G’day, mate! What’s up?
Hey, Charlie! You’re just in time!
In time for what? Breaking open a bottle already? It’s not even noon!
No, mate, but you can help me lift this parcel on my work bench.
It’s pretty heavy alright! Is it another product to test out? What is it this time?
Remember when I reviewed that power station from Bluetti a couple of months ago?
Yeah?
Well, they sent me the latest and greatest in their line-up: the Bluetti Apex 300.
It’s just been announced here in Oz.
Apex sounds like it’s the top-of-the-wozza, alright! How much more powerful is it?
Well, I suppose that the 300 in Apex 300 might indicate the output. It was so with the Elite 100 I tested: 1000 Watt hours. So, this one would be about 3000, I reckon.
We’ll have to see how that works out in practice. I know that all their units also have a much higher, so-called, lifting power, to run appliances that have a greater initial power demand than when running normally. Just like my water pump.
Enough talking, let’s unpack this beauty!
UNBOXING
Good to see that double packaging. A box within a box.
Wow! That’s a good-looking unit! With those four power outlets it means business, I reckon!
But what about those other power options, like USB-C ports? I don’t see any of those…
True, they are not on this unit. For some reason Bluetti has decided to bring out the Hub D1 that you can plug into this Apex and all the USB ports and 12 Volt outlets are on that little accessory. I’ll probably get to review that later.
Hmmm… Just wondering why not on this one? Even the cheapest power stations have a bundle of those ports on them.
I guess it has to do with what the Apex 300 is designed to be.
Which is?
Primarily it is meant for home backup for when the power goes out for a few days. Now, 3000 Watt hours sounds like a lot but I use about 20 kiloWatt per day in winter.
Because this system is scalable – meaning you can add 6 battery units, like the new B300K, to it – it can deliver about 20 kiloWatts in that configuration. So, I could probably be off-grid at home for 3 days if I’m careful with any heating appliances.
How useful would it be when you go camping?
Well, not so much if you take a tent. It weighs nearly 40 kilos and, like you noticed, it doesn’t have all those USB ports.
But if you have a motorhome or RV it would be perfect. And also for off-grid living, tiny homes or granny flats.
FEATURES
I take it that this Apex unit probably replaces and older model since Bluetti have had this scalability for quite some years already?
Yes, it basically replaces the AC300, I suppose, as that also had the modular approach for home backup solutions, but it is the technology behind it that excites me about the Apex.
Such as?
For starters, it has a 40% longer battery life with its automotive-grade LiFePO4 batteries, which should give you a 17-year lifespan.
Next, it is designed to get super-fast charging from your solar panels. How’s this for turbo charging: this unit, with another battery, can be charged in less than 2 hours. On solar!
Impressive. But you don’t have any solar panels. So, what’s the plan?
Ultimately, I’d like to get some solar panels because that’s the best way to be independent from the grid for longer. Plus, you’ll get your investment in the Apex system back in 2 years, they reckon, if you couple it with solar.
In the meantime, there are plenty of other ways to charge the unit.
On AC the Apex can be fully charged in 65 minutes. If you’re caravanning, you can use the Alternator Charger 1 for fast and free charging.
You can also plug in those foldable solar panels via the Hub D1 which has an Anderson port.
I’d like to try that out first.
Any other features you like?
Yes, you know that any power station on standby will slowly drain power.
Well, Bluetti claims that their, what they call self-consumption, is only a third of that of competitors. It’s about 20 Watt per hour.
Anyways, it translates to longer run times for your appliances.
The Magic Button
Hey, what is that Magic Button there? What happens when you switch that?
Yeah, I first thought it looked like the Panic Button that some pilots install on their aircraft for their passengers! If all else fails, press this!
But no, it actually has a few features that you can enable in the App, such as Child Lock or switch to solar charging at a certain time.
Or you can set it to Power Lifting for when you switch on appliances with heating elements. The Apex can than handle up to 7680 Watts!
I hope you’re gonna test that! Sounds impressive.
Yep, it is. I might have to borrow a heater or two from you as that lifting power only works with resistive appliances, like heaters.
Hey, here is something interesting for you: are you still gonna build that tiny home on your property?
Yep, plans have been approved by the Shire, still waiting for the builder to come back to me. Why?
Have you gotten a quote yet for connection to mains power?
Looking into that now but heard from others that it will cost a small fortune for connection to a new home and the wait time can be fairly long for my block.
Why don’t you start with a system like this? The Apex 300 allows you to build it up according to your needs so you can start small and add over time. And since you were going to get solar for that house anyway, you should be sorted!
Well, I was gonna look at something like a Tesla battery, but I like the flexibility of this system much better.
The Safety Question
One concern I have with lithium-ion batteries is that they are prone to catch fire. What’s the score with these Bluetti models?
Frankly, that was my biggest worry as well when I started to review power stations.
I do know that Bluetti seems to set the standard when it comes to safety of these critical units.
I already mentioned that they use top-of-range, second generation automotive-grade LiFePO4 batteries.
These are known for their stability and low risk of overheating or ignition compared to some other lithium-ion chemistries.
A sophisticated Battery Management System within the unit protects against overcharging by automatically stopping the charging process once the battery is full.
Furthermore, the power stations are designed to automatically shut down if a load that exceeds the unit’s rated output, is connected, preventing potential safety issues. I’ll be testing that too!
And as you can see, they have a rugged design and are very well built. And comply with every safety standard.
So, as we say: no worries there, mate!
Fair enough. The big question is: how much is it gonna cost me?
Probably a lot less than getting a standard solar battery. Because you can start with one unit, and expand over time when necessary, so you are not buying extra capacity when you don’t have a need for it.
The Bluetti Apex 300 costs $3,299 and extra batteries are $2,099. They have the same capacity as the main unit.
Right now, though, in the launch period till Sep 30, the units are 10% cheaper.
In addition, here’s the Discount Code to use: DRN5, applicable for all Bluetti products.
Good to know. What’s their website?
It’s over on their website and if you click on this link with the code DRN10 you get 10% discount on Apex 300 standalone units and bundles, only until 30 September 2025.
Lots of good info there, particularly for your situation about off-grid living and how it can pay for itself within two years.
Thanks. I’m keen to see how your testing is going over the next few weeks! When will you be done with the review?
I aim to have the bulk done within the next couple of weeks, but testing will probably be ongoing as we hope to expand the system over time with accessories and I will update the article with my findings.
In the meantime, have a look at the write-up on the specs etcetera we did on DRN when the Apex was announced. Just type in Bluetti to find it easily.
Will do! Cheers, catch you later, mate!
See ya!
Note from the Editor:
Thanks for putting up with this conversational-style article as an experiment to introduce the Apex 300 and my imaginary friend Charlie (my real friends live a bit further out! 😊 )
We’ll go back to normal reviewing for the second part of the review…
So, stay tuned for Part II where we put the Apex 300 to the test and summarise our findings and recommendation.
We also hope to publish a short video of our experiences.
