Power stations are portable lithium-ion battery packs that can deliver electricity on the go for a variety of uses. They allow you to take power with you anywhere by storing electricity in a battery and converting it to standard AC outlets or USB charging ports. Power stations come in a range of capacities, from small portable units for charging phones and laptops up to larger power stations that can run appliances, power tools, medical devices, and even jump start a car in an emergency. With the rise in popularity of outdoor recreation, overlanding, vanlife, and emergency preparedness, quality power stations have become an important piece of gear for many people. They provide versatile off-grid power without the noise, fumes, and maintenance of generators. In this post, we’ll take an in-depth look at the VTOMAN Jump 1000 portable power station and see how it compares to one of the most well-known models on the market – the Jackery Explorer 1000.
Unboxing the VTOMAN Jump 1000
The VTOMAN Jump 1000 comes well packaged in a box with a variety of useful accessories. Inside the box, you’ll find a nice carrying bag made of durable materials, unlike the lower budget bags included with some competitors’ products. This allows you to easily transport the unit.
Also included are jumper cables, allowing you to jump start your car in an emergency, not just slowly recharge the battery. This is a unique feature not found on many comparable models.
The package also contains other useful accessories like a 12V car adapter cable, AC charge brick with connector, power cable, user manual, and tips card.
The unit itself has a clean yet durable design, with an easy to read digital display showing battery level and output wattage. It offers ample connectivity with 3 AC outlets, 4 USB-A ports including quick charge, and 2 USB-C PD ports.
Overall, the unboxing experience matches the premium capabilities of the Jump 1000, with a versatile set of included accessories.
Comparing Battery Chemistry
The Jump 1000 uses a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery chemistry, while the Jackery Explorer 1000 uses a lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) battery chemistry. This difference in battery chemistry results in some notable advantages for the Jump 1000.
LiFePO4 batteries offer excellent cycle life, with the ability to deliver 80% of original capacity for over 2,000 charge/discharge cycles. In contrast, LiCoO2 batteries typically maintain 80% capacity for only 300-500 cycles before degrading significantly. So the Jump 1000’s battery can withstand many more charge cycles before needing replacement.
Additionally, LiFePO4 chemistry provides safer and more stable performance compared to LiCoO2. LiFePO4 cells are much less prone to thermal runaway issues and have lower fire risks. They also exhibit less capacity fade over time.
Overall, the lithium iron phosphate battery in the Jump 1000 represents a more durable, long-lasting, and safer battery technology compared to the lithium cobalt oxide battery used in the Jackery Explorer 1000. This gives the Jump 1000 an advantage in battery performance and longevity.
Comparing Battery Capacity
In terms of battery capacity, the VTOMAN Jump 1000 has a significant advantage over the Jackery Explorer 1000. The Jump 1000 boasts a total battery capacity of just over 1,400 watt hours, while the Explorer 1000 caps out at 1,000 watt hours. This gives the Jump 1000 a full 40% more battery capacity compared to the Jackery unit, despite both being in the 1,000 watt power station category.
The additional 400+ watt hours in the Jump 1000 provide more usable power and longer runtime for devices and appliances. Given most consumers buy these power stations for power outages, camping trips, and off-grid use, the extra capacity is a major plus. Even with minor efficiency losses from the AC inverter, you can expect the larger capacity of the Jump 1000 to translate into longer real-world usage times before needing to recharge.
Usable Capacity Comparison
I wanted to find out how much usable capacity each power station actually provides in a real-world scenario, so I performed a drain test on both units. I used a heat gun that draws just over 1000 watts to rapidly drain the batteries until they shut off.
With the Jump 1000, I got 1189 watt hours before it stopped outputting power. That works out to an 84.4% efficiency rate. The Explorer 1000 yielded 837 watt hours before shutting down, giving it 83.5% efficiency.
While the efficiency rates are similar, the Jump still provides significantly more usable capacity thanks to its larger battery pack. Even under heavy load, it delivers a full 40% more power than the Explorer 1000.
AC Inverter Efficiency
I tested the efficiency of the AC inverters in the VTOMAN Jump 1000 and Jackery Explorer 1000 by running them down with a heat gun that draws just over 1000 watts. This allowed me to determine the minimum usable capacity and efficiency rating for each model.
The results showed that both models have very similar inverter efficiency. The VTOMAN reached 1189 watt hours in the test, giving it a 84.4% efficiency rating. The Jackery achieved 837 watt hours, equating to 83.5% efficiency.
While the VTOMAN edged out the Jackery slightly, the difference is small enough that I’d consider their AC inverter efficiency basically equal. Both units do a good job of delivering power efficiently through their AC outlets under a heavy 1000+ watt demand.
Pass-Through Charging
Both the VTOMAN Jump 1000 and Jackery Explorer 1000 allow for pass-through charging, meaning you can charge the units while simultaneously using the AC power outlets. This is an important feature, as it allows you to recharge the power stations on the go using solar, AC, or DC power while still powering your devices.
The Jackery Explorer 1000 has pass-through charging on both its AC and DC inputs. So you can charge via the wall outlet or solar panel while running devices off the AC outlets.
Likewise, the VTOMAN Jump 1000 enables pass-through charging through both its AC and DC inputs. You can charge the Jump 1000 via solar or the included AC adapter while powering devices from the AC outputs.
Having pass-through charging on both the AC and DC side is convenient, and allows you to operate the power station continuously without having to stop charging. This is a capability present in both the Jump 1000 and Explorer 1000.
Solar Charging Comparison
I compared the solar charging capabilities between the Jump 1000 and the Jackery Explorer 1000. The Jump 1000 has a max solar input spec of 200W, with two 5.5mm DC input ports that can be used simultaneously.
The Jackery is rated for 163W max solar input, but I’ve never gotten more than about 115W into it. It has an 8mm and Anderson connector, but only one can be used at a time.
To test, I connected two 200W solar panels to the Jump 1000 and got around 160W of input without any special adapters needed. When I tried to connect both panels to the Jackery using a parallel adapter, it maxed out around 106W and wouldn’t take any more.
Having the dual DC inputs on the Jump 1000 without needing a parallel adapter is a significant advantage for solar charging. The two 5.5mm ports make it easy to connect high-output solar panels. The Jackery is definitely capped in terms of how much solar input it can take.
Unique Features
The VTOMAN Jump 1000 has some really cool unique features not found on other comparable power stations like the Jackery Explorer 1000.
One is the included jumper cables that allow you to actually jump start your car battery, not just recharge it slowly. This could be a real lifesaver if you drain your car battery somewhere remote. You won’t have to wait around for hours recharging, you can quickly jump start with the Jump 1000 and get back on the road.
Another neat feature is the expansion capabilities. The Jump 1000 has a port that allows you to connect the VTOMAN 1500 watt hour expansion module. This gives you a huge boost in capacity up to around 3000 watt hours! That’s some serious off-grid power.
The Jackery Explorer 1000 doesn’t have built-in jumper cables and lacks expansion ports. So the Jump 1000 definitely has more versatility and options for powering your adventures.
Pricing and Availability
The VTOMAN Jump 1000 blows away the competition when it comes to pricing and availability. At the time of writing, the Jump 1000 is available on Amazon for an unbelievable price under $600 when you apply a coupon code and additional coupon.
To put that in perspective, the Jackery Explorer 1000 with its smaller 1000Wh capacity sells for around $1200 – twice the price! Not only that, but the Jump 1000 has 40% more capacity at 1400Wh. You’re basically getting 50% more capacity for half the price with the VTOMAN.
It’s not just versus the Jackery that the Jump 1000 wins on price. It beats out almost all competitors with similar capacity in the 1000Wh to 1500Wh range. Thanks to some temporary deals VTOMAN is running, you’d be hard pressed to find a better capacity/price ratio on a power station than the Jump 1000 right now.
The pricing and availability can always change in the future, but at the time this was written, the Jump 1000 was an absolute steal and tremendous bang for your buck. If you’re looking for a new power station in the 1000W+ range, be sure to check out the latest pricing on Amazon using the link in the description below. But don’t wait too long – a deal like this never lasts forever!