It’s Time to Replace Your Old Portable Power Station

How Long Should a Power Station Last?

For example, Jackery suggests my old Explorer 500W will lose 20% capacity after roughly 600-800 recharge cycles.

I used to take the Jackery 500 camping to run a small mini fridge portable cooler.

Jackery Explorer 500 and 1000W power stations sitting outdoors.

Cory Gunther / How-To Geek

How old is too old for a portable power station?

Well, that depends on your wants, needs, usage, and budget.

I still use that old Jackery 500, just not the way I did when I first bought it.

Ugreen power station port selection

Dave McQuilling / How-To Geek

There are a few main reasons to replace an old power station with a newer and better model.

Unfortunately, it takes around 6-7 hours to recharge fully.

By the time the power went out, it was only at 37%.

screen of Anker Solix C800 Plus showing capacity at 67%

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

That’s not ideal.

And if you lose that massive charging brick, the entire machine becomes a paperweight.

Now that’s useful!

Old model Jackery Explorer 500 power station.

Cory Gunther / How-To Geek

Older power stations might not have USB-C at all, forcing you to rely on slow USB-A cables.

Don’t get me wrong.

I’m not saying you should throw away or otherwise stop using an older power station.