VTOMAN Review FlashSpeed 1500

Today we review VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1600 portable power station.

What is our takeaway? It’s a nice size portable generator with plenty of outputs for your typical digital nomad. Keep reading to learn how it compares against other generators of its kind.

Why review power stations?

As our travels have slowed down over the last few years due to pandemics and high school/university chaos, we’ve camped more, and dome more local day trips and random home projects. This has lead to us experimenting with solar power and energy storage solutions, with a possible van life project somewhere in our future when our kids go off on their own adventures and it’s just Micki and I again.

Prices for the VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1000 can be found on their website.

Amazon has the VTOMAN flashSpeed 1500.

The nice part about this quieter, travel-free time is that it’s given us a chance to test out a variety of portable power stations, and lets us see what makes one more ideal than the others firsthand.

So, stay with us as we personally check out the VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1500 with this real world, hands on review and discover everything it can do as well as what it can’t.

VTOMAN Review FlashSpeed 1500

With a 1548Wh rating, the VTOMAN VTOMAN FAST SPEED 1500 pure sine wave portable power pack should have enough energy to get most people through the day, whether they’re using it for camping, or working on a job site. It should be able to blend smoothies or margaritas on the patio of the minimalist log cabin that you rented for the weekend. (What, you don’t travel with a blender? You are so uncouth!

The FlashSpeed 1500 has just enough power but not too much. With these long-life LifePO4 batteries every extra Watthour equals more weight to carry. At 18.83kg (or 41.5lbs), this VTOMAN isn’t the lightest power pack we’ve seen, but it seems in line with others we’ve recently reviewed for its Wh to weight ratio.

While the FlashSpeed 1500 is primarily intended for loads under 1500W, it can actually handle certain devices up to 3000W with VTOMAN’s V-Beyond Technologyy. While we’ve only tested it up to 1800W, the V-Beyond Technologyy is primarily intended for resistive loads, such as space heaters, coffee makers and toasters.

We haven’t seen many other power generators touting this ability, but it’s a nice bonus if you find 1500W is on the smaller side, but don’t often use devices that exceed that wattage. Running it at higher wattages can drain the battery quickly.

VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1600 Charging capabilities

Quick-charging is one of the best features of the VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1500. At Only one hour from empty to full, the FlashSpeed 1500 is one of the fastest charging portable power generators we’ve reviewed so far. After testing it from empty up to full, the charging time is only about an hour. When charging, it can pull up to 1620w using the included power cable.

The fan is louder when it’s plugged in. The fan helps keep it cool while recharging and, while we don’t own a professional sound meter to get a more precise reading, when fully charging, we were often pushing over 70db with our phone only a foot from the fan.

It is unlikely that anyone will run it on a table like we did for this test. It’s fan noise, not motor noise, so it would be drowned out outside much faster. Even indoors you could hear the sound drop off even a few inches from the device.

Once the FlashSpeed 1500 has been fully charged, you will notice that the fan noise is almost non-existent. Even when using it to power other devices, it’s almost silent except when pushing it over 1000w. If you’re running a device over that threshold, the fan (and the resulting noise) will likely be noticeable. Hopefully you’re blending drinks by this point and not caring regardless.

No Power Brick on VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1600

A great thing about the FlashSpeed 1500 charger is that it doesn’t require a massive power brick. It uses a straight cord that fits perfectly into the top mounted compartment. This makes transporting the power station easier, plus there’s less danger of losing the power brick or forgetting it at home accidently. (Something we’ll never admit to having done…)

We are actually back and forth about whether or not a power brick would be a good thing. If you’re primarily recharging by solar and there’s no power brick, then that means the power brick is incorporated into the power station itself, which adds both extra weight and size to the device. You can carry the extra weight of the power brick with you when you’re lugging the device around. If you charge your device primarily via the wall plug then having no extra parts will be a big plus, regardless of the added bulk.

VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1500 Solar Power

VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1.5 battery powered solar power generator can handle up to 400W solar input at once. If you plug it into the wall and charge your device, you can get a recharge time of 45 minutes. That is incredible for a product this size.

While we’ve seen plenty of these with lower total solar input and lately a few with a lot more, the truth is 400W is a solid amount for a power generator of this level. The people who use more solar power than this will likely be using it to power bigger installations, so they’ll need more Wh.

Did I mention the VTOMAN Extra Battery can double your total Wh from 1596Wh to 3096Wh? We don’t have the extra battery so can’t say for sure how well it works with this device, but we’re guessing it works just fine and is cheaper than buying another full system. The battery can also be charged at the same time as the power station.

You may choose to pay more for the VTOMAN’s standard 1548Wh, even though the overall cost will be higher. You can purchase it later, if needed.

Also to note, the VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1500 can only support the single extra battery and more can’t be daisy chained to give even longer run times. It also doesn’t change the default 1500W power limit, just the run time.

VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1000 Ins and Outs

The FlashSpeed 1500 has a variety of outputs, including 4 standard USB A ports (3 at 5v/2.4A with a quick charge), two USB C ports that are PD100W and can be used to charge your laptop directly. It also comes with 3x 110v 1500W output ports (with a 3000W surge capability), 2x DC5521 12v output ports (5.5mm x 2.1mm) which work with many CPAPs.

For inputs, the VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1500 has the 110V one hour quick charge we’ve already touched upon, as well as the standard Anderson style plug for accepting up to 400W of 30 to 60V solar power. There’s also a DC 12-20V input that can handle up to 200W of input.

It’s a nice bonus that you can charge the device from zero to 100 percent in 45 minutes using all three sources (solar, wall and DC input). We tested the charger with a wall plug and a 200W solar power panel simultaneously.

The FlashSpeed 1500 has an interesting feature: it can jump start your vehicle. While there is no information in the included manual about these ports, it’s a cool addition I haven’t seen on power stations of this size and hope to find more information about it later.

FlashSpeed 1500 comes with a large rear-mounted LED light, which has three brightness settings, a SOS function, and a strobe. The LEDs are a great way to light up the campsite, whether you’re tailgating at a game with your crew or working late at night.

What comes with the FlashSPeed 1500?

In the box you will find the FlashSpeed 1500 along with a manual, VTOMAN stickers and the power cable. You also get a car charger port cable, USB C to USB C as well as the traditional USB A to USB C.

VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1000 UPS and Downs

The FlashSpeed 1500 has a nice feature that allows all output ports to support pass-through charge. This is a great feature as you can plug your device into the generator while it charges and even use the FlashSpeed 1500 in case of an electrical power failure.

The VTOMAN FLASHSPEED 1500 as a UPS

The advertised drop-time of 10ms (16ms, which is what an ATX computer power supply is rated for) should keep any devices you have plugged in running smoothly even when your house power shuts off. While not every battery power station has this, it’s definitely a big plus for having it around the house in case of emergencies.

The fan will run periodically as the unit recharges itself. I would never recommend it in the bedroom for this reason, but in an office it’s not intolerable and reminds me of loud bathroom fan.

Charges for Protection and Lifespan

As for charging protection, the FlashSpeed 1500 includes 10 types of protection, from overcharge to overdischarge as well as important overcurrent protection. The newer LiFePO4 Battery also offers 3000+ cycles of charging (empty to full) before the battery reaches 80% capacity.

How long will the FlashSpeed 1500 last me?

This means that you can charge the device every day and it will likely still power you through your day. If you use it only at weekends or during the summer, you can get up to 25 years of usage. All that power is free if you pair it with a panel of solar energy.

VTOMAN Review FlashSpeed 1500

VTOMAN’s popularity with van life enthusiasts is easy to understand. The FlashSpeed 1500 is stackable, and the top of the unit has a little cable holder. It doesn’t include a wireless charging pad. You can use the battery to power most electrical appliances or a smoothie blender.

At 1500Wh, the VTOMAN FlashSpeed is a nice blend of size to weight to power ratio, however if you’re looking for longer run times you can add the extra battery. If you want to power bigger devices for longer, then one of these batteries may be the right choice. VTOMAN’s larger offerings, though.

The generator itself is sleek with nice carrying handles. All the inputs and outputs are in the front so they’re easy to access and see. The display seems bright, and the buttons for turning on the various outputs work well. We do miss the included App and Bluetooth support some other power stations include, however it’s not a game breaker for us.

We did find it quite loud when wall charging so that’s a negative, but thankfully it quiet downs once it reaches full power. If you’re not in a hurry, it would be nice to have an eco/quiet option for wall-charging. But the one-hour total charge time can’t be criticized. It’s fast and perfect if you’re out camping and need to give it a quick top up someplace if there’s a place to do so. Otherwise, solar only takes six hours or less at 400W.

The fans are audible but not irritating. They are still quieter than traditional gas generators, even at higher wattages. You could use it for the entire day at a campsite without bothering your neighbors. It also doesn’t get that loud when charging up via solar, so that’s an extra star for free power abilities right there.

VTOMAN FlashSpeed Price

It seems that there’s always a sale on the VTOMAN, which we really appreciate!

VTOMAN offers a price comparison on its website.

Amazon has a wide range of products at affordable prices.

Disclosure: VTOMAN has provided a FlashSpeed for evaluation, but they have had no input in this review.

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