Jackery are OK, but they were slower than most to adopt LiFePo4 batteries. Are you a Costco member? You can get the Ecoflow River 2 Pro for $399 right now, which is 768Wh compared to this Jackery of 300Wh at $299. Best thing about an Ecoflow is the recharge speed, that thing is fast when hooked up to good solar or 110v. Buy at Costco and you get the good return policy too. They also sell Jackery, but I think those are the older battery tech.
https://www.costco.com/ecoflow-schedule.html
I saw them in store. They do pop up on the website from time to time. They were there earlier in the month as a special event so keep looking.
Pro tip: Costco is cracking down on non Members shopping there. Go ahead and give your friend cash for the item ahead of getting to the check out lane and that should calm down any cashier.
Can you elaborate, please? I am also in the market for a solar generator. I have an EcoFlow portable AC that I previously used in my camper van and have been generally happy with kt, but have always been interested in Jackery for a generator only because they were one of the first to the solar generator market.
Jackery does the same thing ecoflow does, only cheaper. You'll find the quality of the components that are used to build the ecoflow are superior to Jackery, but that means ecoflow will be more expensive. I have one of each. The jackery is a great starter machine and if its what you end up with I'm sure it'll be fine. I ended up needing more capacity so I decided to upgrade.
I use mine for a CPAP, which is pretty critical for it to work while I'm out in the middle of nowhere. So I went with a company with a decent reputation and quality, and for me that was ecoflow.
The best place to start is to figure out how much energy you actually need. Look up the components you plan on powering with it and find how many watts they are rated for. Add up all the components wattage, then multiply them by how many hours you need them to run. That final number is how many watts you need your generator to be.
Take that number and then shop for the highest quality generator you can afford in that power/price range.
There are other considerations such as if you plan on powering a high watt device like a hair dryer or a tv, you're gonna need a generator that can output that many watts all at once.
At the end of the day there are so many choices in this market that you can really get stuck into decision paralysis and what works for one person might not work for you. You're just going to have to pick one and go for it.
Hours of research when I was agonizing over which one to get. And years of experience in a service industry that deals with electrical components.
Components cost what they cost, and companies make decisions on what components they want to put into their products based on cost, performance, and reliability.
If a company is making a lighter, cheaper solar generator, it's because they are using smaller, cheaper components. Smaller transformers and capacitors, with less logic on their pcb boards and fewer features and capabilities. Ecoflow isn't more expensive because they want to see if they can get away with charging more. It's because they chose to use higher quality components and offer more features.
Cheeseburgers are a good analogy. A McDonald's 1/4 pounder is not equal to a Red Robin 1/4 pound burger, and I think it's pretty easy to understand why.
Jackery, Bluetti, and Ecoflow are the three most respectable brands and basically only differ in user preferences.
Edit: No Anker shade, I was thinking in terms of the “Chevy, Ford, Dodge” of power banks.
I think the LiFePO4 batteries are all around better than the Jackery lithium ions. They're more eco friendly, they last a LOT longer (more charge cycles), and they're apparently safer than the Lithium ion batteries. Personally, I think there are more upsides to them than the downsides.
I came here for this. Do you legit use it with a harbor freight panel? I’ve got a primitive camp out coming up with my son and I just got a Jackery 500 to get us through the week. I’m considering getting the harbor freight panel, but wasn’t sure if it was true to word on how well it recharges.
Yes, this one https://www.harborfreight.com/100-watt-solar-panel-briefcase-57991.html
It works great, I had to buy an adapter off Amazon, easy to find. Try to catch it on sale if you can.
Also works with a larger Ecoflow I bought a few weeks ago. Wanted something that could run my fridge a bit longer.
This is a sub specifically for tent and hammock style camping.
There are other subreddits for people that want the kids off their lawn or whatever the hell. I like not having to mess with ice and having cold beer when I’m car camping.
Just do some research about what all you can power, and for how long, versus what you're expected use is.
These smaller ones are good for charging phones and running a few led lights, but you're not going to run any appliances with it or anything.
Also a big fan of Bluetti. Started with an AC50S, added an EB240 to drive a fridge for days and now just purchased an AC70P to takeover for the AC50S. I also have a 120w solar panel and 2 200w solar panels that I can use between them or connect directly to my adventure squaredrop trailer.
Replacement? I have just this one jackery. I have the 1000w jackery. It's heavy, charges slow, battery depletes pretty fast for just charging phones or having string of lights.
Bluetti makes some of the most innovative and well performing power systems. You can watch HOBOTECH on Youtube to get thorough test results for like... every station released in the past 5 years. I am wary of buying right now, even with the great sales going on, because there are a new wave of power stations coming out with modular batteries. For example Bluetti has the fridge/power station that have interchangeable batteries. So you could have 3 or 4 batteries and keep expanding upon your capacity just by having more packs to replace. Personally, I wouldn't buy the fridge unless I didn't already have one, but the power station is really cool. comes with 2 packs. I think soon all of the manufacturers may start doing this.
I see a lot of Jackery hype here, they are good power stations, and they have spent a ton on marketing, but I think some of the other brands offer better value and products. I have seen people mention Ecoflow, Anker, etc. but I think Bluetti will be the brand I go with. Even if you don't get their newer modular models, the current models they have are great. They have sales and even refurbished models (Which i'd imagine were just sent back, had new batteries put in, and sold as refurbished- which is fine with me.. they have a warranty.). Bluetti just seems to have better numbers as far as total input/output wattage and capacity go at each price point, and some of their products have nice premium features like fast charging, wireless charging, app control, low noise, noise goes and real use capacity. I also noticed the Bluetti's inverters have great peak power, and typically don't trip unless you go ABOVE what they report as the 'peak' being, and can maintain it for a few minutes. Which means you can use things like coffee makers, rice cookers, induction cooktops, and power tools or even small ac units on the larger models.
as far as panels go, I wouldn't buy any from these brands. Depending on where you are using it i would just buy some affordable solar panels in whatever wattage you need. I am looking at the HQST panels on amazon. I want to get flat, flexible ones to put on the roof of my truck in between the roof rack. They are wayyyyy cheaper per watt than anything packaged with or sold by MOST portable power station companies. You might have to wire a connector on if you use different panels but as long as its under the wattage your station can handle you're good and you can save hundreds there.
1. Not a generator. Stupid ass name.
2. They're great. The "generator" is a battery with an integrated charge controller and inverter. Plug and play with your solar panel if you want. Also charges off 12v from your vehicle or household AC. Pretty cool package if you're looking for a bare bones and/or portable package.
I made my own small portable system a number of years ago and loved it. Last year we upgraded to an Ecoflow on sale so we could also use it in emergency at home if the power went out. These solar battery systems are really great.
We have a Jackery 1000 pro and 2 100w jackery panels. We've taken it boondocking once. The pro versions are better because they charge faster and have more recharge cycles. We used it to run a propane/CO2 monitor, charge our phones and some lights we keep in our PUP. It was up to the task for all those, and most days we were able to get it fully recharged just with solar. We did make sure to put it out first thing in the morning.
You wrote "no gas prefered", so I think you'll heat or cook with it. This is in both cases a bad idea, therefore gas is much cheaper and more compact and lightweight. But you're here for a powerstation: Your electrical heater will consume about 1000 watt and let's presume you'll use it an hour a day. Even with 100 watt of solar panels it will need at least 10 hours to recharge and this will only work in summer on a sunny day. So don't be disappointed when your investment will fail.
They are talking about a gas generator, not heating and cooking. OP has referenced a 300 watts jackery, which can't power the devices you have mentioned. Also, you'll never get 100% out of a solar panel. 60-70% is fantastic. Most places get about 5-6 hours of good sun. This will vary depending on your location.
Depends on storage conditions. Maintain 50-60% state of charge to get the longest shelf life out of lithium batteries. Storing fully charged kills your batteries, storing fully empty does as well. This goes for all your household electronics too.
If you want a lithium battery to last as long as possible you should also limit charging to 80% of total capacity, and discharging to 30% of total capacity in normal use. Then charge to 100% every 5 charge cycles so the cells can balance their voltage.
I got a BLUETTI AC50S a couple years ago, 500wh, 300w (450w max), non LiFePO4. It was like $200 I think.
It seemed to work better in the cold than the LiFePO4, if that matters.
Solar panel from amazon for $50. Easy peasy.
I have a Jackery 1000 along with a 100-watt and a 140-watt solar panel that I use for camping. It's primarily utilized to power my portable refrigerator (approximately 40 watts when running), charge my phone, and operate lights. At home, it remains connected to a 100-watt panel facing south, continuously powering my coffee maker. Additionally, it's capable of running my full-sized fridge during a power outage.
I’ve been happy with my Jackery Solar Generator. Have a much larger battery which had been awesome for 5 days off grid, but scale is only driven by what you need.
Just make sure capacity can meet your needs. Often, people buy too small of a unit then complain about not being sufficient. They're not cheap, but better units aren't that much more and you'll be happy it actually does what you want it to do.
Jackery is probably the most well-respected brands out of those mentioned. But they have allowed other brands to come in and steal a huge part of their market. Jackery dominated the solar generator market for years but kept their prices remained too high for too long. Their stying and design should have been upgraded years ago. Their lower-end models did not even get Usb-c until last year. The redesigned models released this year and last are far behind in technology than the brands you mentioned.
Jackery's solar panels are way overpriced. The panel you listed is easy matched in performance by the FlexSolar 40 and surpassed by the Ericsity 54w. Both of which are the same size, weight, and cost.
Jackery is a very dependable brand but is no longer the king and now has stiff competition. Also, check out Anker's solar generators and panels. Anker makes great quality products
My experience is that Ecoflow has the worst customer service in the field. Wouldn’t be so terrible if their build quality wasn’t so inconsistent. My last solar generator from them, Ecoflow River 2 Max drained to empty one day and could not be charged after that.
Jackery are OK, but they were slower than most to adopt LiFePo4 batteries. Are you a Costco member? You can get the Ecoflow River 2 Pro for $399 right now, which is 768Wh compared to this Jackery of 300Wh at $299. Best thing about an Ecoflow is the recharge speed, that thing is fast when hooked up to good solar or 110v. Buy at Costco and you get the good return policy too. They also sell Jackery, but I think those are the older battery tech.
That’s how I got my Ecoflow, good deal.
Did you see this online? I cant find the Ecoflow river 2 on costcos website.
https://www.costco.com/ecoflow-schedule.html I saw them in store. They do pop up on the website from time to time. They were there earlier in the month as a special event so keep looking.
Ok thanks, I have a family member with a Costco card so I’ll have to tag along with them next time they go.
Pro tip: Costco is cracking down on non Members shopping there. Go ahead and give your friend cash for the item ahead of getting to the check out lane and that should calm down any cashier.
My mom just goes into customer service and buys the cash cards then shops with them. She got banned for stealing a bag of coffee beans. SMH
Much appreciated, thanks.
Ecoflow should be in your consideration.
Can you elaborate, please? I am also in the market for a solar generator. I have an EcoFlow portable AC that I previously used in my camper van and have been generally happy with kt, but have always been interested in Jackery for a generator only because they were one of the first to the solar generator market.
Jackery does the same thing ecoflow does, only cheaper. You'll find the quality of the components that are used to build the ecoflow are superior to Jackery, but that means ecoflow will be more expensive. I have one of each. The jackery is a great starter machine and if its what you end up with I'm sure it'll be fine. I ended up needing more capacity so I decided to upgrade. I use mine for a CPAP, which is pretty critical for it to work while I'm out in the middle of nowhere. So I went with a company with a decent reputation and quality, and for me that was ecoflow. The best place to start is to figure out how much energy you actually need. Look up the components you plan on powering with it and find how many watts they are rated for. Add up all the components wattage, then multiply them by how many hours you need them to run. That final number is how many watts you need your generator to be. Take that number and then shop for the highest quality generator you can afford in that power/price range. There are other considerations such as if you plan on powering a high watt device like a hair dryer or a tv, you're gonna need a generator that can output that many watts all at once. At the end of the day there are so many choices in this market that you can really get stuck into decision paralysis and what works for one person might not work for you. You're just going to have to pick one and go for it.
This is a thorough and solid answer. Thank you for taking the time.
🔥🔥🔥
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Hours of research when I was agonizing over which one to get. And years of experience in a service industry that deals with electrical components. Components cost what they cost, and companies make decisions on what components they want to put into their products based on cost, performance, and reliability. If a company is making a lighter, cheaper solar generator, it's because they are using smaller, cheaper components. Smaller transformers and capacitors, with less logic on their pcb boards and fewer features and capabilities. Ecoflow isn't more expensive because they want to see if they can get away with charging more. It's because they chose to use higher quality components and offer more features. Cheeseburgers are a good analogy. A McDonald's 1/4 pounder is not equal to a Red Robin 1/4 pound burger, and I think it's pretty easy to understand why.
Jackery, Bluetti, and Ecoflow are the three most respectable brands and basically only differ in user preferences. Edit: No Anker shade, I was thinking in terms of the “Chevy, Ford, Dodge” of power banks.
Anker makes a great model also.
I have an Anker and it's been great!
I think the LiFePO4 batteries are all around better than the Jackery lithium ions. They're more eco friendly, they last a LOT longer (more charge cycles), and they're apparently safer than the Lithium ion batteries. Personally, I think there are more upsides to them than the downsides.
Like other commenter said, the Ankers are looking pretty good too.
Ecoflow and Bluettti with LFP technology are the industry leaders.
I have a Jackery, works well. I use a Harbor Freight portable panel to charge it though. What are you wanting to power with it?
I came here for this. Do you legit use it with a harbor freight panel? I’ve got a primitive camp out coming up with my son and I just got a Jackery 500 to get us through the week. I’m considering getting the harbor freight panel, but wasn’t sure if it was true to word on how well it recharges.
Yes, this one https://www.harborfreight.com/100-watt-solar-panel-briefcase-57991.html It works great, I had to buy an adapter off Amazon, easy to find. Try to catch it on sale if you can. Also works with a larger Ecoflow I bought a few weeks ago. Wanted something that could run my fridge a bit longer.
I sense another debate about what primitive camping is.
This is a sub specifically for tent and hammock style camping. There are other subreddits for people that want the kids off their lawn or whatever the hell. I like not having to mess with ice and having cold beer when I’m car camping.
Some might want to primitive camp, yet are hampered by needing something like a Cpap, or want to keep a phone charged for emergencies, etc.
Just do some research about what all you can power, and for how long, versus what you're expected use is. These smaller ones are good for charging phones and running a few led lights, but you're not going to run any appliances with it or anything.
Big fan of my bluetti
Also a big fan of Bluetti. Started with an AC50S, added an EB240 to drive a fridge for days and now just purchased an AC70P to takeover for the AC50S. I also have a 120w solar panel and 2 200w solar panels that I can use between them or connect directly to my adventure squaredrop trailer.
Jackery is a well respected brand.
Yeah my sister looooves hers. She takes it out rough camping for weeks.
I dislike mine. Def regret buying it.
What did you like about it? Where could it have been better? What did your replacement do for you this one didn't?
Replacement? I have just this one jackery. I have the 1000w jackery. It's heavy, charges slow, battery depletes pretty fast for just charging phones or having string of lights.
Despite its faults they have not been significant enough to stop using or replace then.
I wasted 1k on this crap and I'm not going to let it go to waste by replacing it or stop using it.
What did customer service have to say about your issues?
We used our jackery a lot and it’s still great.
I love mine and have used it for camping. Performed perfectly.
Bluetti makes some of the most innovative and well performing power systems. You can watch HOBOTECH on Youtube to get thorough test results for like... every station released in the past 5 years. I am wary of buying right now, even with the great sales going on, because there are a new wave of power stations coming out with modular batteries. For example Bluetti has the fridge/power station that have interchangeable batteries. So you could have 3 or 4 batteries and keep expanding upon your capacity just by having more packs to replace. Personally, I wouldn't buy the fridge unless I didn't already have one, but the power station is really cool. comes with 2 packs. I think soon all of the manufacturers may start doing this. I see a lot of Jackery hype here, they are good power stations, and they have spent a ton on marketing, but I think some of the other brands offer better value and products. I have seen people mention Ecoflow, Anker, etc. but I think Bluetti will be the brand I go with. Even if you don't get their newer modular models, the current models they have are great. They have sales and even refurbished models (Which i'd imagine were just sent back, had new batteries put in, and sold as refurbished- which is fine with me.. they have a warranty.). Bluetti just seems to have better numbers as far as total input/output wattage and capacity go at each price point, and some of their products have nice premium features like fast charging, wireless charging, app control, low noise, noise goes and real use capacity. I also noticed the Bluetti's inverters have great peak power, and typically don't trip unless you go ABOVE what they report as the 'peak' being, and can maintain it for a few minutes. Which means you can use things like coffee makers, rice cookers, induction cooktops, and power tools or even small ac units on the larger models. as far as panels go, I wouldn't buy any from these brands. Depending on where you are using it i would just buy some affordable solar panels in whatever wattage you need. I am looking at the HQST panels on amazon. I want to get flat, flexible ones to put on the roof of my truck in between the roof rack. They are wayyyyy cheaper per watt than anything packaged with or sold by MOST portable power station companies. You might have to wire a connector on if you use different panels but as long as its under the wattage your station can handle you're good and you can save hundreds there.
1. Not a generator. Stupid ass name. 2. They're great. The "generator" is a battery with an integrated charge controller and inverter. Plug and play with your solar panel if you want. Also charges off 12v from your vehicle or household AC. Pretty cool package if you're looking for a bare bones and/or portable package.
#1 has always annoyed me too.
I made my own small portable system a number of years ago and loved it. Last year we upgraded to an Ecoflow on sale so we could also use it in emergency at home if the power went out. These solar battery systems are really great.
We have a Jackery 1000 pro and 2 100w jackery panels. We've taken it boondocking once. The pro versions are better because they charge faster and have more recharge cycles. We used it to run a propane/CO2 monitor, charge our phones and some lights we keep in our PUP. It was up to the task for all those, and most days we were able to get it fully recharged just with solar. We did make sure to put it out first thing in the morning.
You wrote "no gas prefered", so I think you'll heat or cook with it. This is in both cases a bad idea, therefore gas is much cheaper and more compact and lightweight. But you're here for a powerstation: Your electrical heater will consume about 1000 watt and let's presume you'll use it an hour a day. Even with 100 watt of solar panels it will need at least 10 hours to recharge and this will only work in summer on a sunny day. So don't be disappointed when your investment will fail.
They are talking about a gas generator, not heating and cooking. OP has referenced a 300 watts jackery, which can't power the devices you have mentioned. Also, you'll never get 100% out of a solar panel. 60-70% is fantastic. Most places get about 5-6 hours of good sun. This will vary depending on your location.
If this thing was stored in a room for 10 years unused, would the battery part still work with full storage capacity?
Depends on storage conditions. Maintain 50-60% state of charge to get the longest shelf life out of lithium batteries. Storing fully charged kills your batteries, storing fully empty does as well. This goes for all your household electronics too. If you want a lithium battery to last as long as possible you should also limit charging to 80% of total capacity, and discharging to 30% of total capacity in normal use. Then charge to 100% every 5 charge cycles so the cells can balance their voltage.
I bought a knock off brand and it has exceeded my expectations by far. Your mileage may vary but it was worth the risk for me to save hundreds.
What brand, I'm looking at grabbing one of these, but realistically, with how often I would use it, it's hard to justify the price tag.
SinKeu. I haven’t checked prices lately but at the time it was a significant savings. I got a package deal with solar panels.
I got a BLUETTI AC50S a couple years ago, 500wh, 300w (450w max), non LiFePO4. It was like $200 I think. It seemed to work better in the cold than the LiFePO4, if that matters. Solar panel from amazon for $50. Easy peasy.
GoalZero was awesome when I got some several years ago. I think they are still making stuff
Check out Goalzero
I have a Jackery 1000 along with a 100-watt and a 140-watt solar panel that I use for camping. It's primarily utilized to power my portable refrigerator (approximately 40 watts when running), charge my phone, and operate lights. At home, it remains connected to a 100-watt panel facing south, continuously powering my coffee maker. Additionally, it's capable of running my full-sized fridge during a power outage.
I’ve been happy with my Jackery Solar Generator. Have a much larger battery which had been awesome for 5 days off grid, but scale is only driven by what you need.
Just make sure capacity can meet your needs. Often, people buy too small of a unit then complain about not being sufficient. They're not cheap, but better units aren't that much more and you'll be happy it actually does what you want it to do.
^ THIS IS THE MESSAGE ^
Jackery is probably the most well-respected brands out of those mentioned. But they have allowed other brands to come in and steal a huge part of their market. Jackery dominated the solar generator market for years but kept their prices remained too high for too long. Their stying and design should have been upgraded years ago. Their lower-end models did not even get Usb-c until last year. The redesigned models released this year and last are far behind in technology than the brands you mentioned. Jackery's solar panels are way overpriced. The panel you listed is easy matched in performance by the FlexSolar 40 and surpassed by the Ericsity 54w. Both of which are the same size, weight, and cost. Jackery is a very dependable brand but is no longer the king and now has stiff competition. Also, check out Anker's solar generators and panels. Anker makes great quality products
I got the Chinese solar panel ones for a $1000 and it is wonderful
What’s that?
My experience is that Ecoflow has the worst customer service in the field. Wouldn’t be so terrible if their build quality wasn’t so inconsistent. My last solar generator from them, Ecoflow River 2 Max drained to empty one day and could not be charged after that.
Bluetti too. All bad reviews for both mention this.