Ego is one of those companies that I feel revolutionized the OPE world. Sure they didn’t invent the lawnmower, string trimmer or any of the tools. And of course, they didn’t invent the Lithium-Ion battery. In fact, they weren’t even the first company to make a battery operated mower, snow blower or other OPE tools. However, they were the first company to bring all this together and do it the right way. Recently they announced a new addition to their line up and it’s a little different than their traditional OPE tools. This time they release an inverter. So let’s check out the Ego Inverter Review and see how it stacks up.
Ego Inverter Review Overview
Before we jump into the inverter, you might be asking yourself what would I be using this inverter for, well that was the question I had. Sure it’s cool, but do I really want to carry around this big battery to charge my cell phone. My guess is probably not.
An inverter is clean power, which means you can run electronics from it which gives the user a ton of options for different applications. Think about tailgating. You can still charge your cell phone, but you can also run a TV to watch the pregame.
Camping is another area this comes in handy. How hot does it get when camping. Bring along a fan and you can power a fan with this inverter. I am sure if I stop and think, you will find a ton of applications when camping.
What about just going to the park and hanging out. You might want to bring your laptop and sit under a tree. No longer do you have to worry about battery issues. You can now plug in and stay connected all day. Maybe you’re into RC cars or drones. This is also a great way to keep them running all day.
As you can see, an inverter opens up a whole new world and allows more freedom. Don’t expect to run any heavy duty power tools, but that’s not what this is designed for.
Ego Inverter Review Features
The Ego inverter (Nexus Escape) is a 150-watt inverter that has 2 USB and a single 120V outlet.
You can power the invert by using any of the 56V Ego batteries which is a 2.5Ah, 5Ah, and a 7.5Ah.
Once the battery is in place, you can power up the unit by a single push button. The on/off button will also give feedback about the status of the battery such as green being charged, red if there is an overload or dead battery.
The inverter features a handle that you can use to carry it around or set it in the upright position.
Ego Inverter Review Performance
The first thing I noticed was how nice the design is and how the inverter sits up a little off the table. I like this because it’s easy to plug in and access the front. I know it may not be a big deal, but I love not having to fumble around with trying to get small little plugs in place.
For a traditional plug and USB, the spacing between the two is perfect. However, some fans and other RC chargers have a bigger plug so you might have a harder time with a charger and USB being used at the same time.
Obviously, it charges a cell phone but wanted to show it action because I saw two people say it wouldn’t charge an iPhone.
Overall I was impressed with the performance of the inverter. I was able to run a box fan while charging a phone. I ran a radio at my son’s baseball game. So as you would expect, the inverter performs.
Again it’s not meant to run power tools. We did hook up a miter saw, which we knew it wouldn’t run but wanted to see what happened. For the saw, it just shuts down and turns red on the inverter to let you know it’s overload protection.
Ego Inverter Review Value
The inverter runs about $100. Not a bad price for someone who will be in remote areas and will need some extra power.
Ego Inverter Review Final Thoughts
Bottom line, I am looking at the big picture. This is their first product out of the OPE realm. Does this mean they might be opening up and taking their battery platform to new areas? I hope so. I am a huge fan of Ego and would love to see other products released that I can use around my home or other areas in my life. The Ego battery is rock solid so why not expand into other areas. As far as the inverter, it’s a great addition to a solid line up of OPE tools.
I am very happy with all my EGO tools, I also picked up this inverter when they had the $25 off when they first launched. This works great for running a fan and charging phones when we lose power.
I found that it made a small fan (not a heater fan) whine while in operation, and it would start up slow. The oscillating part of the fan was off also. I think it is way under-powered as far as inverters go. A 12Vdc to 150W AC inverter can be had online for $15. This one is $99, and gives zero added benefit over the $15 inverters other than it can be used with the 56Vdc EGO battery pack. I think they are significantly over priced.
Mines turns on the turns off by itself in less than a min while I’m trying to charge my phone