The Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 portable power station is down to $397.99, a nearly 50 percent haircut from the usual $799 list and the all-time lowest price we’ve seen since it was slashed even more momentarily during Prime Big Deal Days.
A major retailer has it marked with a limited-time discount and doesn’t require a membership, making this one of the easiest buys in the 1kWh class at the moment.
And for anyone looking to back up power for a blackout, a road trip, or a weekend project, the timing could be fortuitous. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the average consumer experiences multiple hours of service interruptions each year, and a portable power station is now a pragmatic hedge — it provides clean, quiet power without a gasoline generator’s maintenance.
What’s Included With The SOLIX C1000 Gen 2
The C1000 Gen 2 marries a 1,024Wh battery to a 2,000W AC inverter and up to 3,000W of surge handling for that gubbins you’ve got with high power draw — kettles, coffee makers, and even some power tools. That’s enough output to take you firmly into day-trip, whole-apartment territory, but it’s also a sweet spot when just running home essentials for a few minutes.
Its connectivity is excellent, including:
- Five AC outlets for full-throttle mains power
- Two fast 140W USB-C ports for laptop-class charging
- An additional 15W USB-C port
- A USB-A port for old-school gear
- A 12V car plug
The unit also offers up to 600W of solar input, which allows you to top off fast in the field with compatible panels.
Standout feature: Anker’s HyperFlash AC charging, which is made to top off the battery in sub-hour timeframes (perfect if you only have a small weather window or short pit stop). There’s also UPS functionality with rapid switchover designed to keep sensitive electronics humming through blips, a feature home office users might appreciate. The battery chemistry is LiFePO4, noted for stability and long cycle life in the thousands, with independent testing bodies and safety organizations (Underwriters Laboratories) often citing it as a durability advantage versus older chemistries.
Real-world runtime estimates and charging speed insights
What does 1,024Wh look like in daily life? In real-world terms, that’s 60+ smartphone charges (based on about 15Wh per full charge), or a recharge of your modern laptop 10–15 times depending on the size of the battery. A typical networking setup — modem, router, and a small switch — draws less than 30W, which is easily over a day’s worth of uptime.
Appliances: Most household appliances are in the range of 70W to 200W depending on whether they are heating (e.g., kettle), running at a low power setting (e.g., fridge motor), or have higher start-up surges. Based on this, it seems that a single 1kWh pack gives about 7–14 hours of use for an average domestic load, which sounds reasonable. A 1,000W coffee maker will chug for nearly an hour on end if you let it (but most people don’t). Medical users often say CPAP machines average ~30–40W with no heated humidifier. That should provide a good long buffer overnight and then some. Your mileage will vary for efficiency, duty cycles, and inverter losses, but those ballparks hold up in independent lab testing.
Its fast charge is as impressive. And in situations where grid power flickers back on for short periods during storms, the capacity to go from near empty to full in less than an hour is a true force multiplier — you can bank another day’s worth of essential loads while lines remain unstable.
How it stacks up in the 1kWh class against rivals
On the basis of price, the C1000 Gen 2 is cheaper than many peers with equivalent capacity. Better-known options (EcoFlow Delta 2, Jackery’s models in the 1kWh range) usually sell for more and drop to this level only during large sale events. It’s the fastest of its kind and, features-wise, Anker’s fast AC recharging combined with generous surge headroom and UPS capability make it a strong contender in home backup or hybrid travel use.
Those who intend to use it frequently will care about durability. LiFePO4 packs are more popular among organizations such as Consumer Reports due to a longevity profile and thermal stability that could translate into a longer usable life if you’re charging and discharging several times per week. There are some other factors that have emerged as differentiators, though: build quality, app control, and steady output under load, all of which the C1000 Gen 2 ticks in this sector.
Buying advice and availability for this limited-time deal
This is the lowest price we’ve seen since Prime Big Deal Days, when the floor briefly went to $379. Although it’s not technically the cheapest we’ve ever seen at $397.99 today, sub-$400 deals on a current-gen 1kWh block are few and far between outside of big sales events. If you are looking for a dependable backup or an on-call workhorse before peak winter weather, this is a sensible time to make your move.
Some advice:
- Make sure the seller is an authorized storefront or partner.
- Keep the station ventilated when you’re charging or using it.
- Match appliance cords to a proper gauge for the load.
- If you plan to add solar, a 200W to 400W folding array is a good fit — the C1000 Gen 2 can accept up to 600W for rapid daytime regeneration.
- For storage, safety groups and common manufacturer practice suggest keeping the battery around 30%–80% and topping up from time to time.
With that combination of price, speed, and capacity, the C1000 Gen 2 deal lands right in the sweet spot for a first-time buyer or someone who just wants a swift backup rig and doesn’t want to move up to one of the heavier (and more costly) 2kWh rigs. And if the past is prologue, this window may not be open for long.
