Explorer 500

Bought in autumn, so takes a while to charge via solar panel. (eg 3 days from original 50% to full). Hopefully summer will be quicker. Intended for emergency use and for power tools in the workshed originally, we use it to charge all portable/rechargable items, with mobiles & tablets using up approx 3% each, and the vacuum cleaner taking approx 20%. Plugs & charging cables fit snugly and the separate power buttons for each area are very handy. It holds it's charge well, and I am yet to discharge it fully. Doing small top ups as much as the winter sun will allow, instead. It is straightforward and easy to set up and use. Noise wise, it is silent as it is being charged via solar power (not tried mains charging), silent whilst charging smaller items, but intermittently makes noise while charging the vacuum battery. That said, the noise is no louder than a computer/laptop fan blowing. I may try it on my gaming laptop next - playing & charging it.

I did quite a bit of research before my purchase. 1st to make sure it would work with my ResMed CPAP machine and 2nd to get a good price. So got the sale price and sorted the delivery date, taking into account the festive holiday period. On that point it came early and luckily we had not left. Easy to follow instructions, worth doing; no matter how tempting to miss that bit out. I tried the CPAP machine on the 240v mains on the 1st night, was awoken due to the cooling fan kicking in after 2 hours. A bit disappointing really, the noise had woken me. 2nd night was able to use my Amazon acquired 12v car adapter and it ran for a good 8hrs without issue. The bonus was I had only used 20% of the battery charge. So able to run for 5 nights without issue. That includes a humidifier on the CPAP machine which uses more power. Loads of options with other power ports for phones, torches, speakers and watch but they are not heavy on battery. In summary it is a fabulous piece of kit, huge value if there is a power cut and there do occur in my area due to the trees and power lines. Total back up in the motor home too. Obviously it could run on the leisure battery or inverter. I would use the engine battery for a night if pushed. Sale price made it a total winner. Very pleased +++

So good we bought two. We mainly run our expedition fridge off it. Able to charge from cigarette lighter as we are driving and when fully charged - can run the fridge for a couple of days on average (depending on ambient temperature ) We use it in place of expensive electric modifications to our vehicle. Of course is fully transferable between vehicles and we use it for charging e-bikes out in the garage where there is no power supply (note though it won’t fully charge the battery).

I did a lot of homework before investing in the Jackery 500W. After reading many reviews of both Jackery and its main competitors, I opted for what I felt was the most reliable, most sturdy and most simple to use for a non-techie like me. It really is very straightforward with a minimum of buttons to confuse you and very clear instructions. Having watched some of the video reviews, it took no time at all to plug everything in and start charging up electronic devices. It arrived more than fifty per cent charged so I was able to do this without a problem and I was surprised by how quickly my devices charged and how little stored power they consumed. I know next to nothing about electrics but my understanding is that you can run pretty much anything electronic from the Jackery provided it doesn't draw more than 500W so that rules out larger appliances, domestic kettles, heaters etc. For those, you'd need a larger energy pack. I did agonise about whether to go for the bigger Jackery but decided that something that would charge phones, laptops, tablets etc was adequate for my needs. It comes with three USB (A) sockets, a 12v plug socket and a standard UK three pin socket - more than enough for my needs. You can also plug a USB device directly into the solar panel for charging. It doesn't however come with USB (C) sockets so an adaptor is required (or a mains plug) for such use. The simple display panel shows the wattage coming in during charge and the wattage going out to devices. The real gain for me was being able to match up the Jackery solar panel which again is so simple to use, my small grandson could work it out. There's something very satisfying being able to charge a device up using the power of the sun - albeit one tiny appliance! All very relevant now too with the COP summit underway (At time of writing). I daresay this will very quickly become outdated as the technology (and battery power) develops but it's a start and the costs are coming down quickly. I daresay I'll be shopping for the Jackery 500's big brother very soon!

It has a fan when you use the 3pin plug for lights which I’m sure is a safety feature but I find a wee bit annoying

Really good at holding a charge , i was able to charge an android phone a small airbed pump and plug in and inflate a double height queen size inflatable mattress , the Jackery still showed 94% charge afterwards so would easily last a few days camping trip . Great addition to my camping gear .

Great quality well packaged and powers so much. The solar panel can charge devices on its own. The design is great and very sturdy. Charges from the mains quickly or the solar panel over time. Lits of functions be aware the max output is 500W and wills hut off automatically if you are trying to use more power. Easy to transport great value for money. Better than other competitors products.

I loved this product, it even came with its own solar panels & was a dream to setup. Great delivery, packaging, setup & everything was going just fine as we started generating our own electric at home in our flat with Georgian windows & plenty of sun, we felt we were making a real difference charging up items using no mains electric just solar power & we were saving money which was our long term investment plan. It was strangely exciting & planet friendly, the sun was smiling down on us but then after about a week in the whole thing collapsed around our little green fingers. Without thinking about it I plugged an OralB toothbrush into it to charge up partially over night, the three pin socket I used which took the brushes two pin plug was too much for it, must have been the 13amp fuse in the three pin plug because it just killed the Jackery500 without warning, 90% battery suddenly became zero. There was very little it could do, then I really struggled to work out if there was a reset button, no where to be found until Jackery got back to me the following day, it was not even in the instructions which I found very strange indeed. Finally I used what was the reset button on this model for the allocated press the button time & the photo I have attached was what I saw displayed. An OralB toothbrush with a tiny spinning head had killed my £800+ Jackery instantly. We we’re so upset but have to follow the returns policy for a refund because we simply cannot afford this to happen again when our options could be more limited. This unfortunately was our first experience at a home power station buy. Jackery customer service seems good so far not bad but not fantastic either. If I we’re Jackery I would have moved mountains to keep us two onside with maybe a 1000 offer but as it is we cannot risk it. We hope your experience is better than ours, don’t forget to calculate those electrical numbers on anything going into that three pin plug. Thanks. Since this review I have made a decision to buy another Jackery500 as the return service has been very good & I may have just been unlucky, we are environmentalists & so cannot give up at the first hurdle. If we are as happy as those around me in this review section then I shall delete this & do a new review on the next 500. I would just like to point out that since posting this review there is a certain amount of Customer self education required regarding Jackery Power Station products, the most important of which is amps x volts = watts. Do this calculation to be certain you are not overloading your Jackery, unfortunately this is not in neon lights in the instructions & it needs to be, a huge flaw in the instructions. **We have since had a replacement 500 & it is faulty, only generating 4watt’s in a heatwave, this review stands, we are now unfortunately avoiding Jackery products.