Ctechi GT300 is an exception to the rule that a portable power stations cost a lot. This giant power bank with 220v\110v output still can make your camping simply royal and power up a car refrigerator, laptop or other portable gadget. But price of GT300 is ** so much** lower than any model similar in power output, battery and capacity. I offer to see if there are any pitfalls in this cheapness
Once upon a time, Bosscat, one of 1st power stations from Alu, fell into my hands. Bosscat helped me lot of time and i`ve collected like 7 power stations since them, from a small “cube” Romoss to the most powerful Nitecore NES1200.
Sooo…i tried to keep an eye on market and keep prices. So i was surpised to see such a lot price that Ctechi ask for their 300W model. Good reviews and the fact that the company has been producing various kinds of batteries for 18 years made me sure that low price will not affect the quality and it is worth reviewing Ctechi GT300 portable energy storage device. So, here it is.
**You can buy Ctechi GT300at:
➤ Amazon
Specification
Model name Ctechi GT300
LiFePo4 battery
Claimed battery lifespan 10 years or reduced to 80% after 2000 cycle
Capacity 299watth
Power 300W (450 peak)
Outputs:
2USBA 5V=3A (15W max)
1* USB-C 5V=3A, 9V=3A, 12V=3A, 15V=3A, 20V=2.25A (27W max)
Cigarette lighter 12V=10A (120W max)
1* 110V or 220V AC
DC input 7909 60W
260180160mm
Weight 5.8kg
Packaging and appearance
The package is reliable. There there are 2 cardboard boxes, primary one inserted in a transportation one.**
Inside it, in a thick elephant of foam rubber, a portable power station is waiting for its owner. Kit also includes the bag with the usual set: charger and car DC socket cable.
GT300 kit also has has cable for Solar panel, 1st time i see this addition to the kit. Bravo! However, there is no type-c - type-c cable typical for kit of other power stations. Reason is simple, that is low power PD model…alas
I consider the cigarette lighter cable an implicit indicator of quality. In frankly cheap and low-quality crafts, it is frankly cheap. And vice versa. Here is the last case. Good plastic, LED indicator - immediately encourages about the quality of the most portable power station. Cable promise to be an AWG16 one
The panel adapter also pleased me, I have several of panels and this is an addition that i really need.
And here is the Ctechi GT300 power station itself. As in almost every other case, this is a black plastic “suitcase” with a handle. Plastic doesnt looks and feels cheap. Does not stink, does not creak, does not play. The comparatively low price of the GT300 doesn’t show up in terms of materials and workmanship. But, welll…the design is frankly modest. More powerful (and expensive) Ctechi models looks damn better!.
gt500
gt1500
st2000
However, do you admire this portable power station or use it? The design for such devices is secondary, as long as it works well and is convenient to use.
There are ventilation slots on the sides, on the right side there is also an exit for the cigarette lighter. Literally, just a couple of models have a lid that covers these slots. A penny and practical solution, to which, I hope, sooner or later every company will come. The second option to somehow reduce the risk of water drops getting inside the case is to cut the slots not horizontally, but tilted outward, like this \\.
Well, many more manufacturers close the connectors with plugs, partially or all of them. It would be great here as well. would.
By the way, product page at ali has lots of pics of model with old design. With no display, but with a higher power Type-C output. Taking into account the fact that the 45w of the old model would still not power up my laptop, let it be with less power new model that has a better display.
In terms of size and weight, Ctechi GT300 is quite comparable to a direct competitor of Powerwin PPS320 - the same capacity and battery chemistry portable power station. The design of Powerwin PPS320 is as much better as the price is higher.
The handle of the Ctechi GT300 can be lowered, and in this, by the way, it is better than its competitor, which may not fit into some shelves. Well, you can put a rechargeable smartphone in place for the handle.
There are no surprises at the bottom - there are two rubberized legs and a sticker with the main characteristics.
Ctechi improved the display, but stopped halfway. Now it shows the percentage of battery charge. This is good comparing to previous model with simplest 4 LED indicators. But user needs to see power and the remaining time at this power as well. And literally all the models that i own show it. All.
And 3 digits display of GT300 definetaly can show this data. Power up to 999w and minutes or hour+minutes. All you need to see. However, I brought my thoughts to the manufacturer, hope that the next update of this model will already boast a display with the necessary readings.
Now the display shows:
Percentage of charge
frequency (thanks, but who needs it?)
AC\DC (yes, let it be)
whether hibernation is enabled (useful)
whether the flashlight is on (it makes no sense, because the flashlight is already visible)
useful red icons for overheating, overload , fan.
Right next to it we see a pair of USB-A outputs, USB-C and a power button next to a lone blue indicator. =
The socket in the right corner below it is recessed into the case and I like it, there is less chance that accidental splashes will get inside, and the plug is fixed more securely. Although a regular spring-loaded cover would be better.
Oh, GT300 has a wonderful built-in flashlight. Why it is so good?
Light is diffused, which I think is more practical than a more focused one. Let it shine closer, but wider. The light itself is 3000K, which is a damn good surprise as almost all the power station have cold white light. Tested with Opple, no PWM in lowes mode.
Light is warm and pleasing to the eye. Well, a low brightness mode is close to the usuak “firefly” mode of flashlights. Turning it on in the middle of the night you will appreciate how nice it is that you are not blinded. Light always starts from this mode, and that is great as it easily might start from High or even SOS
There is a brightner mode. And you can also add the best that Xiaomi came up with in terms of portable light - their penny USB torch. If you still dont own it, believe me, that is time to get 2-3 of the. It costs every penny. Even if you do not need this portable power station, such a torch will certainly come in handy, an amazing thing, honestly. Surprisingly rare example of an inexpensive and practical thing.
The second brightness mode will be enough for you to light up the path under your feet or the table if you put the GT300 on it. Ill add some more pics later. Always forget to shoot em
Disassemble
Ctechi GT300 is fairly easy to disassemble. It is necessary to snap off the front and rear plastic edging, then unscrew the screws that have opened, a few more in deep sockets at the back and carefully pull out the back, then remove the part with the handle.
I do not presume to comment on this rich inner world. If what you see tells you something - write in the comments.
It is easy to get to the batteries and replace them if necessary. This is LiFePo4 a battery , not usual Li-Ion one. The advantage of LiFePo$ is the colossal lifetime and the number of recharge cycles (2000 cycles to 80% of capacity) and low fire hazard.
The disadvantage relative to Li-Ion is the lower energy\weight ratio . These two different types of batteries with the same size will be able to “pull” different power.
Portable Energy Storage Test
Charger
The 7909 pin input is used for charging. Alas, Type-C only work on the way out. Charging power is 60W. I would even say only 60W, because the Powerwin PPS320 already has 100W of power. The difference is significant and when charging from a solar panel, it will result in 2-3 additional hours for you, when your power station can charge something, but instead it is still being charged.
USB outputs
There is nothing to hide here, and in this regard, the Ctechi GT300 completely looses to Powerwin PPS320 which has 100W PD, which also work as an input. The latter is really convenient for home use, you can forget about the power supply unit. I have a 100W GaN charger it just charges quickly and cheerfully everything with USB-C port. And the lack of QC for USB-A is also frankly strange in 2020th.
Again, USB-A and USB-C only work for output. And if 15W for the first is still acceptable, then 27W for USB-C will fit only for fast charging smartphones. So it will not power up your laptop somewhere outdoor, you have to carry external power supply unit. Damn heavy brick in some cases.
2*USB-A 5V=3A (15W max)
1* USB-C 5V=3A, 9V=3A, 12V=3A, 15V=3A, 20V=2.25A (27W max). At maximum load, it was possible to drain 271W * hours. 92% of the 299Wh capacity is an excellent result.
DC cigarette lighter
In all portable power stations there is also a separate (separate) pin DC outputs in addition to the usual cigarette lighter. Not that I’ve ever needed them… but since it’s become a standard, why shouldn’t Ctechi removed them?
There are no questions about DC output power. 120 watts is more than enough. What is usually powered from a cigarette lighter in nature? In a maximum of situations, it will be an auto-refrigerator. And this power should be enough for an auto-refrigerator .
With a load of 120W (0.4C), it was possible to drain 224.5W * h. 75% of the total capacity is a completely normal result. Let’s compare with the Energizer PPS320. There, with a 100W (0.31C) load through the USB-C output, it was possible to drain 280W * h, i.e. 87.5%. The difference is considerable.
But at 120W, both models went head to head - the somewhat more capacious PPS320 gave a little more, namely 238W * h. The same - 75%.
220V AC OUTPUT
There is a pure sine so important for many devices (the same water pumps).
What about power?
We are promised to get 300W of continuous power and 450W of short peak power. Powerwin PPS320 in this regard, by the way, is weaker, there is only 350 watts.
Well, what can I say, Ctechi GT300 honestly holds 300W, which my wife’s hair dryer consumes at first speed without heating. But with heating it is already 500W, and here the hair dryer only unsuccessfully tries to start.
I need to get to my countryhouse to check the peak power and how many Wt*h i can get with 300Wt load. I left my wattmeter (the GT300 display, alas, does not show power) there and there is an electric stove, which consumes about 420 watts at one of the powers - exactly what i need to test. But I won’t be able to get there until next week. And then the sale will end, and there is is good auto-discount during this sale. I’d rather publish now to give you the opportunity to save. Suppose that this Ctechi GT300 review is quite clear.
Overall impressions
In terms of convinence of use and functionality, Ctechi GT300 is worse then Powerwin PPS320 (review) in almost everything.
Ctechi GT300 will not show you the power input-output and runtime. 30W PD is not enough to power a laptop and some devices (although it can handle with some low-powered netbook). The capacity is little bit, only 20W (i.e. ~ 7%), but less. The only thing the GT300 is functionally more interesting in is peak power. Here it boasts 450W versus 350W of the Powerwin PPS32. And this, by the way, is not so little if you connect some kind of low-power device with high inrush currents. Some kind of power tool, a small submersible pump or refrigerator.
It would seem that the choice is obvious. But… everything changes when a very, very important characteristic of the Ctechi GT300 comes into play. This portable power generator is almost half the price (1\3 less at amazon) cheaper then the stylish and functional Powerwin PPS320. Judging by comments in review of the latter, many people would like to get portable powerstation with so long lasting LiFePo4 battery. But they were not ready to shell out $ 350 for it. The Ctechi GT300 has a fundamentally different price, it is SO much cheaper. So, it seems to be a damn good entry ticket to a world of portable enery storages.
So if you wanted to buy a power bank with AC output, then this is the most affordable option. Maybe you will find something cheaper, but this something will have much less capacity and power. And for sure short-lived Li-Ion instead of LiFePo4.
Let me remind you that you can charge-discharge LiFePo4 daily, year after year, without significant loss of capacity.So you will spend these $180 now and that’s it - the issue of portable energy will be closed for you for a very long time.
And what is the Ctechi GT300 capable of?
300-400W of power and 300Wh of capacity will not be enough for a full-fledged reserve supply of energy in case of a power outage at home. Here Ctechi GT300 will pull only a small number of devices. 1-2 kilowatt gas generator, what to hide, can be more interesting here. In rare use, of course. If turned on frequently, the cost of gasoline will quickly tip the balance in favor of a long-lived LiFePo4 energy storage.
In case of a power blackout , Ctechi GT300 will help as a power source for a laptop. If you work from home at the computer, you can count on an extra few hours of work. Ctechi GT300 will quite pull a modern low-power refrigerator. But for the mass of ordinary users, I see another option as the most popular, namely the power supply of the water heating circuit pump. The pump will not consume much, and if you run it periodically, for half an hour, to pump hot water through the pipes, then this can help a lot if you have no electricity in winter. U know what can happen if your water pipes get frozen down…
But best of all, a portable energy storage device will show itself in nature. In conjunction with a solar panel at camping or hunting and fishing. There, these 300-400 watts will be enough for you for everything and the rest will be royal, without the need to drag the generator and fuel to it. It will be possible to work with a laptop, charge all devices, power a car refrigerator. Yes, anything, in general, from the devices that you can only take with you to nature. BTW, you can charge GT300 and power up some device at the same time (of course this will shorten lifetime of batteries, but who cares with 2000 cycles!).
And if you divide the price by the declared long, long life span, then a year of using this portable power station will cost you mere pennies. Like a work day of the same gas generator, for example.