Dabbsson Home Backup Power Station review: portable power at a price

Dabbsson's home backup power station

The Home Backup Power Station set from Dabbsson consists of three products: a primary power station DBS2300, a battery expansion DBS3000B, and a solar panel DBS200S. They add up to a portable power solution that'll provide peace of mind if you have deep enough pockets.

We view the power station and battery expansion as a single product since the expansion is useless on its own. However, this is a review of the full set, including the solar panel, since they can be purchased that way for a whopping $3,900.

You can learn more about portable power stations in a recent roundup: Best portable power stations to keep lights on & iPhone charged in an emergency.

That roundup will be reassessed in the future, but we're placing the Dabbsson solution somewhere in the middle. It has great specs but is expensive for its overall experience.

Dabbsson Home Backup Power Station features and design

These three products add up to a home backup and portable power solution. However, each has its own specific uses and features.

Primary power station DBS2300

The DBS2300 is the main battery with multiple inputs and outputs. This is the only device of the three that is useful on its own.

It is a 2330Wh battery made with lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), known for being lower cost and having higher longevity than Li-NMC batteries. Dabbsson uses the same internal designs and materials found in electric vehicles for maximum performance and safety.

Despite its high capacity, it only takes 2 hours to reach full charge when connected to AC power. That's if the fast charge setting is on and charging at the full 1800W.

A power control processor uses multiple inputs to determine charging speeds and other factors. Dabbsson estimates 4500 lifecycles thanks to this processor.

How long the battery lasts depends on what is connected. For example, it can charge an iPhone around 175 times or run a 1000W blender for 2 hours.

Ports and display

There are fifteen total output ports and four input ports. For output, that's three USB-A ports, three USB-C ports, five three-prong AC ports, one Anderson port, two DC5521 ports, and a car port. For input, that's two battery extension ports, a solar/car port, and an AC input port.

There is also a device control port that is only used by the manufacturer.

This is a hefty power station at 53 pounds. It's 17 inches wide by 10 inches deep by 12 inches tall.

The combined output of the AC ports can equal 2200W or surge to 4400W. In addition, a single high-powered device can be connected with up to 3000W max power draw thanks to P-boost, meant for power saws and similar.

The Dabbsson power station can also be used as an emergency power supply. When the battery is connected to AC power, electricity can pass through from the source to any connected loads without using battery power.

In the event of a power outage, it switches to battery power in 15 milliseconds. This isn't ideal for some equipment like servers, but it will do for more simple electronics.

The display shows a simple set of information like wattage inputs and outputs, time remaining on battery power, and battery percentage level. Warnings and other alerts also display here.

The battery is controlled with simple button presses to toggle power on and off for various inputs. For example, some buttons toggle AC, DC, and USB power.

This power station also has a flashlight on the front with different brightness settings and an SOS flashing feature.

Get the DBS2300 power station for $1,799 on the Dabbsson website.

Battery expansion DBS3000B

The DBS3000B expansion battery is exactly what it sounds like — this product is an accessory for the power station and isn't useful by itself.

It is a 3000Wh battery that expands the total capacity of your Dabbsson system to 5330Wh. Two can be connected to the power station for a total of 8330Wh.

It is constructed with the same internal design and LiFePO4 material. It only takes 3 hours to fully charge this expansion battery at 1800W of input.

This battery expansion is 58 pounds and is designed to sit underneath the power station. It is 17 inches wide by 10 inches deep by 12 inches tall.

There is one port for connecting to the power station, two solar/car input ports, and two Anderson ports. Users can connect the main power station to AC power and the expansion battery to solar simultaneously to maximize charging input.

That's basically it. This is a giant battery meant to supplement the power station.

Get the Dabbson battery expansion on its own for $1,599 on Amazon. There is a $500 discount coupon at the time of publication.

Solar panel DBS200S

The DBS200S solar panel is a 200W solar panel that can be folded for transport and storage. It is made with monocrystalline cells with 23% efficiency.

The standard MC4 connector enables it to work with more than just Dabbsson power stations. In addition, the solar panels are IP65 water resistant.

If the weather is right, a 200W solar panel can charge the DBS2300 power station in about 10 hours. Direct sunlight and atmospheric conditions can affect the charging speed.

The four large sections fold out, each with its own leg for standing up. It can be angled so the sun hits the panels more directly. A pouch on the back holds the cables for connecting to the power station.

Get the solar panel from Amazon for $459.99.

Using the Dabbsson Home Backup Power Station

As the name suggests, this home backup power station is best used in a stationary location. It can easily power a desktop workstation for hours during a blackout, and the added solar panel can keep it going indefinitely.

We tested the setup as a home backup solution in our office and took it to a local park to test the solar panels. Everything worked as advertised, though there are some oddities worth mentioning — we'll get to those in a moment.

The power station and backup battery do exactly as they say on the box — plug something in, and it charges. There is a handy 100W USB-C port perfect for powering our 14-inch MacBook Pro, and multiple USB ports for other accessories.

The multiple AC outlets increase the usefulness in a home backup setting. We attached our power strip that powers everything at our desk, from the sit/stand motors to the Studio Display and multiple iPads.

Everything continued to be powered normally, and the battery didn't flinch at raising or lowering the hefty desk. When the battery was connected to AC power, our devices didn't draw battery power thanks to the pass-through function.

The power station and expansion are hefty products. If you're going on a camping trip, bring a dolly to haul them more than 20 yards to save you and your back some trouble.

The solar panel was able to peak at about 100W on a sunny day. Note that even with direct sunlight, you're lucky to get 50% of the rated wattage output on most solar panels.

The fans kicked in as necessary. If the power station or battery is charging in any capacity, the fans will kick on at a low hum.

Charging at a full 1800W makes the fans run at a higher speed, but the noise was tolerable. Though, we wouldn't record a podcast with that noise in the room.

Luckily, there are a few tricks included with this power station. Users can set the charging speed with physical switches on the side, plus controls in the app.

Also, standby times can be altered with a physical switch as well. Eco mode turns the AC or DC power off after a time limit set in the app. Standby mode keeps the switches on until the user manually turns them off.

There are a few experience issues worth bringing up. After a few minutes, the power station display turns off as expected, but the battery expansion display never seems to shut off. We couldn't find a toggle for it either.

This power station is advertised on the Dabbsson website as multi-use with indoor and outdoor applications. One photo on the webpage even shows a desert setting filled with sand.

there is a warning label visible that reads "Danger: This device is intended to be used indoors only. Do not use outdoors."

That's an odd statement considering that's the opposite of the advertised use case. The power station seems safe enough to use as long as it isn't wet or raining, but use your best judgment.

The Dabbsson app

To put it nicely, the Dabbsson app is an interesting piece of software. It is very utilitarian and obviously hastily translated from another language.

Users can find multiple spelling mistakes throughout the app, though this doesn't affect how the app works. It's just a sign that the English version of the app seems to be an afterthought.

It wouldn't be a big deal if the app weren't such a central part of the experience. It is needed for toggling P-boost, selecting slow charging speeds, and selecting eco timeouts.

Thankfully the app is easy to navigate and understand. And once everything is set up to your liking, it isn't something you'll need to open often.

Potent, portable power

Dabbsson has a great power station and solar panel combo. Everything works as advertised and has a competitive feature set.

There are numerous useful ports, and the devices aren't too loud or heavy. They may not be the flashiest products, but they get the job done.

This is one of the more expensive setups we've reviewed, and we're not sure the price is justified. If you purchase this system, you'll get a reliable product, but there are cheaper systems with a flashier feature set by comparison.

Dabbsson Home Backup Power Station Pros

• Fifteen ports
• Fast 2 hour charge time
• AC cable doesn't need a power supply
• High capacity for its weight and size

Dabbsson Home Backup Power Station Cons

• Price works for the specs, but app experience and design don't
• The battery expansion display doesn't sleep on the same schedule as the power station's display
• App has multiple spelling mistakes and feels utilitarian despite being crucial to the experience

Rating: 3.0 out of 5

This product does what it says for a price that reflects its specs. The design and app experience leave some room for improvement.

It's a good set of products, so we can recommend them if they fit your needs, but there may be better options.

Where to buy the Dabbsson Home Backup Power Station

Get the DBS2300 power station for $1,799 on the Dabbsson website.

Get the Dabbson battery expansion on its own for $1,599 on Amazon. There is a $500 discount coupon at the time of publication.

Get the solar panel from Amazon for $459.99.

All three are sold as a combo set on the Dabbsson website for $3,897.