The brand-new EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic is the latest budget-friendly entry in the DELTA 3 family. Basically, it’s a stripped-down, darker-colored, and more affordable version of the popular EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus.
As an entry-level power station, the DELTA 3 Classic doesn’t have all the bells and whistles you get with EcoFlow’s higher-end models, but that’s kind of the point: fewer features, lower price.
The question is whether the trade-offs make sense. To find out, we’ll cover the specifications, the results of our real-world performance tests, what we like and dislike about it, and who we think this type of power station is for. We’ll also compare it to some of the alternatives, like the DELTA 2 Max and the Pecron E1000.
Spoiler Alert: If you want a cheap, quiet, portable power station for basic home backup or camping, the DELTA 3 Classic is worth a serious look, but it isn’t perfect.
Before we jump into the nitty-gritty of our review of this fairly basic power station, here’s a quick overview of what’s under the hood:
These specifications may seem pretty basic for an EcoFlow portable power station, but it’s important to remember that it was not designed to be a unit for whole home backup power. Instead, it’s marketed towards those looking for an entry-level unit from a top brand.
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We put this thing through multiple days of hands-on testing to see how it would hold up in real-world situations. In doing so, we found quite a few things to really like about this affordable power station, including the following:
EcoFlow intentionally cut back the features and lowered the price point. If you don’t need a long list of ports or expansion options, the EcoFlow DELTA Classic gives you a fast-charging, quiet, well-built 1kWh power station at a reasonable price.
That “keep it simple” approach is refreshing, especially given this is EcoFlow we’re talking about. If you're not familiar with the EcoFlow brand, they kind of have a reputation for over-engineering their power stations and other products (the EF Solar Panel Tracker immediatly springs to mind).
They took a very different approach with this unit. Rather than having buyers pay extra for features that won’t be used, they have the option to select a low-cost, name-brand power station that does the basics reasonably well. For those who are new to power stations and only want to run things like a fridge, charge portable devices, or have enough power to get them through a single-day blackout, it’s a great option.
In our tests, the DELTA 3 Classic charged from empty to full plugged into a standard wall outlet in just shy of 55 minutes.
Charging from 0% to 100% in under and hour is excellent for a 1,024Wh unit. It’s also a feature that will matter when you’re short on time before a storm knocks out the power, or when you have limited time before you have to head out for an off-grid camping trip.
We measured this unit to have right around an 83% inverter efficiency, which is actually really strong for a budget unit. With most of our reviews, we give any unit that has an efficiency over over 80% a thumbs up, and it’s not usually something we get to do with these sub-$500 power stations.
When you’re talking about a non-expandable unit with a battery capacity of just over 1,000Wh, it’s also important to know that you’re not going to lose a lot of power during the DC-AC conversion process.
We measured the idle draw to be roughly 17W per hour. That means the unit can sit with the inverter on for a couple of days before it drains down to critical levels. For a smaller, budget-friendly unit, that’s pretty impressive.
It’s also very quiet, which is rare for inexpensive power stations. We’ve come to know EcoFlow as a brand that makes quiet power stations, like the whisper-quiet DELTA Pro Ultra, but we expected the cooling fans to break that trend given the price point for this unit. For those wanting to use their power station inside their home, in a camping tent, or inside their RV, that near-silent operation is going to be something that will be greatly appreciated.
When it comes to the input and output ports, EcoFlow moved back to a more sensible front-facing layout: AC outlets and USB ports on the front, charging inputs on the back.
Power stations from the previous generation, like the EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max, had the AC plugs on the back and the USB ports on the front, which was a huge pain if you had the unit shoved up against a wall or in the trunk of a packed car. You don’t have to worry about that sort of thing with this unit.
Speaking of the older generation, the DELTA 3 Classic uses the older EcoFlow display screen, but they made it a little brighter and easier to read outdoors than the previous versions. For a power station that a lot of people are going to be using for camping trips, that’s a small detail that will have a lot of practical benefits.
While there was a lot to like about this unit, especially for the affordable price point, it wasn’t perfect. Here’s a few of the issues we have with the DELTA 3 Classic:
We know that we just praised the whole "less features for less money" approach, but less can sometimes go too far.
The EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic only has three AC outlets, and one of them is ungrounded. For USB ports, you only get two USB-Cs and one USB-A. If you’re used to the full port selection you get on something like the DELTA 3 Plus or any of the bigger, non-EcoFlow competitors, this limited number and variety of ports can feel stingy.
For perspective, even the EcoFlow River 3 Plus has three AC ports and three USB plugs, but it’s half the size and also comes equipped with a wireless charging pad.
In our opinion, EcoFlow could have kept the price low but added a couple more USBs. It's something we feel would have gone a long way in a lot of real-world situations. If you’re facing a lengthy blackout or even just sharing this unit with friends at a campsite, we have a feeling that you’ll run out of outlets pretty fast.
For a portable unit that’s marketed towards camping and on-the-road use, not including a 12V DC outlet feels like a big miss.
Running 12V fridges, tire pumps, and other DC accessories are all really common use cases for a portable power station of this size, but the DELTA 3 Classic forces you to use the AC ports in situations where a 12V socket would be easier and more efficient.
EcoFlow advertises “Smart Generator” compatibility, but in the DELTA 3 Classic’s case that simply means you can plug an inverter gas generator into the charging port. Basically, you're just charging the power station with AC power, which you can do with pretty much any power station that has an AC input.
There’s no generator communication, meaning it won’t auto-start and stop the generator via the control link you get with something like the EcoFlow Dual Fuel Smart Generator 4000. If you expected the full smart-generator automation, the DELTA Classic won’t deliver.
That on its own isn’t a big deal, but the fact that EcoFlow advertises it just annoys us. Why intentionally mislead potential buyers with something so trivial?
There’s a lot of unused space on the front of this unit. We know EcoFlow isn’t exactly known for adding lights to their power stations, and they've only really done so for the EcoFlow River Series, but it does seem a bit odd for a power station that's aimed towards portable and backup users.
Even a basic LED light that allowed you to see the input ports in the dark would be really beneficial during blackouts and emergencies.
A 500W solar input is fine for a 1 kWh unit, but if you want fast solar panel charging, it’s pretty modest.
We know it's meant to be an affordable power station, but compared with higher-tier models, or anything that falls within the DELTA Pro ecosystem, the solar input seems low. With that said, this unit isn’t expandable, so being able to charge it with solar power in just over two hours isn’t the worst thing.
Since this unit has the DELTA name, but doesn’t really look or feel like a DELTA-series power station, we wanted to highlight a few situations where we think it would be a practical option.
If you fall into any of the following categories, we think you’ll feel satisfied if you order this unit:
If your needs include greater output port variety, 12V capabilities, or expandability, you might want to shell out a little extra for something like the DELTA 3 Plus, DELTA 3 Max, or even the somewhat dated but still capable DELTA 2 Max.
Even non-EcoFlow alternatives, like the Pecron E1000 or Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2, will offer more plugs and features at a similar price point.
The EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic is an honest and affordable low-frills power station from a very reputable brand. It’s quiet, efficient, and charges quickly from a wall outlet. Given it’s an EcoFlow power station, it’s very inexpensive. It’s not a fully loaded portable power platform, but it does exactly what it claims it will.
For users who want a no-nonsense portable power station for camping or light emergency backup, the EcoFlow Classic is a smart, budget-friendly choice. If you need more ports, 12V capabilities, and expandability at a similar price point, you might want to consider some of the competing power stations, including the Pecron E1000LFP, which we feel is the best like-for-like alternative. You get more of everything, with the only downside being the loss of the EcoFlow brand name.
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