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8.5
Like
- Expandability
- Platform pricing
- Stability
Don't like
- Lack of features
- Lack of connection options
The Jackery brand has been around for a while (it was founded in 2012) and has been one of the most consistent brands of power stations I've tested since 2018. The Explorer 2000 Plus has been at the top of my list for a while now. The dependability of the brand is a big reason why.
Add a few other pluses to that and you have a brand as well as a product line that are at the core of the movement toward energy independence.
Here's the good -- and the less good -- about the Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus portable power station.
Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus: The good
The big draw for me is modularity. I think the modular approach is one any company that is serious about the future of power products must take. I've been talking about this for years, and Jackery was one of the first companies that seemed to fully embrace the concept.
When you look at home backup through the modular lens, everything makes more sense. Cost of entry is lower, repair and replacement costs go down, and your ability to scale your system over time as your needs (and knowledge) increase cannot be undervalued.
Like other companies now, Jackery offers expansion batteries the same capacity as the 2000 Plus: You can add five more batteries for a total of 12kWh of capacity. You can also purchase a Jackery Connect and add a separate Explorer 2000 Plus and five more expansion batteries for a total of 24kWh of capacity. This is plenty of power for most homes.
Another point that plays into Jackery's accessible modular platform is pricing. The core Explorer 2000 Plus unit stays in line with most major brands that price capacity around $1 per watt-hour. If you're looking at a unit like this with around 2,000wH, then you should expect to pay around $2,000. But Jackery does win out in its pricing on expansion batteries. That price scales down closer to 60 cents per watt hour, while many manufacturers stick to the dollar-per pricing for the same.
The physical size and capacity of this unit and its expandable batteries also make it ideal for portability. It weighs 60 pounds, but it has a great set of wheels and a telescoping handle to help you move it around. Being able to take this unit from your home backup setup to on-the-go will appeal to many people, especially if you aren't interested in spending the same money twice for something you could just grab on the way out of the house.
Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus: The bad
Jackery is not known for its pizzazz. It doesn't use a lot of flashy gadgets or features to draw you in. And most of the time that is good. This is how it has earned a reputation for stability and consistency. But there are a few features I would like. One is wireless charging. Having an easily accessible place to drop your phone for a few percentage points is just the way life has evolved.
When we talk about the usable capacity of portable power stations, the industry says you should be able to count on about 85% of the stated capacity of the product. I've found over time that most of the better products can hit the 90% line. Jackery is one of the exceptions. Of most of the major players in this space, I find that Jackery's usable capacity of most units is, on average, about 5% lower than its competitors. We're not talking about world-changing numbers here, but since its product lines test consistently at this level, we're assuming this is a design choice.
One of the only other gripes I have is that I don't have the option for 240-volt output with a single-core system. You can't get 240V output until you combine two of the Explorer 2000 Plus systems. Compare this to the Anker Solix F3800, which does allow for 240V output on the core unit and you'll know why I rated that unit half a point higher than this Jackery.
Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus: The bottom line
If you need a dependable system to just work, Jackery could be your best choice. This 2000 Plus platform is expandable to a point where most any home can be supported, and at a price much less than some of its competitors. I also feel that the Explorer 2000 Plus is the perfect size for people who are more active and want to be able to quickly take advantage of their modular system when needing to take power on the go.