Jackery is one of the leading producers of portable battery devices. They have a wide range of power stations ranging from 100W to 2000W. With as many as 7-8 variants, they have got you covered for all your requirements.
In this post, we are comparing two of the Jackery power stations i.e Jackery Explorer 240 (200W/240Wh) Vs Jackery Explorer 300 (300W/293Wh). When purchasing a low-end power station, you are always confused about what wattage will be the best. In order to help you with your decisions, I have listed some of the major differences and things to consider among these two stations.
The exact products that we are comparing in this article are as below,
First Impressions
Almost all of Jackery’s batteries look the same and I love their black & orange color combination. Jackery 240 and Jackery 300 weighing 6.6lbs(3kg) and 7.1lbs(3.2kg) respectively come with a handle at the top and can be carried around with a single hand.
The number of ports and their power ratings are given in the below table.
Jackery 240 | Jackery 300 | |
AC Power Outlets | 1 Port 200W | 2 Ports 300W each |
USB Ports | 2 Port 5V | 1 Port 5V |
USB C Ports | – | 1 60W PD, 1Quick Charge 3.0 |
DC Port | 12V, 10A | 12V, 10A |
Solar/DC Input Port | 12V-30V (65W Max) | 12V-30V (90W Max) |
Digital Display | Yes | Yes |
AC/DC On/Off Switch | Yes | Yes |
(left) Explorer 240 vs Explorer 300 (right)
Battery Capacity and Power Capacity
These two are the most important basics while purchasing any power station. While power capacity defines the appliances/tools the station can power, battery capacity defines how long those appliances/tools can run.
Let us take an example to make it more clear. A power station with a battery capacity of 150Wh and power of 100W can run your 100W device for 1.5hours and a 50W device for 3hours (considering 100% efficiency). While the same power station cannot run a device above 100W as it is capped.
Jackery 240 | Jackery 300 | |
Power | 200W | 300W |
Battery Capacity | 240Wh | 293Wh |
Surge | 400W | 500W |
Explorer 240 (on the left) vs Explorer 300 (on the right)
Charging
Jackery supports multiple charging methods. Have a look at the below table to have an idea of charging time.
Jackery 240 | Jackery 300 | |
AC Wall Outlet | 7 Hours | 4.5 Hours |
Car Adapter | 6.5 Hours | 5 Hours |
Solar Panel | 60W Panel 7 Hours | 100W Panel (~5Hours) |
USB-C PD | NA | 5.5 Hours |
Explorer 300 vs Explorer 240
What to Consider? Jackery 240 OR Jackery 300
Usually, 200W-300W power stations are recommended for short getaways, RV Camping and also as a CPAP backup battery. Although the battery capacity of the above two models is not much, Jackery Explorer 300 is far ahead of Jackery Explorer 240 because of MPPT charge controllers and additional ports. Even though the power and battery capacity of Jackery 300 is higher compared to 240, it still charges way faster than Explorer 240. Also, having two AC output ports is a very useful feature that many power stations in this range lack.
The cost (MSRP) difference between the above power stations is exactly $100 (as of the date this post went live). It is not a huge price difference considering so many upgrades available in Explorer 300 besides the battery/power rating. If you ask me, it is a no-brainer to opt for Explorer 300 over Explorer 240 unless you are very very tight on budget.
Last update on 2024-09-30 / Links / Images from Amazon PAAPI