Warning: Goal Zero Yeti 6000X Portable Power Station Review + Top 4 Alternatives
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“Goodbye gas generator,” says the Goal Zero Yeti 6000X Portable Power Station’s description on the company website, which is a perfect indicator of this gigantic machine and its capabilities. For almost a decade, Goal Zero has offered practical portable products from pocket-sized power banks to large generators. But with the Yeti 6000X, the makers decided to go seriously big, making it one of the largest portable power generators ever built.
However, with an eyebrow-raising (maybe even fist-clenching) price tag, is this massive box of solar power worth the money? Let’s find out in this Goal Zero Yeti 6000X review and take a look at some compelling alternatives.
All You Need to Know About the Yeti 6000X Portable Power Station
The Yeti 6000X is an enormous battery placed inside a well-designed housing that also sports some useful features like different input and output ports, an integrated inverter, a tiny display screen, and some more simple electronics.
Although often dubbed as a portable generator, it would be more correct to call it a storage device since it does not generate power but simply stores it. Let’s get to know it better:
The Yeti 6000X Portable Power Station comes with a staggering 6,071 Wh of energy storage in a modern, Li-ion NMC battery. This energy can be pulled through a sizable 2,000W AC inverter (3,500W surge), which allows you to run even large-sized appliances like refrigerators, power tools, etc.
The device can be charged through a wall charger, solar, or through your car. Wall charging is the fastest, with a 12-hour charging time, while solar is a bit slower at 18-36 hours.
The power station also includes a built-in MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracker) charge controller, which regulates input voltage from solar panels, maximizing charging efficiency. Goal Zero claims that this improves efficiency by up to 30%, and although 30% is only the best-case scenario, MPPT does indeed improve charging times.
To get an idea of how much power this Yeti packs, the company claims that you can recharge over 500 phones (though it isn’t wise to spend 5,000 bucks to charge smartphones alone), or run a full-sized refrigerator for 100+ hours. Now, that is certainly impressive.
The device comes with an array of ports, including fast-charging 60W USB-C Power Delivery, multiple USB-A ports, regulated 12V, and two 120V AC ports.
The 6000X connects with any smartphone via a mobile app, allowing you to check energy capacity, power on/off, view historical data, and more. It is also compatible with Goal Zero’s link system for integration with car or home battery systems.
Pros
- The best thing about the Goal Zero Yeti 6000X, or about any Yeti model for that matter, is its reliability and usability.
- Goal Zero is a trustworthy brand, and its popularity is attributed not only to great marketing but also to impressive after-sales support.
- As for the product itself, the company has tried to make it as practical as possible.
- A clean display and mobile app and the neatly organized and labeled ports ensure convenience every time you use it.
- Unlike many other large solar generators in the market, the Yeti 6000X comes with a super-useful wheeled cart. For a device this heavy, the wheeled cart is a blessing.
- The generator’s integrated inverter and MPPT controller are of excellent quality, and the battery itself leaves no room for complaints.
Cons
The Yeti 6000X is a fantastic product, but only as long as you aren’t looking at the price tag. Let us address this elephant in the room – $4999.95!
If you were to list all the great things $5000 could buy you, we believe it would be a sizable list, but would the Goal Zero Yeti have a place on that list? Although this is a subjective question, we need to understand two important aspects of a product like this:
- 1. Solar
Many Goal Zero products can indeed be labeled “portable solar equipment,” but how true is it in the case of the 6000X? As mentioned before, this device is simply a large battery with several charging options and a built-in inverter.
To make it a truly solar-powered unit, you need to buy additional solar panels. The company website says 6 Boulder 200 sets would suffice, meaning another $3000. At a time when several options in the sub-$5000 category also include solar panels and supporting hardware (continue reading to our top alternatives section), $8000 is a questionable amount to spend.
- 2. Longevity
Another surprising limitation we found with the Yeti 6000X is its battery life cycle, which claims to be 500. Assuming moderate to heavy usage and draining the battery twice every week, the unit would last you less than five years, which, again, might not be a wise use of money.
- 3. Portability
Although portability is a forte of most Goal Zero products, the Yeti 6000X might be an exception.
Don’t be fooled by its shoe-box-like size. The unit weighs a whopping 106 lbs, which is equivalent to two full-sized travel suitcases. The cart and the wheels make it somewhat easier to move, but if you have to lift it on stairs or load it into your vehicle, it certainly won’t be a pleasant experience.
Additionally, for a unit of this size, just two AC output ports might not be to everyone’s liking, particularly if you want to operate three or four different AC loads on your camping adventure.
Top 4 Alternatives
Like we discussed above, there are valid reasons to buy the Yeti 6000X Portable Power Station, but there are also solid reasons to not buy it, in which case, the following are the top 5 best alternatives you should look at:
Specs
- 4,000Wh battery
- 2,000W inverter output
- 1,200W solar panels kit
- Connection Accessories
Product Description
Bluetti’s AC200P is a tried and tested portable solar generator kit. At a cost that’s just over that of the Yeti 6000X, the AC200P double hex kit offers 4,000Wh capacity in a reliable lithium battery with LG cells – a battery boasting an astounding 3,500+ lifecycles, which is over seven times that of the Yeti 6000X.
Together, the power generator units have 12 AC output ports and intuitive touch screen LCDs. It also comes with 1200W monocrystalline solar panels and all necessary accessories. This kit is with equivalent Goal Zero components would cost over $8000!
Specs
- 2,600Wh battery
- 3,600W inverter output
- 800W solar panels kit
- Connection Accessories
Product Description
Here’s another well-built kit by a reliable brand. The EcoFlow Delta Double Quad Kit may have less than half the storage capacity of the Yeti 6000X, but comes with a staggering 3,600 W AC output and an 800W monocrystalline solar panel set, so you can run heavier appliances with it.
At almost 40% lower price than the largest Yeti, this is a steal, especially with the solar panels, an array of accessories, and performance.
Specs
- 4,500Wh battery
- 3,000W inverter output
- 1,000W solar panels kit
- Connection Accessories
Product Description
A true blue portable solar power station with 1,000W solar panels, 3,000W AC inverter output, and 4,500Wh battery (just 25% smaller than the Goal Zero Yeti 6000X) – the Hysolis MPS 1 kW is the perfect example of what you’d call “the best bang for your buck”!
With nearly all the great features that the Yeti models boast of, plus solar panels, plus a fantastic 2,000+ battery life cycle, you could never go wrong with this incredible kit.
Specs
- 6,000Wh battery
- 6,000W inverter output
- 1,860W solar panels kit
- Connection Accessories
Product Description
So here comes the first Yeti alternative that’s considerably costlier than the Yeti, and you must be wondering why. But let’s talk about value instead of cost. The Complete All-In-One Solar Kit is a high-selling kit due to its amazing specs.
A staggering 1.8 kW of solar, a 6 kW (18kW surge) AC inverter output, and a 6kWh battery capacity make this the mightiest system on the list. It might not be a truly portable unit, but for someone who wants to be prepared to face anything from blackouts to hurricanes and is looking for some customization, too, this is an unbeatable choice.
Final Words
Goal Zero has proven itself as a reliable brand, time and again, with high-quality products, and the Yeti 6000X is no exception. However, if you are like us and want to extract maximum value out of every penny you spend, you are better off exploring some other interesting options.
Here’s a quick summary of the features and pricing of the Yeti 6,000X with some other spectacular alternatives.
| Goal Zero Yeti 6000X | Bluetti AC200P Double Hex Kits | EcoFlow Delta Double Quad Kit | Hysolis MPS 1kW Kit | HBK Complete All-in-One Solar Kit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery | 6,071Wh, 500+ lifecycles to 80% capacity | 4,000 Wh, 3,500+ lifecycles | 2,600Wh | 4,500Wh, 2,000+ lifecycles | 6,000Wh |
| Inverter AC output | 2,000W | 2,000W | 3,600W | 3,000W | 6,000W |
| Solar | Not included | 1,200W | 800W | 1,000W | 1,860W |
| Price | $4,999.95 | $5,309 | $3,187 | $4,689 | $5,809 |
In short, a “solar generator kit” with a long-lasting battery beats a “generator kit” without solar or a long-lasting battery on any given day.
