Aiming to solve the woes of experiencing rotating brownouts, Powertech Asia Pacific Incorporated brought the Promate 240 to Philippine shores last year. Read on as we test what this indoor/portable power station could offer its users.
Design and Construction
The Promate 240 carries a rectangular form factor that looks similar to a car’s battery with handles for easy portability. Its body is shielded from bumps and drops with rubber-coated guards. Meanwhile, all the rest is mostly plastic.
The functions are pretty straightforward. Its face houses all the connectivity slots with two 220V AC outlets, three USB ports, and a car charging port. It also has an LED digital display that provides necessary information when the generator is in use.
At the back, there’s the battery terminal for jumpstarting a vehicle.
The top has a compartment where you can store all the cables so users could easily bring everything in one go.
At 13kgs, it’s not that heavy to carry and is quite small for a power generator. It easily fits in the corner of a room, the trunk of a car, or under a table.
Features
Apart from the obvious purpose of this power generator, it also has some added features that package itself as a good option for people looking for such devices.
Silent Operation – Unlike the usual generators that make a loud noise while active, the Promate 240 just has a whirring sound when it’s powered up — similar to the sound of a CPU booting up, only a bit louder.
Digital Display – As we’ve previously mentioned, its LED display shows the needed information like power output, battery percentage, voltage, etc.
Solar Charging – The Promate 240 supports solar charging which is a very useful feature when you’re out and have nowhere to plug into. It has a port where you could connect the input for the panels. Solar panels are not included in the package and should be bought separately.
Car Jump Starter – Simply connect the included jumper cables and crocodile clips to the battery of a vehicle to jump start it.
Another utility feature of the Promate 240 is its flip-up LED light on the right side that’s pretty nifty when operating in the dark.
Performance
We used the Promate 240 while out on a picnic trip where no power sockets were around and it proved to be a really useful companion to have around. Using it, we were able to charge our smartphones, a speaker, and a small 220V fan. At home, I also used it to charge my laptop and it did its job well.
Battery Life
As for the battery life, we used it for about 2.5 hours straight which includes charging two smartphones for about an hour each, powering a Bluetooth speaker, and a small 220V fan plugged in. After which, the generator still had power in it, but we recharged it anyway since this is part of its maintenance as stated by the company.
Speaking of recharging, it is important to note that initial charging should be no less than 16 hours (at the minimum) to keep the sealed lead acid battery in its best working condition.
Conclusion
The Promate 240 indoor power generator is a handy tool to have around. It’s compact and light enough to be brought to places where no power sockets are around, it has useful features that come in handy like when the battery of your car dies or when you need to charge it using just the energy from the sun.
It is also a solid performer and could handle multiple devices connected to it. And most importantly, its 24,000mAh proves sufficient even when you use it for a couple of hours straight.
If we had any minor gripes, it’s that it takes a bit of maintenance to make sure the battery is at its best state. As mentioned earlier, it should be charged after every use and even when not in use, users should plug it in every three months. Most importantly, while charging, the whole device should be turned off since using it while charging may cause problems to its built-in battery.
At Php9,999, it’s definitely a good buy for those looking for a reliable and portable power station that packs a punch in terms of battery capacity.
Promate 240 specifications:
24,000mAh Sealed Lead Acid battery
1x Duplex 400 Watts 220V AC outlet
12v DC power outlet
Solar charging port
AC and car charging ports
36.5 x 32 x 37cm (dimensions)
What we liked about it:
- Compact design
- Lightweight for its kind/portable
- Straightforward navigation
- Flip-up LED lights
- Lasting 24Ah battery
- Useful features
What we didn’t like:
- Should have routine maintenance to keep it working properly
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