This Jackery power station is a Black Friday bargain right now - we've tested it
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The Explorer 500 V2 is Jackery’s best compact power station yet – lighter, faster to charge, and built to last with safer LiFePO4 batteries
Jackery's line-up of portable power stations has been treated to something of a major refresh this year, with "V2" versions of all its biggest hitters.
And the one that's had to wait the longest is arguably one of its most versatile - the Explorer 500.
It's a power station that's become the darling of the camping and outdoor enthusiast, blending a compact and rugged casing with a genuinely useful power capacity and output.
For at least five years, it's been an affordable workhorse, but it's time for a change, because the new Explorer 500 V2 has arrived. And it's had some major upgrades.
For starters, the Lithium-ion batteries have been ditched, and we now have LiFePO4 batteries - which are safer, more efficient and have a longer lifespan.
It's a little lighter now, at 5.7KG, rather than the 6.4KG of the old version. It's not a lot smaller, but there's less in the way of height, and its flat surface with a retractable handle is a welcome new design language shared with its bigger siblings. Gone is the fixed handle, which was a bit of an awkward thing to squeeze into tight spaces.
It has a much quicker recharging time too. And, especially in the case of AC charging, it's significant. The old Explorer 500 took a glacial 7.5 hours to charge up, whereas the new V2 can be filled in 1.3 hours.
And then there's the lifespan. Thanks to those trick new batteries, the V2 version is rated to go for 6,000 cycles before it's down to 70% of its useful capacity - the old 500 could cope with just 800 before it had 80% left.
In every way, then, this feels like an incredibly significant update but, I know what you're thinking, the price has probably gone up massively.
Well, the price has absolutely gone up, yes. By £1.
Admittedly, the price difference is skewed somewhat because there's a very tasty Black Friday deal on at the moment, but even without that, it's actually cheaper in terms of RRP than its predecessor. By £100.
So there's absolutely nothing to dislike about this new V2 version, then? Not quite. Sadly, unlike with its bigger stablemates, the Explorer 500 V2 doesn't link up to an app.
This is a shame, because it's a great way to remotely monitor its status, and control your AC and DC outputs. That said, there's a new Energy Saving switch, that monitors them for you, so it's not all bad.
Jackery's solar panels are among the best you can buy, and I've been using the latest SolarSaga 100w panel with the Explorer 500 V2, but I still wish Jackery would change its socket to an XT60-style, to make it that little bit more versatile. There was a chance to do this with the V2 relaunches, but it's an opportunity missed.
It honestly feels like the Explorer 500 V2 is an icon reborn. So many people have had so many years of good service from the original Explorer 500 that there was a lot riding on the shoulders of this newcomer.
And it doesn't disappoint. It's a worthy successor in just about every way.