It's April-showers time, which will be followed by May downpours, then potentially catastrophic June-July-August thunderbumpers, the kind that can devastate your local power grid. So, some advice: Don't get left in the dark — a small generator is all you need to get back up and running, even if it's just to charge your phone so that you can stay aware of any more threatening weather coming your way. The Grecell Portable Power Station is on sale for just $160 with an on-page coupon and provides enough juice to run many appliances.

Amazon

Grecell Portable Power Station 300W

$161$270

Save $109 with coupon

This handy power station/generator can be recharged quickly by plugging it in, or you can use the power of the sun to ensure you always have a charge.

Save $109 with coupon

$161 at Amazon

It's always a good idea to have a backup power source on hand, but the Grecell Portable Power Station is useful for more than just safety. It's also a great camping companion! You can bring some of the comforts of home with you, like a griddle or small electric stove. No more hunting for a smooth, clean rock to fry your eggs on.

It's equipped with 60W fast charging, so you can quickly power up phones and laptops. The maximum output is 330W with a surge of 600W, which means that some appliances — like a blender, for example — that draw more power on startup can still be powered. It has a maximum capacity of 288Wh.

There's no lack of ports on this thing, either. The Grecell comes equipped with one AC outlet, one USB-C outlet, three USB-A outlets, one car port and two DC outlets, and it can power up to eight different devices at the same time.

If the battery starts to run low, there are three different ways to power it back up. The first is through solar power, and it's the easiest way to charge when there's no power elsewhere. You can also top off the Grecell by plugging it into an AC outlet or into a car.

"I currently travel and live out of my van and folks, let me tell you… this thing might be the best thing since the iPhone invention. It works great, is extremely lightweight, and can be used to power pretty much anything," said one traveler. "Before purchasing the PPS-300W, I had a regular cooler that I used and had to constantly keep dumping water and refilling with ice. Now I have a mini fridge/freezer that I use instead. No more ice or dumping water… I just plug the freezer into the PPS-300W and I’m good to go. It’s super easy to charge and if you’re the type who doesn’t like reading instructions (like me), how to use it is pretty self-explanatory all around. I highly recommend this item… I guarantee you will not regret it.

Another user backed this up: "I needed a power station that was smaller than my 700w, but bigger than my 150w. So, I decided this one would be perfect....and it is. The weight is perfect. Not too heavy. It is solidly built and the capacity it good. It does what it says it will with ease. It is simple to operate. The display is just the right size and tells you what you need to know. It shows the charge level and how many watts you are pulling. Just power it on and select the type of output you need. Charging is a breeze. Perfect for a day trip outdoors or a power outage to keep phones charged and an LED light on."

There are larger-capacity power stations available, too.

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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