Jackery SolarSaga 60W Solar Panel for Explorer 160/240/500 as Portable Solar Generator, Portable Foldable Solar Charger for Summer Camping Van RV(Cant Charge Explorer 440/ PowerPro)

A post PGE California power outage customer here. I got both the 100 W and the lighter-weight 60W, so this review is a comparison. I would have just bought the 60W first, but it was out of stock, so I bought the 100 W one; then the 60W became available again a day later. Thanks to Prime free shipping, I figured I would compare them and keep the one I thought better suited my needs. [NOTE: maybe because the 100 W is so big and heavy, I could only get totally free return shipping by taking the panel to the nearest Kohls store. To bring it to UPS for returning, the shipping would have cost $12. That surprised me--Ive never run into it before.] The 100 W is sturdy, solid, has the capacity to charge off 2 built in USB ports directly. A very well designed panel, I liked it a lot. It is pretty big, and would take some wind without being bothered. It weighs 9 lbs. The 60W is much flimsier. It weighs only 3 lbs. It would blow around in a lighter wind. It has no way to charge anything off it directly, only the hookup to the Jackery battery power station (I got the 240. Love it.). The 60W is also $120 cheaper than the 100W. You can see why, when you sit them side by side. Theres just less to it. But it does its job perfectly. Both have a zippered pouch for storing the connection cable right with the panel. Both have kickstands that help the panel stand up at an angle. The 100 W is more secure with its two kickstands than the 60W is with its three parts and only one kickstand; but you can put the battery behind it to help hold it up, which also keeps battery out of direct sun. The 100 W holds itself closed with magnets. If you want to carry it with one hand, youd need to buy the separate case. The 60 W has snaps and becomes a sweet little portfolio type thing with a handle. You can carry both it and the battery station easily with one hand. So it all depends what you want. I set them up side by side and used the battery station as a meter. Under the same conditions (sunny day in November), the 100 W was putting out 63 Watts, the 60 W was putting out 50. (Other reviews say the battery charges at 43 W, so each would work equally well if thats true.) One other time I tested it, the 60W panel was putting out 52 watts. Good job, in weaker autumn sun! Im keeping the smaller and less expensive 60W one. I like its lightness and smaller bulk, and I dont think Ill have many occasions when I would want to charge something and not have the battery with me. (But like many others, I wish that Jackery offered an adapter for the plug that would let you charge from the 60W panel directly. ) Customer service says the 100W will charge the battery quicker. On an inefficient/less sunny day, Im sure it would make a difference. You could also charge the battery and your phone or whatever separately and at the same time. Its a terrific solar panel. I give it 5 stars because its just personal preference that I want something less big and heavy. I give the 60W one 5 stars too. And am very happy to have it on hand to be better prepared for the next outage. Unless it happens in a winter storm, in which case any solar panel would be useless--but Id still have the charged up battery to get me through at least a couple days of being able to stay quite functional.

I was happy with My Order. It has a newer built in USB-C on the Solar Panel & USB A. Trees & clouds can cause drops to recharge, 0% to 4%. Direct Sunlight requires you to move the panel every hour as the Sun moves. You can charge USB off the Solar Panel, saving the separate Power Station for later or night time. The top plastic & magnets did add 1 pound of weight, but still state of the art & rest is fine. In the Future I hope they make a Back Pack Version of a 60W Solar Panel & make it water proof. Using My Imagination, I hope for future Solar Clothes that also protect People from Harmful Sun Burns, But Safety would require a snap on Ground Foot Pad. Im still 90% Happy with this Order.

We bought this to use with the associated Jackery Portable Power Station. Before purchasing this solar panel we looked at some other cheaper panels, in person, at local stores but werent happy with the quality, So we ordered this one although its somewhat pricey. When we first hooked it up to test it , we placed it near a sunny window, inside the house. Initially we were pretty disappointed with the charging progress, barely charging after several hours. We were about to return it but then we read some other reviews talking about how charging through a window pane isnt advised. We moved the panel and charging station outside and were quite surprised at the difference. So we ultimately were very happy with the product and decided to keep it. Its definitively portable and easy to use. We can use this to power a good variety of items in case of power outages.

Advertising suggests that it will take 6.5 hours for this solar panel to charge a Jackery Explorer 240. From my limited experience the panels will charge the 240 much quicker than that even on a partly sunny day. These panels are really marvelous. Easy to set up, use and store. Many of our devices that are battery powered are charged via USB. These panels are perfect for that and are one more thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. I dont know that embedded carbon in manufacturing these panels, but investing in solar panels like these promotes research into all the different ways we may capture energy from the sun.

So far, happy with my Jackery explorer 500 and what I can do with it. Charged it fully once with shore power (at home) and have since been using the Saga60 I bought for off grid living. Summer is ending, direct intense daylight fleeting so I’m hoping the 100w I’ve ordered will charge the 500w Jackery better/faster. The Saga60 is light and easy to use. Comes with USB and USB-C port as well as the cable for charging your Jackery … so my 60 may just be used in future for charging my tablet / phone / devices directly. It proved what I set out to prove. Now I just know I need more rapid charging for my location / direct sun exposure.

— Update — Since my original review, Jackery support contacted me for a follow-up, and learning of my overall feedback, offered to provide me an upgraded panel to replace my original 60W panel. This communicates a passion by the company to ensure customers are completely satisfied. I think that’s awesome. +1 star for giving the customer a great experience. Also a note regarding interoperability with other solar products; I’ve continued researching Zamp, and have learned that they intentionally use non-standard connectors that reverse polarity (positive is negative and negative is positive). It seems solar companies are focusing on proprietary ecosystems, which I think is a negative for the consumer solar industry at large. I would like to see providers anticipate the consumer. As for Jackery, I’m very grateful that they replaced my burned-out panel, and provided an upgrade. This shows they are willing to “make things right,” regardless of consumer expectations. — Original — I recently purchased a SolarSage 60W and used it to charge a Jackery 240 + smaller batteries. It worked great, showing up to 54W output in winter...until I plugged it into my travel trailers Zamp solar charging input (mounted on the side of the trailer for solar panels). For some reason, connecting the Saga 60W into the solar port on my trailer, caused the batteries on the trailer to send too much current to the panels (as if they were a connected energy consuming device), instantly frying the solar panels components. Toast. Complete destruction within seconds. Black smoke, melted plastic and all. The panels look find, but the circuit connector on the back is fried. I contacted Jackery support and they explained that the Saga 60W has no flow control / surge / or any sort of circuitry protection. Its brainless and doesnt have any sort of built-in controller. Thus, frying the panel was my fault. Jackery did send me a replacement; a previous generation 60W panel which they said is identical to the current generation, except that my purchased Saga 60W had USB ports and the replacement panel does not. Thats awesome on their part, but I consider the lack of an on-board controller or other flow protection device a failure in design. Jackerys perspective was that the panels arent supposed to have a controller; thats the job of the receiving device (thats why their batteries have controllers). Oh well. Lesson learned. Jackery support told me clearly that I cannot use this panel with anything but Jackery products. The panel they sent in replacement looks identical to the original one, minus the USB ports. It is performing great, and in the winter, in SoCal clear skies during the peak of the day, my Jackery 240 is showing up to 55 W of input from the 60 W panel. Thats fantastic performance. The only other criticism I have is the material used to connect the three panels together is soft, meaning it has no rigid structure, so the outside 2 panels sort of sag vs. the center panel which is supported by a kickstand. On that note, competitive products have adjustable kick-stands so you can optimize the panels orientation to the sun. These do not. Its out or in. My recommendation would be to buy the next level-up panel that has a rigid body, and use it exclusively with Jackery products...just to be safe.

Great product ! Innovative ! Intelligent design ! Well made ! Excellent overall ! Highly recommended !

Definitely one of the best panels on the market from a reliable manufacturer. USB-C charging port advantage, however, prefer to have additional standard MC4 connectors for better compatibility.

Need these to charge the Jackery. Worked well on a sunny day. They are not to be out in the rain, per Jackery - plus they are covered in cloth. Not heavy and they have a good handle, so easy to carry. Have a zippered bag to store cords. A little too expensive, but all Jackery is overpriced.