EcoFlow Wave 3 review: upgraded portable air con now better and cheaper

I love it when a manufacturer listens to suggestions from its customers and launches a new, improved product. I think that's exactly what EcoFlow has done with its ground-breaking portable air conditioning system, the Wave 3.

I tested the Wave 2 in a heatwave, on a scorching campsite in Somerset, and it was a seriously impressive bit of kit. It was a bit bulky, could be a bit cumbersome to set up, and there were some annoying niggles, but it performed amazingly well.

I've been using the new Wave 3 for a few months now, and it's not a major step forward, but there's a string of sensible upgrades that have made it a far more appealing proposition.

Although, from the outset, it's now a little bit bulkier. I'll make no bones about it, this is a heavy and awkward unit to move around. And while that's a shame for something you can take camping with you, it's designed to sit in a corner gently cooling you down. And, give it its dues, it does that brilliantly. I'll come back to that.

Another qualm I had with the Wave 2 looks to have been sorted - it was very expensive. As in, over £1,000 expensive. The Wave 3 however, if you can catch a deal on the EcoFlow website, is currently £699. And for a portable air conditioning system you can run off your car cigarette lighter socket, that's very good value.

And then the improvements keep coming. The ventilation ducts, which make the unit even more cumbersome and awkward, but are pretty essential if you want the full cooling experience, are much easier to position on the Wave 3. Rather than being made of a cheap plastic, they're lined with foil. It means they're better insulated, and so much easier to position. Still a bit fiddly, but it’s a necessary evil.

There are more sensible upgrades on the Wave 3, too. It has more cooling and heating power, thanks to 300w more grunt, and it can cool a large area more quickly.

There's also a new battery pack available, which is made from LFP technology. The battery clamps neatly to the base and adds a lot of size and weight, but the new unit lasts much longer, both in terms of daily usage, and in terms of long-term cycling. Oh, and you can charge the new battery off solar panels. Which is so sensible.

The battery comes close to doubling the price, and that's before you add the cost of solar panels into the mix, but if you're after a true off-grid setup, it doesn't get much better than this.

So to reiterate the benefits of this machine, you have a portable (if bulky) air conditioning unit that can reduce the ambient temperature of a tent, campervan or caravan in minutes, can be powered off a 12 volt supply, or solar if you prefer, can be controlled wirelessly through an app, and can now even dehumidify the air around you.

It was hard to dislike the Wave 2, for all its little quirks. In a heatwave on the edge of Exmoor, it turned the inside of our motorhome into a blissful escape from the scorching sunshine.

The Wave 3 is not only better in pretty much every measurable way, it's now a bit cheaper. And that makes it a winner in my book.