The newer Explorer 500 v2.0 uses MPPT technology and charges a little faster I hear. Many folks don't understand. There is a good reason they limit the charging current. They cannot control PEOPLE. People will try charging the unit while also drawing large current loads. This leads to excessive battery heat and potential safety hazards. The engineers are not stupid as many people assume. it's that they have ALL the information and have to accommodate for the end users lack of care or knowledge. Do you have any idea the liability if these are abused and start a fire in someones home or RV ? They are absolutely correct to limit the charging current. Also, they offer a 2 year warranty. Higher charge rates resulting in higher battery temps will shorten battery life substantially. The solution is to go big or go home. Much higher rated batteries can handle much higher charge rates.
This is why I plan on getting two Jackeries for a fridge. Run the fridge with one while it's hooked up to solar panels and have the other available for if/when the first one dies. If I need to use the panels to recharge the first Jackery then I can do just that. (Two Jackery 300 sogens not the 500. The 300 can charge with solar in about 3+ hours from what I've seen).
My biggest issue with all the "influencers" supporting it so vigorously, is that it's clear and obvious they didn't pay for the units with their own money.... as they all have the Jackery solar panels hooked up.... which are 4x more expensive per watt than similar renogy panels off Amazon.
I got last month a gen2 Jackery 500 with one 100w Jackery panel powering a Alpicool frig, here in AZ have no problem getting 70w after 9am and see 90w between 11am to 2pm and have seen 100w going in, right now 12/25 at 3.45pm have 65w going in but you gotta follow the sun. bought a off brand 130w panel and getting about the same. now got to figure out how to get them hooked up running in parallel, btw i'm in nw AZ
I'm very grateful that you are not an "Influencer" just promoting a product, like the Kardashians with Weight Loss Tea. I'm glad that you are giving an Honest Opinion on the Jackery. The Jackery 500 Only being able to input 40 Watts isn't very impressive. I've never had faith in Solar Pannel, plus $299.99 for 1 Jackery Solar Pannel, to me, is expensive. I truly appreciate your honest. If it goes below 20 percent charge, how does it damage it and what are the effects?
With lost lithium ion batteries the recommended charge levels to maximize longevity suggest you don’t let the batteries discharge fully. 20% is probably conservative. You’re probably okay going down to about 10%. Basically over time if you continually drop it down to zero the totally battery capacity will be reduced, so instead of it holding 518Wh it may only hold 475 or possibly less. Some of these systems have a reserve built in so that you can’t have a 100% depth of discharge and potentially hurt the cells. This obviously costs more money though as you have to put in 600Wh of cells and can only advertise the system as a 500Wh system. Thanks for the support! It’s what keeps me making videos. I’m always happy to share what I’ve learned and experienced, especially when it helps other make informed decisions.
I agree about the Bluetti. Faster charging and more efficient. I know you're looking at 500 watt supplies, but the Bluetti EB150 is an awesome mix of size, capability, efficiency and price, especially if you shop the sales they often have, or find a coupon code. I've had the EB150 for just under a year now and it's the best power station I've ever owned, including Jackery, Suaoki and Anker.
I didn't know that one was on sale in the UK. After you mentioned it, I looked at a review by DadVinci here th-cam.com/video/j83xHXI2XE4/w-d-xo.html Edit: Ive seen people in the comments saying that jackery has updated the unit to have faster solar charging. I remember Hobotech doing a review on this update now come to think of it.
Is this an earlier model? It says max input is 100w for the current model. I've seen 80 watts in from same panel, but I'm in S Ca. Also, did you run the fridge off AC or DC? DC is more efficient.
So I use goal zero yeti 400 with engel fridge and with 100w nomad panel have run for 6 days. I suppose a lot depends on the type of fridge you use and it's power draw. I would like to see these units with a programable cut off point... From what I've read the lifespan of lithium batteries is significantly longer if they not drawn down past this point.
I'm checking out the Bluetti to run a camping fridge for a couple of days. Thank you. It's going to take a while to make a decision. I want to run around 40lt fridge for 40ish hours.
I watched a TH-cam comparison video between the jackery 500 and The goal zero on a dometic mini fridge, the jackery ran for 55 hours straight on one charge using the DC outlet, The goal zero ran for 43 hours. do you use the DC outlet or the AC?
@@daleadmire1451 I was saying it worked well for the extreme environment that it was in on max setting. I could only imagine how much longer would have run if it wasn't in the car or in extreme temps or even if it was in Eco Mode
@@emtbilly yeah, these little solar generators and electric ice chests are just such a nice option to have that's for sure! When my wife goes to Costco 30 mi away she plugs our ice chest into her car and keeps all the cold stuff cold she thinks it's a neatest thing in the world.
The AC50s doesn't have the capacity of the of the Jackery 500 when it was tested. Check out Will Prowes' video on the AC50s. It couldn't even reach 300wh.
With batteries of this size of running a 12v fridge you have to assume you will be recharging via solar, or some other method daily.... so recharge rate is the most important factor to making these systems sustainable longer term.
@@seatoskyoverland3579 EXACTLY! That's what I'm concerned with. No matter how much power a sogen has, eventually it's going to run out of juice if it's not hooked up to a power source. If it takes forever to recharge it's worthless.
Ya, but who buys these to run 300/500w appliances...nothing i have that I have that needs to be charged uses that much power, but I recognize others might be different.
Wow 40w solar input? That’s pretty bad. Seems like you have their first generation. The new jackery do not charge that slow. I have 3 and non charge that slow like yours.
our matching Jackery solar saga 100w gives 61 to 64ish watts. Our Aspernova 54 quart 12v 35 watt will run almost 2 days without charge. With charge via solar it tops up fine everyday in the sun. Maybe the panels you are using are not very efficient. Secondly are you using the plug in dc? Switch to the ac cigarette lighter plug it is far more efficient.
The model I have doesn't have the MPPT that is now in the current generation. From what I've seen the MPPT will stabilize the input rate, and will keep things around the 60W mark.... still not enough for what we need it for, but maybe enough for others.
Thanks for the post. I really appreciate when real people withe their own money in the line do product reviews. Have you considered using Jackery's Solar Saga 100W panels? I own Jackery 1000W with two Solar Saga 100W panels and the Jackery's 300W model as well. I only charged the 300 with one Solar Saga panel and it was getting around 80 watt charge all the time (I live in Southern California). I am waiting for a deal on Dometic CFX3 75DZ to purchase it (hopefully, they will offer it at 20% discount for the upcoming Fathers Day and/or the Independence Day). My plan is to use the 1000 model as a main power supply for the Dometic. When the 1000 will need to be recharged, the 300 watt model will power the Dometic. There are signs that Jackery's 500 watt model is going to get an update pretty soon - they have a constant sale going on, maybe to clear inventories? Hopefully, when Jackery comes up with a new 500 watt model with faster charging, I will probably get that one too.
It's such a great feeling to have multiple solar generators I have the explorer 300 500 and 1000 and love looking at my little "pyramid of power"stacked in my supply room lol
i have the bluetti ac50s....got it for $350 on a sale of theirs a few months ago. its nice...i do prefer the ecoflow river 600 max...it did cost me $450 but it can handle waaay larger surges in wattage and can handle more equipment. i do like them both though and that wireless bluetti charger is handy for sure.
A very high quality product, that is a little too expensive for what they're offering. I think with GZ you're paying a bit of a premium for the established and well known brand. They are good units.... just don't offer the best bang for your buck.
We do, and have successfully used the Jackery on 10+ day overlanding trips where we are driving and changing location every day.... but sometimes we just want to post up on a beach for a few days without moving, which is likely closer to 95% of people in the market for these units. Jackery falls down pretty quickly in those situations.
The new version of the Jackery 500 is slightly better due to the MPPT it comes with... should result in charging rates in the 60w range. Their proprietary panels also get decent charging rates, though they are extremely expensive $ per W
@@jeffbenjamin6480 it doesn't sound crazy at all my friend, these things have a million uses, use it to its fullest potential including keeping your little friends warm!
Umm, welcome to last year’s information. Jackery has released V2.0 units with MPPT controllers which charge much faster and that have been on the market since September. I know I own one!
Yup, I just got one with the MPPT controller. It's supposed to charge in 8-9 hours from the 100 watt solar panel as opposed to 13+ hours for the old model. I haven't tried it yet as we plug it in to the AC outlet in our 4Runner to charge while driving and run the 'fridge off the vehicle's 12 volt while driving. This time of year, the 'fridge doesn't even need to be plugged in overnight.
You're totally right, the V2.0's do have an MPPT which slightly increases, but more than anything stabilizes the input wattage. Jackery makes a very high quality product and I'm sure you guys will be happy with it. The fact of the matter is though, even the V2.0's with the MPPT don't charge fast enough to counter the 24hr draw of our Dometic CFX75. This video was made to let people who are in the market for a portable power station understand that if they are running larger fridges the Jackery lineup may not be the best choice for them, as it won't be a long term sustainable option. A power station with a faster charging speed is preferable. Almost all of the other videos about Jackery on TH-cam are sponsored videos that include 2 of Jackery's proprietary, extremely expensive, solar panels... and all the reviewers seem to rave about them. The vase majority of people out there won't be able to afford, or want to buy those panels, so they will likely have a different experience. I wanted to produce an honest look from someone who bought their unit with their own money, ran it and lived with it for over a year, and subsequently has done a lot of research about what else is out there. We still use our Jackery all of the time for charging smaller devices and as a backup system. We have since upgraded to a different power station to run our fridge though.... video to come on what we went with and why.
@@seatoskyoverland3579 Umm, NOT proprietary. Solar panels use an 8mm plug available anywhere even Amazon or you can get an 8mm adapter to a myriad of connectors, again on Amazon under $20 🤷🏻♂️
If your solar is is being pulled thru a MPPT controller before it gets to the Jackery that’s going to hurt the charge performance. You need to bypass the solar controller if that’s what your panels are wired to. The Jackery has an onboard MPPT controller
Very true. If you own a fridge that will deplete the battery slowly enough that you can keep it charged up without slowly falling behind than this could be a great unit for you. The Jackery's do have fantastic build quality. They just simply don't charge very fast. As I'm sure you're aware we have a Dometic, which is in an insulated cover, so it's pretty efficient for its size.
Jackery is overrated. I’ve had it and have the same problem. Bluetti is way better for real world functionality. I went to the eb70 and got two SP200 panels with decent conditions the two SP200 produce about 350watts and the bluetti e70 can only take 160watts and charge in 5.5hrs with solar from dead. With the extra 140watts from the other panel you can power anything else up to the extra 140watts the extra panel is producing without effecting the speed of the eb70 charging.
The newer Explorer 500 v2.0 uses MPPT technology and charges a little faster I hear. Many folks don't understand. There is a good reason they limit the charging current. They cannot control PEOPLE. People will try charging the unit while also drawing large current loads. This leads to excessive battery heat and potential safety hazards. The engineers are not stupid as many people assume. it's that they have ALL the information and have to accommodate for the end users lack of care or knowledge. Do you have any idea the liability if these are abused and start a fire in someones home or RV ? They are absolutely correct to limit the charging current. Also, they offer a 2 year warranty. Higher charge rates resulting in higher battery temps will shorten battery life substantially. The solution is to go big or go home. Much higher rated batteries can handle much higher charge rates.
This is why I plan on getting two Jackeries for a fridge. Run the fridge with one while it's hooked up to solar panels and have the other available for if/when the first one dies. If I need to use the panels to recharge the first Jackery then I can do just that. (Two Jackery 300 sogens not the 500. The 300 can charge with solar in about 3+ hours from what I've seen).
finally somebody honestly reviewed jackery, all other positives reviews are sponsored and worth nothing.
My biggest issue with all the "influencers" supporting it so vigorously, is that it's clear and obvious they didn't pay for the units with their own money.... as they all have the Jackery solar panels hooked up.... which are 4x more expensive per watt than similar renogy panels off Amazon.
I got last month a gen2 Jackery 500 with one 100w Jackery panel powering a Alpicool frig, here in AZ have no problem getting 70w after 9am and see 90w between 11am to 2pm and have seen 100w going in, right now 12/25 at 3.45pm have 65w going in but you gotta follow the sun. bought a off brand 130w panel and getting about the same. now got to figure out how to get them hooked up running in parallel, btw i'm in nw AZ
Sounds like you were only depending on solar, didn’t you also use your vehicle plug while driving?
That’s what I was thinking 🤔
I'm very grateful that you are not an "Influencer" just promoting a product, like the Kardashians with Weight Loss Tea.
I'm glad that you are giving an Honest Opinion on the Jackery.
The Jackery 500 Only being able to input 40 Watts isn't very impressive.
I've never had faith in Solar Pannel, plus $299.99 for 1 Jackery Solar Pannel, to me, is expensive.
I truly appreciate your honest.
If it goes below 20 percent charge, how does it damage it and what are the effects?
With lost lithium ion batteries the recommended charge levels to maximize longevity suggest you don’t let the batteries discharge fully. 20% is probably conservative. You’re probably okay going down to about 10%. Basically over time if you continually drop it down to zero the totally battery capacity will be reduced, so instead of it holding 518Wh it may only hold 475 or possibly less. Some of these systems have a reserve built in so that you can’t have a 100% depth of discharge and potentially hurt the cells. This obviously costs more money though as you have to put in 600Wh of cells and can only advertise the system as a 500Wh system.
Thanks for the support! It’s what keeps me making videos. I’m always happy to share what I’ve learned and experienced, especially when it helps other make informed decisions.
This is great info. I appreciate your insight on the charging issue.
Glad it was helpful!
I agree about the Bluetti. Faster charging and more efficient. I know you're looking at 500 watt supplies, but the Bluetti EB150 is an awesome mix of size, capability, efficiency and price, especially if you shop the sales they often have, or find a coupon code. I've had the EB150 for just under a year now and it's the best power station I've ever owned, including Jackery, Suaoki and Anker.
I didn't know that one was on sale in the UK. After you mentioned it, I looked at a review by DadVinci here th-cam.com/video/j83xHXI2XE4/w-d-xo.html
Edit: Ive seen people in the comments saying that jackery has updated the unit to have faster solar charging. I remember Hobotech doing a review on this update now come to think of it.
Is this an earlier model? It says max input is 100w for the current model. I've seen 80 watts in from same panel, but I'm in S Ca. Also, did you run the fridge off AC or DC? DC is more efficient.
So I use goal zero yeti 400 with engel fridge and with 100w nomad panel have run for 6 days. I suppose a lot depends on the type of fridge you use and it's power draw. I would like to see these units with a programable cut off point... From what I've read the lifespan of lithium batteries is significantly longer if they not drawn down past this point.
Thank you for your honesty!!!
Always!
At the dc plug there are two auxiliary plugs. What are those used for? And what is the size of the ports?
I'm checking out the Bluetti to run a camping fridge for a couple of days. Thank you. It's going to take a while to make a decision. I want to run around 40lt fridge for 40ish hours.
You have to remember quality, I think the quality between a jackery and a blueiti is like the difference between a Toyota and a Hyundai.
I watched a TH-cam comparison video between the jackery 500 and The goal zero on a dometic mini fridge, the jackery ran for 55 hours straight on one charge using the DC outlet, The goal zero ran for 43 hours. do you use the DC outlet or the AC?
Bingo! Do not use a/c use the 12volt. Learned that from another channel HOBOTECH
Used a jackery 300 on a iceco Jp40 in 90 degrees and left in a car over 24 hours in max mode using the 12volt.
@@emtbilly but what happened? these battery backups do not like heat, how much charge did you have left over how did it perform?
@@daleadmire1451 I was saying it worked well for the extreme environment that it was in on max setting. I could only imagine how much longer would have run if it wasn't in the car or in extreme temps or even if it was in Eco Mode
@@emtbilly yeah, these little solar generators and electric ice chests are just such a nice option to have that's for sure! When my wife goes to Costco 30 mi away she plugs our ice chest into her car and keeps all the cold stuff cold she thinks it's a neatest thing in the world.
The AC50s doesn't have the capacity of the of the Jackery 500 when it was tested. Check out Will Prowes' video on the AC50s. It couldn't even reach 300wh.
With batteries of this size of running a 12v fridge you have to assume you will be recharging via solar, or some other method daily.... so recharge rate is the most important factor to making these systems sustainable longer term.
@@seatoskyoverland3579 EXACTLY! That's what I'm concerned with. No matter how much power a sogen has, eventually it's going to run out of juice if it's not hooked up to a power source. If it takes forever to recharge it's worthless.
Ya, but who buys these to run 300/500w appliances...nothing i have that I have that needs to be charged uses that much power, but I recognize others might be different.
@@TheMcdred the smallest electric kettle I could find on ebay still used 300 watts of power. Believe. It mattera
So do u recommend jackery without solar...
I mean we can charge on a shop or with our vehicle instead of solar🥰
Wow 40w solar input? That’s pretty bad. Seems like you have their first generation. The new jackery do not charge that slow. I have 3 and non charge that slow like yours.
our matching Jackery solar saga 100w gives 61 to 64ish watts. Our Aspernova 54 quart 12v 35 watt will run almost 2 days without charge. With charge via solar it tops up fine everyday in the sun. Maybe the panels you are using are not very efficient. Secondly are you using the plug in dc? Switch to the ac cigarette lighter plug it is far more efficient.
Exactly! thank you for that, hooking up to the DC outlet is crucial.
Very good and honest review. BTW this model doesn’t have MPPT charge controller?
It does
The model I have doesn't have the MPPT that is now in the current generation. From what I've seen the MPPT will stabilize the input rate, and will keep things around the 60W mark.... still not enough for what we need it for, but maybe enough for others.
Another great video my friend, We have been thinking about a jackery so this is good info to know, Thank you
Thanks for the post. I really appreciate when real people withe their own money in the line do product reviews. Have you considered using Jackery's Solar Saga 100W panels? I own Jackery 1000W with two Solar Saga 100W panels and the Jackery's 300W model as well. I only charged the 300 with one Solar Saga panel and it was getting around 80 watt charge all the time (I live in Southern California). I am waiting for a deal on Dometic CFX3 75DZ to purchase it (hopefully, they will offer it at 20% discount for the upcoming Fathers Day and/or the Independence Day). My plan is to use the 1000 model as a main power supply for the Dometic. When the 1000 will need to be recharged, the 300 watt model will power the Dometic. There are signs that Jackery's 500 watt model is going to get an update pretty soon - they have a constant sale going on, maybe to clear inventories? Hopefully, when Jackery comes up with a new 500 watt model with faster charging, I will probably get that one too.
It's such a great feeling to have multiple solar generators I have the explorer 300 500 and 1000 and love looking at my little "pyramid of power"stacked in my supply room lol
thanks
i have the bluetti ac50s....got it for $350 on a sale of theirs a few months ago. its nice...i do prefer the ecoflow river 600 max...it did cost me $450 but it can handle waaay larger surges in wattage and can handle more equipment. i do like them both though and that wireless bluetti charger is handy for sure.
Hm. You'd have to run the fridge off of solar panels and/or another battery during the day to allow the Jackery to charge up - if there's sun.
Why don’t you make videos anymore
What’s your take on the Goal Zero?
A very high quality product, that is a little too expensive for what they're offering. I think with GZ you're paying a bit of a premium for the established and well known brand. They are good units.... just don't offer the best bang for your buck.
Charge while you drive, brother!
We do, and have successfully used the Jackery on 10+ day overlanding trips where we are driving and changing location every day.... but sometimes we just want to post up on a beach for a few days without moving, which is likely closer to 95% of people in the market for these units. Jackery falls down pretty quickly in those situations.
@@seatoskyoverland3579 use the 12volt not the a/c more efficient.
Now I hear this after I just bought the jackery.
The new version of the Jackery 500 is slightly better due to the MPPT it comes with... should result in charging rates in the 60w range. Their proprietary panels also get decent charging rates, though they are extremely expensive $ per W
@@seatoskyoverland3579 That and Im not using it for camping my thought was to use it for chickens heat lamp at night and let it charge during the day
@@jeffbenjamin6480 wow, that's one I've never heard of before purchasing a jackery to warm chickens... good for you!
@@daleadmire1451 I know it sounds a little crazy but it seems to be working out great and I'm saving money.
@@jeffbenjamin6480 it doesn't sound crazy at all my friend, these things have a million uses, use it to its fullest potential including keeping your little friends warm!
Umm, welcome to last year’s information. Jackery has released V2.0 units with MPPT controllers which charge much faster and that have been on the market since September. I know I own one!
Is that the 500 or 1000?
@@TSunshineful The 300 and 500 are both at v2.0. 1000 should be updated soon but it always had the MPPT controller.
Yup, I just got one with the MPPT controller. It's supposed to charge in 8-9 hours from the 100 watt solar panel as opposed to 13+ hours for the old model. I haven't tried it yet as we plug it in to the AC outlet in our 4Runner to charge while driving and run the 'fridge off the vehicle's 12 volt while driving. This time of year, the 'fridge doesn't even need to be plugged in overnight.
You're totally right, the V2.0's do have an MPPT which slightly increases, but more than anything stabilizes the input wattage. Jackery makes a very high quality product and I'm sure you guys will be happy with it. The fact of the matter is though, even the V2.0's with the MPPT don't charge fast enough to counter the 24hr draw of our Dometic CFX75. This video was made to let people who are in the market for a portable power station understand that if they are running larger fridges the Jackery lineup may not be the best choice for them, as it won't be a long term sustainable option. A power station with a faster charging speed is preferable. Almost all of the other videos about Jackery on TH-cam are sponsored videos that include 2 of Jackery's proprietary, extremely expensive, solar panels... and all the reviewers seem to rave about them. The vase majority of people out there won't be able to afford, or want to buy those panels, so they will likely have a different experience. I wanted to produce an honest look from someone who bought their unit with their own money, ran it and lived with it for over a year, and subsequently has done a lot of research about what else is out there. We still use our Jackery all of the time for charging smaller devices and as a backup system. We have since upgraded to a different power station to run our fridge though.... video to come on what we went with and why.
@@seatoskyoverland3579 Umm, NOT proprietary. Solar panels use an 8mm plug available anywhere even Amazon or you can get an 8mm adapter to a myriad of connectors, again on Amazon under $20 🤷🏻♂️
Jackery has a stop build in, so I can't deplete it to 0 .
If your solar is is being pulled thru a MPPT controller before it gets to the Jackery that’s going to hurt the charge performance. You need to bypass the solar controller if that’s what your panels are wired to. The Jackery has an onboard MPPT controller
Every fridge is different
Very true. If you own a fridge that will deplete the battery slowly enough that you can keep it charged up without slowly falling behind than this could be a great unit for you. The Jackery's do have fantastic build quality. They just simply don't charge very fast. As I'm sure you're aware we have a Dometic, which is in an insulated cover, so it's pretty efficient for its size.
Jackery is overrated. I’ve had it and have the same problem. Bluetti is way better for real world functionality. I went to the eb70 and got two SP200 panels with decent conditions the two SP200 produce about 350watts and the bluetti e70 can only take 160watts and charge in 5.5hrs with solar from dead. With the extra 140watts from the other panel you can power anything else up to the extra 140watts the extra panel is producing without effecting the speed of the eb70 charging.