Ecoflow Wave 3 Review: a portable air conditioner and a radiator that is better in all points of view

I tested the ecoflow Wave 3A monitoring of the air conditioner, radiator and fan powered by all-in-one battery I reviewed last summer. Ecoflow has resumed his absurd marketing with a more powerful unit that can be recharged through several methods, including the sun. It is only now, it can automatically (try) maintain a defined temperature range and also act as a dedicated dehumidifier.

I was grateful to have the Ecoflow wave 2 with me last summer while vanlifiers around Portugal and Spain. The fact that A / C is less powerful contributed to compensating for daytime temperatures to reach 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees fahrenheit) and made 25C (77F) nights comfortable to sleep. But it only worked in small spaces and in the right circumstances.

Ecoflow’s third generation portable heat pump cannot perform miracles. We are still only talking about 6100btu (1800W) for cooling and 6800btu (2000W) of heating. And placement is limited by large consumption and exhaust pipes, and the space necessary for a receptacle to collect any drained water.

But if you have a van, a surf hut, a work hangar, a roof tent, a boat or another small space requiring occasional temperature control, then the wave 3 could be for you. Prices are reduced for a time limited to $ 849, or $ 1,399 with the battery bundle, before they get up considerably next month.

While wave 2 was limited to spaces less than 10 square meters (107 square feet), wave 3 is designed to operate in spaces up to 17 square meters (180 square feet). To test the claim, I used wave 3 as a radiator inside a small house of 14.8 square meters (161 square feet) the size of a shipping container and like an air conditioning inside a 9 -square -square B -class B van (97 square feet). Wave 3 has integrated Wi-Fi (and Bluetooth), so that I can connect it to my Starlink Mini And manage the remote operation on the excellent Ecoflow application.

As a radiator in a small house in a room, the wave 3 could only just Facing the space, but has been a marked improvement compared to the wave 2. with temperatures ranging from 8C (46F) to 10 ° C (50F) outside, the 3 wave with maximum heat could maintain temperatures inside at around 14 ° C (57F) at 17 C (63F). I obtained 13 hours of execution of the LFP battery of 1024Wh as an option using a mixture of ECO modes and sleep from the evening and to cross the night. The heat was low, but that was the difference between needing a duvet lowered instead of two.

In standby mode – The lowest adjustment – the 3 wave is relatively silent at around 45 dB when it is measured at a distance of a meter. The sound becomes exhausting in Eco or above, reaching 60 dB in max mode, which makes it much stronger than the 53 dB that I measured from the wave 2.. It also makes a regular buzzing sound of 36 dB during loading before being silent once the battery is full.

After examining his predecessor, I already had a good idea of ​​how the most powerful Wave 3 would cool my van during the day (mixed) and the night (good). He happened as I expected, but I was always hoping more.

Like the wave 2, the new Ecoflow Wave 3 is powerless to cool the interior of my van when it is parked in direct sunlight, even with isolated sun reflectors installed in the windows. There is too much heat produced by all this glass and this steel to prevent it from infiltrating inside, even in northern Europe in April.

One sunny afternoon when the outside temperature never exceeded 18 ° C (64F), I closed all the doors and windows, put the reflectors in place and mounted the 3 wave until maximum cooling. Instead of reducing the interior temperature, it pink From 24C (75F) to 28C (82F) over a period of 90 minutes before calling me. To keep my van cool in these situations, I should permanently install an A / C on the high capacity (and more expensive) roof on my van. Very well, I expected this result, and Ecoflow is clearer on limitation This time.

I strongly advise animal owners not to count on the new PET mode of the wave 3. Although it can add a few minutes of comfort to your animal, the wave 3 cannot keep them safe in a sunny parking lot.

As expected, wave 3 did much better when I parked in the shade. In an afternoon of 19c (66F) slightly warmer, wave 3 brought back internal temperatures to 16C (61F) – the lowest adjustment of the unit – and maintained it. So, like the wave 2, I expect the wave 3 to keep me comfortable in my van at night even when the external temperatures were 25 ° C (77F) or even a little more.

When leaving the battery in maximum cooling, wave 3 died after almost three hours of operation. ECOFLOW claims of 8 hours of execution are only for the less powerful Eco mode.

I did not test the dehumidifier. I mean, it works, and it can be useful to prevent mold from growing in a VR when parked in storage during the dead, for example. This can help maximize your money value by making the wave 3 useful all year round.

The portability of heating and double -use cooling of Ecoflow Wave and BTU per square inch have always distinguished it from competitors. The third generation wave 3 takes on a successful formula and improves, without the unrealistic threshing media which created the confusion and the disappointment of the buyers of Vague 1 and Vague 2.

But the Wave 3 heat pump of Ecoflow remains a niche product for anyone who needs to heat or cool occasionally small spaces in temperate climates, especially if they are located outside the grid.

The price of the wave 3 is a mess due to the insistence of Ecoflow on the use of limited -end coupons to buy goose. At the time of publication, you can Buy wave 3 Without the battery for $ 849 ($ 799 with coupon), but you then miss the solar load and portability. Most would be better with the Wave 3 Plus battery combo, currently reduced to $ 1,399Before moving at its full price on the list of $ 2,19 of after May 25. And although Ecoflow generally offers strong discounts on its products manufactured in Chinese throughout the year, they could be prevailing on prices in the future.

Photos of Thomas Ricker / The Verge