EcoFlow River 2 Max Review — An Answer to Your Loadshedding Woes?

There’s no denying that we South Africans are a pragmatic bunch. With every hurdle thrown our way, we somehow manage to produce something that helps us overcome it. With loadshedding and the constant power-cuts that South Africa is enduring, it was only a matter of time before more portable power station solutions were on the market, and EcoFlow’s River 2 Max is an option that makes the headache of finding a solution a whole lot simpler.

The EcoFlow River 2 Max is a portable power station aimed at delivering a simple, compact, and obviously portable solution to bringing power back to your mobile and home devices, all within reason, of course.

The River 2 Max packs a 512Wh (500W) output to bring a little light and electricity back into your life (and appliances).

As a quick summary, what these ‘Wh’ ratings resemble is the watt-hours. If you look at the back of your devices at home, the power outage is often displayed as watt-hours (W·h), which is the number of watts a device needs for an hour of use.

Therefore, taking into account how many watt-hours you need for your device (or devices plugged in simultaneously) will determine whether the River 2 Max can handle the job at hand.

Design

From a design perspective, the River 2 Max is very well made, and feels closer to a computer than that of a robust portable battery. The device’s plastic casing is solid and the model features a convenient fixed handle, which is needed, because admittedly, it does weigh in at 6kgs — a little more than other options on the market (likely due to the type of lithium-ion battery included).

A notable standout on the River 2 Max is the inclusion of a handy LCD display, which gives an easy-to-read identifier of battery level, charging status, how many hours are left, and which ports are active (AC/DC/USB). It even features a watt usage on the display too, which is a nice touch in order to keep tabs on what you’re using.

What would’ve been a nice-to-have added bonus on the River 2 Max would’ve been a small torchlight on the side or back of the device (something we’ve seen on other deivces), which can be switched on at minimal energy-consumption cost and allow the device itself to be a light source. Not a game-breaker, but a small add-on that would’ve been handy.

The River 2 Max features solar recharging capabilities too, so if you have some compatible panels available, it’s a really big bonus.

On top of that, the River 2 Max is also a ‘smart’ device, of sorts. You can use the EcoFlow app to control and monitor the River 2 Max, even from afar, allowing you to view charging levels, customise settings, and adjust charging speeds.

In action

Using the River 2 Max showcases the versatility of having such portable power stations around the house or office. While many have rechargeable LED bulbs at this stage, they often struggle to hold enough charge to run through a 4-hour electricity outage. Therefore, using the unit to keep a lamp or two on, whilst also charging your laptop, for example, is a great creature-comfort addition.

As a simple solution, if you have a television (42-50 inch range) that you’d like to keep on for at least an hour or so during loadshedding, the River 2 Max will do the job, allowing you to run your TV and a media box simultaneously with no hiccups.

Furthermore, if you do want to keep more entertainment appliances on, the River 2 Max’s 512Wh capacity has enough juice to operate a larger 50-inch+ television, along with a gaming console (it’s pushing it, but can handle it) for an hour or so.

Another highly touted feature of the EcoFlow range is their charging speed. After using a few different brands, the efficiency of charging these portable power stations is what makes the difference. While some take hours on end to charge, or even lose their battery when not in use, the EcoFlow River 2 Max is undoubtedly one of the fastest and best-energy holding units out there, being able to charge fully within an hour.

Due to the power and portability of the River 2 Max, there’s a lot you can do with it. For example, we even tested it to run a small pool pump at the back end of a garden. Instead of running an extension cord through windows, doorways, and around furniture, we could simply use the River 2 Max to run the pool pump for 2 hours, with it consuming less than 20% of the battery.

Another great thing is that the cooling fans on the River 2 Max are far quieter than other brands on the market, which can be notably loud and even drown out the TV; but there are no concerns about charging or using the River 2 Max in a room you’re sleeping in, for example.

Verdict

Of course, there are more expensive and more elaborate electricity provision solutions, that will break the bank but get you off the grid. However, most South Africans are looking for something simple, versatile, and well-built, and the EcoFlow River 2 Max manages to deliver all those things within a reasonable price-bracket. If you need something to keep you connected or entertained and don’t mind sacrificing a few comforts and features, it’ll do the trick.

Pricing and Availability

EcoFlow’s River 2 Max retails for R12,999 and is available for purchase from authorised dealers across South Africa and directly from the official EcoFlow website.