Overall and Final Verdict
The C2000 Gen 2 from Anker Solix sits in between having your own silent generator and being a huge capacity UPS, especially when paired up with the portable solar panels. Anker promotes it as a fridge backup and in our testing it was very capable when doing that. But with the wide selection of connection options on the front, it is a lot more than that. You can plug in a 30 amp connection for a camper or a tiny home, you have Type-C connections to power and charge your electronic devices, a 12 volt plug, and of course the normal household plugs as well. It can even just be a basic UPS for your PC or for your home network. Anker advertises up to 105 hours just running your router, it’s a little extreme but if you have extended power outages it could keep you online assuming your ISP also stays online. The best feature though is that you won’t have a noisy generator running to handle everything. With the solar panels, you won’t have full capacity for use past the base capacity, but I did see 183 watts of charging in sub-optimum conditions. Getting them into better light could easily double that.
For downsides, the C2000 Gen 2 is heavy and not exactly compact even with it being more compact than the original C2000. The solar panels are also heavy and a little cumbersome, but even then both are still portable. This is as big as you can get without getting into actually whole house backup solutions and after putting it to use for the entire winter it really makes me want to get a proper whole house backup solution and start adding in some solar to cut down on our power bills which continue to get even more expensive.
Speaking of expensive, this isn’t a cheap purchase. None of them is. The C2000 Gen 2 has an MSRP of $1499 and is $2398 with the 400-watt solar panels paired with it. But Anker is known to be generous with their deals and as I write this even the C2000 Gen 2 is selling for $799 or $1199 with the solar panels. That still isn’t cheap but it is getting down into generator pricing, but still a little above them.
Overall though, if you don’t want to deal with the noise and smell of a generator or you need a high-capacity battery but aren’t looking to go with a full whole-house solution the C2000 Gen 2 does fit the bill. Your wallet will hurt a little when you buy it, but being able to keep your fridge or freezer running through a power outage may just pay for itself if you have a lot of food inside. Or maybe you just want to keep the creature comforts like your internet, a TV, and your mobile devices up. I wouldn’t blame you there! It’s just good to know that I am a little more prepared for the next power outage.
Live Pricing: HERE
