Anker SOLIX C1000 scored 90 out of 100 in our testing and ranks #1 in our best portable power stations guide as our best overall portable power station. It weighs 28.4 lb and charged from 0 to 80 percent in 42 minutes.
What is the best overall portable power station?
The best overall portable power station is the Anker SOLIX C1000, a 28.4 lb unit with six AC outlets that charged from 0 to 80 percent in 42 minutes on our bench and ran a 12V cooler for two days on Ryan's truck camping trip.
Anker SOLIX C1000 Portable Power Station
- Capacity: 1,056 Wh LiFePO4
- Output: 1,800 W, 2,400 W SurgePad
- Weight: 28.4 lb
- Our recharge: 0 to 80% in 42 min
Bottom Line : A compact 1 kWh station with six AC outlets and fast UltraFast charging; the fans get loud on fast charge and the surge limit is modest.
Pros
- 0 to 80 percent in 42 minutes 18 seconds
- 28.4 lb with molded side handles
- Six AC outlets and two USB-C ports
- Ran a 1,800 W heat gun without trouble
Cons
- 51.6 dBA while fast charging
- Tripped on a 2,620 W compressor start
- UltraFast charging needs the app
Charging Fast, Carrying Light
It ran the test fridge for 16.2 hours on 842 Wh and a CPAP on AC for 28.5 hours. A 1,460 W kettle ran for 35 minutes, enough for five boils, and John ran an 1,800 W heat gun at full blast without an interruption.
UltraFast charging pulled 1,310 W at the wall and went from 0 to 80 percent in 42 minutes 18 seconds, full in 57 minutes 40 seconds. At 28.4 lb, with molded top handles, it carries easily in one hand.
Ryan then took it truck camping in Squamish in October 2026. It ran a 12V cooler for 48 hours straight and boiled a kettle four times without tripping, went from the wall to 80 percent in 45 minutes and full in 58, and read 38 dBA at idle and 46 dBA with the fans working hard. His one gripe is an app that can be sluggish.
Where It Asks Something of You
The fans reached 51.6 dBA during UltraFast charging, against 29.5 dBA at a 300 W load. Two 200 W panels in series peaked at 378 W and needed 2 hours 55 minutes for a full charge, and an older 1.5 HP compressor with a 2,620 W inrush tripped the inverter in under 50 milliseconds. Switchover measured 19.2 ms, fine for a desktop PC but not an enterprise UPS.
Spec Sheet vs Our Test
1,300 W UltraFast charging. Anker lists 1,300 W wall charging. UltraFast at 1,310 W from the wall took our unit from 0 to 80 percent in 42 minutes 18 seconds and to full in 57 minutes 40 seconds, so the claim holds, but we had to engage the mode in the Anker app and the fans reached 51.6 dBA while it ran.
600 W of solar input. Anker lists a 600 W solar input. Two 200 W panels in series, a 400 W array in 975 W/m2 sun, peaked at 378 W and filled the pack in 2 hours 55 minutes, which is what a 400 W array can deliver.
20 ms UPS switchover. We measured 19.2 ms on the scope, in line with Anker's figure. That's enough for a desktop PC but not the under-10 ms standard some rivals claim.
1,800 W, 2,400 W SurgePad. A heat gun at 1,800 W ran without interruption, and SurgePad powered a 2,200 W hot plate by lowering the voltage to 98 V. A 2,620 W inrush from an older 1.5 HP compressor tripped it in under 50 milliseconds.
Should You Buy the Anker SOLIX C1000?
The Anker is the car camper's choice: light, with six outlets. Its fans reach 51.6 dBA during UltraFast charging.
Car campers who want a light 1 kWh station with plenty of outlets, and the station we would hand most people first.
Compare With
- Bluetti Elite 200 V2: our best portable power station for power tools.
- DJI Power 1000 V2: our quietest portable power station.
- EcoFlow River 2 Pro: our best portable power station for CPAP.
- EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3: our best portable power station for home backup.
- Jackery 1000 Plus: our best portable power station for off-grid camping.
- EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max: our best portable power station for campervans.
- Goal Zero Yeti 700: our best rugged portable power station.
- Jackery Explorer 300: our best portable power station for tent camping.
- Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus: our best portable power station for RVs.
See all ten, and how we tested them, in our best portable power stations guide. For every type of generator, start at our best generators guide.
Editor's Note, 5 November 2026: Updated to match our portable power stations guide: Ryan took it truck camping in Squamish, and its marks and overall are now his. This station now scores 90 out of 100, ranks #1 and is our best overall portable power station.
Editor's Note, 1 November 2026: Rewritten from the Lake Tahoe test log Ryan and John supplied on 1 November 2026, to match our rebuilt portable power stations guide. The score of 85 is now the average of four bench marks, and the earlier score and award on this page have been replaced.
Editor's Note, 20 October 2026: Renamed this pick's award to say what it is best for, to match our updated buying guide. Scores and rankings are unchanged.
Editor's Note: Updated 13 August 2026: product photography added and the charging figures rechecked against Anker's current listing, including the app-gated UltraFast mode.
Our Testers
This review was edited by Sean Williams and tested by our lead tester, Ryan Williams, and John Palmer.
- Sean Williams, Editor-in-Chief. Sean built the team of researchers and testers behind our reviews and edits every guide. His rule: we say what we actually found.
- Ryan Williams, Lead Tester. Ryan leads our field tests and our generator and solar testing.
- John Palmer, Tester. John tests our generators and power stations alongside Ryan.
