My experience with Jackery

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Recently I bought a Jackery 500 Explorer.

I will say that as far as quality and performance it exceeded my expectations and even though I already have 4 gasoline generators of various sizes (Mostly Inverter units) I felt it would be good to add this solar generator to the stable.

I purchased directly from the Jackery website and it arrived quickly.

What was a little frustrating was that THE VERY NEXT DAY they started a sale! It went from $449 to $419 the day after I ordered it.
I don't believe it had even been shipped yet. So I contacted Jackery and asked if I could get a reimbursement for the difference.

I was told that they could not do that BUT....I was offered a solution that I was satisfied with.
I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say it was a fair compensation. That was dealing with a representative named Vinny.

As far as the Jackery Unit itself, I tested all the ports that I could and then fully charged it and ran a capacity test.

The capacity measured just over 540Watt Hours so I was thrilled.

I ordered a solar Charge Cable off Amazon for $21 and so now I can charge it from my Solar panels.

Overall good experience and I'm glad I bought it. It serves a niche need for times when I need a few hundred watts or a convenience outlet when it's inconvenient to drag a power cord or carry a small generator. Plus it's silent and needs no gasoline.

Overall I give Jackery and my new toy an "A" for quality, customer service and product utility.

I have absolutely no affiliation with Jackery and receive no compensation. I bought it with my money at full (sale) price.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Another thing I really like.......

If for some crazy reason during an emergency like after a major hurricane etc and gasoline became unavailable for an extended time,
it's nice to have this available. Solar charge it by day....use it at night.

I've got about 1000watts of solar available too but that's not a "whole house" solution so the Jackery would come in really handy.

 

[Ed Tech Sensei]

Another thing I really like.......

If for some crazy reason during an emergency like after a major hurricane etc and gasoline became unavailable for an extended time,
it's nice to have this available. Solar charge it by day....use it at night.

I've got about 1000watts of solar available too but that's not a "whole house" solution so the Jackery would come in really handy.

I have a Jackery 500 and 240. They are both well suited for what I need them to do. Unfortunately charging from solar is slow because the max input is 65W. The new Jackery 1500 lets you charge at 500W, the Jackery 2000 at 1000W.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

I have a Jackery 500 and 240. They are both well suited for what I need them to do. Unfortunately charging from solar is slow because the max input is 65W. The new Jackery 1500 lets you charge at 500W, the Jackery 2000 at 1000W.

hmmmm
Mine charges at 80watts to 82watts

I have the latest version - Explorer 500
How old is yours?

Unless I'm mistaken, never models have higher charging input rates.

 

[Ed Tech Sensei]

hmmmm
Mine charges at 80watts to 82watts

I have the latest version - Explorer 500
How old is yours?

Unless I'm mistaken, never models have higher charging input rates.

Mine is 5 months old. Same as yours. I paid $419. Using the AC charger, I get 85W. Using a 180W BougeRV solar panel, max is 63W. Look at the spec sheet. AC is 7.5 hours. Solar panel is 9.5 hours. Jackery 2000 is 2 hours. With the same panel I was charging my off-grid system with 140W. If you are getting 80W from solar, that is great. Maybe they did an upgrade to the latest batch and didn't change their spec sheet.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Mine is 5 months old. Same as yours. I paid $419. Using the AC charger, I get 85W. Using a 180W BougeRV solar panel, max is 63W. Look at the spec sheet. AC is 7.5 hours. Solar panel is 9.5 hours. Jackery 2000 is 2 hours. With the same panel I was charging my off-grid system with 140W. If you are getting 80W from solar, that is great. Maybe they did an upgrade to the latest batch and didn't change their spec sheet.

Yeah, the most I've gotten out of one, 100watt solar panel is 61watts.
Seems like I saw a video of someone use 2 100watt panels and reaching 80watts or so.

I haven't tried two solar panels yet but I will just to see.

You just have to manage your power use and charging carefully based on your circumstances I guess.
Try to look on the bright side (I always look for the positive to anything)......a slower charge rate extends battery life.

 

[Ed Tech Sensei]

After I purchased the Jackery I started thinking of other ways to access electricity in the event of a power outage. The 500 and 240 are perfect for keeping lights, fans, and the internet running. I can even power a small dorm type fridge for a few days. I don't need portable solar panels, so I bought the BougeRV panel. 180W for about half the price of the Jackery 100W folding panels.

I was thinking about the Jackery 1500, but purchased a 1.5 kilowatt LiFePO4 from Battery Evo, a solar charge controller, and 1200W inverter for less than the Jackery. Not as compact or portable but that's what the Jackery 500 is for.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Guessing
$500 for the battery.....
$130 SCC
$180 1200watt pure Sine Wave Inverter

Total $810 - $1500 (Jackery) = -$690 (savings estimate)
They must be making a killing off those things at their costs / mass buying power.
I think people are in a backup power buying binge right now. Solar especially.
Like they do with guns when politicians against them get in power. Eventually it's gonna fade and then prices might plummet to reasonable levels

All you need now is a empty Jackery 1500 housing. You might be able to get one from Jackery parts dept?. (if it would fit)

You know what you forgot that will definitely make your home built unit a budget buster?
That famous Jackery flashlight.

 

[Supervstech]

I think the charging difference is from the panel voltages.
A “12V” panel will cap at 65W, but a “24V” panel will provide 80?

 

[reg]

Guessing
$500 for the battery.....
$130 SCC
$180 1200watt pure Sine Wave Inverter

Total $810 - $1500 (Jackery) = -$690 (savings estimate)
They must be making a killing off those things at their costs / mass buying power.
I think people are in a backup power buying binge right now. Solar especially.
Like they do with guns when politicians against them get in power. Eventually it's gonna fade and then prices might plummet to reasonable levels

I wouldn't hold my breath on Jackery prices "plummeting".

The Jackery 1500 is currently selling for $1440 for 1488Wh. That's $1 per Watt hour. The setup that I just put together with a second-hand Lithium Werks Valence battery, a Victron battery charger and a Morningstar inverter cost me $1.32 per Watt hour based on using 80% of the battery's nominal capacity. I already own the tools that I needed, or it would have cost more.

Not everybody wants to deal with buying cells online from China, spend months waiting for delivery, make a battery, etc, etc, etc. Multiply the hours spent by a decent hourly wage, not to mention the accompanying fretting and in some cases aggravation, and it doesn't even pay financially

 

[Ed Tech Sensei]

Guessing
$500 for the battery.....
$130 SCC
$180 1200watt pure Sine Wave Inverter

Total $810 - $1500 (Jackery) = -$690 (savings estimate)
They must be making a killing off those things at their costs / mass buying power.
I think people are in a backup power buying binge right now. Solar especially.
Like they do with guns when politicians against them get in power. Eventually it's gonna fade and then prices might plummet to reasonable levels

All you need now is a empty Jackery 1500 housing. You might be able to get one from Jackery parts dept?. (if it would fit)

You know what you forgot that will definitely make your home built unit a budget buster?
That famous Jackery flashlight.

Your math is spot on. The battery is 42 lbs so there's no chance it will fit in the 1500 sized case. I've never used the flashlight on the 500. Forgot it was even there. The Jackery and the assembled system both have different uses. The Jackery is portable and getting power is immediate. The assembled system was more educational than practical, although I'm building it up into something more useful.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

I wouldn't hold my breath on Jackery prices "plummeting".

The Jackery 1500 is currently selling for $1440 for 1488Wh. That's $1 per Watt hour. The setup that I just put together with a second-hand Lithium Werks Valence battery, a Victron battery charger and a Morningstar inverter cost me $1.32 per Watt hour based on using 80% of the battery's nominal capacity. I already own the tools that I needed, or it would have cost more.

Not everybody wants to deal with buying cells online from China, spend months waiting for delivery, make a battery, etc, etc, etc. Multiply the hours spent by a decent hourly wage, not to mention the accompanying fretting and in some cases aggravation, and it doesn't even pay financially

Supply and price almost always follows market demand.
If demand drops, so will prices. The question is.....will demand drop?

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Your math is spot on. The battery is 42 lbs so there's no chance it will fit in the 1500 sized case. I've never used the flashlight on the 500. Forgot it was even there. The Jackery and the assembled system both have different uses. The Jackery is portable and getting power is immediate. The assembled system was more educational than practical, although I'm building it up into something more useful.

Would like to see a few pics of the system you built.

 

[Ely]

Now, Jackery and Goal Zero are expensive. But they works as aspected. Some brands you can buy under different names in Alibaba (cheap) or the same units under better sounding names via Crowdfunding (not so cheap) have some issues and you must be a lucky guy to get one that works fine. And be hopeful if you need customer service …

If you want a plug and play, ready to go solar power, you should buy Goal Zero or Jackery. Or DIY.

 

[Ed Tech Sensei]

I wouldn't hold my breath on Jackery prices "plummeting".

The Jackery 1500 is currently selling for $1440 for 1488Wh. That's $1 per Watt hour. The setup that I just put together with a second-hand Lithium Werks Valence battery, a Victron battery charger and a Morningstar inverter cost me $1.32 per Watt hour based on using 80% of the battery's nominal capacity. I already own the tools that I needed, or it would have cost more.

Not everybody wants to deal with buying cells online from China, spend months waiting for delivery, make a battery, etc, etc, etc. Multiply the hours spent by a decent hourly wage, not to mention the accompanying fretting and in some cases aggravation, and it doesn't even pay financially

Would like to see a few pics of the system you built.

I have all the components except for the solar panel and batteries laid out on a bench. Solar panel is in backyard. Batteries on the garage floor.I still need to mount everything on plywood then mount that to a wall. I'm having problems pulling anything over 400W from the inverter when the battery is connected to the solar charge controller. Anything over a 400W draw shuts down the inverter.

I started another thread about that issue. When I connect the batteries directly to the inverter, I can pull 1100W for about 20 minutes without any problems. I haven't used it longer than that because I got bored.

Battery Evo 120Ah X 2, Giandel PSW 1200/2400W inverter, Renogy Rover 40amp MPPT charge controller, BougeRV 180W solar panel.

https://batteryevo.com/battery-evo-...-perfect-for-rv-golf-cart-solar-storage-boat/

https://www.amazon.com/Inverter-120...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Charg...550576&sprefix=renogy+rover+40,aps,213&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/BougeRV-Mono...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

[Bud Martin]

Inverter and Charge Controller Shutdown Issue

Here is my setup. BougeRV 12v, 180 watt solar panel, Giandel 1200w/2400w PSW inverter, Renogy Rover 40 amp MPPT solar charge controller, Battery Evo 120Ah battery X 2 in parallel. Renogy SCC will take 8 awg or smaller. 8 awg from Renogy to Giandel inverter. Anderson SB175, 6 awg from battery to...

diysolarforum.com

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

I have all the components except for the solar panel and batteries laid out on a bench. Solar panel is in backyard. Batteries on the garage floor.I still need to mount everything on plywood then mount that to a wall. I'm having problems pulling anything over 400W from the inverter when the battery is connected to the solar charge controller. Anything over a 400W draw shuts down the inverter.

I started another thread about that issue. When I connect the batteries directly to the inverter, I can pull 1100W for about 20 minutes without any problems. I haven't used it longer than that because I got bored.

Battery Evo 120Ah X 2, Giandel PSW 1200/2400W inverter, Renogy Rover 40amp MPPT charge controller, BougeRV 180W solar panel.

https://batteryevo.com/battery-evo-...-perfect-for-rv-golf-cart-solar-storage-boat/

https://www.amazon.com/Inverter-120...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Charg...550576&sprefix=renogy+rover+40,aps,213&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/BougeRV-Mono...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

I will try to replicate this and post the results.

I have seen that the Jackery does not handle inductive loads well.
I have a small tire compressor that I was sure could run on the Jackery cigarette lighter outlet, but it didn't.
Not sure yet if it was voltage drop or not.

 

[macheung]

I will try to replicate this and post the results.

I have seen that the Jackery does not handle inductive loads well.
I have a small tire compressor that I was sure could run on the Jackery cigarette lighter outlet, but it didn't.
Not sure yet if it was voltage drop or not.

The jackery 12v outlet is only for 10A. My tire compressor when running used about 90w or 8A, when starting it may need 2x. Though I find if I turn the 12v off and on, and keep trying, it will eventually work and the compressor will stay on. This is with a jackery 1500

 

[Ribbit74]

Between the Jackery 500 and Ecoflow River Max I went with Ecoflow. Mainly for charging speed and the fact that you don’t need an external power brick. Jackery looks high quality though.

Ecoflow is on sale right now too on Amazon.