A few years back, I spent months testing and reviewing portable power stations for another publication, and spent a full 10 months using a Jackery 1500 Explorer. I really liked the form factor, thoughtful features and ease of use, but even then the lithium-ion battery was being left behind by LiFePo4 (LFP) batteries, which have many advantages.
Nevertheless, it set the benchmark for me, and now the Jackery Explorer 1000 V2 looks like it’s fixed everything I didn’t like about the original—and added a 200W folding solar panel to the package. I liked it so much that it’s one of the few I still have, and it still works great almost four years later.
I’ve used solar charging with Jackery power stations and it’s much faster than you’d think. In fact, the Jackery Explorer 1000 V2 can charge at the full output of the 200W solar panel, meaning it can go from 0% to 100% in just 1.7 hours. That’s just one of the benefits of the LFP battery; another is that you can keep it charged at 100% (or 0%) without damaging it, unlike lithium batteries (like in your phone), which should be kept between 20% and 80% for health.
Of course, you can also plug it into your wall or your car. When you need to power something, you’ll find three regular three-prong household outlets that can produce up to 1500W of power, as well as three high-speed USB ports up to 100W, so you can fast-charge any device or even run a laptop directly off the power station. And with the LFP battery, you can charge your Jackery Explorer 1000 V2 right now, put it away, and still have almost full charge years later when you need it in an emergency.
Put it all together and this Jackery generator deal is hard to beat. It won’t be around forever, so take advantage of the savings while they’re here!
