I tried this BlueTie power station with wheels – now every other charger seems out of date

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It took about 300,000 years for humans to figure out that it was easier to roll something than carry it. Just as it’s hard to believe that the iPhone hasn’t been around for 20 years now, it’s also hard to believe that we’ve only been using wheels for nearly 6,000 years.

And it’s strange how many power station manufacturers put wheels on their units (and when they do, it feels like a compromise). They still expect you to be able to lift about 80-pounds like a prehistoric caveman.

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bluetie solves it elite 400 – A power station built around wheels that would make the Flintstones stand up and take notice.

What’s the deal with the wheels?

OK, so why does the Elite 400 need wheels?

Well, it’s a big system, packing a whopping 3,840Wh of power into a massive bank of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cells. That’s enough to run a refrigerator for more than three days, a hair dryer for 90 minutes (if you have as much hair as I do, you won’t need one!), or your RV air conditioner for 9 hours.

That’s some workload for a portable power station, and the Elite 400 handles it with ease. I’ve connected all types of devices to it, from high-resistance loads like heaters and ovens to devices that require stable output, like computers, and the unit has performed flawlessly.

Take all that, and then add an inverter that can boost 2,600W of AC power (3,900W surge), and you’re looking at a unit that measures 17 x 11 x 41 inches and weighs 86 pounds. This is significantly more than the 51 pounds recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

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For mains-powered items there are four 20A AC outlets (the unit photographed is the UK version, so output options vary), four USB ports (two 15W USB-A and two 100W USB-C), and one 12V/10A DC output port.

The unit has a color LCD similar to that used by Bluti on other power stations. It shows enough information without being overwhelming. If you want to delve deeper, you need the BlueAT app, which is one of my favorites for controlling power stations.

You can start to see why it needs wheels!

charging options

For input, the Elite 400 can take AC, which will charge it from flat to 80% in 1.9 hours and to full charge in 2.5 hours. If you combine AC and add 1,000W of solar, this recharge time reduces to 70 minutes for 0 to 80% and 1.8 hours for full. It takes 6 hours to fully charge the unit with 1,000W of solar power.

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If you choose the slower, quieter 800W AC charging option, it’ll take just under four hours – but you can sleep in the same room as the power station without worrying about the sound of the fan disrupting your sleep.

This slower charging option also helps extend battery life, although with a five-year warranty and the known longevity of LiFePO4 batteries, this isn’t a huge concern.

For more than occasional vehicle recharge, I recommend BlueATI’s Charger 2 1,200W DC-to-DC ChargerWhich cuts recharge time from a day to just a few hours using your vehicle’s built-in 12V outlet.

surround station

The wheels are a pleasure to use on all surfaces, from loose gravel to carpeted floors. Any wheels are better than hauling close to a hundred pounds, but these wheels can handle pretty much any surface you throw at them (except mud… I don’t recommend dragging your power station over mud!).

And wheels need some kind of handle, and the telescopic handle on the Elite 400 is perfect for this job.

It’s not so flimsy that I expect it to break or break into two pieces at any moment, but also not so over-engineered that it becomes unnecessarily heavy and cumbersome. Oh, and the handle is comfortable to use – take note, other companies that put uncomfortable handles on things.

ZDNET’s shopping advice

bluetie elite 400 One of those portable power stations that’s perfect for many applications, from general home use to emergency power (it can switch to battery before any connected device notices), to go-karting or camping in an RV.

It is an all-purpose unit.

You need to be conscious of the weight because 90 pounds is too much weight to do anything other than move it around.

But you also get about 4kW of power at your disposal and the ability to handle 20 amp loads. Anything you can plug into a standard outlet will work with the Elite 400, making it a no-compromise system.

The price is also good.

At the regular price of $1,899, it’s priced very competitively for a unit that delivers so much power. Right now, on Amazon, you get 32% off the list price, bringing the price down to a very competitive $1,299. At that price, it’s a steal because you’re hard-pressed to find a good 3kW portable power station at that price.