Is the Jackery Explorer 1500 the Best Portable Power Station of 2021? - MakeUseOf

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For lovers of portable power, the Explorer 1500 is just about perfect.

Key Features

Dual MPPT DC inputs (48V)
Maintenance-free design
Onboard Battery Management System
Overcharge Protection/Short Circuit Protection
Multiple charging methods
Smart LCD display with estimated remaining runtime
LED Flashlight

Specifications

Brand: Jackery
Weight: 33lbs (15KG)
Size: 14” x 10.4” x 12.7” (35.6 x 26.5 x 32.3 cm)
Capacity: 1488.2Wh (41.34Ah, 36V)
Maximum Discharge: 1800W continuous / 3600W peak
Maximum Charge: 500W
Solar Controller: Yes
Ports: 7 outputs, 2 inputs
Ports: 3 x AC, 2 x 12V DC, USB-C, 2 x USB-A, 12V Carport

Pros

Solar support is fantastic
Easily powers high wattage devices
All-day capacity
7 outputs
Sturdy build quality
Colorful LCD display

Cons

Heavy
Solar panel option is expensive
No Anderson connections

There's just something about going off the grid. Maybe it's drinking that first cup of coffee as you bask in the morning quiet of the woods. Or perhaps it's swapping stories around the orange glow of a smoky campfire. Whatever it is, eschewing the busy world and getting back to nature is something we should all do from time to time. Just ask Thoreau.

But, if old Hank were around today, he'd probably have a cell phone. He'd also probably have a laptop, and he'd need a way to charge that puppy while pontificating out on Walden Pond. In other words, he'd need some portable power.

Well, Jackery has heard this siren song and created the Explorer 1500 portable solar generator. This beastly unit promises 1800 watts of continuous AC power and a generous 1488 watt-hour capacity. But is it any good? That's what we're going to find out in today's Jackery Explorer 1500 review.

Meet the Jackery Explorer 1500

The Jackery Explorer 1500 is a portable "solar generator" used to power your various electronic devices. Think of it as a giant battery bank with enough juice to take out to the campsite or use for emergency electricity, which can be charged from a variety of sources, including solar.

The Explorer features three ways to charge the unit, including a 12-volt auxiliary power adapter, AC power, and optional solar panels (not included). The Explorer houses a lithium-ion battery rated at 41.34 amp hours and 36 volts. It also offers 1488.2 watt-hours of total capacity.

The Explorer 1500 is available for $1599 on Jackery’s website and can be packaged with four SolarSaga 100W solar panels for $2699.

Technical Specifications

Dimensionst: 14 x 10.4 x 12.7 inches (35.6 x 26.5 x 32.3 cm)
Weight: 33.1 lbs (15 Kg)
Battery: Lithium-ion
Capacity: 1488.2Wh (41.34Ah, 36V)
Input: 2 SolarPeak MPPT DC 48V inputs
Outputs: 7 total.
- 3 Pure Sine Wave AC outputs (110v ~60Hz)
- USB-C (60W PD)
- Qualcomm Quick Charge USB-A 3.0,
- USB-A (5v, 2.4A)
- Carport (12V, 10A)
Inverter: 1800W AC (3600W surge peak)
Display: LCD
Certifications: RoHS, UN38.3, FCC, Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
Operating Temperature: 14 - 104F (-10C - 40C)
Recharge Temperature: 32 - 104F (0 - 40C)
Warranty: 24 Months (extended to 3 years if registered)
Extras: LED Flashlight
Cost: Battery alone $1599.99 US, and as tested $2699.99

What’s in the Box?

In the box for the Jackery Explorer 1500, you’ll get:

The Explorer 1500
2 Jackery Parallel Solar Power Cable Adapters
12-Volt Power Cable
AC Power Cable with Power Brick
Neoprene Pouch For Power Cable Storage
The Explorer 1500 Instruction Manual and Warranty Information

Who is the Jackery Explorer For?

There are two types of consumers who might be interested in the beefy Explorer 1500. The first is looking for a way to power their devices in case of an emergency. For example, sustained power outages, natural disasters, or the odd one-off zombie apocalypse. For these folks, the Jackery Explorer 1500 offers a few benefits over a gas generator.

The second type of consumer who will appreciate the Jackery Explorer is the outdoor type. Jackery’s motto is “Power Outdoors,” which demonstrates the kind of consumer Jackery is targeting.

Campers who enjoy periodically going off-grid, weekend-warriors, and vehicle-based nomads will all love the freedom that the Explorer 1500 provides. This category also includes people like me, who need to power photography equipment, lighting, computers, tablets, phones, and other mobile content creation gear outside my home studio.

Key Features

The most important key feature of the Jackery Explorer 1500 is its high wattage capability. Devices like hairdryers, countertop microwaves, and electric tea kettles use high wattage to operate. Jackery states that this unit should accommodate up to 85% of all electronic devices.

As long as your device doesn’t go above 1800 running watts for a sustained period, then the Explorer 1500 should power it. They can peak at up to 3600 watts, but not for long.

The all-in-one design of the Explorer 1500 is safer than a gas generator and requires very little maintenance. There's also absolutely no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning with this unit.

Plus, the Jackery is much quieter than your standard gas generator and will likely draw less attention from folks who might want to borrow power in an emergency. The device doesn’t need gas to function, and the giant battery will juice up all sorts of household items.

The onboard battery management system keeps the Explorer 1500 from overcharging, and Jackery states that you can leave the device plugged into AC power without any ill effects. The internal lithium-ion battery is rated for 800 cycles. That means you’ll have power when you need it, and you can use the Explorer 1500 for years without killing it.

Recharging the unit is accomplished by plugging it into AC power, using the solar panels, or using the supplied 12-volt car charger. Using these charging methods results in different overall recharge times. The 12-volt car charger is the slowest, taking around 13 hours to recharge the unit thoroughly.

With two SolarSaga 100W panels, a full charge takes around nine hours. With four SolarSaga panels, the total time to fully charge is approximately five hours. Finally, charging the Explorer 1500 with two Jackery AC power adapters takes around two hours to get to 80% power. In this case, you’ll have to purchase another AC power brick, but if you need to fast charge the Explorer 1500, then dual AC is the speediest way to go.

Using the single AC charger supplied with the unit takes around six hours to charge the Explorer 1500 to maximum. This time is relatively fast considering the size of the unit.

Something possible, though not recommended for extended periods, is pass-thru charging. With pass-thru charging, you can charge your devices while you’re charging the Explorer 1500.

Testing the Jackery Explorer 1500

On Jackery’s website, there's a list of appliances that the Explorer 1500 can power and the approximate times the Explorer can run them continuously. Included are a mini cooler for 21 hours, a coffee maker for 68 minutes, a pressure cooker for 75 minutes, an electric grill for 60 minutes, and a microwave for 68 minutes.

To see which household devices the Explorer 1500 would power, I decided to put some of them to the test. I didn’t have a mini-cooler, but I do have a mini chest freezer in my garage, so I hooked the Jackery up to that to see what kind of power it drew. The chest freezer pulled between 300-350 watts when the compressor cycled on, but the wattage output on the Jackery Explorer sank to zero when it stopped.

Some people might ask if the Explorer 1500 will power a camp freezer or mini-fridge. I attempted to answer that question with my tests. Unfortunately, I don't have a camp-sized fridge, but I do have a full-sized home fridge that I plugged into the solar generator.

With the fridge plugged in and running, the Explorer reported around 265 watts being drawn and around 7.1 hours of possible run-time. If you’ve ever experienced a multiple-day power outage, then this device would be great to have around the house as backup power.

As for other appliances, I also tested a 1200W toaster, a 1000W blender, and a 1000W tea kettle. The Jackery Explorer 1500 allowed all of these appliances to function well. Using all three within a short time also only resulted in a 10% reduction in overall charge. This test indicates that the Explorer 1500 is fully capable of powering small kitchen appliances with high wattage requirements.

I also used the Explorer 1500 to power a small 15-amp Ryobi circular saw for a weekend project. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get power output readings for the saw, but the Jackery had more than enough chutzpah to help me finish the job.

The ability to provide power to carpentry tools indicates another potential use case for the Explorer 1500—as portable power for a small worksite. Would I use the unit on a big project with heavy power needs? Probably not. But for minor home repair work, this power station is perfect.

Testing the SolarSaga 100W Solar Panels

I also wanted to test the solar charging potential of the Explorer 1500. Setting up the SolarSaga 100W panels involves plugging the panels into the parallel solar power cable adapters and then plugging those adapters into the two MPPT input ports at the top of the device.

These 8mm connectors are standard on many other Jackery units, such as the Explorer 500 and 1000. Unlike those units, however, the 1500 does not include any Anderson connectors. That means if you’re planning on using the Explorer 1500 with solar panels that aren’t the SolarSaga 100W, you’ll likely need an adapter. Fortunately, you can pick up these adapters relatively inexpensively.

The third version of these SolarSaga 100W panels have some exciting features, such as the included built-in stands, ETFE surfaces, and USB-A and USB-C charging ports, which you can use for on-the-go device top-ups.

Using the panels in direct sun, I was able only to achieve around 60W of power input per panel. But it was around 3 pm and somewhat overcast during testing. So, I was expecting input wattage to fall short of the maximum.

Now, if you’re planning on over-paneling this unit, understand that the Explorer 1500 is only rated for 12-51 volts. The top-end of that range is a hard cap, and if you exceed that voltage on either of the input ports, then the unit will stop charging.

What Do We Love About the Jackery Explorer 1500?

The best part of the Jackery Explorer 1500 is the sheer amount of stuff you can power with the unit. The massive 1488Wh capacity of this unit is also something remarkable. While other generators of this type, such as the Bluetti EB150, and EB240 offer similar or higher watt-hour capacity, these devices can’t touch the Explorer 1500’s muscular 1800W inverter performance.

Then there’s solar power. If you can afford it, solar is your ticket to nomadic off-grid bliss. The SolarSaga 100W panels fold up into an ultra-thin package and are only slightly larger than an extra-large pizza box. Packing these panels into your camper or RV will take up only a tiny amount of space.

The panels’ magnetic clasps are also well made, and each time you close the panels, they snap shut with confidence. But, these panels are pricey. On the other hand, if you’re going to invest in a solar generator like the Explorer 1500, add-on solar is undoubtedly worth the bump in cost.

The unit also has the benefit of being equipped to charge seven devices at once. That means no fighting your kids for a spot on the Explorer when they want to charge up their mobile devices. (Your Nintendo Switch is just as important!) And pass-thru charging is a boon, even if you only use it occasionally.

The build quality of the Explorer 1500 is top-notch, and it’s clear that Jackery wasn’t aiming to cut corners. Or, maybe the company was, because there are no sharp corners on this unit. While that might not seem like it matters, try smacking yourself in the back of your leg with 33 lbs. of pointed object, and you’ll understand why this attention to detail is important.

Finally, the unit’s LCD is bright and colorful, and it looks much better than Jackery’s previous Explorer 1000 iteration. The display is easy to read, and even in the dark, you’ll always know how much juice you have or how much power you’re using.

What’s Not to Love?

There are only a few issues with the Explorer 1500 that prevent it from earning a perfect score. The first is the noise of the fan. This fan is noticeably loud. Will that be a problem for some people? Maybe.

For someone like me, who uses the Explorer in a videography setting, as long as my microphones don’t pick up the generator’s noise, then I’ll be happy. And at this point, I haven’t had much trouble. But don’t expect a unit that is whisper-quiet if you’re thinking about buying the Explorer.

Next is the weight. This unit is ultra-portable, but I would not consider it light. It’s 33 lbs of dead weight that will take some muscle to move over long distances. Again, this might not bother you, but if carrying the equivalent of a car battery around with you on your camping trip sounds agonizing, then you might want to search out some smaller power generation options.

There are also no Anderson connectors on the Explorer 1500. For those folks who already have solar panels with Anderson connectors, this might be a bit frustrating. But, you can solve this frustration by purchasing an Anderson adapter for the Jackery. For this, you’ll have to go to the aftermarket, but these adapters are certainly less money than buying all new solar panels.

Finally, the cost of this unit is going to be hard to swallow for some folks. With a complete set of solar panels, the Explorer 1500 will set you back around $2700. That’s a lot of money for someone who is just looking for supplemental weekend power. But, if you’re a serious outdoor person or a digital nomad, then this price may be perfectly justifiable.

Should You Buy the Jackery Explorer 1500?

If the cost of this unit fits your budget, then the Explorer 1500 is a great buy. While I’d recommend it more for its outdoor uses, there is viability to keeping this device charged up in your basement in case of disaster. And, if you’re the type of person who is vehicle-based and in search of portable power, then the Explorer 1500 by Jackery is a no-brainer.

This device is compact, easy to use, and eliminates one of the major problems of “roughing it.” Namely, the lack of portable electricity. The unit is fantastic, and for us, the Explorer 1500 is forging some new and exciting territory in the mobile power market.

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About The Author

Matt Hall (36 Articles Published)

Matt L. Hall covers technology for MUO. Originally from Austin, Texas, he now resides in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife, two dogs, and two cats. Matt studied English at the University of Massachusetts.