Specs for an AC Power Bank as an Outlet Replacement

Question

I've been seeing cheaper and cheaper power banks on Amazon, and have even started to see them in hardware stores.

My impression is that most people will use them to tailgate or to power batter pack rechargers on a job site while playing a radio.

What interests me is if they can be used to actually power tools. For example, a electric edger, leaf blower, or circular saw.

I imagine the peak wattage has to be quite high, there has to be some issue with the simulated sign-wave and the motors, not to mention the frequent on and off of the device. Insight into this or even side effects for the tools would be very interesting, but is not the core of the question which is...

What specifications should be labeled to imply that the Power Bank would be able to handle that kind of punishment?

Answer 1

You need to know the wattage rating of the appliance, and the wattage rating of the power bank. These should be marked on the device itself, or at least on the box.

BUT...

Motorized appliances draw a large current surge when they are starting up. In some cases, up to 10 times the normal power for a fraction of a second. So the surge rating of the power bank really needs to be at least 10 times the stated wattage of whatever you are plugging in. Otherwise, you will overload the power bank, and it will shut down.

This may make it impractical to run a leaf blower, grinder or whatever off a small portable power bank.