4Patriots Blackout Buddy Review: Automatic Backup Power for Fridges and Other Essential Devices
Power outages can happen unexpectedly, and losing electricity means more than just sitting in the dark. It can also put the food stored in your refrigerator at risk. Without backup power, your fridge can stop running, causing perishable foods to spoil and leaving you with a costly mess. A backup power supply can keep your refrigerator running during an outage, helping maintain a safe temperature for your food until your home’s power is restored. For a backup power solution that can keep your fridge operating in the event of a power outage, the 4Patriots Blackout Buddy is a great option.
The 4Patriots Blackout Buddy is a backup power supply with a slim design that automatically switches on within 20 milliseconds of a power outage to power a refrigerator and protect perishables. It features pass-through technology and an advanced LiFePO4 battery boasting 1,030Wh capacity, 4,000 lifecycles, and 600W output (1,200W peak), keeping your fridge cycling for up to 34 hours. Its battery capacity can be expanded up to 4X by connecting up to four Blackout Buddies for 4,120Wh of power. The unit integrates a DC charging input, two AC outlets, and comes with a magnetic display screen that shows real-time power usage, estimated runtime, battery level, and incoming solar power. It’s easy to install and compatible with solar panels.
Designed to keep your refrigerator and other essential devices running when the power goes out, this backup power supply helps prevent valuable groceries and medicine from spoiling and keep your lights on during a power outage.
Here’s our review of the 4Patriots Blackout Buddy, where we discuss its design, ports, battery longevity, power performance, charging methods, and everyday usefulness.
Slim Design, Durable Housing and Easy Installation
Starting with its size, this backup power supply features a slim design that allows it to fit neatly almost anywhere. The unit measures 21.8″ long by 14.9″ wide by 2.5″ tall. Despite its sleek size, it’s a bit heavier than it looks, weighing exactly 34.6 lbs.
The Blackout Buddy also features a sleek aesthetic with a brushed metal finish, blending in seamlessly with your indoor space. Its slim form factor makes it easy to hide behind a fridge, other appliances, or under furniture where conventional portable power stations may prove awkward. Moreover, the device also packs a durable, high-quality construction. It features a sturdy steel housing integrated with side-mounted fans for cooling.
What’s more, the unit is also easy to install, requiring you to just plug it directly to power. You can set it standing upright, laying flat, or mount it on a wall using the included wall mounting kit. Everything needed to set up and begin using the device is included in the box. It comes with a floor stand, a wall-mounting plate, screws, drywall anchors, power cords, and a user manual.
User-Friendly Connection Panel and Magnetic Display
When it comes to its connection ports, the 4Patriots Blackout Buddy features a connection panel with a simple interface. It integrates a 12V DC charging input and two pure sine wave 110-120V AC outlets for powering a refrigerator, a freezer, household appliances, or other essential devices. It also features a set of expansion outlets, a solar charging port, and a remote port for connecting its display.
In addition, the unit comes with a magnetic display screen that shows current power input and output in real time, estimated runtime based on what devices it’s currently powering, remaining battery level, and incoming solar power when connected to a solar panel. This becomes especially useful when having it set behind a refrigerator or furniture.
Battery Capacity, Performance, Expandability and Safety Features
The defining feature of the 4Patriots Blackout Buddy is its automated operation, which is powered by advanced pass-through technology. You connect the unit between a wall outlet and an appliance, and it stays charged while monitoring incoming power. Whenever it detects a power failure, it turns on automatically in just 20 milliseconds, switching to battery power to keep your refrigerator or another device that’s plugged to it running even if you’re not home. Thanks to that, it can keep food and medicine stored at a proper temperature, preventing them from spoiling in the event of a power outage. And unlike gas generators or manual backup solutions, it does it quietly without generating fumes or requiring manual intervention.
For its backup power, the Blackout Buddy leverages an advanced 1,030Wh LiFePO4 battery rated for 4,000 lifecycles, which equates to approximately 11 years of daily use, while boasting one year of standby time. Its 1,030Wh battery can deliver up to 600W of continuous output, but can ultimately handle 1,200W of peak power. That’s enough power to keep a refrigerator or freezer running continuously for up to 12 hours. Nevertheless, the unit can cycle a full-size refrigerator or a freezer for up to 34 hours in its cycle mode. The unit works with any modern refrigerator or freezer brand and model. You can also use it to power small appliances, CPAP machines, medical equipment, as well as smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
The Blackout Buddy also features the ability to daisy chain up to four units together. Doing so allows you to expand its battery capacity from 1,030Wh to 4,120Wh of stored power. That’s almost 6 days of power on a single charge for keeping your fridge or another device running.
Lastly, its battery system also integrates some safety features. This includes reverse polarity protection and temperature protection against extreme cold and hot temperatures.
Charging and Solar Panel Compatibility
As for charging its battery, you can recharge the 4Patriots Blackout Buddy using a wall outlet in approximately 2.1 hours. The unit also supports solar charging, for which you can connect up to three 200-watt solar panels to it. It takes around 5.5 hours to reach a full charge with one solar panel, while using three panels will lower its charging time down to 2 hours.
Should You Buy It?
The 4Patriots Blackout Buddy consists a backup system built particularly for fridge protection, with the ability to power other devices as needed. Its 1,030Wh LiFePO4 battery, 20-millisecond automatic response, pure sine wave output, solar compatibility, and slim mounting options give it a distinct purpose.
It makes the most sense for homeowners who want essential appliances or medical equipment protected automatically. Users seeking much higher output or numerous connections may prefer a larger portable power station. For refrigerators and low-to-moderate-power devices, however, the Blackout Buddy offers a focused approach to keeping critical devices running when grid power fails.
Pricing and Availability
If you’d like to purchase it, know each unit goes for $999.
You can get it from 4Patriots’ official shopping page.
