Purchasing a portable power station is always a great investment, as these devices ensure that your home’s electrical appliances can remain running during unexpected power outages. From keeping the lights on to keeping appliances such as a fridge running for a few hours, having a portable power station can be a game changer when facing power outages. Plus, they also allow you to recharge the battery of your portable devices several times before their stored power runs out. Moreover, portable power stations also offer you a source of power while you’re away from home and off-the-grid, such as when you’re traveling or going camping. Most importantly, portable power stations are significantly better back-up energy solutions than gas-powered generators, as they’re lighter, completely silent, and don’t emit any harmful fumes to the environment like their counterparts do. With that said, if you’re on the market for a portable power station that’s reliable and capable of keeping several devices running for a few hours, then consider going with the 4Patriots Patriot Power Sidekick.
The 4Patriots Patriot Power Sidekick is a portable mini power station powered by a cutting-edge 12.8V Lithium Iron Phosphate battery pack that’s rated to have a 23.4 Ah capacity with a long-lasting battery life up to 2000 cycles thanks to its advanced battery technology and a 300W output with a 360W peak. The power station integrates a built-in LED display screen, a bright LED light, and a multi-port connectivity panel featuring 2 Pure Sine Wave AC Outlets (110VAC), 2 USB-A 3.0 Outputs (5V/3A), a USB-C PD 30W Output (5-9V/3A) and a USB-C PD 60W Input / Output port (5-20V/3A) that support Pass-through Charging, 2 12V DC Outlets (12V/10A), along with a DC/AC Solar and Car Input (12VDC/10A), and a car cigarette lighter Input / Output socket (12V/10A). Its battery supports 4 different recharging methods, including AC, DC, USB-C PD, and solar charging via its included 40W solar panel, which boasts an extra USB outlet for charging another device. The power station also boasts Quick-Time Charge Technology, allowing for its battery to charge in as little as 5 hours.
Designed for a simple plug-and-play usage, this portable mini power station is a great back-up energy solution for any time you need a reliable source of power to keep all of your appliances and devices running, whether that’s during a power outage, while you’re on the go, or out camping and enjoying the outdoors. Plus, the fact that its battery can be recharged completely for free through solar charging only makes it better.
Now, let’s have a more detailed look at the 4Patriots Patriot Power Sidekick and check out everything that this solid-state portable power station has to offer you.
DESIGN & SPECS
Starting with the power station’s size, the 4Patriots Patriot Power Sidekick has a super compact and lightweight form factor, measuring just 9 inches long by 7.68 inches wide by 6.2 inches tall, and weighing only 8.6 lbs.
On top of its sleek dimensions, this portable power station is also built with portability in mind, as the unit also comes equipped with a sturdy carrying handle that makes it easy for you to carry it around.
This power station also sports a very modern design, which gives it a cool, stylish look.
More importantly, the 4Patriots Patriot Power Sidekick also packs an extremely durable construction, as its outer case is built of a highly durable plastic, while also integrating rubberized corners that make it shock-resistant against unexpected bumps.
INTERFACE / CONTROL PANEL
Moving on to the Patriots Patriot Power Sidekick’s control and connectivity panel, meaning its interface, which has a simple and user-friendly plug-and-play layout that makes it easy and straightforward to use, even for those less tech-savvy.
Starting at the top side of the power station, we have its dedicated Power On/Off button, followed by a built-in LED display screen that provides you with all the necessary information for the power station’s operation.
This includes its current Input and Output power values in Watts, an estimated remaining amount of time of how long your device(s) can keep running and how long the unit’s battery will take to deplete, the type of connection ports that are being used in the form of text icons (represented by DC, USB, and AC symbols), and a battery indicator that informs you about the unit’s current battery level in a percentage form.
Integrated at the right side of the power station, there’s a built-in bright LED light that can be turned On and Off via its Light button for nighttime illumination when required. The power station’s LED light is extremely bright, meaning the power station can offer you a very decent source of light, especially in low-light conditions.
Directly below the power station’s LED display screen, we have its connectivity panel. At the left side, we have an AC On/Off button, and under it, 2 Pure Sine Wave AC Outlets (110VAC) that together can deliver a continuous AC power output of up to 300W (maximum).
Right at the center of the power station’s connection panel, there’s a USB / Solar On/Off button for its USB ports and its Solar and Car Input port. Below that button, there are 2 USB-A 3.0 Output ports (5V/3A), followed by a USB-C PD Output port (5V/3A — 9V/3A — 12V/2.25A — 15V/2A — 20V/1.5A) that boasts up to 30W of output power.
Directly at the left side of these USB Output ports, there’s a DC/AC Solar and Car Input (12VDC/10A), while at the right side there’s an additional USB-C PD Input / Output port (5V/3A — 9V/3A — 12V/3A — 15V/3A — 20V/3A) that boasts a maximum input and output power of 60W.
Note that both the power station’s USB-C PD 30W Output and USB-C PD 60W Input / Output ports feature support to Pass-through Charging (but not its AC and DC Outlets, so keep that in mind).
Lastly, at the right side of the power station’s connectivity panel, we have a set of 2 12V DC Outlets (12V/10A), and directly below those, a car cigarette lighter Input / Output socket (12V/10A).
BATTERY & BATTERY LIFE
For its power, the 4Patriots Patriot Power Sidekick comes equipped with a cutting-edge 12.8V Lithium Iron Phosphate battery pack that’s rated to have a 23.4 Ah capacity with a long-lasting battery life up to 2000 cycles thanks to its advanced battery technology, along with a rated output power of 300W, with a peak power that can reach 360W (for a total of 30 seconds at most).
Its advanced battery technology also makes this power station capable of holding nearly a full charge for an incredible 2 years, and even 5 years after you recharge its internal battery over and over, its battery will still store around 50% power of its original 23.4 Ah capacity.
We’d also like to note that the power station’s advanced 12.8V Lithium Iron Phosphate battery is particularly engineered for safety and stability, meaning that its internal battery pack is nearly impossible to overheat.
That said, know that the Patriot Power Sidekick’s internal battery is powerful enough to keep all of your devices running for hours on end, all on a single charge. Its battery allows you to keep a set of LED light bulbs running for at least 100 hours, and also allows you to recharge a smartphone for 60 hours, a tablet for 17 hours, and a laptop for 5 hours.
Not only that, but this portable power station can also keep a CPAP machine running for a total of 6 hours (great for those who need such machine during their sleep) and can also power up a mini fridge for 4 hours, or even a TV for a whopping 2 hours.
Lastly, in regard to recharging its battery, this power station supports four (x4) different recharging methods.
Those include AC charging and DC charging (both via its DC/AC Solar and Car Input (12VDC/10A)), USB-C PD charging (via its USB-C PD 60W Input / Output port), and solar charging by connecting it directly to its included 40W solar panel.
It will take approximately 7 sun hours for its battery to charge from 0% back to 100% power. Alternatively, you can connect the unit to a more powerful 100W solar panel, which will reduce its battery’s charging time to just 5 hours.
Best of all, the power station also boasts Quick-Time Charge Technology as an upgrade from the previous model, allowing for its battery to charge significantly quicker in comparison to the previous model.
What’s more is that its included 40W solar panel also boasts an extra USB outlet for charging another device.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
Inside their package, users will find: their 4Patriots Patriot Power Sidekick Power Station, its 40W folding solar panel, all the connection cables required to fully operate the power station, and a User Manual.
FINAL THOUGHTS
All in all, this portable mini power station is makes for an awesome back-up energy solution. Its plug-and-play interface makes it easy to operate, while its 300W output and its 23.4 Ah capacity allow you to keep any device running for several hours before its battery runs out of juice. Lastly, its long-lasting battery ensures that you can get a ton of uses of out if.
If you’re interested in purchasing it, know that each unit is currently priced at $499, and each purchase also comes accompanied with a 1-Year Money-Back Satisfaction Guarantee. You can order it online directly from 4Patriots’ official shopping page.
