BLUETTI Handsfree 2 700W/512Wh backpack power station – great idea, well executed (off-grid review)

The BLUETTI Handsfree 2 is a backpack power station providing a 700W load and 512Wh of very portable power via its 60L backpack.

It is built for the outdoors—hikers, photographers, videographers, drones, or anywhere else you need 240V power. It weighs 7.5kg, and the well-designed 2.5kg, 60L backpack can handle up to a 30kg load.

If that is overkill, BLUETTI also has a 5kg Handsfree 1 with 300W load and 268.8Wh capacity and a 42L backpack. Both can be recharged by mains power or solar.

CyberShack has written a guide, Portable Power Stations – Power on the Go, that explains what these are all about. We will update this soon as new 2025 models and features emerge.

But first, you need to understand a few basic concepts

• Power stations are DC batteries. In this case its power capacity is 25.6V x 20A (Ah) = 512W (Wh)
• Power load is the maximum attached device load. For example, this is 700W, but it can momentarily power up to 1200W for the startup of resistive devices.
• But here is the Catch22. The DC battery uses an AC-DC inverter to charge from mains power and a DC-AC inverter to produce 240 Volt AC power. Inverters are lossy.

BLUETTI offers this advice

Operation time = Battery Capacity (Wh) x DoD (Depth of Discharge – see later) x η (inverter efficiency) ÷ (Attached device load Power + Handsfree 2’s self-consumption).

So, let’s apply that to this device for a 100W load like a paraflood light.

512Wh x 90% (depth of discharge) x 85% (Inverter efficiency) ÷ (100W load + 10W) = 3.56 hours (70% usable AC Wh)

All portable power stations have an AC loss, but BLUETTI’s is quite efficient at 85% and has a small 10W station overhead.

Summary: Battery DC Wh does not equal 240V AC Wh. Of course, if you use it to power DC devices, you don’t have a 15% AC inverter loss.

And herein lies the rub

Our retail spies at Harvey Norman say the biggest issue is that buyers don’t understand portable power stations. You need to know:

• Average inverter load in Watts (Think of that as sustained car speed!)
• Peak load you need to support. There is no point in purchasing a device that won’t let you attach a fridge or power tool in startup mode (Think of that as the maximum car speed).
• The time you need to support the load in Wh (Think of that as fuel in the tank). Always buy more than you need.
• Weight and size and make sure you can lift it easily

So, if I were buying this, it has a 700W load factor, 1200W momentary surge, and 3.5 hours for a 100W AC device.

Australian Review: BLUETTI Handsfree 2 backpack power station

Website	Range Product page Handsfree 2 (as tested) Product Page Handsfree 1 User manual Handsfree 2 User Manual Handsfree 1
RRP 27/2/25	Handsfree 2 $948 includes $299 Backpack Handsfree 1 $699 Free shipping
From	BLUETTI Online, Harvey Norman, Bunnings, and approved retailers. Beware – do not buy internationally sourced products, as they will not have RNZ C-Tick certification or local warranty.
Warranty	Five years ACL – above industry standards
Made in	China
Company	Established in 2019, it is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. BLUETTI stands for BLUE Sky. Tomorrow. Technology. Innovation. It is owned by the Chinese company Shenzhen PowerOak (Established in 2013). It now supplies over 70 countries.
More	CyberShack portable power station news and reviews CyberShack Bluetti news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First impression

Let me admit that I am fascinated by off-grid. I have just installed a 10kW rooftop solar system and battery back-up and learned so much. If you are interested, I chronicled the journey to Rooftop Solar, and it covers all aspects, from where to start to real savings when it’s operational.

In many respects, the portable power station is just a lighter version of a rooftop battery, and the portable solar panels work the same way.

I have reviewed many from 200 to 4000Wh (as heavy as I can lift—they can be heavier) and have used them in situations requiring clean, portable power.

This is a little different in design and function – it is meant for portability at 305 (L) × 105mm (W) × 385mm (D) x 7.5kg, replete with a top carry handle. It can be laid flat or stood upright. BLUETTI does not specify an IP rating, so let’s assume none.

Add the backpack, and you have 10kg of power on the go. The backpack adds some weather resistance.

It also marries very well with the 60 or 120W portable solar panel, although it can take any panel up to 350W (more later).

Ports – enough for the purpose

• AC 230V 50Hz 700W
• 2 x USB-C 5/9/12/15/20V/3A and 20V/5A (100W per port with e-marker 5W cables)
• 2 x USB-A 5V/3A/15W shared by the two ports
• It does not have a 12V car utility socket.

Battery type and Safety – Pass+

It uses LiFePO₄ (Lithium Iron Phosphate LFP), suitable for at least 4000 full recharge cycles before dropping to 80% capacity. LFP does not suffer from thermal runaway and has a much higher depth of discharge at 90% (it can be 100%, but cycles shorten by approx. 10%) compared to Lithium-ion at 500 cycles and 60% Depth of discharge.

We won’t review Li-ion power banks as they are a fire hazard classified as a transport risk. This warrants further reinforcement, considering all the lithium-ion battery fires. Read Is there a safe way to charge Lithium-ion batteries?

In any case, you should charge this on a hard surface like a driveway or garage, away from flammable materials.

Readout – comprehensive

The readout is intuitive and has 18 icons. If a red icon (16-19) shows, it means a fault; otherwise, all the others in blue indicate an operational state. The manual lists these.

 I found the readout to be quite accurate. For example, this shows 108W for a 110W para flood (other devices show 109-111W). Charge and discharge times for AC are estimates, and DC is very accurate.

App – Pass

The Handsfree 2 app can be accessed in its basic guest form via Bluetooth, which is handy if you are out of Wi-Fi range.

You can also get more details by logging in to the app. It is basic, with a dashboard and a few options, as shown below.

Charging modes – Pass

It can charge at Silent (150W), Standard (default 350W), or Turbo (600W) and can use mains power, solar panel, or both simultaneously. In the latter case, if you have a 120W solar panel (as tested), it draws the balance from mains power.

Test – charge times mains power – Pass+

Remember that AC input needs to be converted to DC for the battery, and there is an AC-DC inverter loss of about 15%. It regulates the input wattage to what it needs.

• Silent: 4 hours 45 minutes
• Standard: 2 hours 12 minutes
• Turbo: 87 minutes (fast charge 80% in 45-50 minutes)
• You can also charge from a portable generator using the Grid Adaptive Mode.

Solar power charge – good, but!

The BLUETTI Handsfree 2 backpack has a built-in MPPT controller that allows you to plug a solar panel directly into the two-pin XT60 DC input socket. That will enable you to use any compatible solar panel from 12-45V DC at up to 8.2A for a maximum of 350W input.

Our test using the PV120D 120W folding solar panels was 4.7 hours. We could not test a 350W panel, but BLUETTI claims 2 hours, which seems accurate.

Please see our separate review BLUETTI PV120D 120W folding solar panel – good, but.

Car Utility socket charge – Pass

The maximum draw is 12V/8A/96W (24V/8A/192W if you have a 24V port). It has a low voltage detector to avoid flattening the car battery. This is best done while driving, as the alternator generally provides the most power and wattage.

UPS and pass-through – Exceed

This makes excellent Uninterruptable Power Supplies with a <20ms cutover. More than that, the AC output is pure sine wave suitable for sensitive equipment. You would be amazed at some of the poor quality, variable voltage, spike-laden and dirty AC that comes via the grid, which this cleans beautifully.

Backpack – Pass+

It is a 60L backpack that will take a 30kg load – 7.5kg for the Bluetti Handsfree 2. We won’t waste words describing every feature – the photos are self-explanatory.

Some features

• Lockable (aircraft safe combination lock). Regrettably, this is not allowed as cabin or hull luggage as it exceeds 100Wh read Planes and power banks – FAA/TSA rules enforced.
•  Splash resistant
• Gear compartment, clothes compartment, multiple zippered smaller compartments
• Well-padded back support, excellent hip support, and bum bag
• Chest straps
• Rain cover
• Additional straps for swag and other accessories
• 2 x Water bottle holders
• Ventilated and openable rubber sides for the Handsfree 2

I wore it for a 5km walk, and it was very comfortable.

CyberShack’s view: BLUETTI Handsfree 2 700W/512Wh backpack power station is a great idea for those who need it.

I can imagine photographers, drone operators, surfers, hikers and even tradies and garden maintenance (for powered tools) using this – perfect.

I like it because it uses a very well-made and designed backpack, whereas others have simply tried to make a strap-on power station. I doubly like it because it uses LFP batteries, whereas others use Li-ion because they are more energy-dense and weigh less. NO to a Li-ion bomb on your back.

BLUETTI Handsfree 2 – rating

While it is not the first, is unique in that the combination of the backpack and Handfree 2 is very good. We have to rate this as a power station, but we add points for portability.

• Features: 90 for the power station and backpack combo
• Value: 85 – There are cheaper, similar output LFP power stations, like the $699 BLUETTI AC50B, but this is slimline and has a backpack. I wonder if people would prefer to buy it as is at a lower price.
• Performance: 85 – Excellent performance within advertised specifications.
• Ease of Use: 85 – Greats warranty and charge and go.
• Design: 90 for innovative design

Brought to you by CyberShack.com.au