The most durable power station I’ve tested dares Mother Nature to do her worst (and save big in this Black Friday deal)

Before I go any further, I feel the need to break down the details surrounding IP65 rating. If you’re not familiar with how these ratings work, the first digit indicates the device’s ingress protection from solids, and the second digit is its protection from water.

6 is the highest rating on the solid scale, so this means the AC60P is dust tight; it’s protected from total dust ingress. On the water side, a rating of 5 means that the AC60P is quite water resistant, but it isn’t totally waterproof. You can’t submerge it, but it is protected from jets of water from any direction. In practice, this means that it’s ok to get rained on.

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Over the past few years, I’ve tested a whole bunch of power stations from a variety of makers of various shapes and sizes. The one consistency between them is that I’ve kept them away from water like my life depended on it.

And that’s probably because it did. After all, power stations are essentially big boxes of electricity, and that electricity can get very dangerous around water. But the problem is that there’s quite a bit of water in the outdoors: rain, sleet and snow, rivers and lakes, mist and fog, and condensation. It’s all water, and it all wants to soak your gear.

So I decided to find out how water resistant the AC60P was, and took it to one of my favorite places — the awesome Anglesey Transport Museum — to see some of the exhibits on a wet, rainy day (I also used it to do some useful things like recharge drones and power lights and other devices).

When using the AC60P, I was careful to wipe the power station before use to ensure no water got into the sockets and ports. Beyond this, no extra care was needed, and I found that the power station effortlessly shrugged off water in all its forms, as well as dirt and dust. Sure, it takes some getting used to—and a hint of bravery—to expose a power station to moisture and continue to use it. But I quickly became accustomed to it. Just don’t try this with one of the many power stations that aren’t IP65 rated!

When it comes to power stations, the AC60 is about as flawless as they get. As I would expect from a prestigious brand like Bluetti, the AC60P lives up to all the claims made on the spec sheet. As part of this review, I tested the capacity, power outputs, and charge times, and everything passed with flying colors.

On the front of the unit are most of the ports, three gently glowing buttons for turning the unit on and controlling the AC and DC outputs, and a bright, feature-packed yet easy-to-read display that shows all the important information at-a-glance. 

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One of the biggest improvements to come to power stations in the last few years has been the shift from lithium-ion battery technology to LiFePO4 batteries. These aren’t as power-dense as their lithium counterparts, but they’re safer (that is, less likely to spontaneously combust) and have a much longer lifespan – more than 3,000 recharge cycles, or about six times longer, before the charge capacity falls to 80 percent.  

At just a shade over 20 pounds, the AC60P is hefty but still relatively easy to tote around, and strikes a balance between portability and functionality. It’s quite compact for transporting by truck or car, and the handle is comfortable enough to lug over short distances, but anything much more than that might be considered a challenge by some.

Also: The best portable power stations you can buy: Expert tested

There are lots of little touches that I like about the AC60P. As I’ve already mentioned, the handle is nice and comfortable, and the unit is well balanced from a weight perspective. The port covers are robust, don’t fall off like some I’ve seen, and work well at keeping debris out of the power station. Additionally, the LED light on the rear of the device is super practical and means I don’t need to carry separate lighting.