Review: Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240

Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240

8.7

Power

9.0/10

Design

8.5/10

Build

8.5/10

Reliability

8.8/10

Pros

  • Has a very high power capacity that can be used to charge large and small devices plenty of times
  • The AC outlet is actually quite powerful with its 200W output
  • It's easy to use with a power button right next to each of its functional components
  • Uses a Digital power capacity to tell you what's gong on with the Explorer 240

Cons

  • Large and heavy, and fare more than a high capacity power bank
(Last Updated On: July 3, 2018)

Portable chargers are one charging electronic that has grown quite a lot over the past few years. Some might say that it’s because of Pokemon GO, and even though that’s actually a real conclusion, an even better reason is simply how convenient it is to be able to charge your portable devices while you’re on the move. We’re at a point where portable chargers are able to offer a lot, as they are now power banks that feature Power Delivery charging that allows you to change laptops that are USB-C compatible, there are of course plenty of Quick Charge power banks, ones that have a built-in charging cables and basically any other type of charging feature that you can think of.

Take it even further than portable charger though, then what you have is portable power stations. These are basically just like power banks but just on a higher powering level and that’s definitely the case with this Jackery Explorer 240 portable power station. This power station makes use of quite of few things that you simply wouldn’t have with a regular power bank and goes beyond charging, and on top of all that, there’s a lot of power capacity to be used.

Power

Power Capacity:

The power capacity of this Explorer 240 power station is 67,200mAh, or you can basically just translate that into 240Wh, as that’s in the name of the power station. So this is a lot of power capacity, and even when it’s converted during usage we still think that there’s going to be a lot to use.

3.7 x 67,200 = 248,640 / 5 = 49,728

Overall, you’re really able to use about 50,000mAh of the power capacity that this charger features. Now that might be quite a bit lower than what the power station actually starts out with but this is still a ton of output power to put to use,

If you’re charging smartphones with the Explorer, then that can basically result in about 16 full charges, and we’re just considering high battery capacity smartphones such as the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S9, iPhone X, and the LG V35 ThinQ, that each either have a 3,000mAh battery or at least close to it. Of course, we realize that solely charging a smartphone with a power station isn’t really purpose that you’re getting it for, but it’s possible to use it for charging smartphones beyond many times over.

Charging tablets laptops with this powering station is also possible to charge them full power, too. For example, the iPad Air 2 has a 7,000mAh battery capacity, and that’s a lot of power. Even so, the Jackery Explorer is still able to charge it to its full power about 7 times.

Then if we’re talking about how long capacity can last if you’re using the AC outlet, well, that’s more of about how much power the Explorer 240 is able to supply and how much power the appliance you’re using requires. In this case, since the Explorer is able to supply 200W, you’re able to potentially use your appliance for 2 hours if you’re appliance requires only 100W of power. If your appliance needs 200W of power then that will only result in an hour of power.

Output Charging:

There are a total of three ways to use this power station: There are two USB-A charging ports, a 12V DC port, and a 3-prong AC Outlet.

Two USB Charging Ports:

Nothing really special about the two charging ports on this charger, as they don’t use Quick Charge. That said, each of them is able to output a 5V/2.4A charging speed, which is a fast standard charging speed, and the max output of the two combined USB ports is 4.8A, so you can use them both at their max power at the same time.

DC Port:

The DC port on this power station has an output of 13.3V/10A. This is enough power for tire pressure pumps, in case you don’t want to use the 12Volt output in your car because you’re afraid that the fuse might get a blown. Or if you’re biking and get a flat tire and need to fill it up. Overall, the usage of a DC pot is with a portable power station depends on if you can actually make use of it with any of the appliances that you own.

AC Outlet:

Finally, there’s the main event for this portable power station and that would be the AC outlet that has an output of 110V/200W as a Pure Sine Wave. This is actually a lot of power for a portable power station to supply because with 200W of power you can actually supply power to televisions, larger fans rather than mini fans, mini-fridges, a CPAP machine and of course, laptops chargers. This AC outlet can basically do a lot because of its higher output, so long as the appliance that you want to power requires 200W or less then you should be just fine to use the AC outlet.

Input Charging:

There are also three ways that you can use recharge the Explorer 240.

AC Charging and DC Car Port Charging

The Jackery Explorer comes with an AC adapter and a DC carport adapter that you can use to recharge this power station. The recharging rate from the AC charger is 12V-30V, so basically 42W, and using the AC charger is basically the best way to use to recharge the Explorer as it will result in a 7 hour full recharge time. Now, that might sound like a long recharge time but it’s really not if you consider just how large of a power capacity this power station features.

Recharging with the car charger will yield a slower recharging speed as it has a 13.3V/10A recharge rate and so you can expect about 10 hours for a full recharge.

Solar Recharging:

The most resourceful way to recharge the Explorer 240 would be to use Jackery’s very own 50W solar charger, and the Solar charger has very large Solar panels and if you’ve got direct sunlight hitting the Solar Panels for a long enough duration, then that can result in a 7.2 hour full recharge time. Not a bad recharge time at all for Solar recharging, but the tricky part is having direct sunlight hit the charger Solar panels for that long.

Design

Size and Weight:

The size of a portable power station is always going to be quite large and heavy. We’re definitely out of portable charger land and into more of an area where it’s possible to take this Jackery Explorer anywhere that you want but with purpose. That’s because this power station has a width of 9 inches, a height of 8 inches and a thickness of 5 inches. The weight of the power station is 6 pounds.

Thankfully the power station makes use of a handle that makes it a lot easier to carry about but overall, you’re always going to be setting this power station down in order to use it. You can, of course, take it anywhere that you want, place it in your car, carry it around or store it in your house for emergencies, but when it comes down to it, a power station is meant to be set down and this one is no different.

That said, it does have a rather lightweight in comparison to other portable power stations, so you won’t really have to brace to pick it up.

Functional Components:

So it might seem like there’s a lot going on with this Explorer 240, but thankfully, it’s rather easy to use and that’s because all of the functional parts are on a sing side. This includes:

  • Two USB Charging Ports
  • AC Outlet
  • 12V DC Port
  • DC input for Recharging
  • LCD Display that shows Battery power, Wattage output and input real-time

In order to activate the 12V DC port, USB charging ports or the AC outlet and use them, there’s a power button right next to each of them that you can press to activate that certain part of the power station. Once you press the power button there’s a Green light that will turn on with the button to indicate that it’s active.

There’s also a power button for the display and you can press that to turn on the display and see what’s happening.

Build

Structure and Material:

The first thing you should feel with any portable power station that you purchase is just how rigid and tough it feels and that’s the case with this Explorer 240. Most of the power station is made of plastic but that doesn’t stop it from having each of its parts put together very well. That said, this power station isn’t exactly shockproof or neither is it water-resistant, so if you’re taking it out in the wilderness then you still have to be mindful about where you place it.

Tech:

On the tech side, this power station can get a little warm if you’re using the AC outlet for a long duration and that’s really about it. It doesn’t get warm if you’re using the 12V DC port or the USB charging ports.

Reliability

If you’re searched for a portable power station that can change your device and power your appliances that fit within a 200W powering range, then this Jackery Explorer can be a great choice. This power station is basically the little brother of Jackery’s PowerPro power station which has a lot more power to use, that said, the power capacity of this Explorer 240 still proves to be an ample amount and you get a lower price, smaller size, and a lighter weight to go along with it.

Summary:

Power:

The power capacity is plentiful and you’ll have no problems providing double digits full charges for smartphones and possibly tablets. There’s enough power from the AC outlet that you can power larger appliances because of its 200W powering output.

Design:

What seems like there’s a lot going on, it’s actually very easy to use this Explorer 240 and that’s because each of the functional parts of the power stations has a power button right next to them so that you can activate them at will.

Build:

The build quality of this power station is pretty good structurally, that said, the power station is not a rugged one, so you still have to be careful about not dropping it or exposing it to water.

Reliability:

This portable power station is reliable most of the time and with this being a lower tier power station, it basically breaks expectations with its power capacity and powering limit with its AC outlet.

Specs of the Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240:

  • Power Capacity: 67,200mAh | Output Capacity: 50,000mAh
  • Output:

USB-A Port: 5V/2.4A | Max Output: 4.8A

DC Port: 13.3V/10A

AC Outlet: 200W

  • Input: 

AC Charger: 42W

DC Charger: 13.3V/10A

Solar Charger: 50W

  • LED Power Indicator: Digital Display
  • Size: 9 x 8 x 5 inches
  • Weight: 6 Pounds

Conclusion:

The Jackery Explorer 240 is a welcome addition to the portable power station market because of its minimal change from its full-size brother, the Jackery PowerPro.

[content-egg module=Amazon template=item]

Readers like you help support Charger Harbor. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.