Showing posts with label auto battery replacement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label auto battery replacement. Show all posts

Monday, July 7, 2014

GPS Rapid 12v Car Charger for Magellan Roadmate 1400 1412 1430 1440 1470 1475T

GPS Rapid 12v Car Charger for Magellan Roadmate 1400 1412 1430 1440 1470 1475T
  • IC Chip recognizes full battery & automatically switches to saver mode
  • LED charging indicator
  • Fast charge for your GPS while on the road
  • Can be used with input voltages for car and truck
  • Made of high quality vinyl

I ordered a power supply for the Magellan 1470 and received a power supply with a mini-USB port that doesn't fit. The type of connector should be mentioned in the product description.

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This is a cell phone charger and will not power my Magellan RoadMate 1470 GPS. When I used it to power the RoadMate it turn on for an few seconds then turned back off. Clearly not able to deliver the power needed to run the GPS. It may be able to trickle charge the GPS battery when the GPS is off, but this does not help me since the outlets in my civic are not active unless the keys are in the ignition. Plus on a long trip, the charging will not be able to keep up with the battery drain.

Read Best Reviews of GPS Rapid 12v Car Charger for Magellan Roadmate 1400 1412 1430 1440 1470 1475T Here

Did NOT work with my Magellan 1470 GPS. Packaging listed only cell phone applications. It did work with other more generic devices, so the charger doesn't appear to be defective, just not compatible with Magellan 1470.

Quick shipping, response and refund from seller (Bastexwireless) and from Amazon, but the product applications have not been changed and they should be.

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I had previously borrowed my sister's adapter for my navigation system, and it worked just fine... but after attempting to use the adapter my navigation system to freeze.

My wife broke our Magellan car charger when she adjusted her seat forward when the cord was caught in the railing. We had a car adapter for a cellphone that fit (i.e. both mini USB), but the charger didn't have the proper power output, which meant that the GPS had to "charge up" for a few minutes before it would turn on, and it would run out of power while we were using it.

My wife was getting mad, and thought that the GPS was broken and wanted me to buy a new one. However after some research I learned that I simply needed a new car charger, which led me to this product.

This car charger does exactly what it's supposed to do. It keeps the GPS charged, and there is no longer any "charge time" or random shut downs during operation because my GPS is now getting all the power it needs.

My only complaint (and this is why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5) is that it gets pretty hot when it's being used, and I'm worried that it'll burn out in a few months. However, for the time being at least, it works great.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

NOCO Genius GC015 12V Eyelet Battery Indicator

NOCO Genius GC015 12V Eyelet Battery IndicatorThe battery will barely start the car and this thing says it has a 100% charge. I hooked up a NOCO charger to the battery and it said the charge level was 25% while this thing was still a happy 100%. According to this either the battery is dead or it's 100%. Pretty worthless.

I use this to monitor my generator start battery. So far it seems to be working well. The battery was already charged. When I hooked it up to the battery the green light was blinking. I zip tied it where I can see it easily inside my battery compartment. Perfect. Thanks!

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Got this for my NOCO Genius G3500 6V/12V 3.5A Automatic Multi-Purpose Battery Charger and Maintainer (Grey) I purchased several months ago. I have been swapping the charger around to several different vehicles, so I thought I would give this accessory a try. So far, I really like it. You can quickly tell if your battery needs charged. Going to go back for more to install on all my cars.

Read Best Reviews of NOCO Genius GC015 12V Eyelet Battery Indicator Here

Monday, April 21, 2014

Tripp Lite APS750 Inverter / Charger 750W 12V DC to 120V AC 20A 5-15R 2 Outlet

Tripp Lite APS750 Inverter / Charger 750W 12V DC to 120V AC 20A 5-15R 2 OutletI have an off-road trailer that I use for research. I purchased the APS750 and coupled it with a 105 AH AGM battery in the nose box of the trailer. Away from mains power, it provides excellent run time for several laptops and communications equipment. I keep the battery charged with solar panels off-road and take advantage of the 20A charging capacity of the APS750 when mains power is available. It's a 750W sine wave inverter, transfer switch, and battery charger in a rugged package perfect for my needs. I highly recommend the APS750 for mobile applications where high quality and reliable power is important. I can see where it might make a good emergency power system too.

[Edit Sept. 21, 2011: In my original review I stated that the Tripp Lite APS750 was a pure sine wave inverter. I removed that statement from my review as I learned through investigation that the output is pure sine wave when running on mains power (as expected) and PWM (pulse width modulated) sine wave when running on battery. PWM sine wave should not be confused with the fixed square wave output of cheaper inverters. PWM provides tight voltage regulation (+/5%) and eliminates harmonic noise the static hum you might hear with sensitive equipment if run on a cheaper square wave inverter. PWM sine wave is suitable for sensitive electronic equipment and motors. Anyway, I've been running sensitive radio communications equipment and computers on my APS750 with no problems.]

I use this as a backup power source for my pellet stove. If the power goes out when the stove is on, you get a smoky mess since it relies on a fan for combustion and exhaust. I chose to go the APC route instead of the stove-branded unit I feel more comfortable with a company that knows this business well. I could not be happier with it fast switching, charges the battery fast after the outage too. Ultimately simple as well the switch is either off, or automatic or charge-only. Set it and forget it!

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Here in South Florida, we have what would be described as unpredictable weather... which leads to unpredictable power ;-). Since I work at home on the computer, I need to be able to work through our unexpected power outtages which can last several hours at a time. My UPS just wouldn't cut it for power outtages lasting more than an hour or so.

Enter the king of UPS's, the APS 750! I bought a marine battery at Walmart for under $70 and connected it to the unit. Just the one battery gives me about 5 to 6 hours of run-time for both my desktop and my LCD monitor. If I need more run-time, I can simply connect more batteries in parallel.

Like a regular UPS, the unit charges when it has power, and switches to battery during a surge or blackout. Though the transfer time is a bit higher than a typical UPS, it doesn't seem to matter.

Read Best Reviews of Tripp Lite APS750 Inverter / Charger 750W 12V DC to 120V AC 20A 5-15R 2 Outlet Here

I brought one of these down to Costa Rica to deal with the unexpected power outages that happen on a semi regular basis. I hooked it up to two 100 amp hour deep cycle batteries. This will run my lights, electronics, wifi, computer, and short use of tools for a day or more (maybe much longer/ never tested). I separate & leave equipment with higher energy draws (like the refrig, pumps, washer, dryer, air conditioner) off the same power out electrical line. When set to operate automatically, this inverter takes over and supplies the 120 volts of electricity from the batteries via inverter when your grid electricity goes off. This unit will also regulate the grid voltage when voltage drops low or spikes high. The batteries are automatically recharged when the grid electricity comes back on. Great product for good competitive price. In my opinion: This is the BEST DEAL on the market. I believe Tripp Lite knows what they are doing when I study their full line of products. I see they also make auto power supplies for medical use. 2012 Update: My Tripp Lite APS has been working flawlessly for 4 years in Costa Rica's humid beach climate. Another Plus: Any electric powered burglar deterrent hooked up to this system will work 24/7 including when the grid is off line.

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This product is truley genius. 750 watts of RMS power at demand. Instant switching at selectable voltage drops. The Tripplite APS 750 is set to run off of my 825amp marine battery when it detects a voltage drop below 95 volts. When this occurs It switches from AC pass through power to a 20 second minimum run off of the battery.

If after 20 seconds the line power is still below the adustable threshold trigger, the unit will continue to run off of the DC battery. When the line power is back and stable, the unit resumes AC in-out pass through "while also charging the marine battery at a 20amp rate" to have it fully recharged for the next AC outtage.

If you're experiencing a bad lightning storm and power is flickering, or you are going through brown-out conditions, this device will switch over the instant the voltage drop is detected and will run off of the battery power for a minimum of 20seconds. ( So there is NO rapid switching of source power.)

I use the Tripplite APS 750 to run the main life support pumps on my saltwater tank. " Four punps at a total of 120 watts." My pumps were geting damaged from the rapid switching of AC power causing one of them to malfunction and hence me having to come home to saltwater on the floor.

(Not a problem anymore!) The Tripplite APS 750 says what it does and does what it says. It may only switch to battery power for 20 seconds once in a year, but I know my floors are dry now and the critical systems on the tank are 24/7/365.

By the way, at 120 watts of draw the 825amp marine battery would last over eight hours before it exhausted its usable amp load. If you need more battery run time you can cascade muliple batteries. The Tripplite has no problem with multiple DC sources. Just follw thier insructions.

AN OUTSTANDING PRODUCT!

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Thursday, April 3, 2014

4 Pack of Two Channel Folding Universal Rear Entertainment System Infrared Headphones Wireless IR D

4 Pack of Two Channel Folding Universal Rear Entertainment System Infrared Headphones Wireless IR DVD Player Head Phones for in Car TV Video Audio ListeningWe looked for a long time for affordable dual channel wireless headphones to replace the factory headphones in our T&C. And finally found these. They synced up to the system pretty quickly, and while staticy at first they eventually dialed in. Our kids love them. They are a little big, so our youngest has a hard time wearing them. I also wish there was a way to limit the volume level on them. They can be turned up much louder than any person needs. Overall good deal and we are happy with our purchase. Been using them a few months now with no issues.

These are great for our 2007 Honda Odyssey in-car video system. Our kids, ages 1 to 8, destroyed the originals. These have an input jack so that we can connect them to their individual gaming systems also. We just recently did a 66 hour cross country (33 hours each way) trip and an additional 16 hour mini trip using these headphones and still have not needed to replace the batteries.

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These are wonderful. They work well and my 3 boys really like them. I like that they fold up and that the boys haven't destroyed them yet; they seem very sturdy.

Read Best Reviews of 4 Pack of Two Channel Folding Universal Rear Entertainment System Infrared Headphones Wireless IR D Here

These worked for us, straight out of the box. We drive a 2010 Chrysler Town & Country. Our first set of headphones did not last more than a year with our young children.

These are 2 channel headphones, so can be used for both channels in the van. My kids are 6 & 4 years old, and th headphones fit just fine. They also fit my husband, who has a larger than average-sized head. ;)

The only design flaw we've found so far, is that you have to remember to turn them off when you leave the car. Our factory set had an automatic shut-off after a set period of time. We've only had these for about 5 uses. I like how they fold up, making them both compact and protected (think armadillo!)

For the price, I'd say we got a great deal!

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Superior to original equipment for Chrysler products and at less cost. I have recommended it to all my friends. May purchase more.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Schumacher SC-1200A SpeedCharge 12/8/2 Amp Charger/Maintainer/Starter/Tester

Schumacher SC-1200A SpeedCharge 12/8/2 Amp Charger/Maintainer/Starter/TesterForgetting to remove the negative connector before storing my vehicle for the winter; the internal sytems and alarm drained the battery, and of course it was sulfated. This unit worked like a charm. The battery was down to 8 volts/15%. The SC-1200a properly began to charge, then desulfate, and slowly was able to get the battery back to 98% before I removed it to start the car. This took approximately 17 hours (700 CCA Battery), which isn't bad for a dead/sulfated battery using a charger costing less than $50. The plus is you can use it to maintain your battery on a vehicle you do not drive much. Keeping your battery charged above 98% can greatly extend the life. How long it will the charger last running 24/7? ...I do not know yet. I have only had it maintaining the battery for 3 weeks, but still no problems. It does have a cooling fan which probably should be cleaned/vacuumed occaisionally; and I've never felt the unit being hot to touch. Not sure what problem the first reveiwer had, or if the unit he had was defective or dropped before he purchased it. For a $50 charger which maintains and also desulfates a battery, you cannot beat it.

Stay far, far, far, away from this charger. I walked away from tested, good, low charge battery being charged on the 8amp setting connected to a 750CCA regular car battery and when I came back a couple hours later it was boiling and still trying to charge! I checked the charge voltage and it was at 16 volts (measured with a Fluke meter)! Bad, very bad, charger and not automatic or smart at all.

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I was hoping to find the Schumacher model 7000A 2/20 Amp charger to review, but this 1200A is just a variation on the same thing. Looks identical too. After reading bad reviews of Schumacher and Vector it's clear these companies can't do anything right. Seems any product that has a microprocessor is programmed by the incompetent. Let me tell you about Schumacher speed chargers.

They won't charge batteries that don't already have a significant charge. If your battery drops below 10 to 11 volts, forget it. You'd have to have a manual battery charger as backup for when this won't charge, which eliminates the need for this thing in the first place. The explanation from the company is that the charger has to feed off the voltage in the battery, blah, blah. The purpose of a battery charger is to charge batteries, period. Then I was lied to by the tech and told if I hold down a certain combination of buttons when plugging the unit in, it would go into manual 2A mode (where the processor doesn't decide it won't charge your battery), but I sat there on the phone with him doing just as he said, and turns out no such feature exists. The manual doesn't mention anything like that either.

The charger is totally unpredictable. It almost always goes into desulfate mode. It has never completed a charge after coming out of desulfate mode, but ends in an error. Needs to be unplugged and plugged back in to start charging again to "completion". However completion doesn't seem to get the battery to 100% power, more like 80%, if that. Sometimes it won't charge at 20A and drops down to 2A. Don't know why. And according to the manual, desulfate mode can take up to 10 hours. So much for speed charge. Need to get into your car and go somewhere? Well you may need to wait until the next day.

It has a retain mode where the charger can sit there and monitor your battery and charge when needed. Figured I'd just leave the thing on my car almost permanently. But those who programmed the thing don't understand setting upper and lower thresholds. What it should do is charge up to the upper threshold, then when the battery drops below the lower, it charges to the upper again. I therefore expected it to turn on once a day or whatever. Instead it's turning on and off every several seconds, with the fan and relay clicking on and off. That's a good way to ware out the unit in no time.

It has a 70A engine start feature just incase you don't have enough juice to quite start your car, but if the battery is low enough where the charger won't charge it, the engine start feature won't work either.

My last car battery was probably only 1.5 years old before it wouldn't even take a charge. I'm beginning to suspect the damn charger might be responsible. When going into desulfate mode for instance, I see the voltage climb up to well over 16 volts. I don't know if that's good for the battery.

The simple act of charging a battery can be turned into a stressful nightmare with this crappy charger. Stay far away from Schumacher. It's clear they can't build a realiable charger, nor does it appear they've actually tried out their own products before dumping them onto the public.

Read Best Reviews of Schumacher SC-1200A SpeedCharge 12/8/2 Amp Charger/Maintainer/Starter/Tester Here

This is not what Amazon is thinks it is. They have confused the SC-12000A Schumacher Speedcharge Battery Charger, Model# SC-12000A

which is no longer available and substantially a more powerful unit.

This listing (this one above, SC-1200A) has the correct picture and model number, but the descriptive text in the title and details touts the specs of the the 12000, not the 1200.

I sent it back today once I saw that it was the less powerful charger. I missed the Gold Box this week because I saw this unit and thought it was the better unit. I went out today and bought locally as I can't wait for an alternate item to ship.

One of the earlier reviews (4-12-2007) alludes to this issue but it appears this was not Amazon's mistake. A model number with a single zero difference enables confusion all the way around.

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This thing is NOISY. I got it to charge and maintain a battery for a back-up sump pump, was going to have it in the equipment room in the basement, so didn't think noise would be an issue for me (saw other reviewers mention it). Even so, it's too loud. There's loud humming noise from the fans which are always on, and when charging a high-pitch tone joins the mix. It also draws 10 watts at idle when not even charging. Totally not suitable for this purpose.

Otherwise it seemed to charged my 75 AH maintenance-free sealed deep cycle battery no problem, and went into battery maintain mode as expected.

Update: purchased Schumacher SEM-1562A 1.5 Amp Speed Charge Maintainer and much happier now. This unit doesn't have a fan and consumes only 2 watts while maintaining, and no transformer noises. Maybe I was just trying to use wrong product for my purpose. But I did want to have the ability to charge the battery faster than over several days...

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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Wagan 2053 Solar Powered Battery Charger

Wagan 2053 Solar Powered Battery ChargerI bought this charger a few weeks ago and so far I've been pleased with it. I'm using it to recharge AA and AAA batteries for use in a variety of household devices, as well as my cell phone. It does need direct sun to charge, but I've been successful using it indoors through a window if its pointed directly at the sun.

when this thing arrived the glue holding one of the solar cells in place had broken away from the casing, leaving the cell dangling by two thin wires, I was surprised the solder held, this thing is obviously cheaply manufactured..., didn't check but if you told me it was manufactured in china of substandard parts I wouldn't be surprised, good news is Amazon promptly had the thing picked up and refunded my money...

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I just received the Wagan Tec 2053 charger. Amazon's web page states that adapters are supplied for several uses. One use mentioned is a 12 volt vehicle plug! However, the unit did not contain an adapter for this use!!!!! The manual also references a 12 volt plug!!! I would like to have known this BEFORE I bought the item!!

Read Best Reviews of Wagan 2053 Solar Powered Battery Charger Here

I received my Wagan 2053 solar charger about two weeks ago from Amazon. I wanted a solar charger with replaceable batteries as opposed to the lithium ion versions where you are forced to toss the entire unit out in 2-3 years once the battery stops working. It seems to try and be green with solar power, but be throwing the units out after only few years.

Also, modern NiMH batteries last for 2000 cycles so even if I used this charger once a day, I would not need to replace the batteries for 6 years. For comparison, the lithium ion chargers get about 1/4 as many cycles.

How does it look/feel?

The charger is solid, but nobody will mistake it for a premium product. It is also not a very pretty gadget.

How does it work?

it works OK. I tried three different phones and it only worked on one of them. It would not charge my Blackberry Curve or my Nokia N900 as both require some intelligent charging circuitry in the charger. This unit merely has a 5V charging socket without any intelligence. In contrast, the Solio models all charge these two phones fine.

The charger came with a collection of tips for phones 5 that existed 5 years ago. Most phones use micro-USB these days and there is no included micro-USB tip.

Another problem I had is that one cannot charge the device because it requires a specific 12V adapter which is not included.

If you take it somewhere and deplete the batteries, there is no possibility to charge it up from a wall socket because the device requires a specific 12v adapter which is not included. Most similar products will charge from USB which makes it easy to charge them up on the go when it is not possible to charge via the solar panels.

The only controls on the device are a three way switch that allow you to select 12V/Solar, Power From Batteries, and Charge Batteries. The "12V/Solar" option is a strange design choice as it is intended to be used when there are no batteries installed so that device can charge your phone directly from the solar panel instead of through the batteries. I question the utility of this option.

In Conclusion:

It works, but not particularly well. There are better options.

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The unit arrived broken, and it appeared that someone had opened the package. The unit appeared to be very flimsy and low quality. One of the panels had completely broken off and one of the wires had been cut. Returned for refund.

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Friday, December 13, 2013

Anker® Multi-Purpose Universal USB Travel Wall Charger Cell Phone Battery Charger for iPhones, iPo

Anker® Multi-Purpose Universal USB Travel Wall Charger Cell Phone Battery Charger for iPhones, iPods; Samsung: Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S2 I9100, S I9000; HTC: Sensation, Sensation XE, EVO 3D, EVO 4G, ThunderBolt; Motorola: Verizon Droid X2; Blackberry Bold 9900, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S, and Many More Smart Phones - WhiteHere are the missing instructions: Try terminals on your battery until you get a red light. Then plug it in and wait until the light turns blue. It automatically figures out which is positive and negative for you.

I bought this charger because I got a few batteries for my Nexus S for cheap and didn't want to have to swap them out of the phone to charge them. I've actually been pretty impressed with this device. It says on the back of it that it can tell which terminals are positive and negative automatically. I was pretty skeptical of this claim until I checked it with my multimeter, and sure enough, the thing automatically figures it out when I put the battery in backwards. After I figured out that the light hints to you how to use it, I thought that the entire thing was really clever.

It also charges my batteries fairly fast, so it's probably equally clever about how to charge lithium-ion batteries. All in all, pretty happy with it.

I use this for my Samsung/Google Nexus 4g Android phone. I can charge my phone and spare battery at the same time from a wall charger. This charger also has a micro usb port. So you can use you micro usb cable to plug into you PC or car USB port.

No instructions though, and i didn't want to plug my battery in the wrong way. I didn't see any positive negative indicators on the charger terminals. So i used a volt meter to see which one is which before i plugged in the battery. If your staring at the face of the charger with the big ANKER logo, the gold terminal on the left is positive + and the gold terminal on the right is negative ). Look on your battery for polarity markings and plug in your battery appropriately. My battery has 3 terminals, and the middle one should be ignored for charging purposes. I'm not to sure what happens if you plug in the battery backwards????? Probably just wont charge, maybe the led on the charger lets you know somethings wrong. I don't feel testing it.

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I purchased this item because the USB charging port on my cell phone was damaged. So rather than pay $$$ to get my phone fixed, I bought this. Is works like a charm!! It's not hard to line up the annodes, and I really like that the indicator light turns from red-purple-blue letting you know when its fully charged. The down side was that there were absolutely no instructions. Granted, it is pretty self-explanatory, but still instructions at least detailing the indicator light would have been nice.

Read Best Reviews of Anker® Multi-Purpose Universal USB Travel Wall Charger Cell Phone Battery Charger for iPhones, iPo Here

So far I tried it on two different sized batteries for 2 different cell phone. Works well. The charger auto-detects the polarity of the battery so it doesn't matter whether positive is on the outside or inside contact. The terminals can be easily moved to adjust for different battery configurations and the charger has a spring loaded adjustment for holding the battery in place. When the terminals touch the battery contacts you get a red light. The charger will show red while charging, then switch to a blue light when fully charged. I don't know how it could be made simpler.

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I purchased this to charge my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100 batteries. It is not sufficient for these. It will not fit the batteries physically, or charge them above 94% (I managed to get it to hold the batteries using a rubber band). However, it's a very nice charger with lots of features and the company has outstanding customer service. They sent me a proper charger for no charger after I contacted them about this.

There is a review here that recommends using this charger for the Note 2. DO NOT BUY THIS FOR THE NOTE 2.

However, since I still have a Samsung Galaxy S 2, this should be fine for that phone.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

DEWALT Bare-Tool DC820B 1/2-Inch 18-Volt Cordless Impact Wrench (Tool Only, No Battery)

DEWALT Bare-Tool DC820B 1/2-Inch 18-Volt Cordless Impact WrenchIf you are looking at the DC823 or DC825 or any other 18v impact, get this instead. Why? 25% more torque than DC825 (1330 in/lb) and 240 more inch pounds than DC823(1500in/lb). The DC820 has 1740 in/lb. With a couple simple adapters you can do anything you can with the other 2 impacts. Any "impact rated" 1/2" to 3/8" adapter will get you the functionality of the DC823. There are several adapters to go from 1/2" to 1/4" hex as well, I chose the "ASIN:B002KKBBR4 Milwaukee 48-03-4410 Shockwave 1/2-Inch Square by 1/4-Inch Hex Adapter" and now I can do anything the DC825 can do as well. Just one bit of caution however when using it with the 1/4 hex adapter to drive screws, it is so powerful you can overdrive/break normal strength fasteners if you aren't paying attention. I also have the option of just putting a socket on and using it for automotive applications. It pulls lugs nuts off like a champ. This thing rocks, just buy it already!

This is a useful tool with more power than you'd expect for its small size.

It's about 1.5 times the size and weight of my 1/4" hex drive impact tool but seems to have 4x the power. This obviously isn't going to out drive an air powered impact wrench but has more than enough power to handle lug nuts.

The only time this tool failed to impress me was removing large diameter stainless steel fasteners with seriously galled threads (an antenna mount that had been on our office roof for 10+ years.) The DC820B could break the seized 3/8 bolts but didn't have the power to break the 1/2" bolts. It tried and tried but couldn't quite get the job done. I could feel a slight flexing of the tool in my grip that probably robbed torque from the job at hand. To be fair, I had removed more than 50 bolts before attempting to free the seized bolts and didn't take the time to replace the battery so this isn't conclusive, your results may be better.

The only real design complaint I have about this tool is the socket retention mechanism. Instead of the spring loaded ball or hog ring systems used on most 1/2 air impact tools this one has a spring loaded "detent pin retention system". On my tool this requires using a small screwdriver or similar tool to push in the retention pin every time you want to change a socket. It was a hassle at first but now I just leave a short impact extension on the tool and change sockets on the extension.

I mention this since when looking at the parts diagram it appears that Dewalt has different models that use the hog ring system. One of those might be a better choice if you change sockets frequently.

Like one or two other reviewers mine emits a slight burning smell that seems to have gotten less noticeable the longer I use the tool. I have some other Dewalt tools that had the same problem but none have died (so far at least)

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This tool is small and light but has plenty of power for any 1/2" socket you would be likely to use. It works best with the lithium battery but the nicad works just fine although noticeably heavier. After using this tool hard for several days I'm not sure 5 stars is enough. The work performed per pound would have been unimaginable a few years back.

Read Best Reviews of DEWALT Bare-Tool DC820B 1/2-Inch 18-Volt Cordless Impact Wrench (Tool Only, No Battery) Here

this tool is just like a 1/4 inch impact driver, its no stronger. dont buy this to remove lug nut or any heavy job. it didnt even tighten exhaust clamps enough.

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A friend of mine has one of these and I had to have one. Wow! My favorite cordless DeWalt, no doubt! First use was to remove the blades from my riding mower....Zip! No holding the blades, off and back on again, so easy! Plenty of power! So, be careful! This thing has enough torgue to snap bolts! I am extremely happy and satisfied with this purchase!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

NOCO Genius G4 6V/12V 4.4 Amp 4-Bank Smart Battery Charger and Maintainer

NOCO Genius G4 6V/12V 4.4 Amp 4-Bank Smart Battery Charger and MaintainerI love the ability to charge 4 batteries at once, it's not a super fast charger but will do the job on almost any battery voltage and type which is a definite plus.

this is one of the first multiple battery chargers i have ever owned and it's a really nice design and easy to hookup. set the individual banks to the batteries settings and you're done.

Buy NOCO Genius G4 6V/12V 4.4 Amp 4-Bank Smart Battery Charger and Maintainer Now

Saw this new charger and since I like this brand (own the NOCO Genius G7200 12V/24V 7200mA Fully Automatic Battery Charger and Maintainer (Grey)) I purchased one of these. Way smaller than I though it would be and very light. I was confused at first since there seems to be a lot of cords, lights, buttons. But once I plugged one battery into it, I figured it out. Has everything a normal charger would have just more condensed and 4 of them. If something is not charging it's on standby, but anything else plugged in is charging and you can see the lights blink on levels. There is one master power button if you want it all off. After the intital confusion I am extremely satisfied.

Read Best Reviews of NOCO Genius G4 6V/12V 4.4 Amp 4-Bank Smart Battery Charger and Maintainer Here

This charger is awesome! It is a new product and is top of the line. It has 4 different banks on the same box and you can use all 4 chargers at the same time. It is small and super light. Easy to mount to the wall and manage cords. Also, comes with 2 sets of alligators and 2 sets of eyelets. Great deal!

Want NOCO Genius G4 6V/12V 4.4 Amp 4-Bank Smart Battery Charger and Maintainer Discount?

I got this charger on a whim to try to get my garage a little more organized. As it says, VERY light and easy to mount to the wall, good quality. It's exactly like my other battery charger just more of them. Have it plugged in to the lawn mower and 2 Harley's. Gets a little warm but nothing to be concerned over and is quiet. I'm happy with this G4 charger.

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

BMW 325i 328i 330i 335i Factory OEM 82110439350 Sedan and Wagon BLACK Carpet Floor Mats 2006 - 2011

BMW 325i 328i 330i 335i Factory OEM 82110439350 Sedan and Wagon BLACK Carpet Floor Mats 2006 - 2011This product has enhanced the look of the interior of my very beautiful BMW. I have found this product to be not only attractive but capable of protecting the floor of my BMW.

Fits the 3 series exactly as pictured, looks great, fits perfectly, good quality, just a great purchase overall. Would buy it again.

Buy BMW 325i 328i 330i 335i Factory OEM 82110439350 Sedan and Wagon BLACK Carpet Floor Mats 2006 - 2011 Now

I'm very pleased with these brand spankin' new floor mats for my husband's BMW! They are perfectly perfect. Sure glad I ordered them.

Read Best Reviews of BMW 325i 328i 330i 335i Factory OEM 82110439350 Sedan and Wagon BLACK Carpet Floor Mats 2006 - 2011 Here

They are good looking, stay in place, and are high quality. l would highly recommend them! My new car loves them!

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These floormats are the exact fit for my 06' 330i. These are straight from the factory. I am very pleased!!!

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Friday, October 4, 2013

Sunbright 6-FM-7.0 Sealed Lead-acid Battery 12 Volt / 7 Ah

Sunbright 6-FM-7.0 Sealed Lead-acid Battery 12 Volt / 7 AhI bought this battery taking a chance that the terminals would fit my FIOS. It works well; just take the old battery out, slide the protective covers of the terminals, and connect it to the FIOS receiver. I no longer get the low batter alarm, so I assume it is charging correctly and holding the charge, though I'll never know for sure unless there's a power outage. And CONSIDERABLY less expensive than buying the replacement from Verizon.

I have a Razor brand scooter that uses two of these for its 24V motor. The original battery lost its depth of charge and could only go about a half mile before it was depleted. With these, I get about 8 miles range on it. Fit and function compatible; this is a common de-facto standard battery size. Connections are 0.187" tabs of the same type found in automotive wiring. It arrived nearly fully-charged. It does not, however, appear to be a deep-discharge type, which to me is fine for a scooter which is mostly a toy, but for heavy-duty applications a more expensive deep-discharge type may be more suitable.

According to its data sheet (google Rhino SLA7-12 to find it), under heavy drain its capacity falls to 3.5 Ah, but those tabs are too small for high current anyhow. My scooter is probably about as high as one should go; the scooter's original battery connectors were soldered on, which probably helped the current rating a bit.

Buy Sunbright 6-FM-7.0 Sealed Lead-acid Battery 12 Volt / 7 Ah Now

The battery was used in a 150CC scooter replacing a standard issued lead acid battery. The battery replaced was almost three years old and required constant maintenance with battery terminal corrosion problems. This sealed unit at half the price is sealed where no acid showing up at the battery terminals and cranking amps to start my scooter. I would buy another unit in the future.............

Read Best Reviews of Sunbright 6-FM-7.0 Sealed Lead-acid Battery 12 Volt / 7 Ah Here

handy item i use it to run a starter for model airplane engines, handles the larger engines like weed eater motors. has plenty of staying power and won't spill if tipped over.

Want Sunbright 6-FM-7.0 Sealed Lead-acid Battery 12 Volt / 7 Ah Discount?

Good value item worked great and was definately worth replacing the old one I had.

Shipped fast to the house.

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Wednesday, August 7, 2013

JVC KT-SR2000 Plug 'n' Play Sirius Satellite Radio Receiver

JVC KT-SR2000 Plug 'n' Play Sirius Satellite Radio Receiver
  • PDA-shaped Sirius satellite radio receiver lets you listen to over 100 streams of Sirius satellite radio programming
  • Receiver has 18 presets, 20-song memory, and a remote control; features an easy-to-read LCD
  • Can automatically alert you to your favorite songs or switch to a stream at preselected time
  • Sirius radio service subscription and 1 of JVC KS-K6012 or KS-K6013 (car or home docking kits) required for use; each sold separately
  • Measures 2.7 x 4.4 x 1.1 inches (W x H x D)

Chose Sirius for content reasons, after shopping extensively for Sirius PNP receivers, chose the JVC unit for the following reasons:

-small size "PDA style" -can fit in your pocket

-super bright/readable screen -crisp 'red LED' on black background

-wanted a second generation receiver from mfr who had first gen experience (JVC 2000 supersedes 1000)

-reputation for very good antenna

-rumor that soon-to-be release boombox will be superb

I was not disappointed. Installed in car with antenna on dash and experienced very few drop outs despite less than optimal antenna location. Did notice a bit of hiss with the integral FM modulator, so opted for direct connection to my "MP3" Aux input on the car stereo... beautiful sound with the direct connection. Screen indeed readable in bright sunlight. Channel/category switch on the unit a bit clunky (though buttons on remote are fine = "real buttons")... other than this I'm highly satisfied. The 18 presets on the unit more than enough for me and suction cup dash/window mount that comes with the car kit seems bulletproof and very tight (especially vs. double-stick tape approach with other units). Nice thing about the PDA form factor when used in the car is that it's easy to slip in your pocket if leaving the car in a theft-prone area. Unit runs warm but nowhere near as hot as I thought it might given other online comments.

Sirius programming seems a bit more oriented to older demographic vs. XM. I liked (1) extensive news including PBS/BBC/PRI/World, (2) reggae/tropical/vacation channels, (3) tighter music genres in general (vs. more thematic on XM)... and in 2006 am looking forward to Howard Stern's move from FM to Sirius. Only programming on XM not on Sirius that I miss is MSNBC. Also note that Sirius traffic/weather is slightly less convenient since they put two cities on each channel, cycling coverage through each.

Looking forward to getting the boombox for the JVC KT-SR2000 soon... this appears to be simple, clean aesthetically (would look ok at home) and has a bass-boost capability... a/c adapter and antenna with 20' cord included.

Buy JVC KT-SR2000 Plug 'n' Play Sirius Satellite Radio Receiver Now

I have had the JVC KT-SR2000 with Sirius service for about 6 weeks now. It is a lot of fun and provides constant variety while driving on a long commute. But the ideal I had envisioned about satellite radio did not come to fruition.

PLUSES:

Excellent selection of stations, including many sub-genres of Rock, Jazz, Classical, News, etc.

Easy to set up with the car kits

Compact size head unit

MINUSES:

Sound quality through the FM transmitter is terrible. The music stations sound a little better than AM, and the news/talk stations sound worse than AM (I am listening to this through a Lexus OEM stereo). If I compare to my iPod with Belkin FM transmitter, there is no comparison the iPod sounds as good or better than any FM station.

Sound quality through the home kit, with direct connection to home stereo system, is also poor. There is little dynamic range, the music tracks sound compressed, the bass is muddy, and the highs are truncated.

The music stations have annoying DJ's in between songs what for? Everything I need to know (artist, song title) is right there on the screen. Get rid of the DJ's, eliminate their salaries, and instead lower the monthly service charge!

Maybe the in-dash Sirius units sound better? I hope so.

Read Best Reviews of JVC KT-SR2000 Plug 'n' Play Sirius Satellite Radio Receiver Here

I recently bought this radio, primarily for my car, but also got the home dock. It was easy to set up and install both types of kit. Unfortunately, the sound quality was very poor in both configurations. The FM modulator for the car was pretty close to hopeless. It only has maybe 10 channels. I found one that was free, luckily. But even with a clear channel, the sound had a terrible hiss, that went up and down in volume at apparent random even when everything was stationary. The occupied channels actually worked about as well (still lots of hiss)except when the underlying channel broke through. Even disregarding the hiss, the sound quality on the music was not very good.

I thought the problem was probably with the FM modulator, so I tried it in the home dock, connected to a *very good* home hi-fi system. The hiss was gone, but the sound quality was completely unacceptable. For whatever reason, this particular receiver doesn't like the compression artifacts very much. Satellite radio quality is, AT BEST, about like an average MP3, with highly compressed signals (some channels better than others). This receiver seemed to exacerbate the effect, and it sounded a lot like a tin can and string "telephone" most of the time. It was vert irritating very quickly.

The form factor (about the size of a modern walkie-talkie) was fine, and pretty easy to fit in the car. It also seemed to be pretty solidly built. But all of that is completely moot if it doesn't work properly.

I returned the receiver and both kits the next day.

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I chose this model because it came with the only magnetic mounting antenna I could find. It's a breeze to switch to other vehicles. All the other units I looked at had an adhesive mounted antenna (for cars), too permanent for me and I have 3 cars.

The best part about this unit is that when you attach the included FM antenna wire to the thing (like it says in the manual)it can be picked up by every radio on all 3 stories of my house and on my walkman in my backyard.

I was initially worried about getting sat. radio because I like listening to my walkman while out working in the yard. The transmitter reaches all over my yard great and I can even tune in on a radio out in my shed with the unit on in my house. I keep it in an upstairs bedroom on the top floor of my house and it reaches to the tuner in the basement fine.

I love the programming as well and would highly recommend this unit to anyone because of its portability between vehicles with one antenna and its transmitter that whill cover every radio in your house (and yard).

I was told at the store this product has an excellent fm modulator. Very wrong. This was the reason i bought it and am very disappointed. Do not buy unless you have a direct hook up.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Cobra CPI-150 Micro Port 150 Watt Power Inverter (Black)

Cobra CPI-150 Micro Port 150 Watt Power InverterThis is a great product. It is perfect in (almost) every way. Smallest 150 watt inverter around. Very quiet. Works both in the car and on a plane. Has both a 3-prong AC and USB powerpoints. It shines particularly well verses the 'big-black' inverters for traveling for 3 reasons. 1) Again, it is so quiet that more often than not you can't even hear it; 2) when you re-start the ignition on your car it properly resets itself and keeps providing power (unlike the 'big-black' units which are universally dumb and unpower themselves); 3) if your car's battery voltage drops (because it is cold...older battery...or you are not running the engine) this unit tends to keep working whereas most others sense the voltage drop and quit working. The only minor quirk with it is that the silver-tipped spring that you insert into the lighter socket is overly sprung and in some cars you need to occasionally re-push it into the lighter. An annoyance but not a deal breaker. Overall I cannot recommend this enough. The only other unit that comes close is the Xantrex 175 watt unit (#813-0291). It has all of the above qualities except that the airline portion of the adapter would not seperate correctly from the cigarette portion of its cord. This resulted in the unit's tip being slightly loose at the plastic seem of the cigarette portion of the adapter.

Get this adapter for your laptop! I tried two other adapters and they failed to support the load on my Sony Vaio Z series laptop adapter. Plus it comes with a nice little case and has the airline adapter. There are two fuses one in the tip and one in the adapter to help keep things safe. Highly Recommended!

Buy Cobra CPI-150 Micro Port 150 Watt Power Inverter (Black) Now

I spent an absurd amount of time comparing the different inverters on Amazon and finally decided on this one. I'm glad I did, and I am a very persnickety designer. Unlike some of the other ones I was looking at, this one has a clean, slim design. Most inverters must be triple or quadruple the size and weight, if not more! This one is light and tiny, about half the size of a small paperback book, if even that. The plastic it is made out of is the high quality impact resistant stuff, not the fragile junk I was half expecting. The cord is detachable and is just right to keep the inverter out of the way of things like your shifter, but not too long that it's messy. The product comes with this nice little case for the inverter and cord which is pretty handy, perfect for storing it in the glove box. I just got it but have tested it out and it was charging my laptop. I recommend going with this one, you will be happy.

Read Best Reviews of Cobra CPI-150 Micro Port 150 Watt Power Inverter (Black) Here

The product is great overall. Incredibly small for inverters (will be perfect for flying with my laptop), the power is not underrated, and the pouch it comes in is very handy.

The only downside is that it is noisy. I've heard noisier inverters, but this thing is far from silent. I can hear the cooling fan distinctly over my car's engine and road nice (and I have a pretty loud car).

Overall still happy with the product. I needed an inexpensive, compact power inverter that can be used in a car and on a plane.

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I read a lot of these reviews and couldn't find definitive answers. So I bought the Cobra, and now I have some very specific notes I hope will help you judge whether this unit will work for you.

I used the Cobra CPI-150 in an American Airlines 737 plane.

The DC plug was the standard "car lighter" size, and the Cobra comes with an adapter so you can plug into that. If your plane has that miniport DC power, the Cobra will fit that too. (I didn't find its ability to fit in either port detailed in the product description, but it's a really nice bonus.)

When we were stationary and then taxiing on the runway, it charged my iPhone 4s via the USB port no problem, no interruption. I mention this because some folks had complained they didn't have power on the ground but did so once the plane was in mid flight.)

Then I plugged in an Apple MagSafe 85 watt power adapter with a 3 prong extension to charge up a 2007 17" MacBook Pro. It charged fine for a quick minute, then the Cobra began to reset, light turning from red to green over and over, first sending power to the computer, then nothing, then sending power, then nothing. I thought the problem was that the plane was still taxiing and under-powering the Cobra.

However, mid-flight, I was having the same resetting issues with the Cobra and the 85w Apple power adapter.

I borrowed a 60 watt Apple MagSafe power adapter, and that seemed to solve all the problems. In fact, I'm typing this review on my 17" MacBook Pro that is charging steadily with the Cobra and the 60 watt MagSafe adapter.

So, in conclusion, though the Cobra is labeled 150 watts, it doesn't even sustain 85 watts for longer than a few seconds. Booooo! Shame on you, Cobra. But 60 watts? Sure, no problem. And charging an iPhone via USB, heck yes, it can do that.

Happy, fully-charged journeys to you...

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