Explorer 500

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 I daresay this will very quickly become outdated as the technology (and battery power) develops but it's a start and the costs are coming down quickly.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!

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).

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 .

I had waited a long time for the Jackery to appear on the shores of the UK after seeing it many times on US based YouTube VanLife videos, so I ordered it as soon as it was available. I was not disappointed the Explorer 500 and the SolarSaga 100 Solar Panel (Tarquin did you really name it that?) has been good with no ‘Saga’. I played with many USB devices and wanted to give it a full work out. I bought it for use in my VW camper so I plugged everything I carried into it and all was good. I was very impressed when I plugged in a 500W 240Vac fan heater and let it run until it died, mainly to drain it down to see if there was a ‘Saga’ with the solar. The screen showed I was pulling just a tad over 500W and I sat and watched it, then got bored and started to check it every few minutes, it finally died at 59 minutes so it does what it says on the side of the can. I then sat the solar panel out in the sun (This was April in the UK) and it charged up, I thought very quickly with over 90W shown coming in. Once charged I realised that one other toy could be plugged in within the specs, that being my eMTB charger, so once the Explorer 500 was charged I plugged my eMTB into its 240v outlet and with the solar making up for the draw I could charge the bike directly from the sun, you cannot imagine how much of a smart arse ego trip that was 😊 All in all I am very happy I got this unit, it is robust and may well survive life in my van jumping around as I drive across fields. I should add that the SolarSaga is a perfect fit to sit on the dashboard of a T5.1 Vdub.

Very good