Anker SOLIX F3800 Portable Power Station with 2× 200W Solar Panels, 3,840Wh LiFePO4 Battery, 120V/240V 6,000W AC Output, Solar Generator for Home Use, RVs, Emergencies, Outages, and Outdoor Camping

EDIT - I changed my review from one star to five stars because of Anker's response to the situation. The cord in question appears to be NOT the Anker cord. The box had been previously opened and resealed with tape over the tape with "Anker" printed on it. The solar generators and power hub connector that link them together work perfectly. My assumption is that someone purchased the solar generator and returned it with the wrong cord. We recently ordered and received two of these Anker Solar Generators. Typically, Anker products are top notch. I've personally deployed into disaster areas with Anker Solar Generators and they've worked great. This year, I donated three of them to be used in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa. These two units were intended to replace the ones that I sent to Jamaica. I'm not sure is the first unit I opened had previously been delivered to someone else by Amazon and the person put the wrong power cord in it prior to sending it back or if it came directly from Anker with a subpar cord, but when I plugged it in to charge, the cord melted after about ten minutes and then started smoking. I yanked the cord from the socket and the wires shorted, thus arcing and tripping the circuit breaker. The power cord that came with the second unit was MUCH more robust and didn't get hot when I tried changing the unit. Moral of the story--CHECK TO MAKE SURE THAT THE POWER CORD IS HEAVY ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE AMPS REQUIRED TO CHARGE THE UNIT!!! The attached photos show the size difference between the two cords and also show the melted cord.

I wish I had not bought this. I bought this on recommendation of a friend. Amazon/Anker do not allow returns. The product was shipped without a User Manual. I had to print it from the Amazon website. The User Manual is terribly written and even with a degree in electrical engineering it was not very intuitive. Small text, very hard to read even with reading glasses, had to use a magnifying glass. The system ships with a pile of 7 cables with no labels of any kind on them. The directions for recharging only show a picture of a cable, very small, and show plugging into a wall socket and the three prong connector on the side. There is no label saying this side is the charging ports or these are the output sockets. The diagram of the solar panel connection shows 3 panels, there are no directions for using a single panel. You have to figure out the single panel cable and connections yourself. The charge rate for their 400W panel was only 145W in our backyard in full sun. So for 3840 watts I would estimate that as a 26 hour charge time... pretty useless even in summer. You will run to zero charge way faster than it recharges. Edited to add, when a slight hazey cloud appeared the charge rate dropped to 22W. Pulled it inside to charge on 110VAC. Also this unit is very heavy. If you are older or not strong it is very difficult to take outside if you don't have an exit without steps. I used to be very strong, 245lb bench and 120lb curl sets when I weighed 145lbs. It was difficult for me to lift 1 step of 10 inches from our patio into the house. They should have optional 25ft cables so the unit can stay in the house when using the solar panel, which is still useless. Do your own research and choose another brand.

Buyers need to be very aware of the way Anker ships this package - the F3800 and the 400W solar panel. Amazon treats this as one package, and when the F3800 is delivered, Amazon marks the entire package as delivered. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. Anker ships the solar panel separately, and there is no way for the buyer to know this. I have yet to receive the solar panel, but be aware that the unit and its solar panel, in this package arrive over a week apart.

My Order was processed quickly and arrived 2 days earlier than expected, Was at 86% when it arrived and I had the software update installed and fully Charged in 2 Hours. Its a little heavy to be hauling around but it does have wheels so it's easy to roll. Have hooked it up to a few small appliances and works well. Just bought it for power outages for storm we received this past week. Lucky so far, Have not had to use it for emergency.

Easy to setup. It is heavy, but so is a gas generator its size. It is quiet and easy to operate. Good buy!