5 h |
For the CPAP row, those hours are roughly 2.7, 3.1, and 3.4 eight-hour nights respectively — device runtime only, with no heated-humidifier allowance; run your own device's wattage through the CPAP runtime calculator. For your own loads, all three models are in the runtime calculator.
What the numbers say
Capacity decides the order, and there are no surprises in it. The Explorer 1000 Plus carries the largest battery of the three (1,264.64 Wh) and wins every runtime row by simple arithmetic. If hours per charge is your only metric, the ranking is the spec sheet's capacity column read top to bottom.
The Explorer 1000 Plus also has the most start headroom. Its 2,000 W continuous and 4,000 W surge ratings are the highest here. A fridge compressor's start peak — up to about 2,200 additional watts for a split second, per the figures on our wattage chart — fits under all three surge ratings, but the Jackery clears it with the most room to spare. That margin matters if a second motor load (a sump pump, a furnace blower) ever shares the station.
The AC180 is the middle on runtime and the fixed point on capacity. At 1,152 Wh it lands between the other two on every load, and unlike them it has no expansion-battery option in the manufacturer's specs — what you buy is what you run. It is also the heaviest of the three at 35.27 lb, which is worth knowing if "portable" means carrying it any distance.
The DELTA 2 gives up base runtime and buys it back two ways. It has the smallest battery here (1,024 Wh) and the shortest runtimes — and it is the lightest unit (27 lb) and one of two that expand: EcoFlow rates it to 3,040 Wh maximum with extra batteries, and the Explorer 1000 Plus to 5,059 Wh with its battery packs. Expansion changes every number in the runtime table, so if you plan to expand later, compare the expanded figures in the runtime calculator rather than the base-unit table above.
Charging speed off solar differs more than the runtime does. The Explorer 1000 Plus accepts up to 800 W of solar input against 500 W for the other two — in a multi-day outage with panels, that gap compounds daily. The solar charging calculator runs that math with the 0.78 real-world derate.
How these numbers were built (assumptions, with grades):
• Specifications are the manufacturers' published figures, pulled 2026-10-19. DELTA 2 and AC180 specs: REPORTED (dealer pages reproducing the manufacturers' spec sheets, named on the models page). Explorer 1000 Plus specs: CONFIRMED (manufacturer product page).
• The 0.85 AC efficiency factor is the one in Bluetti's own published runtime formula. REPORTED. It is a planning factor, not a measurement; real efficiency varies with load (roughly 0.80–0.90), which is why our calculators let you change it.
• The 40% fridge duty cycle is a WattLong planning assumption. INFERRED. A warm kitchen, an old fridge, or kids opening the door all push it up; the fridge calculator lets you set your own.
• Runtimes use base battery capacity only — no expansion batteries, no solar input during the run, and no 10% reserve. Method as published on how we calculate.
Keep digging
Specs, sources, and runtime tables across load sizes.
All 30 models & specs →The Bluetti AC180 and Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus spec rows live here, alongside every other model in the database.
Runtime calculator →All three models, your loads, your efficiency assumptions — with the motor-start check.
Best power stations for a fridge outage →Where these three land when all 30 models are ranked by fridge runtime alone.
WattLong is reader-supported. Some links on this site are affiliate links: if you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure. All results are estimates — verify with the manufacturer and a licensed electrician before relying on them.