Biolite BaseCharge Home Emergency Kit: Great Value Prepping Package for Power and Lighting

Apr 22, 2023

While technologically nothing groundbreaking, the emergency kit offers minimum fuss and simple functionality at a great value price.

The Biolite Emergency Kit offers remarkable value with its BaseCharge 1500 battery, lanterns, and other components, making it a reliable option for emergency preparedness. However, the kit doesn't include solar panels and has some minor drawbacks, such as a lack of built-in light in the base unit and inconsistencies in cabling.

This year—like every year that will follow it—will test the resilience of our national power grids and other systems like never before. You will, without a shadow of doubt, experience some kind of extreme weather event—flooding, hurricanes, or heatwaves—that have a high likelihood of causing power outages. There won't always be someone there to help, so it's important that you think about emergency preparedness and your own personal family resilience.

To that end, today I'm looking at just one aspect of resilience and disaster preparedness: the BioLite BaseCharge Emergency Kit. It's a great value bundle of BioLite products designed to give you both light and power in an emergency.

Before we start, BioLite is a company I've been keen to work with for a while now, as they have a genuine social enterprise aspect of their business. Their most famous product is a camping stove, which captures some of the heat energy and turns it into electrical power. As well as just being a more efficient stove, you can charge your smart devices even when there's no light and no other obvious power source. That's a massive benefit in a grid-down scenario.

That technology extends to their product offerings in developing markets with home stoves that use less fuel and are therefore cheaper to run with fewer emissions and a safer, smokeless output.

I'll be reviewing the BioLite CampStove 2+ later, but I wanted to mention that they appear to be making a real difference in the world, and you can read the full impact report on their website.

Let's start with a broad overview of what's in the bundle.

First up is the star of the show, the BaseCharge 1500, and like most portable battery "generators", it's named after the capacity. In this case, that's 1521Wh to be precise. It's AC capable; this is the UK 220V model, but the US version is identical, running at 110V with US sockets.

Also in the bundle are three AlpenGlow lanterns, and these are named after their lumens output. You get two of the smaller 250-lumen models, and one of the 500-lumen models. They are functionally identical, except that the AlpenGlow 500 is twice as bright as the 250, with twice as big a battery. Otherwise, the running time and features are the same.

For easier personal navigation, you'll also find a HeadLamp 425 headband light with a maximum of... you guessed it... 425 lumens. That's more than enough for more directed work. However, I should mention that the model I received is the HeadLamp 325, due to stock issues in the UK at the time of recording.

There's no massive design difference, but the 425 is slightly brighter and features a rear safety light as well.

Finally, you get a smaller portable battery: the Charge 80 PD. The stated capacity is 20000mAh, a more common definition for USB-only batteries (though strictly, it's not a capacity without stating the voltage, too). A more technically correct capacity specification would be 74Wh, which helps to compare it to its BaseCharge (1521Wh) big brother.

Of course, there's a cost-benefit to buying in a bundle. In this case, it's to the tune of saving $210 over buying each component individually. The kit costs $1800 with free shipping, but the AlpenGlow 500 and 250 are $80 and $60, the Charge 80 PD is $80, the headlamp is $60, and the BaseCharge 1500 is $1700.

If you were going to buy the BaseCharge plus one of the large AlpenGlow lanterns or the portable charger anyway, you might think of it as getting the other bits thrown in for free. If you weren't planning on buying anything else except the BaseCharge 1500, then the $100 extra for some great emergency lighting and a smaller power bank is a bargain.

I'll start with the AlpenGlow lanterns because they're surprisingly helpful, though it does take a little while to get used to the interface.

Functionally, the smaller 250 and larger 500 models are the same; just one is a little smaller than the other, with the 250 coming in at 2.6 inches in diameter by 3.6 inches tall (70 x 95mm), and the larger 500 model at 3.6 inches in diameter and 5.3 inches tall (95 x 135mm).

The lanterns charge over Micro USB, and can run for a maximum of 5 hours on high setting or 200 hours on low; that's the same for both models because the battery is proportionally the same size for the light output on high or low setting.

The lanterns can either be placed on a tabletop or hung via a sturdy metal clip hidden under the base, and as well as a Micro USB charging port, they also feature a USB-A port, which allows them to function as a charger for your other devices.

While this is feasible for the larger model with a 6400mAh battery, the 3200mAh battery of the smaller model means you'd likely only get one smartphone charge out of it, so it's probably not something you want to use outside of a dire emergency where all you have is one light left and your phone. Still, it doesn't hurt to have that feature available in an emergency (are you sensing a pattern here?)

Controlling the lights takes a bit of getting used to because there's only one button (on the bottom, if you've hung it up) and at least eight modes. A single tap of the button takes you to the last mode used; easy enough so far.

If you press again within two seconds, you'll cycle through to the next mode. From pure white, you get to warm light, then single color, then multicolor, then back again.

In addition, each of those modes has an alternative mode accessed via a motion sensor. Shake the AlpenGlow up and down to activate those. Pure white can swap between full on or one side only. Warm white can change to dim flickering candlelight. Single color can change to color cycling. While multicolor mode can change to a fireworks-style "party mode" (their words, not mine).

On top of that, pure and warm white modes feature brightness adjustment. Hold down the button to adjust the brightness, and it'll flash three times when you're at the maximum or lowest brightness. In single-color mode, however, holding down changes the color instead.

All that from a single button!

The AlpenGlow lanterns are really handy to keep around and surprisingly bright. I don't think you'll even need to use them at full brightness most of the time. The multicolor modes are a bit gimmicky, and very subtle. I don't know if I need an emergency light to have a party mode built-in, but I suppose it doesn't detract from anything having it.

My one complaint about the lights would be that they use a Micro USB cable to charge, which is outdated now. I would have liked to see USB-C charging instead.

The Biolite HeadLamp is very comfortable and easy to fit, though the light portion of the headlamp feels a little bit plasticky to me, likely to keep it lightweight. Of course, I can't judge the longevity of this fabric strap. This, too, is charged using Micro USB, for which you'll find a port with a rubber cover on the side.

The light portion itself can be angled quite far downwards for when you're working on something in front of you and don't want it just shining straight forward.

It uses the same style of single-button UI as the AlpenGlow lamps, with a single click to turn on and off and multiple clicks to change modes. You have white, red, white strobe, and red strobe. In plain white or red mode, you can hold down the button again to adjust the brightness.

The red doesn't get nearly as bright as the white mode (which is, as the name suggests, up to 325 lumens), but it's more than sufficient for use in complete darkness, and it's precisely what you want to not ruin your night vision.

Again, the HeadLamp 425 model you receive in the kit will be a little brighter (425 lumens!) and features an additional rear safety light.

Next up, the main star of the pack is the 1521Wh capacity BaseCharge 1500 portable battery. Featuring two easy carry handles on the side, all the business bits of this unit are situated on the front. Here you'll find three AC ports, two USB-A and two USB-C—all at a maximum 5V 3A (15W)—as well as a single USB-C PD port at 100W max. There's also some 12V DC output in the form of two standard 5.5mm DC sockets and one car socket for your portable refrigerator RV-type appliances.

Each of those groups has its own control button. Also for output, there's a handy 10W wireless Qi charger on top.

As for input and charging, you'll find an HPP (High Power Port) socket—the same as Goal Zero—and unfortunately not that common. I don't have a solar charger cable that will fit this, and unfortunately, there isn't one included in the set, so I haven't been able to test the solar capability.

In terms of portability, at 28.5 lbs or 12.9 kg, it's easy enough for one person to carry even with just one of the side handles, and the overall footprint is 14.4 x 12.2 inches on the base and a mere 8.2 in high, or 37 x 31 x 21 cm, so it's pretty compact and convenient. The size and the fact that everything is situated on the front is perhaps one of its most unique properties. Unlike most portable batteries which end up being more like a suitcase and stand upright, this flatter design means it can slide into a shelving unit in your pantry or emergency cupboard easily and still be able to access all those ports.

Of course, there's an AC charger included, but it's limited to around 120W, so it'll take about 13.5 hours for a full charge. Interestingly, USB-C PD port is bi-directional, so it can also be used as an input to increase the charge rate if you have a PD charger on hand, like from a laptop. That cuts the total charge time down to around 8 hours.

If you get some solar panels, then under peak input 400W optimal conditions (the maximum rate it can charge at), it would take 4 hours to charge fully. However, in my experience, peak input is rare, at least where I am in the UK, so it would likely take a whole day of decent sun. It's also worth noting that the MPPT solar controller on this can only handle panels up to 30V, which limits your options to mostly portable panels.

The BaseCharge 1500 is rated for 1200W continuous output with 2400W surge. That's a little underrated compared to what I'd normally expect. Generally speaking, most portable batteries can do continuous output at least the same as their watt-hour capacity. It's not a huge flaw though. Once you get over 1000W, appliances start to draw more like 2000-3000W. So the 1.2kW output on the BaseCharge 1500 would not be sufficient to run a full-size kitchen kettle (around 3kW here in the UK) or the highest level of a hotplate, though it would handle lower power levels. That was more than enough for me to cook some bacon and egg sandwiched for lunch.

It'll also easily run most home medical equipment or anything designed to be portable, like a travel kettle. It just won't run higher power appliances, such as those with a heating element or large motor.

It will, however, easily run a laptop and four smartphones. You could max out all the USB ports and be nowhere near capacity. Only once you start using higher-powered AC devices will you hit that limit.

To figure out exactly how long the BaseCharge 1500 will last, you can divide the total capacity when full, which is just over 1500Wh, by the power draw you want to pull from it. So, a 100W device will last 1500Wh/100W or 15 hours. You should also take off roughly 10% for conversion inefficiencies. In more practical terms, it would recharge a typical smartphone over 100 times, about 20 times for a laptop, or you could run your super high power 1200W microwave continuously for just over an hour. So there's a lot you can do with 1500Wh. But it's also worth bearing in mind that the average American household uses that much power in just over an hour.

Of course, this isn't designed to run your entire house, and I'll note that the front panel has a helpful indicator that will estimate how long you have left, and well as a running total of how many watt-hours have been used, which is a resettable counter.

Lastly, in the pack is a fairly generic-looking 20000mAh USB backup battery called the Charge 80 PD. Featuring two 15W USB-A and one 18W USB-C PD port, this is fine to take on planes is FAA-carry-on compliant.

However, the 18W limit on USB-C PD is a little disappointing. You couldn't run a laptop off this; it would trickle charge the battery while you used it, but the power consumption would be likely be at least 30-35W, so this wouldn't fully power it, which is usually what you'd expect from a PD port. Many PD ports will go to 100W (such as the one on the BaseCharge unit).

The Charge 80 PD also recharges over this very same USB-C port, and features a single button on the top to activate the output and a small LED indicator of power left.

Before talking about whether you should buy the BioLite BAseCharge Emergency Kit, I wanted to point out some frustrations I have with it.

The discrepancy with the cabling is an odd choice. The PD charger uses USB-C to recharge, while the lighting bits use Micro USB. Keeping a unified cabling system would have been much better for usability, and there's nothing worse than scrabbling around in the dark to get Micro USB cables the right way around.

My biggest complaint is that there's no solar panel included, nor is there even a solar connector cable. In a grid-down scenario, it's important to have some way to replenish the battery. 1500Wh sounds like a lot, but if you have even a low-power continuous draw medical device like a small oxygen machine, it will deplete much faster than you think. In a genuine emergency scenario, 1500Wh is, I would say, about a day's worth of emergency power for most people with basic power needs.

Of course, you're going to get a lot longer out of the battery if you're only charging your smartphone and running a laptop—but you're probably buying an AC-capable battery because you want to power, say, a CPAP machine, an oxygen concentrator, or a small fridge. So at the very least, I would factor in the cost of a couple of 100W panels to go with this.

Furthermore, if you do already have some solar, you're limited to a maximum 400W charge rate at a relatively low voltage. Most large battery backups work up to 48V (some go as high as 120V), while this is limited to 30V. So it's only suitable for recharging from smaller portable panels rather than a larger static panel.

I also wish the BaseCharge unit itself had a light system built-in. In an emergency, that becomes a central hub to family life, being able to recharge your phone and laptop. And while the kit comes with its lighting components, having one built-in to provide a little ambient light while you're next to the BaseCharge itself would have been useful.

Lastly, while the AlpenGlow lamps are something I would consider buying outside of a bundled kit, the smaller Charge PD is a bit disappointing. If I were looking for 20000mAh smartphone backup battery, I wouldn't recommend it. It's a very basic device that's fine for emergencies, but I think you could do much better for the price.

As an overall package, the value you'll get from the kit is remarkable.

Individually, there's nothing technologically groundbreaking about any of the component parts, but they all do precisely what they're designed to do with a minimum of fuss. That's really what you want from something designed for emergencies. You don't want to mess around with an app; you want something good value to put on the shelf and mostly forget about until it's needed.

My favorite part of the package is actually the lanterns. Despite the oddly complex single-button user interface, they get remarkably bright, and the little hangers on the base are handy. The RGB function and flickering candlelight mean you can have a nicer ambiance while the world around you collapses. Who said the apocalypse can't be fabulous.

The biggest expense of the package, the BaseCharge 1500, is strictly for emergency use. Keep it charged, top it up every six months, and keep it on the shelf until needed. It's not something you'd use daily for off-grid living, and I wouldn't recommend kitting out your camper van with this or your log cabin unless it were just for occasional vacation use. Although it can handle a reasonably big amount of AC power at 1200W continuous, the limited 400W solar charge would make it tricky to charge back up again on cloudy days, and the 1000-cycle rated Lithium Ion battery cells mean it would degrade after a few years of daily discharges (defined as 80% of the original capacity). Most off-grid batteries nowadays will use LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphor) batteries, rated for 3500 cycles, so they will last a decade of daily use before the capacity is degraded.

If you need another reason to grab this kit: BioLite is an American company with a solid ethical mission behind it, which is always a good reason to choose one brand over another.

James has a BSc in Artificial Intelligence and is CompTIA A+ and Network+ certified. When he's not busy as Hardware Reviews Editor, he enjoys LEGO, VR, and board games. Before joining MakeUseOf, he was a lighting technician, English teacher, and data center engineer.