Evan Rodgers

Review

Jackery Explorer 1,000 review: A perfect, no-frills portable power station

This solar generator doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but its high capacity and attractive price tag make it a heck of a deal.

A shot of the Jackery Explorer 1,000 battery on a table with a cable plugged in.

Are you looking for a solar generator but can't justify spending $2,000 on a top-end model? If so, you should probably consider the Jackery Explorer 1,000.

1,002 Wh

The Jackery Explorer 1,000 has a 1,002 watt-hour capacity.

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The Jackery Explorer 1,000 is the company’s largest solar generator. It also has the company’s biggest inverter at 1,000 watts of continuous power AC power and 2,000 watts of surge capacity.

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The big thing with Jackery is value: For $999.99 you get a high-capacity battery with all the basics: a good, pure sine wave inverter with three plugs, two USB-C ports, two regular USB-A ports, and a 12V car outlet.

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The port layout of the Jackery Explorer 1,000.

The competition

The Jackery’s biggest competitor is the Yeti 1,500X from Goal Zero, which costs twice as much ($1,999) for only 50 percent more capacity. We reviewed it here.

Here's how the Jackery compares to the Goal Zero:

  • 500 fewer watt-hours
  • Less input wattage at around 180 watts
  • Less flexible solar inputs (only 12-24 volts)
  • USB-C PD ports only output 18 watts
  • No expansion options
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A video showing the battery cutting out at 850 watt-hours.

850 Wh

It's normal for a battery to provide around 10-15 percent less than the stated capacity to prevent the cells from going to zero, which protects them and adds to the overall life of the pack.

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If you’re looking for some cheap home backup power, the Jackery is a great choice. Yes, it forgoes the high-end features of the Goal Zero, but it also costs half as much.

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Temper expectations

You won’t be able to run high-wattage appliances or power tools, but you can power things like TVs, laptops, and cordless drills.

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Jackery Explorer 1,000

A 1,000 Wh solar generator with a wide array of ports. Comes with a car charger and a surprisingly nice 180-watt wall charger.

Input may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article. We only include products that have been independently selected by Input's editorial team.

$999.90 at Jackery

Examples of how long you can run various items according to Jackery's website.

So is it worth it?

For the price you honestly can’t beat it.

However, Jackery just soft-announced a larger Explorer 1,500 model as part of a web contest, so you might want to wait for that.

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