(Last Updated On: June 3, 2023)

In recent years, the power station market has expanded tremendously. A few years ago, just a few brands were selling rather mediocre power stations, but with competition at an all-time high, this means more advancement and lower prices. That said, like any market, there will be flagship brands that lead with their products over others, and in this case, one of the most well-known brands is EcoFlow. EcoFlow has come out with two main series of power stations known as their DELTA and River series; their DELTA line is higher capacity and power output, while their River power stations are smaller and lower priced.

Recently, EcoFlow has refreshed its River power stations and released the River 2, River 2 Pro, and the River 2 Max. These new models have many unique features; best of all, they use LiFePO4 batteries. In this review, I’m looking at the new base model EcoFlow River 2 power station, so let’s take a closer look.

Power Capacity

So the first thing to know about the River 2 power station models is that they use Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4), no longer Lithium-Ion batteries. The difference is that LiFePO4 batteries can last for many more charge cycles. In this case, the River 2 can last for 3,000 charge cycles and still maintain 80% or more of original capacity; this is incredible because in comparison to Lithium-Ion batteries that only get 500 charge cycles and maintain 80% of their capacity, going for a LiFePO4 power station is the way to go as you’re spending your money more wisely.

This EcoFlow River 2 power station is 256Wh, a small capacity for power stations in general. That’s because this River 2 base model is the smallest and most affordable power station you can get, so this unit is not meant to power high-wattage appliances for a long time.

To better understand how long you can use a 256Wh capacity, you can power a 1W appliance for 256 hours or a 256W appliance for 1 hour. Since this River 2 has a regular max output of 300W and a 600W output when you use its X-Boost feature via the EcoFlow app, powering an appliance above 250W guarantees the power station’s runtime will be lower than an hour.

Still, as I mentioned, this Rivier 2 is meant for lower-wattage appliances; even so, it can still do a lot. For example, I powered a large crockpot at high, and that had a 245W output and could run for an hour. I also had a mini crockpot with a 90W output at its high setting, and it would run continuously for about three hours with the River 2.

If you’re powering something like a LED light, that will last for a couple of hours as most LED lights are bright but still use low-wattage power.

Output

For the power output, this River 2 power station has three main sections: the DC cigarette lighter port, the charging ports, and the two AC outlets.

The DC cigarette lighter port has a 12.6V/10A (126W) output, so pretty much the standard car port you can find on most other power stations, which is still great to have here. I didn’t have any appliances I could test with this port, but it’s useful for specific consumers, such as powering a portable tire pump, a cooler, and many other devices.

Charging Ports

The charging ports include two standard USB-A ports and a single USB-C Power Delivery port. The USB-C port has a 60W Power Delivery charging speed, while the two USB-A ports have a 12W charge rate. Charging power from the ports is pretty good, but coming from EcoFlow, I feel it would have been better to have a 100W USB-C port and two USB-A Quick Charge ports. That said, upgrading the charging ports would have likely resulted in a price increase.

In my test, I could still fast charge a Lenovo Flex 5 laptop from the USB-C port and simultaneously charge a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and an LG G7. So you will be able to charge most USB-C chargeable laptops from the USB-C port on this River 2 power station and fast charge most tablets and phones from the USB-C port. The USB-A ports have okay charging at a 12W speed.

AC Outlets

There are two AC outlets on River 2, one is a 3-prong outlet, and the other is a 2-prong AC outlet. This is a good selection for a power station with a 256Wh capacity and a 300W max output. However, as I’ve mentioned, EcoFlow offers X-Boost via the app with this power station, which can boost the output from 300W to 600W.

So to test out the output, I first plugged in a large crockpot that had an output of 245W at its high setting, and that ran great; I also plugged in a mini crockpot with a 90W output at high alone, and that ran great. Then with the X-Boost feature off, I ran both of the crockpots at high and after a few seconds, with the output being at 335W, the power station turned off and had an “overload” warning on the screen.

Then with the X-Boost feature on, I ran both of the crockpots at high, then set a timer, and after about 10 minutes, the two crockpots could still run continuously. So, the X-Boost feature can turn the 300W max output to 600W with the River 2 power station, which lets you run appliances you otherwise wouldn’t be able to. Of course, with any output going over 300W, the runtime of River 2 will be cut very short because of its low 256Wh capacity, so just something to remember.

Overall, the two AC outlet selections and the power output are great for the price, you can power most small appliances, and even if you can’t, you may be able to with the X-Boost feature.

Input Charging

One of the best things about this EcoFlow River 2 power station is that you can recharge it from three different input ports. You can use the AC input or the XT60 input port that can be found at the back or the USB-C port at the front to recharge the power station.

The fastest way to recharge the River 2 is by using the AC input because it has a 360W recharge speed that can recharge the River 2 back to full power from 0% to 100% in just an hour. The second fastest way to recharge the River 2 is by using the included car charging cable and recharging it via the XT60 port with 100W input; if you use a solar panel, solar recharging is 110W.

Finally, the slowest but most highly accessible way to recharge this power station is by using the USB-C port that can recharge the unit at 60W. You’ll need a 60W USB-C Power Delivery wall charger to make the most of the USB-C input.

Also, for the pass-through charging, which is the ability to recharge the power station and use it at the same time, I powered the crockpot and recharged it via the AC input; while using the River 2, the AC input is 595W, this is a pretty large jump from the regular 360W AC input, and that’s because the power station is trying to recharge as fast as possible and not be discharged from using it.

Size and Weight

River 2 can best be explained as being tiny. The power station has a length of 9.6 inches, a width of 8.5 inches, and a height of 5.7 inches. The unit weighs 7.8 pounds. With the handle, the River can easily be taken around for daily use, on a hike, or even camping. The low capacity and low power output have an incredible benefit on the small form factor and lightweight, and it shows.

Functional Components

Using River 2 is simple, just like any other EcoFlow power station. At the front is where you’ll find all the output ports, the power buttons, and the screen. To turn on the power station, you must hold down the golden power button, the unit turns on, and the charging ports are ready. The AC outlets and the DC cigarette lighter port have power buttons that you must press to activate those sections.

The screen shows the remaining runtime of the unit, the capacity, output wattage, and input wattage. You’ll find the AC and XT60 input ports at the back.

One of the most available features to those that own an EcoFlow power station is the compatibility with the EcoFlow app. The app shows you what the screen on the power stations shows and a little more. If you don’t want to look directly at the screen because you’re further away, you can view the capacity and runtime and track individual AC, DC, and charging output wattage. So the screen shows you all wattage stats, but the app can show you the specific wattage input and output.

The app lets you remotely toggle the DC and AC sections to turn them on or off.

The most extensive features in the app are in the settings where you can access the X-Boost feature, change the AC or car charging input speed, and Timeout for the AC or DC sections, and it even lets you control the screen timeout.

You can even set the power station to turn off once it automatically reaches a certain capacity percentage, and you can set it to stop charging at a specific capacity.

One of the main reasons to purchase an EcoFlow power station over the competition is its app integration. It is convenient to control and customize how you use the power station.

Structure and Material

River 2 has a solid all-around. It’s all made of plastic, but if you’ve used an EcoFlow power station in the past, you know that you know what you expect here. It’s great for daily use and can survive a car ride, but don’t drop it or expose it to water. One of the odd things I found is that the cigarette lighter port didn’t have a dust cover, which is usually standard with a power station in general; odd that this one didn’t have a dust cover.

Tech

A relatively large internal fan at the back varies in speed depending on how much wattage you’re using and how fast you’re recharging the unit. Also, the power station will automatically shut down when you go over the max output because of that overload protection.

Reliability

The base River 2 model from EcoFlow is one of the simplest power stations on the market. It’s not meant to be a powerhouse of a power source. This power station will charge devices and power small, low-wattage appliances for several hours. If you need to power higher-wattage appliances in the 300W or slightly more range, then the X-Boost feature will be useful. Remember, the capacity is 256Wh, and if you use a higher-wattage appliance, the runtime will be heavily affected.

	EcoFlow RIVER 2 Portable Power Station Specs
Power Capacity	256Wh
Battery Cell Type	LiFePO4
Charge Cycles	80%+ capacity after 3000 cycles
AC Output	120V 50Hz/60Hz, 300W (Surge 600W)
DC Output	12.6V/8A, 100W Max
USB-C Output	5/9/12/15/20V 3A, 60W Max
USB-A Output	5V/2.4A 12W Max
AC Input	100-120V 50Hz/60Hz, 360W Max
Car Input	12V/24V, 8A, 100W Max
Solar Input	8A Max,11-30V 110W
USB-C Input	5/9/12/15/20V 3A, 60W Max
Size	9.6 x 8.5 x 5.7inches
Weight	7.7 pounds

Conclusion:

The EcoFlow River 2 is a great successor to the original River series, using all-new LiFePO4 batteries that will last many more charge cycles, an updated design, more charging power, and a smooth EcoFlow app experience. The base River 2 is an excellent choice if you’re starting with power stations and want a low price.