I’m a strong believer in the power of a brand when choosing where to put your money. We say it over and over here on this site because I care about how people spend their money. When I created this site I made it my goal to help people make better buying decisions. I don’t promote fly-by-night brands because they won’t be around when you have problem covered under warranty. Jackery has been around since 2012 and they’ve managed to establish themselves as a ‘best in class’ brand that consumers can depend on. I recommend any their extensive range of products but in this article I’m going to specifically review the Jackery 1500 Explorer — a portable power station to get you through power outages, or power your devices when camping, or to run power tools in your workshop or to take with you when tailgating.
If you need a high quality portable power station then the Jackery 1500 might be exactly what you’re looking for.
The Value of Portable Power —
This site was originally focused on chainsaws, as you can tell by the name, but after a couple years I kind of fell in love with generators, which is a little strange to say, but it’s true. When you analyze the world we live in you quickly realize that energy is what has enabled human civilization to grow and prosper. Without energy we’re still living in caves by fire light hunting bison. But we forget how essential electricity and stored power is in our lives because it’s always available to us when we need it.
I know one thing for certain, as soon as the power goes out in our lives we suddenly panic and feel helpless. We live in a world of gadgets with electrical devices in our pockets. We get annoyed when our phone batteries die on us, even though we’re close to an electrical outlet that works. I hate to say it, but we’ve lost our ability to function as our ancestors did, and that’s okay, because we’ve evolved and electricity is everywhere — until it isn’t and the power goes out —
I genuinely feel that portable power backup is something that everybody should have in their home, even if it’s a small unit. Traditional gas generators have their place in our world but they are far from ideal for most people as they are loud, messy, require maintenance, and produce fumes which can kill you. Gas generators are great for a construction site but when it comes to home power I am an advocate for battery power stations. The Jackery 1500 Explorer is the perfect size for most people because it’s not anemic on power limiting you power abilities, in fact, it’s just about right for most use cases.
Of course, it won’t power your home, but it’s not designed to do that. I recently looked at the EcoFlow Delta Pro ecosystem, which I recommend if you want a complete battery system that will actually power your entire home.
Jackery 1500 Review / Explorer Series
Features :
- Power : 1800 Watts = Running / 3600 Watts = Starting / 1534Wh capacity,
- Use Examples : Power tools, and larger appliances such as electric stoves, electric microwave ovens, air-conditioners, and refrigerators.
- POWER 7 DEVICES SIMULTANEOUSLY: Phones, appliances, and other devices can all be plugged into the Jackery Explorer 1500.
-
PORTS :
- AC Output: 110VAC, 60Hz, 1800W (3600W Peak)
- USB-A Output: 5V, 2.4A
- Quick Charge 3.0 Output: 18W, 5-6.5V, 3A / 6.5-9V, 3A / 9-12V, 1.5A
- USB-C Output: PD60W, (5V, 9V, 12V, 15V, 20V up to 3A)
- Car Output: 12V,10A
- DC Input: 24V, 10.5A
- Weight : 35.2 lbs.
- Size : 14″ x 10.4″ x 12.7″
- Two Year Warranty
- OPTIONAL SOLAR POWER: With 4x SolarSaga 100 solar panels. Solarpeak Technology will boost 30% more recharging efficiency. Upgrade the Explorer onto a Solar Generator 1500.
- SAFELY DESIGNED AND EASY TO USE: Equip with Jackery’s quality built Battery Management System to ensure the battery’s safety level, while optimizing its performance. One Button design allows an easy use for you to operate, anytime and anywhere – whether for camping, RV, tent, or emergency.
- Solarpeak Technology (an upgraded MPPT solar regulator). Its algorithm can identify, monitor, and maximize the greatest available input in concurrency, extracting the most sizable solar energy under all conditions. Adds up 30% more solar recharging efficiency, which shorten the charging time to 4 Hours (0-80%) under straight full sun.
-
Battery Management System : Built to govern the Jackery 1500 Explorer safety structure.
- Over current protection, short current protection, over-discharge protection, overcharge protection, over voltage protection, and thermal protection. Will monitor each individual cell and battery pack health, which shields the battery safety level and the system, improving the battery life. It is even aligned with the highest battery industrial standard – matching quality of all the electric cars.
OVERVIEW / Jackery 1500 Explorer
The Jackery 1500 Explorer is designed for people who want plug-and-play without any fussing. It has a solid feel to it, with a nicely integrated curved handle, with no hard edges. This makes it comfortable to hold when carrying it. At only 35.2 lbs. most people should be able to carry it fairly easily. Sometimes it’s the little things that matter, but as a designer myself I appreciate when brands do the little things right. Ergonomics should always be a top priority in industrial design, especially with portable generators. Thankfully, Jackery has mastered the art of ergonomics.
Besides the form factor, the LCD display is big, bold and easy to read. I love the large text and icons they’ve chosen; it makes reading the information easy. All is good. You’ll know how to use it without even reading the manual, although you should definitely read the manual.
There are many advantages to portable power stations over traditional gas generators, such as they don’t produce any fumes, they produce clean energy, no maintenance, lightweight and they are essentially silent. This is why I love the Jackery 1500 Explorer, as well as other power stations. The 1500 Explorer is silent, other than the internal fan that turns on to keep the internal components cool, but you’ll barely hear it, so it’s nothing it all.
What can the Jackery 1500 Explorer Run?
Jackery says the it will run about 85% of home appliances, which is much higher than most portable power stations. They found the sweet spot when it comes to power capacity and I personally think it’s the perfect size for the majority of homeowners, unless you want something to power your home, and as I stated earlier, consider the EcoFlow Delta Pro for that. The 1500 Explorer has a total capacity of 1534W. It’s peak watts is 3600W and outputs a steady 1800W. If you don’t already know, most electrical devices require more power to get them started, which is known as the “peak” or “starting” power. But once the device has started, its power demands are lower, and that’s known as its “running” power or “rated” watts. All devices will have this information in their tech specs so make sure you figure out how much power you actually need before you buy the 1500 Explorer.
Examples of the type of Devices you’ll be able to run :
- Microwave
- Fridge
- Most power tools
- Blender
- Coffee Maker
- Furnace
- Portable Heater (1800W)
- Hair Dryer
- Washing Machine
- Portable Air Conditioner
- Vacuum Cleaner
Outlets
The Jackery 1500 can run seven devices at the same time, as long as it doesn’t exceeded the total power output of 1800W, but this little power station will operate as your own personal power plant. There are a couple of things they can improve in this department, such as spacing out the 110V outlets so you have more room to plug-in your devices. I don’t know why they didn’t allow more room to take into account the diversity of plug sizes you’ll encounter in the real world. I’ve often purchased power bars with the same problem, which means I don’t have access to all of the outlets and I hate that. It’s something that they should have factored into their design.
Also, they could have added more USB-C outlets as nowadays all portable gadgets use this type of outlet. Yes, you can get a USB hub to extend the capabilities of the power station but that’s just annoying if you have to do that. Now, these aren’t deal breakers. These are just minor complaints for me personally. You probably don’t need anymore outlets but if you do, you can easily buy a USB hub for $10. Not a big deal. The Jackery 1500 is phenomenal on so many levels and we all have different needs. Ultimately you need to think about how you plan on using the device and decide for yourself if it’s what you need.
Solar Ready / Connect to the SolarSaga 100
The Jackery 1500 is solar ready, meaning you can charge it by the power of the sun. Jackery has developed their own MPPT technology to maximize its solar charging capabilities, making it charge up to 30% faster than standard MPPT systems. Under ideal sun conditions, the Jackery 1500 can charge from 0% to 80% in under four hours — if you’re connected to four Jackery SolarSaga 100 solar panels.
These solar panels are around 23% more efficient over standard panels so the engineers at Jackery have been doing everything they can to optimize not only the 1500 Explorer but also the solar panels. Every little bit of optimization matters and makes owning one of these units more practical and useful. If you use the solar panels under less than ideal conditions (IE. cloudy day) then expect them to take much longer to charge your Jackery 1500. Unfortunately those numbers aren’t provided.
Features / SolarSaga 100
- Easy Setup & Kickstand Included: 2 kickstands that can be placed firmly on any surface ground. With just a few seconds of setup.
- TPE rubber handle allows you to carry around easily when taking off-grid adventures.
- Higher Energy Conversion Rate: Covered by monocrystalline silicon solar cells, the solar panel adopts multi-layered cell technology to generate energy from the sunlight and perform better with higher conversion efficiency that up to 23% than other conventional panels.
- Durable & Splash-Proof: The ETFE-laminated case is durable enough to extend the lifespan of the solar panel. It is IP65 water-resistant that will protect from water splashing (Do not place it under the rain, or to soak in water). The zippers on the pocket can hold the power cords, and cover the power port.
- Compatible & Versatile: This solar panel is compatible with Jackery Explorer 300/500/1000/1500 power station (sold separately), ideal for off-grid camping and unexpected power outage. Solar Saga 100 features 1x USB-C(5V,3A) output port and 1x USB-A(5V, 2.4A) output port to charge 2 small devices directly.
- weighs only 9.1 lbs
Learn more about the 1500 Explorer by visiting the Jackery site.