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Last spring, I reviewed a Honda portable power station. That was a 292Wh unit, and it was made under license by a company called Jackery that specializes in battery solutions. A few months ago, Jackery sent me a much more powerful version and one that’s marketed under its own name: the Jackery Explorer 500 portable power station.
It offers a similar design to the Honda 290 I previously reviewed, only bigger. As the name suggests, this one packs 500Wh of Lithium-Ion battery power, and like the Honda 290, it offers a combination of USB, 12V, and 110V AC outputs.
Highly Portable, Plenty of Power on Tap
The Jackery Explorer 500 portable power station is a failry compact unit. It weighs 13.3 pounds, but the integrated handle makes it easy to carry. The front face is dominated by power outputs (12V, three 2.4A USB-A, and a 110V AC outlet), power input for recharging, and a display panel that shows battery remaining and power consumption levels. The sides are vented for cooling.
After about eight hours of charging using the included power adapter (a DC to car adapter cable is also included, while solar charging is optional), I was ready to give the portable power station a try.
