Six SolarSaga 200 panels will take up quite a bit of space, but a fully charged Explorer 2000 Pro will supply you with hours of power.

Whether you are preparing for a grid-down scenario or just want to enjoy the luxuries of having clean energy while camping, the Jackery Explorer 2000 Pro is the best Jackery yet.

Here at Make Use Of, we are big fans of Jackery power generators. We gave favorable reviews to their Explorer 1000 and Explorer 1500 models last year, praising the premium quality design and long-lasting high power output. This year, with the release of their Explorer 2000 model, they also added “Pro” to the title. Let’s see how much more “Pro” the Explorer 2000 really is in comparison to Jackery’s previous models.

In the package, the Explorer 2000 Pro comes with an AC charging cable and a car charging cable. These are great inclusions as backup options, but this is primarily marketed as a solar generator, so unless you’re trying to run up your utility bill, you will most likely want to charge your Explorer 2000 via solar panels.

The generator itself is 38cm (15 inches) tall, and weighs 19.5kg (43lbs). So it certainly is rather heavy, but that is less of a fault on Jackery’s part and more of a limitation of current battery technology. All batteries around this capacity will weigh roughly the same.

Jackery offers packages of two, four, or six SolarSaga 200 solar panels that have to be shipped separately due to their large size. Before deciding how many SolarSaga panels you want, you should be aware that connecting more than two panels to your Explorer 2000 Pro will require at least one Solar Generator Connector cable, and they're sold separately.

Each panel comes in a high-quality carrying case and includes a DC input cable to connect it to the generator. Jackery was kind enough to send me the full six SolarSaga panel package as well as two Solar Generator Connectors to really test out the power capabilities.

Jackery solar generators are essentially just massive lithium-ion batteries, and in the Explorer series, each model’s number is roughly equivalent to how many watt-hours of power the battery can output. For the Explorer 2000 Pro, that means a total capacity of 2160Wh, with up to 2200W continuous output and 4400W surge.

The display keeps the same intuitive user interface featured on the Explorer 1500 and puts all of the relevant information you need on a beautiful backlit screen. The circular power gauge surrounding the battery percentage is a big improvement over the design of the Explorer 1000, and the input and output power levels are clearly displayed on either side.

Surrounding the display on the face of the Explorer 2000 Pro are several output ports, the car charging port, and an LED light. The LED light is a great resource for accessing and operating your generator in the dark.

Most importantly though are the output ports; there are three AC outputs, two USB-A outputs, and two USB-C outputs. All of these features on the face of the Explorer 2000 Pro, and are activated and deactivated by the simple press of a clearly labeled button.

Finally, on the back of the device are two 8mm sockets inputs for AC and DC power respectively. You can charge the Explorer 2000 Pro from an AC wall outlet (2 hours), DC from your car (24 hours), or Jackery’s SolarSaga solar panels (time varies). You could also use other brand solar panels, but you'll need a third-party 8mm to MC4 adaptor.

Jackery’s SolarSaga series of solar panels and the carrying cases they collapse into have always looked great, and with the Explorer 2000 Pro, Jackery introduced their latest model of solar panels with the SolarSaga 200. The panels feature three magnetically strapped kickstands that can be used to prop them up, but depending on the time of day and position of the sun, just laying them completely flat can work just as well.

As compared to the SolarSaga 100, the SolarSaga 200s are massive; approximately double the size, and bigger might not necessarily mean better. The SolarSaga 100 panels are an all-in-one package (not in a case), have a single seam down the middle, and fold in half. The SolarSaga 200 panels are divided into quarters, fold three times, and have a separate case—though the handle is still integrated with the main panel.

When they are fully unfolded, the SolarSaga 200s are just over seven and a half feet long!

Because of their large size and multiple folds, setup can sometimes be clunky. Setting up all six at once especially proved to be awkward because of the amount of space your new tiny solar farm will require. The smallest area I could occupy with a full setup was a roughly 15 x 7.5 feet rectangle; that is with the panels essentially stacked together as tightly as possible.

The SolarSaga 200s will always have to be densely packed together because their connection cables are only about ten feet long, so there really isn’t much flexibility in where you are able to place them in conjunction with one another and the Explorer 2000.

The SolarSaga 200s also leave a bit to be desired in performance; at least, when all used together. The panels have a peak output rating of 200W, hence their name, and Jackery says that under optimal conditions, with a full six SolarSaga panels, you can expect to fully charge the Explorer 2000 in just under two and a half hours. Finding those optimal conditions can be challenging though, given it requires a pretty big patch of unoccupied space that won’t be getting any shade, and obviously some nice weather.

In my testing, I found that on a perfectly sunny day a single panel would provide between 140 to 170W input. Using the Solar Generator Connector with three panels under the same conditions, the SolarSaga 200s input consistently capped out at 470W. Finally, with all six panels connected on an optimally sunny day, the highest input I was ever able to achieve was 920W. The individual panels receiving 170W input a piece seems reasonable, but the decrease in efficiency becomes pretty evident when stringing six panels together using the Solar Generator Connectors.

While it was difficult to get optimal performance out of the SolarSaga 200s, that hardly feels like it matters since you can have them plugged into the Explorer 2000 Pro while it's in use, and the unit charges fairly quickly. You can also just as easily connect one or two panels as you need them rather than trying to set up a more cumbersome full six. Finally, I found in my testing that on slightly overcast days, or when the treeline would cast a few leafy shadows on the SolarSaga 200s, they could still receive an input of about 40-70W each, so charging the Explorer 2000 Pro is never really a problem.

At full capacity, the Explorer 2000 Pro can supply approximately 2000 watt-hours of power, which equates to a 2000W device running for one hour, or a 200W device running for ten hours. Devices can peak at up to 4400W, but that level shouldn't be sustained for longer than a second or two or the unit will shut down.

Most of the devices I tested don’t need nearly that much power, and sure enough, they all worked just fine. Charging a phone or laptop, cooking on a hotplate, making coffee, using a blender, toaster, speaker system, television, and even playing electric guitar out of a tube amp all performed as normally as if I had these devices plugged into a wall.

Devices being charged lit up immediately with no latency, the hotplate warmed up at its usual rate, and the coffee maker (which demanded the most power) started up right on time.

Wanting to push the Explorer 2000 to its limit, I used a hair dryer, which uses a surprisingly greedy 2000W at its highest setting. I ran the hair dryer for fifteen minutes, and the Explorer 2000 Pro was right on track at 75% battery.

The overall performance of the 2000 Pro was extremely impressive. Many of the less power-hungry devices I tested were being done simultaneously, and even with all three AC ports being used alongside my phone charging in a USB-A port, the generator never showed any signs of slowing down. I had three panels plugged into the back of the Explorer 2000 Pro while I started testing out electronics, and the LED display gives a satisfying presentation of the input and output of power on either side of the remaining battery power.

The Explorer 2000 Pro itself is easily the most premium design we have seen from Jackery thus far. Everything about the battery feels extremely high quality and a step up from previous models. While previous iterations of Jackery’s generators had a permanently fixed handle protruding from the top, the 2000 Pro’s handle can fold back to be flush with its head. Simple improvements like this go a long way in terms of storage and transportation.

Other not-so-simple improvements go even farther. In our reviews for previous Jackery models, a major complaint has always been the noise output the generator makes while in use. In all of my testing, even with the power-hungry hair dryer, I never heard so much as a peep out of the Explorer 2000 Pro. You could host an outdoor movie night using this generator, and it would be completely unnoticeable.

The SolarSaga 200 panels leave a bit to be desired in terms of efficiency, but the Explorer 2000 Pro definitely lives up to its name. Six solar panels with a peak power of 200W should provide a theoretical maximum 1200W input, and while I don’t expect 100% efficiency, our testing showed 940W in ideal conditions and did feel a bit low.

Perhaps the only other thing holding anyone back from purchasing it is its equally premium price tag.

The Explorer 2000 Pro with a full six SolarSaga panels and the required Connectors will set you back over six thousand dollars, but you get what you pay for. It's difficult to find anything else to criticize this product for. It's really heavy, and unfolding a solar panel that is longer than you are tall can be difficult to negotiate, but it all works so incredibly well.

Even if you have no experience with power stations, the clear display and intuitive controls make everything easy to understand and will help you have your electronic devices up and running in no time. There are eight outputs to cover virtually any electronic need you may have, and although the panels are less than perfect and six of them at a time is a lot to unpack, Jackery offers packages of just two or four SolarSaga 200 panels, and they can charge the device while it’s in use. The entire Explorer 2000 Pro package is extremely intuitive and will provide long-lasting solar-generated power for any situation.

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Zach is passionate about all things related to visual media. He has a BA in Film Production and has been uploading videos to YouTube since 2010. Zach is an avid cinefile, musician, and board gamer.

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