FJDynamics PowerSec MP500 - Review 2025

Perfectly Portable

The FJDynamics sturdy but lightweight build comes with a convenient, comfortable, stowable carry handle. It is easy to grab the portable power station and use it in the yard for a party, or on a weekend car camping or cabin trip.

With 519 W of battery capacity, this station may not last several weeks on a single charge, especially if you’re powering bigger devices or smaller devices more frequently and/or simultaneously.  Thankfully, the FJD MP500 offers off-the-grid charging methods through car outlets and solar charging, which can potentially extend how much time you spend off-the-grid.

Charging

The FJD fairs in the middle of the road here.  Infographics on Amazon claim the unit can charge fully from an AC outlet in 4 hours.  Our experience charging the battery from 20% to 100% took five hours.  Compare that to the Genverse Homepower One Pro, which has over twice the battery capacity but can charge in less than half the time.  On the other hand, FJD does better than the EBL Voyager 1000, which also has twice the battery capacity but takes 7-8 hours from a wall outlet.

Charging from a car outlet is always going to be a slow method of charging, but this station competes well with others.  First, the portable power station is actually small enough to fit in a car near the outlet.  Furthermore, infographics on Amazon claim the MP500 can reach a full charge from a car outlet in 7 hours, which our experience confirms.  After 45 minutes in our tester’s car, the unit increased its supply by 20%.

Assuming that rate remains consistent over the duration of a drive (not a definitely safe assumption, we know), in about three hours, the unit would reach a full charge, which is actually pretty fast for car charging.  Compare that figure to other units out there, and you’ll often see double-digit numbers for charging portable power stations through a vehicle.

Though our testers did not have the solar panels to evaluate its solar charging, the product’s description indicates it would take 4-5 hours, depending on conditions to charge the unit fully using an 80W-100W solar panel.

Based on the smaller wattage solar panel, these numbers seem to check out.  Of course, your experience will depend on conditions and how frequently you need to use the unit off the grid.  Assuming those numbers are true, the question is how much does the ability to recharge via solar power complement the unit’s life and output power off-the-grid? Read the next section for our experience testing the battery life.

Battery Supply and Efficiency

The FJD MP500 was really helpful in charging a variety of devices.  We used it to power lamps, blow up air mattresses, and charge a drone, computer, and camera battery.  It wasn’t until we started charging the tech that the display showed a drop from a 100% charge.

After charging the drone at already half-capacity, the display read 81%.  The computer charged in 55 minutes and dipped the display another 2 percent. The camera battery took 3 hours to charge and brought the station down to 70%.

Here is where we began to be a little cautious in our interpretation of the display.  After seven hours of charging devices while also running a fan, the display read 50%.  However, five hours later after only running a fan, the battery was completely empty.

Accuracy issues aside, the portable power station charged multiple devices at the same time well, though at varying speeds depending on the capacity of the tech, and the MP500 did what it needed to do, albeit for a relatively short time.

Case Design

Portability and versatility are the name of the game here.  Overall, our testers were really pleased with the design and features.  At just 14 pounds and boasting a sturdy carry handle that can fold away neatly when in storage, the MP500 makes it easy to bring portable power in the car and off-the-grid.  The station’s built-in light works well over a decent distance.

The wireless charging pad on the top of the case was helpful for charging devices wirelessly, which keeps other ports open for charging different devices.  We found that charging a phone for 15 minutes on the wireless pad added 17% charge to its battery.  Although this wireless charging may not be the fastest on the market, at that rate, an hour would put a completely dead phone at a ⅔ charge in an hour, which is reasonable.

The display features easy-to-read and understand information about the battery capacity and its input and output power.  We did, however, raise our eyebrows at the accuracy of the display’s battery percentage based on our experience.  After seven hours of charging multiple devices simultaneously while running a fan, the display indicated that the portable power station had 50% of its battery remaining.  However, just five hours later, the battery was completely dead after only running a fan on it.

Price/Quality Ratio

The FJD MP500 prices about the same as portable power stations with similar sizes, battery capacities, and output power.  The most similar station we found is the Bluetti AC50S, which runs (not counting any sales) slightly cheaper and has almost identical weight, output power, battery capacity, and battery type. Though we do feel the handles on the MP500 are much easier to manage.

Both the Bluetti AC50S and the FJD MP500 use a lithium ion battery, which is fairly typical for smaller and entry-level portable power stations.  While these lithium ion batteries don’t have all of the advantages of lithium iron phosphate batteries, they also tend to be less expensive, which is perfect for consumers needing only an infrequent use of a portable power station.

Comparing the MP500 to the Jackery Explorer 500, the FJD MP500 comes out on top. The MP500 features a few more outputs than the Jackery Explorer 500, including a wireless charging pad.

If you’re new to the portable power station market and need something portable and relatively inexpensive, the FJDynamics MP500 is a good option. It is easier to carry, has a useful amount of ports, and has an accessible price point – edging it slightly ahead of the competition.

Do we recommend it?

Yes, we recommend the FJD MP500 for the casual user needing off-the-grid energy for camping trips or short weekends. It is also handy if the power goes out for short periods of time. Seasoned enthusiasts of portable power stations or individuals needing a large battery supply for long trips, high output power, or both will find a better investment in bigger albeit more expensive stations.

By contrast, this station’s lightweight and solid quality, multiple safety features, and variety of output types make it a great purchase for first-time buyers in the portable power station market and who need off-the-grid energy for more than just recharging a phone at night.  It has enough power to support plenty of smaller devices for short road trips or brief power outages on a single charge.