EcoFlow Wave portable air conditioner: The coolest of the cool

EcoFlow is know for their vast array of portable power stations. From the beastly Delta Max to the portable Delta Mini, there’s really something for everyone. Now they’ve taken things to a whole new level, introducing the EcoFlow Wave portable air conditioner. Yes — you read that right. It’s an air conditioner you can take with you, wherever you decide to go. Camping, off-the-grid life, or even just out to the garage. It goes where you go.

The EcoFlow Wave rings in at $1499 — quite a lot for the comfort of cold air. This truly is a case of getting what you pay for, however. The Wave is a unique product that will fit a very unique set of off-grid uses. Keep in mind as well that if you want to be 100% off-grid, you’ll need to factor the $899 add-on battery to that price as well, which may be pushing the budget a bit too far.

Listen, we won’t give the run around here. The EcoFlow Wave is a solid product that will appeal to those that really want the ultimate in comfort when on the go. You can easily cool a tent, small cabin or apartment, or even a larger room in your home in almost no time at all. With its 4,000 BTUs, the no-frills set up will have you up and running in short order, and the robust EcoFlow app ensures you can monitor and change settings on the fly, even from afar (providing you have Wi-Fi of course).

For all intents and purposes, having the add-on battery is really what makes the Wave a powerhouse. Sure, you can plug it in wherever a free outlet is available, but being able to put it in a tent, cord free, is something that just can’t be matched. Throw on the included vent hoses and you’re crystal cool (clear?). That being said, the Wave can lower the temperature of a 50-80ft space by 10 degrees in just 8 minutes.

Perhaps one of the biggest features of the Wave is that there is no excess water drainage to deal with. The Wave takes the excess water and directly sprays it onto the condenser to evaporate it internally, so you are left without manual drainage. That means you can sleep through the night and not have to worry about water, well, anywhere. The eception here is if the air humidity if over 70%, in which case you may need to drain manually.

I ran a test here in a smaller room, around 40sqft or so, and found that the Wave was able to take the temperature from around 86F to just about 75F in under an hour. From there is sat pretty steady, dropping a few degrees over the next few hours until it hit my setpoint of 68F. This was indoors without any of the ducts in use. The humidity was quite high, so I did have some excess water when I was done, but as the manual states, a quick tipping of the machine before moving gets that right out.

The EcoFlow Wave will run for up to 8 hours with the optional battery pack attached, up to 12 hours when paired with the DELTA Max, or up to 16 when paired with the DELTA Pro.

EcoFlow Wave portable air conditioner: What needs work

Is it loud? Yes. But let’s be honest, it’s an air conditioner. Also, there are fans and compressors and moving parts — it’s not magic. You can certainly vent it according to your needs, which may mean leaving it outside your tent rather than in, or tucking it away in the corner of your apartment.

The Wave might be a bit heavy for some, especially with the battery attached. It does take up quite a bit of space as well if you’re used to car camping or traveling without much extra cargo.

While the app is very robust, it did take a bit to get acquainted. It may be almost too robust for some, but that’s just nitpicking. I also did initially have an issue with the firmware update out of the box. During the update, my Wave shut down then restarted with a flashing 10 on the display. Referencing the manual, the error code told me to shutdown the unit and restart. I did just that, but received the same error multiple times. Finally, I restarted, then was able to connect the app and complete the update. It ultimately worked out, but I was scared for a good 30 minutes that I had bricked my unit before getting to test it out.

EcoFlow Wave portable air conditioner: Competition

Is there competiton? Not really. There are small, portable devices that can blow out cold air, sure. But are you going to use them in a tent or cabin when it really matters? Maybe. But for what you get with the Wave, you’re really in an entirely different space than “standard” portable air conditoners. Obviously the battery is what sets things apart here, but you won’t find anything comparable in this size, power or ease of use. You always “get what you pay for” and the Wave is no exception. Even when pushing well over $2k with the battery, there aren’t really any other options in this category.

EcoFlow Wave portable air conditioner: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if…

• You want to be the coolest, everywhere
• You need A/C when camping or on the go
• Off-grid is life

You shouldn’t buy this if…

• You have a tight budget. It’s pricey
• You can get by with fans or other cooling devices

We’re not pushing too hard to sway anyone on this one. You either know you want it or you don’t. It’s a niche product that does at amazing job for its intended purpose.

4.5
out of 5