Banner graphic for SafeWise's Australian health insurance comparison

Laser’s latest gadget will help you power through your next blackout

These portable power stations have all the NRG you need.

Fergus Halliday
Mar 10, 2023
Icon Time To Read2 min read

Australian consumer electronics brand Laser is expanding its shared universe of sub-brands this month with the launch of its new NRGVault portable power stations. 

The first of these is the PV500, which has a 288Whr capacity and a relatively lightweight form factor that weighs in at around 3.8kgs. Square in shape and pockmarked by ports, the PV500 bills itself as a compact power solution you can take on the road or break in a blackout or other power outages.

Armed with two AC outputs, a trio of USB ports and a car socket, the PV500 is capable of keeping your various devices charged if you’re away from a stable source of electricity. The unit features an LCD screen that can help you keep track of how much power you’re consuming, a pure Sine Wave inverter that promises to keep power draw consistent and a LiFePo4 battery that can be charged to 80% capacity in just 90 minutes.

Most of these same bells and whistles can be also found on the larger model in the range, the PV1500. Aside from the price, the big difference between the two portable power solutions is the size involved. 

The PV1500 weighs 15.8kg, which makes it a lot heavier than the PV500. However, a 1228Wh battery gives you a plot more power to play with. Port-wise, this larger portable power cell has roughly double the digits seen on its smaller siblings. This works out to be six USB ports (rather than three) and four AC outputs (rather than two) plus the car socket. 

Those extra ports and the significant increase in overall capacity makes the PV1500 a better choice for those who want a long-term portable power solution. Some of the example use cases here include tradies, photographers or caravanners looking for something to complement their existing gas generator.

According to Laser managing director Chris Lau, this inaugural slate of NRGVault products is only the beginning.

“There is significant interest in mobile power given the benefits it delivers across leisure and business, home and away, but consumers need to know that they have a robust, efficient and reliable option, especially around battery safety and reliability, and I’m thrilled that the NRGVault range will deliver all of this and more,” he said.
NRGVault header

For a sense of what the difference in potential usage looks like between the PV500 and PV1500, check out the table below.

NRG PV500
NVG PV1500
Light (5W)51 hours221 hours
Camera (55W)5 hours20 hours
iPhone17 charges74 charges
iPad Air8 charges35 charges
MacBook Air4 charges17 charges
TV (60W)4 hours18 hours
Drone (15W)17 charges74 charges
Mini-Fridge (60W)4 hours18 hours
CPAP (50W)5 hours 22 hours
Air-pump (60W)5 hours22 hours
Blender (300W)0.8 hours4 hours
Electric Drill (345W)0.7 hours3 hours
Rice Cooker (500W)0.5 hours2 hours
Microwave (1000W)n/a1 hour
Oven (1200W)n/a0.9 hours
Chainsaw (1300W)n/a0.8 hours

In Australia, the NRGVault PV500 is available now at an RRP of $599.95 while the NRGVault PV1500 is available now at a recommended retail price of $1,799.95. Both portable power stations come with a three-year warranty and are available through Harvey-Norman and the official NRGVault website.

Fergus Halliday
Written by
Fergus Halliday is a journalist and editor for Reviews.org. He’s written about technology, telecommunications, gaming and more for over a decade. He got his start writing in high school and began his full-time career as the Editor of PC World Australia. Fergus has made the MCV 30 Under 30 list, been a finalist for seven categories at the IT Journalism Awards and won Most Controversial Writer at the 2022 Consensus Awards. He has been published in Gizmodo, Kotaku, GamesHub, Press Start, Screen Rant, Superjump, Nestegg and more.

Related Articles

Seniors Mobile Plans and Discounts Australia
The best mobile phone plans for seniors in Australia (and the worst)
Sometimes seniors discounts actually offer worse value than regular plans.
Best mobile phone plans in Australia graphic for Reviews.org
The best mobile phone plans in Australia (October 2024)
One (+5) mobile plan to rule them all.