{"id":440,"date":"2025-12-15T16:05:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T16:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/?p=440"},"modified":"2025-12-15T16:05:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T16:05:34","slug":"so-good-you-can-toss-your-gas-generator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/?p=440","title":{"rendered":"So Good, You Can Toss Your Gas Generator"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Galen Fries \u2013 SOFREP<\/p>\n

Just go ahead and toss that expensive, dinosaur-burning Honda generator right in the dumpster. These battery-powered power stations have your energy needs covered 100 percent.<\/p>\n

As you were<\/strong>! Belay my last. Abort, Control-Z, or however you say it, but don\u2019t heave that stinky pig just yet. I can already hear the collective sigh of relief from my 52 Deltas (that\u2019s 91Deez for you youngsters).<\/p>\n

For me to tell you what the \u201cbest\u201d power station is for your needs would mean I somehow know you better than you do\u2026 yeah, no. But, I\u2019d bet we\u2019re not too different.<\/p>\n

We go camping and need power in the middle of nowhere. We\u2019re interested in solar. We worry about keeping the fridge cold during an outage. We use power tools where extension cords can\u2019t reach. Sound about right? Thought so.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a hardcore off-grid survivalist using a generator as your main power source \u2013 this ain\u2019t that review, my guy.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no shortage of battery power stations these days: Jackery, Anker, Bluetti, and plenty of others squaring off against DeWALT, Ryobi, Milwaukee, and the traditional cordless tool giants.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been in commercial construction for a long time. I\u2019ve gone through more cordless batteries than I can count, and it hurts every time one blinks its last blink. But when that happens, there\u2019s another one sitting on the shelf at the hardware store, ready to get me back to work.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why internal-battery power stations are a non-starter for me. They may perform just as well as a DeWALT or Ryobi, but once that internal battery dies, so does the unit, and there\u2019s no Home Depot quick-fix for that.<\/p>\n

This is where DeWALT, Milwaukee, and Ryobi shine.<\/p>\n

DeWALT\u2019s 20V and 60V Flex systems, on the other hand, are versatile. You can use the same batteries for your drills, impacts, saws, and even your mower. Ryobi follows the same logic, with an extensive lineup of 40-volt tools, mowers, blowers, weed whackers, and more. The Ryobi 40V Power Station<\/strong> takes four of those batteries, and there\u2019s even an 18V version that takes eight.<\/p>\n

About the author: \u00a0Galen Fries is a United States Army and Army National Guard veteran with thirty years of service, including deployments in support of Operations Desert Shield\/Storm and Iraqi Freedom III. A Forward Artillery Observer, he also served on pre-deployment training teams and is a certified instructor in mental resilience, land navigation, small arms, and fire support techniques. Following his military career, Fries trained students in electrical, plumbing, and carpentry disciplines at Clover Park Technical College. A lifelong prepper and advocate for self-reliance, he is the author of Up To Speed: A Prepper\u2019s Guide and is currently working on a military fiction novel exploring survival, morality, and human resilience in the aftermath of collapse.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re already invested in DeWALT or Milwaukee, their systems makes sense. But if you\u2019re in the Ryobi ecosystem, or just getting started, let me introduce you to a game-changer.<\/p>\n

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Available at Amazon or Home Depot, the Ryobi 40V Power Station<\/strong> is easy to source, as are the batteries. If one fails, toss it in the recycling bin and grab a new one. Sure, the batteries aren\u2019t cheap, but it\u2019s far better than losing the entire unit.<\/p>\n

Because the batteries are removable, your runtime is virtually unlimited. Swap depleted batteries for fresh ones without interrupting power. As long as you don\u2019t pull all four at once, the station keeps running.<\/p>\n

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The 1800-watt 40V model with four 6Ah batteries delivers about the same output as a small Honda gas generator. It can power multiple refrigerators and a freezer simultaneously. I run two fridges and a stand-up freezer for hours on a single charge, swapping batteries once in the early morning to keep food cold through \u201cquiet time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ryobi runs almost silently and produces zero emissions, meaning you can safely use it indoors or inside a tent. There\u2019s a small cooling fan, but it\u2019s whisper-quiet compared to a gas generator.<\/p>\n

Need more juice? You can run two Ryobi stations in tandem. Add solar panels during the day, and you\u2019ve got a silent, sustainable loop.<\/p>\n

With pure sine wave<\/strong> output, it\u2019s safe for sensitive electronics, and Bluetooth monitoring lets you check its status remotely.<\/p>\n

Now, don\u2019t toss that gas or diesel generator yet. You\u2019ll still need it to recharge the batteries occasionally\u2026 ideally during the day when nobody\u2019s trying to sleep.<\/p>\n

To be clear, the Ryobi 40V or 18V power stations aren\u2019t complete replacements for fossil-fuel units. But for camping, running tools, or powering a fridge overnight, they\u2019re phenomenal.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another angle for my preppers: my elderly mom lives 15 miles away. She\u2019s not dragging a Honda 2200i outside and pull-starting it in the dark. But she can handle a Ryobi 40V Power Station. Hers sits charged in a closet, an extension cord ready to plug into her refrigerator. It gives me peace of mind knowing she\u2019s got hours of power, self-sufficiency, and a can of bear spray until I get there.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been using my Ryobi 40V Power Station for years now, and I\u2019m in love with it. It makes my circular saw, grinder, and other corded tools effectively cordless.<\/p>\n

Yes, I still run and maintain my big gas generator once a year, but the Ryobi is what I reach for almost daily. Between my 40V mower, trimmer, and blower, those batteries stay busy, and the power station ties it all together.<\/p>\n

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