Dropped $400 on a portable solar generator that barely charges a phone

I bought that Jackery 240 last spring for camping trips, but after three uses the battery degraded so fast it won't even power my laptop for an hour, has anyone found a solar setup that actually holds up for more than a season?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph_coleman10d ago

Man, that's rough. My buddy Kyle bought the same Jackery last spring and he had the exact same issue. He took it on a week-long trip to Moab and by day three it wouldn't even keep his phone charged overnight. He figured out the battery management system was cooked from the get-go. Ended up getting a refund after a huge hassle with customer service. He swapped to a DIY setup with a 100-watt panel and a cheap lead-acid battery from Harbor Freight and swears it's been way more reliable for the money. Sometimes the big name stuff just ain't worth it.

torres.jason9d ago

Dude, I actually just saw a video on YouTube where a guy tested a bunch of those all-in-one power stations and he said the same thing about the Jackery. Said the battery management issues started showing up after a few charge cycles, not even heavy use. Makes you wonder if they're just cutting too many corners to hit that retail price point. Your buddy's Harbor Freight setup sounds like the smarter move honestly. I've heard a lot of people say you get way more bang for your buck just building your own basic system.