Titan Elecstor Portable Power Station Review — A Light in the Darkness of Loadshedding

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 over 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 the latest is that of Titan Elecstor.

The Titan Elecstor portable power station range is 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 range includes a number of smaller UPSs to power routers, fibre boxes, and laptops, however, the Titan range includes 155 Wh (100W), 296 Wh (300W) and 499 Wh (500W) options, if you want 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 on the back of your devices at home, the power outage is often displayed as watt-hours (W·h), which is the amount 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 what Titan Elecstor model you should consider.

Design

From a design perspective, the Titan Elecstors are very well made. Their plastic casing is solid and all the models feature convenient fixed or collapsable handles, which are needed, because admittedly, they do weigh in more than other options on the market (likely the type of battery included).

A notable standout on the Titan Elecstor range is the inclusion of a handy LED display, which gives an easy-to-read identifier of battery level, charging status, and which ports are active (AC/DC/USB). The largest 499 Wh model includes watt usage on the display too, which is a nice touch in order to keep tabs on what you’re using.

An added bonus is that all the models include an LED torchlight on the side or back of the device, which can be switched on at minimal energy-consumption cost so that you’re not fumbling around in the dark.

All the units feature solar recharging capabilities too, so if you have some compatible panels available, it’s a really big bonus.

In action

Using the Elecstor range 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 155 Wh unit to keep a lamp or two on, whilst also charging your laptop, for example, is a great creature-comfort addition.

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 Elecstor 296 Wh will do the job, allowing you to run your TV and a media box simultaneously with no hiccups.

However, if you do want to keep entertainment appliances on, it’s probably best to opt for the bigger 499 Wh model, which gives you more than 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. You’ll also get a faster charging time with the bigger model, as well as some extra ports to connect to 12V car outlets and use on the road. The 499 Wh model just offers more versatility for the price, and that’s hard not to consider.

This flexibility was even seen when we needed to run a small pool pump at the backend of a garden. Instead of running an extension cord through windows, doorways, and around furniture, we could simply use the Elecstor to run the pool pump for an hour, with it consuming less than 20% of the battery.

One thing to note, is that the cooling fans on the Titan Elecstors (especially the larger model) are notably loud, and when it does switch on, even if it only lasts for 30 seconds, will drown out the TV, but it’s a small price to pay for what it delivers.

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 Titan Elecstor range 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, the Titans will do the trick.

Pricing:

The Titan Elecstor range is priced as follows:

• Titan Elecstor 100W – 150W Portable Power Station – 4,2000 mAh (155WH) — R3,499
• Titan Elecstor 300W- 500W Portable Power Station – 80,000 mAh (296WH) — R6,999
• Titan Elecstor 500W Portable Power Station – 135,000 mAh – (499WH) — R8,999