EcoFlow Delta 2 Review

The EcoFlow Delta 2 + Extra Battery and 400w Solar Panel are three products that can be purchased separately or together. The main event is the EcoFlow Delta 2, which hits above its weight when it comes to size. The relatively small electric generator packs in WiFi with App, 1kWh of capacity with an output of 1800w, 4 AC sockets and 4 USB A, 2 USB Type-C and five other power output options.

The capacity is good, but the ability to output 1800w is a game changer for those using the power station on set. Ordinarily, the 1hWh capacity would be a bit of an issue. Still, that capacity can be extended with an expansion battery. Then the two linked batteries can be charged, sun allowing, with the solar panel, making this a very comprehensive and expandable option for continuous on-site power.

The EcoFlow Delta 2 is an extremely well-designed and very sleek-looking power station. The top section is flat, so ideal for popping things on top of or stacking the expansion battery if needed. On either side of the power pack are two solid handles that enable it to be carried easily once you arrive at the location. As the Capacity can be increased from 1 to 2 to 3kWh depending on the configuration of batteries you buy, this splits the weight, making them far easier and more convenient to carry than other solutions.

When it comes to charging, you have three usual options, the first being plugged into the mains. The Delta 2 comes with a standard-style c13 lead; these are the ones you usually find plugged into the backs of most PCs. However, around the cable is a warning that this is the only cable you should use to charge the EcoFlow Delta 2; as soon as you plug it in, you realise why. This thing drains power at an astonishing rate; next to this is the solar input connector of the XT60 type. This utilises an adapter cable to input into standard MC4 solar connectors.

On the front of the Delta 2 are the 4 USB Type-A and 2 USB Type-C sockets, along with a screen that shows you the input and output w as well as capacity and time until the battery is depleted.

On the back are the four AC sockets; essentially, these are the same as the ones you’ll have in your home; below these are the 12v sockets, one cigarette style and then two standards. At the top are the sockets for the power input.

Once fully charged, it’s all simple enough, plug in your camera, light, monitors and computers through USB and then your set to go, just as if you were plugged into the mains at home.

To power it on, you push the power button on the front and then if you want to power from the USB ports, click the second power button to activate them. On the back, to power up the AC sockets, you need to hold the power button down for around 10 seconds and then power will be supplied to the devices.

If you need to check the charge or status of the Delta 2, then tapping the power button will show the power draw and other details about the power generator. A nice addition is that you can log in to the App and view all the data through a clean and easy-to-read app interface. Not only can you read the battery’s status, but you can also activate and deactivate the socket groups.

While with an electric generator, that would usually be it, there is a little more when it comes to the Delta 2. Plug in the 1kWh expansion battery, and you effectively double the capacity. The connection is made through a thick cable that connects the two packs through the side, and then once the link is made, the two act as one. It’s very simple and easy to use.

The other addition is the 400w panel. Like the smaller 110w panel, the 400w arrives in a case that clips to the panel to make it stand up. The whole process is a little tricky with this larger panel, especially considering the weight. The quality of the panel is one of the best on the market; however, the quality of the design that has been selected to make the thing stand up is almost unusable unless you have some strength.

A few key features make the Delta 2 stand out from some of the other portable electric power stations. Firstly the 1kWh Capacity as standard and then the ability to extend this with an additional 1kWh or 2kWh extra battery. The 1kWh battery is almost identical in design to the Delta 1kWh and will sit directly under the main unit. What’s nice about the expansion battery is that it features a small cavity on the top, ideally sized to house the link and 12v cable.

When it comes to supplying power the EcoFlow Delta 2 features 6 USB across the front 4 Type-A (5V, 2.4A, 12W Max) and 2 Type-C (5/9/12/15/20V, 5A, 100W Max), then on the back are 4 AC sockets (1800W total (Surge 2700W)), 2 DC5521 (12.6V, 3A, 38W Max), Car power output (12.6V, 10A, 126W Max).

The take-home point for photographers and videographers is the number of devices the Delta 2 can power in one go. Connect a MacBook Pro M1 Max with a monitor, and that’s around 200W an hour, two monitor speakers at 60W, Lighting at 150w, various devices charging and cameras linked in and before you know it, you’re up to 1000W. Ordinarily, that load, although by no means huge, would be more than many of the smaller portable solutions out there. Still, the EcoFlow Delta 2 has the power and has that second booster battery option to increase the Capacity.

The Delta also has an interesting X-Boost feature, increasing the power draw from 1800w to 2200w, giving you more headroom for plugging in devices. As a standard unit, the capacity is 1024Wh and utilises LFP battery chemistry to ensure that the battery life can supply 80% of charge up to 3000 recycles, which is impressive.

When it comes to charging alongside mains power to top up the solar connection enables linking to solar; panels with specifications between the 11-60v, 15A and up to 500w, which gives a good amount of flexibility if you don’t want to purchase the EcoFlow Portable panels.

Finally, the size and weight of the Delta 2 are relatively small and compact, at 40 x 21.1 x 28.1cm and weighing in at 12kg. Two large handles on the side make it extremely easy to manoeuvre.

Before starting with the Delta 2 and the 1kWh expansion battery, I charged both with the 400w solar panel. Setting up the Delta 2 and expansion battery was easy enough, with one sitting on the other and connecting using the link cable. Once done, the system was ready to go.

The next step was to connect the solar panel. Before doing this, the panel had to be removed from the material carry case. The case is of high quality and offers a good amount of protection for the panel. The panel is large at 105.8×236.5×2.5cm when opened up and weighing in at 19kg, so it isn’t easy to handle. Whereas other panels have a simple fold-down leg, EcoFlow has continued to use the clip-on support design with their smaller systems. While it’s OK with the smaller systems at this size, it’s quite difficult to set up on your own – some help is recommended.

With the 400W panel connected, the charging speed is impressive, with both units reaching a complete charge on one sunny late summer day, around 10 hours. That’s essentially 1.7kWh of power collected from about a 15%-20% starting point.

Away from solar, the Delta 2 is sold as an extremely quick to charge through the mains. In this test, I wasn’t quite prepared for the speed at which the pack topped itself up. From 5%, lower than you should let these packs go, the fans kicked in, and less than an hour later, the pack was almost at 100%. The speed of the charge outstripped any other battery that I have looked at. While the pack charged quickly, it also lets you know that it was working hard; while it didn’t grunt with the strain, it may as well have been well done; the fans kicked into life almost immediately and didn’t rest until the charge had finished. The performance was impressive, and with the on-device screen or through the App, you can monitor how the charge is going. The input reaches around 1300W.

The final charging option is through the cig socket in your car or the one now labelled with 12v. Through this socket, it takes around 110w and about a 10-hour drive to fully top up the battery.

Getting power into the battery is easy, and getting that power back out and into your devices is equally easy.

There are limits, as I have found with previous devices, but the 2700w surge protection and X-Boost does give some devices a little more of a head room to settle down than other 1kWh units. However, an iron to smooth out backdrops was still a bit too much of a push, as was using the vacuum to give the location a good clean before the shoot. A brush and dustpan and brush supplemented as an unsatisfactory stand-in.

Domestics out of the way, and it was time to get set up and powered up. Using an old Mac Pro for the on-site machine connected to a 27-inch BenQ monitor, instantly 350W of power was gone, then the monitor speakers took another 60W, the AC sockets were all gone, and an extension cable was fitted.

With the cable in place, the Canon EOS R5 C was connected along with two Rotolight Anovas, a charging bank for batteries, and phones.

The small Delta was easily handling 1200w without any issue, the occasional kick-in of the fans but nothing too much. With one battery connected, the time on the Delta read 42 minutes. Adding the additional battery instantly increased the time with the two units splitting the power draw between them rather than one draining and then the other.

To boost the system, I plugged in the panel, which was feeding in 220W of solar power and balancing some of the output. As the shoot went on, the use of the computer varied, which was the major drain on the system. In the end, the shoot lasted for around four hours, and there was plenty of space for at least another hour of battery. Again teas and coffees were made on the Jetboil as the kettle was over the power draw limit, I have now found a 1kWh camping kettle which looks like an essential.

There’s a good reason that the EcoFlow Delta 2 has gained so much interest. It’s essentially a high-capacity battery in a relatively lightweight and compact form. OK, it does cheat somewhat by splitting the capacity, weight and size over two units, but still, EcoFlow is currently the only company to offer this type of compact system.

The benefits of larger 2kWh portable power stations are that the EcoFlow Delta 2 is exceptionally easy to move into position, it’s also very fast to charge, and it outputs a decent amount of power.

While it is still limited on the W output, with the maximum being 1700w, not considering the X-Boost of the power surge, it does meet the demands of most devices you’ll need to run in the field. Regarding vacuums, irons and kettles, you may need to look for lower-powered alternatives, but then that’s not a major issue or requirement for most people.

Overall the ease of use, compact size and power output make the Delta 2 with the expansion battery one of the best solutions. Regarding the quality of the 400W solar panel, this is also equally excellent but held back by the tricky-to-use kickstand case. Other solutions out there will work perfectly well with the Delta 2 for a similar price, even if they’re not quite so powerful.