For people who travel often, work at remote locations, or do not have constant access to direct power, a power station is the best way to ensure that your devices have enough battery. The fact that these devices can work with solar energy makes it even more convenient when you’re on the road and not close to a power supply.
There are a variety of power station brands, specifications, and costs that you have to consider before making a choice. This process can be difficult, especially when the competition is between two well renowned and reliable brands.
Jackery and Goal Zero are two brands that make high-quality power stations. If you’re wondering which of these brands to go with, this article explains everything you need to know about Jackery vs. Goal Zero power stations.
Product Comparisons
You cannot compare two brands without selecting a product that best defines what these brands have to offer. For this reason, we have decided to compare each brand’s high-end power station, namely the Goal Zero Yeti 1500X vs. the Jacker Explorer 1500. Both of these products come with comparable specifications.
Based on these names, you can tell that these products come with around 1,500 watt-hour batteries. In the following sections, we compare these products’ specifications, designs, outputs, costs, and other features.
Jackery Explorer 1500 – Introduction
With 1,800 wattage and 1,534 watt-hour capacity, the Jackery Explorer 1500 is a solid tool for electronic devices and power tools. This product has the ability to work with larger appliances like electric stoves, microwaves, and ovens.
The power station includes a wide selection of outlets, making it easy for you to charge multiple devices at once. Safety is ensured with the help of a high-quality battery management system that optimizes the battery level and lets your appliances remain safely plugged in.
Specifications
Jackery Explorer 1500
- Brand: Jackery
- Color: Black and orange
- Package dimensions: 14 x 10.4 x 12.7 inches
- Item weight: 35.27 pounds
- Output wattage: 1,800 watts
- Battery: 1,534 watt-hour
- IP rating: IP65
Pros and Cons – Jackery Explorer 1500
The Jackery Explorer has excellent reviews from verified customers who swear by the power station’s reliability, sturdiness, and overall functionality. Based on our own research and reviews, here are the top advantages and disadvantages of the Explorer device:
Pros
- Storing the Explorer is an easy and effortless task. It is compact in size and relatively lightweight, which means that it fits easily among your other devices.
- The Explorer is also a good-looking device, which can be important to some users. You can use it around other technology (which most users will), as its colors and theme blend in well.
- The Explorer’s LED panel is well organized and user-friendly. It lists important information that you might need at a quick glance.
- The ports are well labeled, and you can easily check whether a port provides AC or DC power by looking at the text. This makes it easy to avoid plugging your devices into the wrong outlets.
- The battery charges very fast. If your work involves a lot of time away from power outlets, or if you don’t have enough time to use solar panels, the fast charging feature helps you keep your devices running.
- Sometimes, power stations can discharge when they’re not in use, which is not a problem with the Explorer. The slow rate of discharge is a good option for people who might use their power stations sporadically.
Cons
- While AC and DC outlets are properly labeled, charging ports are not. It might take some time to become familiarized with the port layouts.
- While the Explorer is lighter than the Yeti, it is still a heavy device that weighs more than 30 pounds. This means that if you have any physical health issues, carrying it for too long is not advised.
- There is no alert to warn you of a low battery, so you will have to constantly check if there is enough juice in the system to power you through your next adventure.
Goal Zero Yeti 1500X – Introduction
The Goal Zero comes with more wattage and battery than the Explorer, including a 1,516 watt-hour battery and 2,000 wattage. It is an excellent way to carry your power when you’re off-grid, as the rugged construction makes it possible to use it in extreme locations.
A multitude of output ports ensures that smaller devices, like phones, and bigger devices, like full-sized fridges, can be plugged in and used for hours. The Yeti also comes with the Yeti App 3.0 that lets you control and optimize power usage from anywhere.
In terms of safety, the Yeti includes multiple layers of protection, such as overvoltage and undervoltage safety, temperature protection, and a battery management system that controls and monitors the health of individual cells as well as the whole battery pack
Specifications
Goal Zero Yeti 1500X
- Brand: Goal Zero
- Color: Black and green
- Package dimensions: 31 x 20 x 24 inches
- Item weight: 84 pounds
- Output wattage: 2,000 watts
- Battery: 1,516 watt-hour
- IP rating: IP65
Pros and Cons – Goal Zero Yeti 1500X
Like the Explorer, the Yeti comes with its share of pros and cons as well.
Pros
- The Yeti is a great way to carry your power with you, whether you need it at home, for work, or off-grid. The high power and capacity of the power station lets your devices function for days at a time.
- The Yeti, with its fitting name, has no problems functioning properly in extreme weather. It has been tested in Arctic environments to ensure that subzero temperatures wouldn’t affect its functionality.
- The number of outlets present on the Yeti makes it a versatile tool that can power everything from your phone to your refrigerator. The capacity of the Yeti lets you charge your phone 127 times and run a full-size fridge for up to 28 hours.
- The Yeti comes with an app that lets you control and optimize your power usage from anywhere. The app, called the Yeti App 3.0, is a sophisticated tool that lets you use your power station as a wall outlet.
Cons
- Weighing more than 80 pounds, the Yeti is a very heavy machine. If your work involves carrying the power station around, this might not be the best fit for your needs.
- While the Yeti App 3.0 is a great way to control your device, there have been reports of bugs and glitches that can be a problem to fix if you’re off-grid.
Key takeaways:
- As you can see from these specifications, although the Yeti has a slightly lower battery, the output wattage is considerably higher at 2,000 than the Explorer’s 1,800.
- If you’re looking for portability, the Explorer would be more suited to your needs. The Yeti weighs more than twice the weight of the Explorer, which might make carrying it around a difficult task.
- The Yeti comes with two handles on either end of the device, which makes it easier to carry. The Explorer has a built-in handle with gripping threads to make it more comfortable to carry.
- Both power stations come with IP65 ratings that make them splash-resistant. However, they will not survive being kept in torrential rains or submerged underwater. This is something you should keep in mind if your trips take you to places with extreme weather.
- The Explorer is also considerably smaller than the Yeti. If you have issues with space when you’re traveling (as not everyone travels around in a large pickup truck), you might want to consider the Explorer over the Yeti.
- The battery watt-hours for both the Explorer and the Yeti are similar, and this would probably not play a part in making your choice.
Outlets
While the power, output wattage, and battery capacity of power stations is certainly important, none of it means anything if you do not have the right outlets to help you power your appliances.
The Explorer comes with 3 AC outlets with a 3,600-watt peak output, a USB-A outlet, a quick charge 3.0 outlet that would work with your phones and laptops, a USB-C outlet, and a car output.
Meanwhile, the Yeti comes with two USB-A outlets, two USB-C outlets, two 120 Volt AC ports, and a 6 mm, 12 V port. The Yeti includes a wider selection of ports for charging your devices, which should be expected based on its size and weight compared to the Explorer.
Basic DC sockets are also included in both models, making it easier to charge your stations.
Solar Power
One of the best features of power stations is that they can be charged with solar panels, which means that you do not have to be anywhere near a power grid to keep your devices going. Both the Yeti and Explorer come with exclusive power station solar panels that need to be bought separately.
Goal Zero gives you the option of regular flat panels or briefcase-type panels that you can carry in your trunk. If you’re looking for the fastest charging possible, you should go with the Boulder 200 Briefcase option.
Similarly, the Explorer has its own series of solar panels from Jackery that are compatible with the device. You can get variants in 60-watts, 100-watts, and 200-watts. However, choosing panels with lower watts makes it take longer for your power station to charge completely. With two 200-watt panels, you can charge your power station fully in less than five hours.
Price
While the Jackery Explorer 1500 and the Goal Zero Yeti 1500X have similar specifications and are comparable products, the Yeti is more expensive than the Explorer. Although the Yeti comes with some features that make it slightly better than the Explorer, if you’re looking for a reliable power station on a budget, the Explorer is the way to go.
Buy Online
If you’ve made your choice between the two, you can easily order either of these products online.
Buy the Jackery Explorer 1500 online.
Buy the Goal Zero Yeti 1500X online.
If you want to learn more about the different products offered by these two brands, you can also visit the Jackery and Goal Zero websites. These two resources are great ways to find products and devices that fit your needs and ease your day-to-day life.
The Bottom Line
Choosing between power stations can be a difficult job, owing to the number of high-quality options available to you. But it doesn’t have to be an impossible choice. If you consider the specifications, cost, design, and other features of both products, you can have an excellent understanding of which product will be the right fit for you.
We hope that this article about Jackery vs. Goal Zero has helped you make an informed decision about whether the Jackery Explorer 1500 or the Goal Zero Yeti 1500X is the right fit for you. If you wish to go with a power station of a lower capacity, this comparison should give you an idea of what to expect from the respective brands.
If you’re interested in power stations, power banks, and similar topics, we have a number of informational articles on WattzUpPower. Please feel free to check them out!