Last updated: March 2026
You have just bought a 1,000 W power station. Feeling pleased with yourself. You plug in your coffee maker. And then -- bang. The station cuts out. Overload protection. Your coffee? Forget it.
This scenario -- I have lived it. And I have seen it twenty times over in comments and forums. To better understand Wh figures, my watt-hour guide explains everything. The problem is not the station. The problem is that we have no idea how much our devices actually draw. We plug in and cross our fingers. It is a bit like driving without a speedometer -- it works until you exceed the limit, and you never know when you are about to.
So I did the legwork. I spent weeks with a power meter (a Brennenstuhl PM 231 E, £15 on Amazon -- the best investment of my testing career) measuring everything that plugs in at home and in my campervan. Every device, measured at startup and at steady state, at different ambient temperatures. This table is the one I wish I had found when I started.
Before diving into the table, you need to understand something fundamental. If you take away just one thing from this article, let it be this.
Every device has two faces. Its nominal power is what it draws once running, in cruise mode, when everything is humming along. Its startup power (also called peak power, or surge) is the spike of current it pulls during the first milliseconds to seconds of switching on.
A fridge draws 150 W when running. But the moment the compressor kicks in, it pulls 600 W for a fraction of a second. If your station maxes out at 500 W, the fridge will never start, even though in theory 150 W is well within range. Your station will trip its overload protection and shut down flat.
This startup spike is the number one trap with portable stations. Electric motors are the worst offenders: fridges, air conditioning, air compressors, drills, circular saws. Anything with a motor that has to overcome inertia at startup pulls a brutal spike. Resistive heating elements (coffee makers, kettles, toasters, hair dryers) have virtually no spike: they draw full power from the first second, but at least it is constant and predictable. You know exactly what you are asking from your station.
Good stations handle the startup spike with a "surge" capability -- a temporary peak power above the continuous rating. A 1,800 W station with a 3,600 W surge rating will take the startup of a fridge, a drill, or a compressor without flinching. The spike passes, consumption drops back to nominal, everyone is happy. A 1,800 W station without proper surge will trip at the first motorised device. Always check the surge value in the specs before buying.
I have grouped devices by category. The nominal power values are averages measured on common consumer models -- your exact model may vary by 10 to 20%, sometimes more on older or budget equipment. If your station also needs to handle cold weather, read my article on stations in winter. When in doubt, plug in a power meter and measure yourself.
| Device | Nominal Power | Startup Power | Minimum Recommended Station |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | |||
| Filter coffee maker | 800-1,200 W | 800-1,200 W (no spike) | 1,500 W |
| Espresso machine (pump) | 1,000-1,500 W | 1,200-1,800 W | 1,800 W |
| Electric kettle | 1,500-2,200 W | 1,500-2,200 W | 2,400 W |
| Toaster (2-slice) | 800-1,200 W | 800-1,200 W | 1,500 W |
| Induction hob (single ring) | 1,200-2,000 W | 1,200-2,000 W | 2,400 W |
| Microwave | 600-1,200 W | 900-1,500 W | 1,500 W |
| Blender / Smoothie maker | 300-1,000 W | 500-1,500 W | 1,500 W |
| 12V mini-fridge (compressor) | 30-60 W | 90-180 W | 300 W |
| Standard fridge (combi) | 100-200 W | 400-800 W | 1,000 W |
| Chest freezer | 50-100 W | 300-600 W | 800 W |
| Electronics | |||
| Smartphone (charging) | 5-25 W | 5-25 W | 200 W |
| Tablet (charging) | 10-30 W | 10-30 W | 200 W |
| Laptop (office work) | 30-65 W | 30-65 W | 300 W |
| Laptop (gaming / pro) | 80-180 W | 80-180 W | 500 W |
| Desktop gaming PC (tower + monitor) | 300-600 W | 350-650 W | 1,000 W |
| 55" LED TV | 80-150 W | 80-150 W | 300 W |
| Games console (PS5/Xbox) | 50-200 W | 50-200 W | 500 W |
| Broadband router + Wi-Fi hub | 10-25 W | 10-25 W | 200 W |
| Portable projector | 50-150 W | 50-150 W | 300 W |
| DIY / Tools | |||
| Corded drill | 500-1,000 W | 1,000-2,000 W | 1,800 W |
| Circular saw | 1,200-1,800 W | 2,400-3,600 W | 2,400 W (with good surge) |
| 125mm angle grinder | 800-1,200 W | 1,600-2,400 W | 1,800 W |
| Jigsaw | 400-700 W | 800-1,400 W | 1,200 W |
| Portable compressor | 1,000-1,500 W | 2,000-3,000 W | 2,400 W |
| Orbital sander | 200-400 W | 300-600 W | 800 W |
| Comfort / Miscellaneous | |||
| Pedestal fan | 30-75 W | 50-120 W | 300 W |
| Fan heater | 1,000-2,000 W | 1,000-2,000 W | 2,400 W |
| Electric blanket | 50-100 W | 50-100 W | 300 W |
| Hair dryer | 1,000-2,200 W | 1,000-2,200 W | 2,400 W |
| Iron | 1,000-2,400 W | 1,000-2,400 W | 2,400 W |
| LED lamp | 5-15 W | 5-15 W | 200 W |
| LED fairy lights (10m) | 5-20 W | 5-20 W | 200 W |
| CPAP machine (without humidifier) | 30-60 W | 30-60 W | 300 W |
| CPAP machine (with heated humidifier) | 50-100 W | 50-100 W | 500 W |
| Pond/aquarium pump | 5-50 W | 10-100 W | 300 W |
| Corded lawn mower | 1,000-1,800 W | 1,800-3,000 W | 2,400 W |
The "Minimum Recommended Station" column is not the exact power you need. It is the minimum output power your station should display for the device to work reliably, accounting for the startup spike and a safety margin of about 20%.
Why a margin? Three reasons. First, your station will never be dedicated to a single device. You will want to charge your phone while the fridge is running. Second, real-world inverter performance drops slightly when the battery falls below 20-30% -- the station may not deliver its rated 1,800 W at 15% battery. Third, manufacturing tolerances mean your specific device could draw 10% more than the category average. Better to have headroom than flirt with the limit.
The classic trap: adding up the nominal power of all your devices and buying a station accordingly. Except your devices do not all run at the same time. The fridge cycles -- it draws for 15 minutes, then cuts for 30 minutes. The coffee maker runs ten minutes in the morning and that is it. The phone charger draws 20 W for two hours then 0 W. Think in terms of realistic simultaneous use, not the theoretical sum of everything you own.
A few things that manufacturer specs will never tell you, and that change the game in practice.
My Melitta Enjoy coffee maker, rated at 1,000 W on the label, actually draws 1,080 W on the power meter. Not dramatic, unless your station does exactly 1,000 W. That 80 W overshoot is enough to trip the overload protection on some models. Result: no coffee. In the morning. While camping. I nearly wept.
My Dometic CFX3 35 mini-fridge on 12V draws 45 W at steady state when the room is at 20 degrees. But on a 35-degree day in the campervan in full sun, I measured a compressor startup spike of 210 W. More than triple the nominal draw. And in a heatwave, the compressor cycles much more often because it is fighting the ambient heat. Average daily consumption goes from 400 Wh in April to 700 Wh in August. Outside temperature changes everything for a fridge. And if you want to know how LiFePO4 vs lithium-ion battery chemistry affects your performance, that is worth a read.
My laptop, a MacBook Pro M3 Pro, draws 8 W reading emails with the screen at 50% brightness. Web browsing with fifteen tabs open, 25 W. A Zoom video call, 35 W. Video editing with a 4K export on DaVinci Resolve, 95 W. The same machine, a ratio of 1 to 12 depending on use. If you plan to work from your station as a digital nomad, test with your actual workload, not watching Netflix to estimate consumption.
The hair dryer is the final boss of portable power stations. 2,000 W constant, with zero startup spike because it is a pure resistive load. It pulls maximum power from the first second and does not let up until you switch it off. No cycling, no pauses, no mercy. If you want to use a hair dryer on a station, you have no choice: 2,400 W minimum continuous output. Or you buy a 1,000 W travel hair dryer, which takes a bit longer but works on mid-range stations. Pragmatism.
The microwave also surprised me. My Samsung rated at 1,000 W cooking power actually draws 1,450 W at the socket. Because the stated power of a microwave is the cooking power (the microwaves emitted), not the electrical consumption. The magnetron has an efficiency of about 65-70%. So a "1,000 W" microwave draws 1,400-1,500 W from the socket. A guaranteed trap if you are not aware.
A simple rule I apply systematically and recommend to everyone: never run your station at more than 80% of its nominal power continuously.
A 1,800 W station? Consider your comfortable limit for sustained use (over an hour) to be 1,440 W. The station will handle 1,800 W, yes -- that is its spec, it is designed for it. But the fans will run flat out, the inverter components will heat up, and over prolonged use (like a small heater or an iron for an hour), you shorten the inverter lifespan and stress the components.
At 80% load, the station is relaxed. Silent or nearly so. Components work within their thermal comfort zone. It is like driving at 70 on the motorway in a car that tops out at 120 -- you could push it, but everyone prefers the comfortable cruise. Your station will last longer, and the daily experience will be much better.
This rule also has a practical advantage: it leaves headroom for startup spikes. If you are already running at 1,440 W continuous on your 1,800 W station, a 400 W fridge spike takes you to 1,840 W -- right at the limit. If you were running at 1,800 W, that same spike pushes you over and the station shuts everything down.
Light camping weekend: 12V fridge (45 W) + phone charging (20 W) + LED lamp (10 W) + camera battery charging (15 W) = 90 W simultaneous max. A 300 W station is more than enough on power. It is the Wh capacity that matters here -- aim for 500 Wh minimum for two days without solar, or 300 Wh with a 100 W panel.
Remote working from a campervan: laptop (60 W) + USB-C external monitor (40 W) + 4G router (15 W) + USB fan (5 W) = 120 W simultaneous. A quick smoothie in the blender at lunch (500 W for 30 seconds). A 600 W station handles the office work comfortably, with an acceptable spike for the blender. In capacity, 1,000 Wh gives you a solid 8-hour working day.
Home power cut: combi fridge (150 W nominal, spikes to 600 W) + broadband router (15 W) + LED lighting in living room and kitchen (30 W) + charging two phones (40 W) = 235 W nominal simultaneously. But the fridge spike demands a station of at least 1,000 W with good surge. In capacity, 2,000 Wh gives you a comfortable twelve hours, which covers the vast majority of residential outages.
DIY on a remote job site: one drill at a time (800 W nominal, spike to 1,600 W) or a jigsaw (600 W, spike to 1,200 W). A 1,800 W station with 3,600 W surge. You will only use one tool at a time, so the nominal power might seem oversized, but the startup spike is unforgiving. Plan a station with at least 1,000 Wh capacity -- working through battery goes faster than you think.
Outdoor cinema evening while camping: portable projector (120 W) + Bluetooth speaker (10 W) + phone charging (20 W) = 150 W. A 300 W station is more than sufficient. With 500 Wh, you get through a three-hour film and still have enough to charge phones all night.
Keep this table handy. Bookmark this page. And before buying your next station, plug a power meter (£12-15 on Amazon, the Brennenstuhl PM 231 E is perfect) into the devices you plan to power. Measure for yourself. Manufacturer specs are theoretical averages, and your specific device may be above or below.
Output power determines which devices you can plug in. Watt-hour capacity determines how long they run. To find the right station, have a look at my top stations for 2026 comparison and our autonomy calculator. Both matter, but if you get the power wrong, your station cuts out and nothing works. If you get the capacity wrong, everything works... just not for long enough. The first scenario is honestly far more frustrating than the second. And entirely avoidable with a simple power meter and five minutes of measuring.
A 12V camping mini-fridge draws 30-60 W at steady state, with startup spikes of 90-180 W from the compressor. A standard domestic combi fridge draws 100-200 W steady and 400-800 W at peak. The real average consumption is well below these figures because the compressor cycles (it does not run continuously).
Yes, provided your station has at least 1,800 W of continuous output. Resistive-element coffee makers have no startup spike -- they pull full power from the first second. But do not run the coffee maker at the same time the fridge compressor kicks in, otherwise the watts add up and you risk overloading.
It is the spike of current a device pulls during the first milliseconds of startup. A fridge consuming 150 W at steady state can pull 600-800 W when the compressor starts. Your station must be able to handle that spike (this is the "surge" value in the specs). If it cannot, it cuts out and your device never starts.
Cedric
