(Last Updated On: May 11, 2021)

Portable power stations can be everyday devices. This may come as a surprise if you’re thinking of higher-capacity power stations with more ports, many AC outlets, and a higher wattage amount. However, we recommend thinking smaller, as there are power stations on the market that can be easily portable and still have quite many capabilities of powering and charging your devices.

In this review, we will be taking a look at this RAVPower RP-PB187 portable power station. This is one of the smallest and lightweight power stations that we have ever reviewed, and on top of that, it has many ways to use it. We honestly think that if you want to have the ability to take a portable power source with you every day, this one is it, as long as it fits your powering needs.

Power

Power Capacity:

The main reason why this power station is small in the first place and mainly because of its power capacity. It has a 252.7Wh that translates into 70,200mAh if you’re used to reading mAh when it comes to portable chargers.

For a portable power station, a 70,200mAh capacity is quite small, but at the same time, it’s a lot higher than any normal power bank has to offer.

If you’re looking to charge smartphones and tablets with these power stations, you won’t be having any problems charging them to full power multiple times. If we’re talking about the most mainstream smartphones that also have larger batteries, such as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra with a 5,000mAh battery, the iPhone Pro Max with a 3,969mAh battery, or the OnePlus 8 Pro with a 4,510mAh battery, then you can expect about ten full charges for each of these smartphones if you’re looking at only using the power stations for charging phones.

If we’re looking at laptops, which do have larger batteries within the 7,000mAh range, then you’re going to be able to get about 8 to 9 full charges. The best part is that these RAVPower power stations have a USB-C Power Delivery port, so it’s able to charge laptops directly, without the need to have to connect your charger via the AC outlets, but we’ll get to that later in the review.

Speaking of the AC outlets, using the AC outlets on the power stations dwindles the power capacity down as a lot more power is being used. In this case, if these power stations using a 250W output, then you can expect to use the only 10,600mAh of the power capacity. This is a lot lower than the initial 70,200mAh capacity, but this is only if you’re using a 250W continuous output, so if you’re using an appliance that 100W of power only, then you’re going to be left with a lot more power to use.

Overall, this RAVPower power station has a good amount of power that can last days or weeks, depending on how you’re using it. That’s exactly how long a power station should last.

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Output Charging:

The best part is using this power station as there are seven-way to use it.

Three USB-A Ports and a USB-C Power Delivery Port

There are three USB-A ports. Two of the ports have a 5V/2.4A (12W) charging speed, and the third port features Quick Charge 3.0, which means that it’s able to fast charge Quick Charge compatible Android smartphones. That said, you can still charge Non-Quick Charge compatible smartphones with the Quick Charge port, but the port will default to a 12W charging speed.

On top of the powerful USB-A ports, this power station even has a 60W USB-C Power Delivery port. We realize that we still have to cover the two AC outlets on this power station, but this USB Power Delivery port is easily one of the impressive features.

Most regular Power Delivery power banks, walls, and car chargers have either an 18W or 30W Power Delivery port. This power station goes even higher than that to offer a 60W Power Delivery port that can charge most USB-C compatible smartphones at their max speed. We charged a Lenovo Flex 5 laptop that can charge via USB-C Power Delivery, and it was able to charge at its max charging speed.

So if you do own a USB-C chargeable laptop, with Macbooks being the most common on the market, along with most other new laptops that have been released within recent years, the use of a 60W Power Delivery port on this power station is highly reliable for charging wherever you are.

Also, you can still charge smartphones via the 60W Power Delivery port, most will default to charging at 18W, and it won’t damage your phone.

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DC Output:

The DC port on this power station has a 120W output. It’s a very high output that can charge most DC chargeable laptops at their max power. Of course, you’ll be needing a DC to DC cable to charge your laptop with this port. This DC port can also be used to power certain appliances that have the right connection, but overall, we didn’t find any use for the DC port, but it’s still nice that it’s available for those that can find a use for it.

Two AC Outlets:

The highlight of any portable power station is the AC outlets because if a power station only has charging ports, you may get a regular power bank.

The great part about this small and lightweight RAVPower power station is that it has two AC outlets. The negative part is that each of the outlets is only two-prong outlets to plug in any 3-prong plugs in the power station. That said, appliances that do use 3-prong plugs tend to be higher wattage appliances, and since the power station has a 250W Pure Sine Wave output and a 300W max output, you won’t exactly be needing 3-prong outlets.

Plugging in a powerful fan that actually cools you down or a laptop charger is easily powered from the AC outlets. You can even power a mini-fridge with this mini power station, which you can use if you’re out hiking or camping. So the power station doesn’t have a 500W, 1000W, or 2000W output, and that’s just fine because it does just enough to get you what you need, and we think that along with the awesome portability that you get, it’s more than enough.

Input Charging:

Recharging this power station is awesome as its output. That’s because the DC input port can be used to recharge the unit, or you can use the USB-C Power Delivery port for recharging. Not many power stations do this and almost always make the DC port the only input port.

The power station comes with a wall charger that you can use to recharge the power station via the DC port. The DC port has a max recharge speed of 60W, and so does the USDB-C Power Delivery port. You may also use a Solar panel to recharge the power station. RAVPower has recommended that you use at least an 80W Solar panel or higher to ensure that the power station can recharge as fast as possible.

This power station does not come with a PD wall charger, so you have to supply your charger for recharging via the USB-C PD port. However, recharging from the Power Delivery port enables you to use a PD wall charger, a car charger, or you can even use a power bank to recharge it. There’s more versatility in recharging via the Power Delivery port, and we welcome it.

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Design

Size and Weight:

This RAVPower power station’s form factor and weight are on par with being the best part of it. That’s because it has a height of 7 inches and a width of 5 inches. The weight of the power station is 5.5 pounds.

Yes, of course, it’s larger than a power bank, and it’s heavier, too. In comparison to other portable power stations, this is super easy to take wherever you go. Often in portable power station reviews, we mention how you can’t hold the unit and go hiking because of how heavy it is. That’s not the case here, and with its 5.5-pound weight, this power station can be held for long durations of time, and if you start to feel tired, then attaching it to a carabiner on your back and carrying it that way is helpful.

The power station does have a large handle that makes it easy to carry.

Functional Components:

Nearly every side of this power station has something to offer. At the front is where five Blue LED indicators show the remaining power capacity, and each light indicates 20% of the power remaining.

Then on another side, you’ll find the three USB-A ports and the USB-C Power Delivery port. The Quick Charge 3.0 USB-A port is colored green.

At the back is where the DC output and input ports are, then off to another side is where you’ll find an LED light and the power button for the light.

The LED light has three modes, with the first mode being constant-on, the second is the SOS mode, and the third mode is a flashing mode. The flashlight is quite bright, and if you’re in the wilderness, we think it can come to great use.

At the top of the power station is where you’ll find the two AC outlets that are covered with rubber flaps to protect them, and at the top is where you’ll also find the handles. The power button for the AC outlets is in between them, and you have to hold the power button down for about five seconds, and then a white LED light turns on to show that they are powered and ready to use.

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Build

Structure and Material:

 

The build quality of this power station great; however, you must know that it’s not water-resistant or shockproof. So we recommended that you be careful not to drop it or expose it to water. Other than that, it’s built well, and there are no loose parts, and the ports don’t feel cheap. It’s what you can expect from the brand, as RAVPower has made countless high-quality products already, and this is a continuation of that.

Tech:

Even with all of its output power, this power station thankfully has a cooling fan that turns on when the power station goes above 122° Fahrenheit. The fan has a 50dB sound, so it’s not too loud even when you’re using it indoors. Overall, things are kept very cool, and you won’t have to worry about overheating as fans in general with portable power stations are great at cooling the unit down, and we found that the fan worked well here.

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Reliability

If you’re searching for a portable power station that can charge your portable devices to full power many times, has powerful charging, AC outlets, and is easily portable, then look no further than this RAVPower portable power station.

With a 60W Power Delivery port, it easily replaces any Power Delivery power bank or wall charger that you may need, and it even has three USB-A ports with one using Quick Charge 3.0. The AC outlets are 3-prong ones, and we do admit that it is unreliable, but two AC outlets use 2-prongs and have a 250W output with a 300W max output to use. That is still a wide range of appliances that you’re able to power from this power station.

 

 

Not power-oriented, the small size and lightweight of this power station enable you to take it anywhere.

Also, the power station comes with a few things that make it easier to use. In the box, you’ll find a carrying bag for the power station, a strap to attach to the bag, an AC adapter to recharge it with, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and the manual.

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Summary:

Power:

Portable power stations don’t have to feature the highest possible capacities or the most powerful outputs, and this RAVPower portable power station proves that. It has just the right amount of power capacity and output ports to make it a reliable daily power station.

Design:

The size of this power station is small, and it’s lightweight. You’re able to hold it in your hand for long periods, and it’s easy to use with charging starting automatically from the USB-C, USB-A, and DC ports. There is a button for the AC outlets and the LED flashlight.

Build:

It’s not a shockproof or water-resistant power station, but it’s a solid product and will last for a long time as long as you treat it right. On the inside, there is a cooling fan that turns on to keep things cool once the power station reaches above 122° Fahrenheit.

Reliability:

This is one of the most reliable portable power stations to use within the lower range capacity and output capabilities. As it’s still able to charge laptops and smartphones many times, and it has a high enough output to power the appliances and charges the devices you need to.

	RAVPower RP-PB187 252.7Wh Portable Power Station 300W AC Outlets Specs
Power Capacity	70,200mAh/252.7Wh
Standard USB-A Ports	5V/2.4A (12W)
Quick Charge 3.0 USB-A Port	5V/3A | 9V/2A | 12V/1.5A (18W)
USB-C Power Delivery Port	5V/3A | 9V/3A | 12V/3A | 15V/3A | 20V/3A (60W)
DC Output	12V/10A (120W)
AC Outlets	110V/60Hz 300W Max. 250W Rated
DC Input	12-24V/3.3-4A, 60W Max
USB-C PD Input	5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A, PD 60W
Size	5.12 x 5.12 x 7.44 inches
Weight	5.5 Pounds

Conclusion:

This RAVPower RP-PB187 Portable power station is a great product from RAVPower. The brand has grown a lot in recent years, and we’re glad to see them enter into the portable power source market.