We just received the kit containing the Jackery 1500 and the four solar panels. Shipping was fast, and the items were very well packaged.

The Jackery provides 1800W, 3600W burst, which means it can run all of our kitchen appliances. We charged it using the AC cable as soon as we received it, and then tried it out with our Breville Smart Oven Pro, which is rated at 1800W. The Jackery handled it like a pro. The next day we tried it with our 1200W microwave, and 1500W electric teakettle and no problems.

We run the toaster oven for 45 minutes, the microwave for 5, and the teakettle for about 5 minutes. We also charged a Ryobi battery, and tried out a fan. At the end, the battery still had 31% of the original charge.

The Jackery recharges quickly with AC. We can get an extra power cable and cut the time in half, but it charges fast enough as it is. We originally charged it with the AC, but after testing it, we recharged it using the four solar panels that come with the kit.

As the images show, it was fairly simple to set up the panels. Jackery provides two solar connectors in the kit, and it accepts input from two solar panels. We first set it up with some of the panels in shade, knowing they’d be exposed to full sun in a few hours. We also used a lightweight metal work table to shade the Jackery while charging.

One of the most important aspects of the generator, and the reason we bought this one is we wanted something that was powerful enough to run the items we need if we get a long power outage due to tropical storm or hurricanes, but also light enough that all members of the household could transport it. It’s hefty, but thanks the built-in handle and 33 pound weight, we can comfortably move it.

The item’s dial is easy to read, and using it is very intuitive…which is good, because if there’s one thing wrong with the Jackery it’s the manual. It’s hard to read, it doesn’t provide as many details in using the device as it could, and it doesn’t even cover how to connect four solar panels (only two). It mentions pressing the ‘power’ button, but there isn’t one, only a display button.

It takes 9.5 hours to charge the Jackery with 2 solar panels, and four panels should give you a charge in 4.5 to 5 hours. It took us about 6 hours, but half the panels were in shade to start, and we had some clouds. Overall, though, a very quick charge. This is another big selling point, and the reason why we went with this kit.

The Jackery provides three AC ports, one port for USB/A and one port for USB/C. It has a fan that runs when the weather is warmer (but less than 104F), or if you’re running a high draw item, like our toaster oven.

Overall, we’re very pleased with this purchase. We also discovered if you register the product, you’ll get a an extra 12 months of warranty, for 36 months total.