Showing posts with label best car battery booster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best car battery booster. Show all posts

Friday, September 19, 2014

270 Rotation Dual Lens Dashboard Car vehicle Camera Video Recorder DVR CAM 2" Display HD 720P IR Ni

270 Rotation Dual Lens Dashboard Car vehicle Camera Video Recorder DVR CAM 2' Display HD 720P IR Night Vision
  • Dual lens,Dual Memory card hold,can work at the same time
  • support standard TF card up to 32G (not included)
  • Car Digital Video Recorder with 5.0 Mega Pixel Lens, Vehicle Mini DV
  • Built-in 5000,000 pixels high resolution camera
  • 270 degree rotate swivel lens,100 degrees wide-angle lens

It wasn't worth the price, cheaply made. Menus are not very good. You need 2 SD cards one for each camera. One camera should be fine. IR in these cameras really don't do much. I returned it and bought a $22 2.5" dash cam that works fine.

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Not what I was looking for. When there is enough sunlight, the picture is decent. At night, the picture is as good as your headlights. The microphone pickup is fair at best. Easy to transfer video from the unit to computer. The operation manual is a direct translation from another language. Directions are vague for some things due to translation. I would not recommend it. I wanted one that would record at night too. This won't do that without external lights (street lights, buildings etc).

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Rapid Car Charger + Home Wall Charger + USB Data Charge Sync Cable for HTC EVO 3D 4G Android Phone

Rapid Car Charger + Home Wall Charger + USB Data Charge Sync Cable for HTC EVO 3D 4G Android PhoneBought a single car charger in a retail store for quadruple the price of all these items.... given their inexpensive price I figured they would be of inferior quality but after several months of use they are still working fine...

Sunday, July 27, 2014

OTC 3181 130 Amp Heavy-Duty Battery Load Tester

OTC 3181 130 Amp Heavy-Duty Battery Load TesterI wanted a 130-amp load tester because--at least per the manufacturers' claims--these units are more accurate than 100-amp models. The OTC 3181 looks exactly like the Actron CP7614 (except for brand markings on the front), but is far less expensive.

The OTC 3182 is a digital 130-amp load tester for just a bit more money than this OTC 3181, and it has a couple more features (an alternator test lead and a ripple detection light), but I tend to have better luck with analog products over digital products, in terms of reliability. Also, when you use the OTC 3182, it shows you just a number (the voltage reading), and you're on your own to interpret it. The OTC 3181, on the other hand, has "replace/weak/good" markings (in red/yellow/green), which make it very easy to interpret the results, without having to remember or think about what voltage range is acceptable during testing.

I was a little surprised at the size of the unit when I opened the box. It's a bit large! The clamps are large and strong. The overall feel is quality.

When testing a battery (unless it's a totally dead battery), the unit will heat up very significantly. Through the vent holes in the unit, you can actually see metal coils getting red hot, like little heater elements. That's how the load is applied--in the form of heat.

Testing is easy: With the vehicle and the key both off, attach the negative clamp to the negative post of the battery, then attach the positive clamp to the positive post of the battery. (People with mechanical experience may think this is backwards, since you normally attach the positive clamp first. I assure you, I am quoting the manufacturer here on the order advised.) Press and hold the rocker switch for 10 seconds, and then quickly look at the needle while still holding the switch down. (They advise against holding the rocker switch for more than 15 seconds.) To test the charging system, begin with the clamps attached as described above, then start the car and run it at 1,200 1,500 RPM, and read the needle. Remove the positive clamp, and then the negative.

When I was choosing a load tester, I kept reading about "zero adjust" features. I didn't know what that meant. Now that I have a unit in hand, I can see that it refers to a little screw in the face of the unit; turning this screw one way or the other (with the clamps not connected to anything!) allows you to adjust the needle so that it is accurately zeroed. That's all.

Easy to use and seems to work well. It appears to be a very well made tool. Seems heavy duty as the title says. If stored in a dry/safe place, see no reason why this wouldn't last for many years to come. The results it said, was verified with my multi-meter and my bosses "LED only" battery testing multi-meter.

Only negative thing is it don't give you the approximate CCA of a battery. (as the ones at the Walmart garage do). It basically takes off the surface charge of the battery (by running a built in heater), then you measure the output of the battery. Then you start the car/truck, and see if the charger is adding the correct amount of charge to the battery.

But since it don't say it gives you the CCA in the description, not taking off any stars. It does what it says it will do, and seems very well made.

Buy OTC 3181 130 Amp Heavy-Duty Battery Load Tester Now

My first battery load tester and I like it so far. It's clear and precise with the voltage, load and charging readings.

The only problem is that I feel that the cables are far too short as you have to bend downwards with the tester when it's connected to the car battery for testing.

One last thing, do not touch the back part of this testing when you're doing a load test. It get's freaking hot! It get's so hard that one might get 2nd degree burns if you aren't too careful.

Read Best Reviews of OTC 3181 130 Amp Heavy-Duty Battery Load Tester Here

I have used this tester twice now and it seems to function well. I agree with some reviewers that perhaps the cable length could be slightly longer, but I had no problem attaching them to the battery terminals. Be aware that the unit gets hot at the back, where it is vented, as it draws current during the test. I only drive my car every other week or so and only for a few miles, so I am constantly having to trickle charge my battery. This at least gives me an idea of its state of charge. I note that it can also be used to test the charging system but I have not tried that feature as yet.

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Excellent load tester. Easy to read and use. You can't go wrong with this one. Will last a long time.

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Saturday, May 31, 2014

Bulldog RS102 Remote Car Starter with Keyless Entry

Bulldog RS102 Remote Car Starter with Keyless Entry
  • Remote programmable runtime (5, 10, or 15 minutes)
  • Automatic hot/cold start
  • 4-button extended range remote control
  • Keyless entry/trunk pop
  • Lifetime warranty

The product worked as advertised. Granted, the installation was difficult but that's because of having to work in a cramped space and at awkward angles. One job I'd never want to have is an automobile electronics installer! But if you follow the directions step by step, and get the wiring chart for your vehicle from Bulldog's web site, the unit should work. Mine worked the first time and I'm happy with it. The programming is a little convoluted but without any external switches or interfaces, I guess button pushing sequences is all that's left. I was skeptical about Bulldog's method for splicing wires (no soldering or crimp connectors) but it works and you don't have to cut and splice any wires. They provide a little voltage tester that was a big help. Its a probe with an alligator clip on one end and an LED at the other end and it was very helpful in finding the correct wires. Just be patient and accept that working under a car dash is a real pain!

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I bought this module for my honda car, after reading that its easy to install. But when I bought it I found out it was difficult to install. In fact I ended up paying a car mechanic to install it.

Read Best Reviews of Bulldog RS102 Remote Car Starter with Keyless Entry Here

I have installed 2 of these, one in my Windstar, and the other in my F150 Pickup. The F150 was my second one, and was relatively easy, about 3 hours. The Windstar was my first, and took a lot longer, I had a defective unit, the company replaced it no hassle. It can be tricky to put these in, there is very little room to maneuver under your steering column. Their website gives wiring information for many models. If you are not mechanically inclined, don't even try. I would hesitate to put these on a newer, still under warranty vehicle, only because a screwup might create warranty issues. I'm getting 2 more for my parents for Christmas. Bulldog sells wiring harnesses for many vehicles, I bought one for the first try, did not for the 2nd, after I saw how easy it was to make the splices by their directions. Good luck.

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I purchased this remote starter in November of 2005 and began the endeavor of learning how to install a starter by myself. I personally can not comment on the technical support staff, as I never found it necessary to contact them.

I started by pulling up my wiring diagram (a 2004 Chevy Cavalier) and printing it out. Later that night, starting at around 11:00pm, I began the installation process. The instillation was a snap, the only difficulties I ran in to were the wires hiding WAY up on the body control module, which was an issue with the car, not the starter. After only 2 hours, having never installed a remote starter in my life, along with a fuel system bypass module, I pressed the start button and just like that, first shot, the vehicle started.

I have since installed the starter in two separate vehicles. One vehicle belonging to a friend, and a second vehicle of mine. The install in my second vehicle (a '97 Dodge Ram Sport full-size pickup) took around an hour and a half. Again, once all wires were connected, first touch of the button and I heard the pipes singing.

Of course, this starter does not have all the bells and whistles of other models out there, but for the price, you can't expect it to have all the other features. Aside from the range (which is greatly increased by following instructions and keeping the antenna away from the frame, and also by mounting it to a third party antenna**), I would recommend it to anyone who wants a reliable remote vehicle starter.

I bought and purchased the remote starter at the bargain priced of $79.97 Canadian at our local Zellers Store in December 2002. The unit worked fine for the first two months but on February 21st of this year the unit short malfunctioned at my office and the unit constantly began cranking the starter motor. Unfortunately by the time our facility management and security personnel were able to find me and I was able to disconnect the battery the unit had fried my starter and it was to late.

I called and e-mailed the company everyday for a week and nobody would respond. After one week of trying I finally did get a response by phone and they said to send it in and they would have a look at it. They advised that this type of failure had never happened in the past. When I found out that these failures have happened and due to the length of time it took for them to respond to such a serious problem, I wasn't left with much confidence that I would get anywhere with them so I decided that the retailer would have to intervene. I am trying to reach a settlement to obtain compensation for the $700.00 I am out of pocket. They are having the unit independently tested to determine if there is a defect in the unit that caused it to fail. I will keep you posted as to how I make out and as to whether it is determined that the unit was defective.

Based on my experience I would stay clear of this product.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Odyssey Batteries 34R-PC1500T-A Automotive/Light Truck and Van Battery

Odyssey Batteries 34R-PC1500T-A Automotive/Light Truck and Van BatteryI replaced my factory supplied Optima battery for my Jeep Liberty Diesel with this battery. I wanted the best dry cell battery available and think I have found it. It is physically bigger than stock but set right in and all cables reached without any problems. The stock battery blanket required some added velcro to wrap this battery tightly. It came fully charged and has performed as expected. Ask me in 8 years as that will be the true test.

I live in Upstate NY where the winters are unbelievably cold. Many times during the winter we see temperatures anywhere from -20 to -30 below. So far this battery has not disappointed. My Silverado starts very quickly with power to spare to run all the accessories.

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This battery will fit Subaru's roughly 1990 to 2004 (possibly other years as well). I have three of these batteries in three vehicles. Service life of 8 years is definitely achievable. I am much more pleased with Odyessey batteries than the competition Optima. I had an Optima yellow top develop a shorted cell just outside of warranty, and I had actually never even installed it (just kept it on trickle charge). I still use the Optima to run my phone charger and fan during camping but it is useless in as the vehicle's main battery. The Odyseey's have not at all disappointed me thought!

Read Best Reviews of Odyssey Batteries 34R-PC1500T-A Automotive/Light Truck and Van Battery Here

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Schumacher XP2260 Instant Portable Power Source

Schumacher XP2260 Instant Portable Power SourceI own 3 of these units and use them in the most difficult of situations. We own an RV and go camping regularly. Many of the campgrounds do not offer electricity and we must turn our generator off at 9 pm. We use 1 unit to power our 2 computers after quiet hours and it works great. We also have needed to jump start our camper when we accidentally left the cab light on and after a 3 minute charge it kick right over. We have also used the unit to give a booster charge to the RV house batteries to get the generator going.

Additionally the unit has literally been a life saver. My husband must sleep with a positive airway machine that needs to be plugged in to AC while he sleeps. We have 1 unit that we have dedicated to that purpose and it provides sufficient power to run his machine all night without a problem! As long as you keep the AC requirements under the manufactures specs (400 watt surge, 200 watt continuous) you will have no problems. If you try to run a toaster or a coffee maker though, these things run 700+ watts, and the unit automatically shuts down.

For the down side, yes the unit is heavy. It is in essence a car battery with an handle, plus a power inverter, with an air compressor and work light thrown in for good measure. But we knew it was heavy when we bought them so that doesn't bother us, and the upside far outweighs the weight issue.

All in all, it is an excellent unit that does all that it was advertised to do.

I initially bought this unit for my husband to use at his tractor pulling events. He takes it to every event he goes to and it hasn't let him down yet. He also uses it to start a very finicky riding lawnmower that, even when a regular battery charger is left on it for a day (or more), won't start. Yes, it pulls a majority of the charge off this thing, but it does indeed start this lawnmower that is on it's last leg.

I was surprised that even though I bought this for my husband, the longer we have it around, we keep finding handy uses for it that we hadn't even thought of upon purchase. The AC outlets are really nice, especially when we go camping. We have a fifth wheel trailer and before when the kids needed to charge their ipods or PSP's they would have to start the generator and leave it on to charge their stuff. Now, we can just use this unit and save the generator gas and noise. Also, on long trips if I ride in the trailer, it sometimes gets hot and stuffy and gets boring really quickly. It's nice to have this unit on board so I can use my laptop or portable DVD player to my hearts' content and also have a small fan to keep cool. This unit also has a really bright worklight built right in that I use for reading, which is a nice feature. It's also been really nice to be able to inflate water toys and bike tires while camping.

The inflator for bike tires and such is tucked in the back of the unit with an attached little felt bag that holds the needles for the hub. I just wish that the unit itself had a similar bag to hold the bigger inflator hose and charger cords since it does include an AC charger and a car charger so you can charge your unit from your vehicle while you are traveling. It would also be nice if the USB port had some kind of rubber cover like the AC ports do to prevent dirt and water from getting into the port. Instead, I just used some tape to cover the port to prevent this.

I make sure to keep this unit charged so that in a power outage I will still be able to use my laptop and charge my cellphones. This unit keeps a charge very nicely. I just plugged it in after is had been sitting in the garage unused for 3 months and it still has a 99% charge and quickly charged to 100% in less than 5 minutes. I would highly suggest that you charge this unit fully before storing it away so it will be ready for you when you need it. If you use the unit in a heavy duty capacity (like jumping batteries) or for extended periods of time with smaller charges (like computer, cell phone, or fan) then you do need to make sure you recharge the unit without overcharging. Once the unit gets to 100%, unplug it. Our unit charges very slowly especially when the remaining charge left is low (50% or less), but the cord for charging is much like a cell phone charger. I don't mind the slow charge time when the battery is getting high use. It will charge fairly quickly up to 99%, but then stay at 99% sometimes for hours until it finally hits 100%.

Do your homework on price. I bought mine at a 'big box store' for $100.

Pros:

*jump starts tractors/lawnmowers very well

*has USB outlet

*has AC outlets

*bright worklight built in

*digital display indicating the amount of charge

*inflator capability

*can charge unit either by plugging in at home or car.

Cons:

*no rubber cover for USB port

*can be slow to charge (so keep it charged)

*no storage compartment on unit for charging cords

Keep in mind that this unit is a portable battery source, NOT a generator. It does a great job with what it is intended to do. However, (as another reviewer posted) it will not run a coffee maker. Check the specs of whatever you think you will want to use it for and compare it with what this unit will do so that you are not disappointed. I absolutely love this unit and so does my husband. I'm sure there are uses for this unit that we haven't even discovered yet. We will be buying these for gifts, especially for those who love to camp and also for that 'hard to buy for' guy. It's nice to know that if you don't have a generator in a power outage you'll still have the ability to use/charge your radio, computer, or cell phone. That alone is worth the $100 purchase!

Buy Schumacher XP2260 Instant Portable Power Source Now

I want to start out by saying that I really love this unit for its jump starting and power source features. The jump starter works exactly as advertised. The 12 volt power source is massive, and lasts forever; I drive a vintage car with a non-operational 12v lighter outlet, and so this thing can sit in there for weeks on end and supply my phone, iPod, or whatever with hardly any drain. I actually bought this because I was going on a four night camping trip to a place without power, and I use a cpap machine when I sleep. If I had bought the dc adapter for my cpap machine, I'm sure that it would have lasted the entire trip. As it was, running on grossly inefficient AC power, it still got me through a couple nights before I had to take it to a place with power to charge up.

That brings me to the one and only pitfall of this power source, and it's a big one. The charger that comes with this unit is absolutely pitiful. I was literally speechless when I pulled what looked like a cell phone charger out of the box. At the moment I saw it, I said aloud to no one in particular "I'm supposed to charge this thing up with THAT?" Looking at the power supply, I saw that it was rated with a 700mA power output. For reference, I have a AA battery charger that charges at 700mA, and the charger for my DSLR batteries is rated at an output of 720mA. Both of those chargers take HOURS to charge relatively small batteries. So I think to myself, how long will it take to charge the 20 pound monster battery at the heart of this machine?

As it turns out, it takes a VERY long time. According to the manual that comes with this power source, it can take 72 hours (three days!!) to fully charge the power supply. I imagine that were I an executive at Schumacher and some young engineer brought this to me, I'd throw it across the desk at him and tell him to give me something that charges in significantly less than half a week. Indeed, after I ran the batter dead on the second night of my camping trip, it spent the entire day plugged into power at the camp office, and after all that, didn't quite have enough power to get through night three. Night four was worse still, and after about 4 hours I was awake and the power source was dead.

Having said all that, I am still very happy with the power source itself, and I decided to keep it. In the future, I will use a dc cable for my cpap machine if I go camping, and I imagine it should work for a far longer duration. As I said, it goes and goes forever powering small 12v applications, and is heavy enough that when I take a tight corner at speed it doesn't flop around. For everything that it does, it does it very well, and I would recommend it for those features. If charge time isn't a big factor in your purchase, I would think you would be very happy owning it. But if you need something that can go from depleted to fully charged in less than a day or two, this might not be the best fit for you.

EDIT: Shortly after doing this review I discovered almost by accident that by clamping the jump start cables to a running car you can charge the battery in less than an hour. This is really useful information that I'm surprised was not in my instruction manual. (Someone in the comments said that their copy of the manual talked about a 12v male-to-male lighter cable doing the same thing, but I can't find that in my manual. Besides, You probably charge much faster with the heavier gauge cables on the jump start.) That really does make a difference, and as such I bumped the rating up a star. I'm sure that to some veterans of portable jump start kits this is common knowledge, but as this is my first time with one of these as my own, I sure would have loved reading about this in their manual!

In what has been almost a year since buying this, I have used it a number of times for a number of different situations. I drive a classic car that doesn't have a 12v lighter outlet, so this has come along on many trips allowing me to charge my phone or run other portable technology that I would have to be without in my car. I have used it numerous times as a portable AC power source when I didn't have access to AC, such as when I have needed to charge equipment in remote locations. And on a couple occasions I've even used it to jump-start a car.

Bottom line: I'm very happy with it. I still don't like that pitiful little AC charger. They would have been better off not including it at all and actually mentioning in the manual that a quick clip to a running car would have you charged in no time. Still, I would definitely recommend this as a good value for the money.

Read Best Reviews of Schumacher XP2260 Instant Portable Power Source Here

I love these things!!!

Would gladly pay twice as much.

I jump started my Chevy Avalanche three times in one day without re-charging.

Used it to run a 36" TV & DVD player & charged two smartphones during a power outage.

Power came back on before juice ran out but I estimate it would have lasted two full movies.

When something is connected, press a button and it tells you how many watts are being drawn.

When not in use, the same button tells you the current % charge.

To prolong it's life, always fully re-charge after every use (no matter how brief) or every month.

In response to the person who mentioned the storage of accessories, here's what I did.

Get one of these or similar:

Black US Army Style Travel Kit Case (Cotton Canvas)

Put all accessories in this bag and then secure bag to the handle of the XP2260 you will never lose the power supply, inflation pieces or instructions.

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I purchased two of these from Wal-Mart.Since we've been experiencing particularly odd weather, they've been quite handy in the blackouts. The only time they weren't, had to do with the fact I did not charge them. The weight of them had everything to do with that.I've had a few abdominal surgeries therefore the risk of lugging the VERY heavy battery did not appeal to me.

However, after a year and a few occasions, I must say they have helped tremendously with phone charging, single lamp lighting and charging laptop at the same time.

Not being an expert on portable power, I will assume all batteries drain at a quicker than slow rate, therefore the advice on making sure you check on it at least once weekly to redo charge.

Finally, they have been used two times each to jumpstart vehicles;worked well.

Pro: multiple outlets for varied small appliances, usb outlet, BUILT IN BRIGHT LIGHT, smartly designed body to avoid tipping, excellent price

Con;The weight, NOT going to run big screen TV (chuckle)

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Friday, March 28, 2014

Husky Liners Custom Fit Second Seat Floor Liner for Select Toyota 4Runner Models (Tan)

Husky Liners Custom Fit Second Seat Floor Liner for Select Toyota 4Runner ModelsHave the front mats also. Like I said there, they are a life saver in bad weather, saving the carpet from wet shoes or snowy boots. Easy to clean also.

I decided to purchase the Husky Liners instead of the equivalent Weathertech product because of Husky's competitive pricing and the overall-positive reviews I have seen on this product on Amazon.com and automotive forums. So far, I have not been disappointed -the material is incredibly durable, the beige color is a very good match for the beige interior of my 2006 4Runner Limited, and I have not found (as have some other reviewers) that the liners are exceedingly difficult to remove from the vehicle for cleaning.

The only complaint that I have is that the second-row liners that I purchased for my 4runner were made for vehicles with and without power seats -if you have the power seats, Husky instructs you to cut out two tabs from the portion of the liner that rests against the tracks of the power seats to accommodate forward/backward motion -it's easy to remove the tabs with a sharp knife, however, the tabs themselves are not in exactly the right spot, so when the seats are moved all the way back, the seat interferes with the liner a bit. Not enough of an issue to prompt me to spend more on Weathertec.

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Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Gomadic Intelligent Compact Car / Auto DC Charger for the Garmin Nuvi 660 - 2A / 10W power at half

Gomadic Intelligent Compact Car / Auto DC Charger for the Garmin Nuvi 660 - 2A / 10W power at half the size. Uses Gomadic TipExchange Technology
  • Gomadic TipExchange Technology protects your investment by providing a means to change/upgrade your charger by simply swapping the physical charging tip. (Charging tip for Garmin Nuvi 660) included with additional tips sold separately)
  • Charger provides a full 10W (2,000mAh) of available current in a small form factor a little over 1 inch long. Flexible, straight cable measure 50 inches in total length.
  • Intelligent circuit provides precise output voltage and resistor configuration specific to the Garmin Nuvi 660. This ensures battery is safely and efficiently charged without affecting battery longevity.
  • Power Sleep"" feature will cut power draw of charger by over 99% when not in use. Charger will draw less than 0.1W of power when in ""ready state"" (e.g. not connected to the Garmin Nuvi 660).
  • Straight, non-coiled cable design allows for easy routing of your charger around vehicle trim for a more professionally installed look. Durable construction is built to last.

This substitute for the Garmin Nuvi 660 GPS is sturdy & fits well into the GPS itself via the USB port (not in the dashboard mount stand, as does Garmin's own car power supply). This adapter cord is able to supply power to different types of devices, because it has interchangeable "power tips" that plug into it, increasing its versatility (it comes with one tip & others are available at extra charge). My only complaint so far is that the fit is too tight in the car power receptacle, & it's hard to remove; hopefully this won't cause problems later. I've used it only a couple of times so far, so I can't comment on its durability.

Buy Gomadic Intelligent Compact Car / Auto DC Charger for the Garmin Nuvi 660 - 2A / 10W power at half Now

Rapid Car Charger gave me back my GPS. Love my Garmin 660 GPS for directions; the auto charger that came with it not so much. When the original charger broke I went looking for a replacement. I do not leave my GPS in the car. The original charger was hard to get on and off the unit.

The Rapid Car Charger is easy to plug into the side of the GPS, easy to remove and charges quickly. The only thing I wish the makers had done differently was to make the cord a little longer. The stretch from my car charger to the GPS stretches the cord to the max. But that is a minor issue. If you need a new charger and don't mind the cord poking out the side instead of neatly from the bottom you will like this Rapid Car Charger

Read Best Reviews of Gomadic Intelligent Compact Car / Auto DC Charger for the Garmin Nuvi 660 - 2A / 10W power at half Here

Product arrived very quickly and in excellent condition. I definitely would do business with this vendor again.

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The charger does not seem to have been designed for a GPS receiver originally; Gomadic provides a rather shaky GPS receiver tip for it in what looks like a cell phone charger. When the GPS unit is connected to the power outlet, it is impossible to place it on the dashboard or windscreen.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Power Hunt Dual Power (120VAC/12VDC) Portable Microwave Oven: Appliance Only - 12V Operation from C

Power Hunt Dual Power Portable Microwave Oven: Appliance Only - 12V Operation from Car BatteryI bought this little microwave so my wife could warm her lunches while on the road. It works great for that. CAUTION! My one concern is that this ships without a fuse for the battery cable. I had to order and install that correctly. If you install this in your vehicle, do not install it without adding a 12 volt 50 amp fuse to protect your vehicle. If this thing shorts out, and it isn't fused, you could burn down you vehicle.

Before I purchased this microwave which is the latest version, I debated over using a regular 700W microwave with my 1500W inverter.

What won me over was a number of factors:

1. dual power feature to move the unit from vehicle to vehicle; little more difficult with a heavy external inverter

2. light weight; lightest non-portable in same class size was about 8lbs more; iWave is lighter but smaller

3. door opens like an oven; ideal for confined vehicular space; serves as a table, too

4. customer support seems to be pretty responsive and accountable; BIG PLUS!

Cons:

1. expensive; could get a regular microwave and inverter for less

2. construction?; time will tell; my 1st unit was shipped slightly damaged and scratched up (as well as 2nd unit); Lexan plastic? material which scratches easily anyways

3. does not come with alligator clips; requires permanent (screw/bolt on) connection

4. low power and nonuniform heating, despite claim of scanning technology; input 600+Watts; OUTPUT only 420+WATTS!

Result:

1. Boil 12 ounces of room temp. water: 11 minutes!!! (ceramic mug)

2. Microwave dinner mash potatoes (takes forever) 7 minutes; everything else cooks about 4-5 minutes

3. Will be more effective if you rev the engine while it is running; possibly due to higher voltage; the 8 ft. cable is of high quality (very flexible with accurate gauge wiring); voltage drop for the 8ft, I believe is not optimal; recommend cut as short as possible; 12.4-12.5V at least is recommended

I have not had a chance to test it off road, yet.

One side note is, I was curious and bought a microwave leak detector and it passed with flying colors. However, it will cause interference with your wifi signal if you use it! This is not common with every microwave, though, including my kitchen mounted on.

Buy Power Hunt Dual Power (120VAC/12VDC) Portable Microwave Oven: Appliance Only - 12V Operation from C Now

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Schumacher SSC-1000A SpeedCharge Battery Charger and Maintainer with 50-Amp Battery Clips

Schumacher SSC-1000A SpeedCharge Battery Charger and Maintainer with 50-Amp Battery ClipsFirst, let me say that this charger performs flawlessly and deserves five stars when it is in charging mode. I have used it for three years and hundreds of successful charging cycles on a dozen different batteries of various sizes and types.

However, on two different occasions and with two different batteries (both brand new when hooked to the charger) I left them in "trickle charge" mode. The batteries were part of an emergency communications station that must to be ready at any time with full batteries. This charger burned up both batteries after three months of trickle charging. This mode is supposed to allow a battery to be hooked up indefinitely and maintain it at peak performance. Not destroy it. Other folks in the emergency communications service use other chargers and leave them in trickle mode for years. DO NOT use this charger for that kind of operation.

Battery chargers and I have never gotten along. I actually once sold, what turned out to be, a perfectly good old snow plow truck because I thought something serious was wrong with the engine. The charger showed the battery was good, so I figured it had to be the engine and it was too old and rusty to put more money into it. The guy came to pick it up, gave me $200...stuck a new battery in it, and drove it away. It was a bad charger not a bad battery.

Recently, using what I thought was a more reliable charger, I couldn't get my batteries to fully charge. Rather than blaming the batteries this time, I purchased the Schumacher. I read good things about the brand on the web and took the plunge. I couldn't be happier. This is a hi-tech charger with all the bells and whistles. It is "stupid proof" as well, and lets you know what is going on as it charges. I love it! I am now able to fully charge all my batteries, and the other charger went into the trash. I highly recommend this automatic speed charger.

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Build Quality:

* Great build quality. Has the look and feel of a well engineered product, not some cheap stuff.

* I smiled when I lifted it first as it wasn't feather light and appeared to have decent enough weight to it an indication of a decent power supply.

* This one seems to be rated for marine use and hence should be more resistant to corrosion.

* The connector cables are thick enough and the clamps have enough spring action/grip to them to securely lock on a battery terminal.

Design:

* Very user friendly with direct 1 touch access to most features.

* I liked the case design. Has a neat little pocket to store the power chord and the connecting cables. The chord and the cables do need to be tightly rolled up first before they can fit in the pocket.

* It's got a neat little handle that you can use to hang it up on the wall. Neat design if battery charging is something that you do more frequently and want to have the unit easily accessible, ready to use but out of the way off the floor.

Features:

Well, I haven't used it extensively enough (Used only twice since I got it a month back), but here are some features that were used (and so experienced) when I used the charger:

* Shows level of charge on a battery both in percentage as well as volts. Big readout makes it easy to read all the numbers.

* Has user selectable 2/6/10 amp charging options good for most batteries. Would have liked a 1 amp option as well (for smaller motorcycle batteries), but then that's a different product from Schumacher. The 2 amp option, though slightly higher than recommended, worked great for the motorcycle battery though. So this unit really allows charging a wide range of batteriesfor motorcycles, cars, boats. Nice to have just one charger around rather then 1 for each type of vehicle/battery.

* The electronics worked just as mentioned. Once I selected the primary amp setting, everything else was handled automatically by the charger electronics. It switched to a trickle mode charge automatically once the battery was completely charged. Neat feature, keeps your batteries from being damaged by overcharging.

* Has a desulfation mode that desulfates a battery. Of the two instances when I used this charger, it kicked into this mode on my car battery which was completely drained and was left in the completely discharged state for quite some time that resulted in sulfation in the battery. This charger automatically detected this state of the battery and desulfated it first and then automatically switched to charging mode once the battery was desulfated and accepted charge. (I will be honest with you I don't really know the chemistry and process behind this, but I have read that sulfation can render a battery useless)

* Has a cooling fan to keep the charger cool. Not exactly whisper quiet, but not something that's louder than expected (YMMV) for the application.

Reliability:

Have only owned it for a month and used it twice, so can't really comment on long term reliability. But it has worked perfectly on the two instances I had to use it including it's "automatic" features. So, for the price (I got it when it was about 50% of MSRP at Amazon), it's one awesome, feature-rich charger.

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Bought the Schumacher SSC-1000A for a "weekender" automobile that spends most the time in the garage. As obligations build up, sometimes too much time goes by between start-ups and significant drives to recharge the battery. The last time, the battery completely died... not even a dim glow of the dome light, nothing, zilch, nada. Sometimes the jumpstart devices don't have enough power to crank a very low battery, so I was looking for another type of solution. The SSC-1000A works great. It's a plug-in machine, feeding off electricity from a household outlet. It's compact and lightweight, about the size of a box of chocolates. Connect the SSC-1000A to the positive battery terminal and the ground post (on the vehicle), plug the SSC-1000A into the power outlet, and the charging process begins automatically. Walk away, and in a couple of hours you have a charged battery! There is a display that can alternate between voltage and % of battery power, as well as a selector for charging rates of 2A (slowest charge), 6A, or 10A (fastest charge.) My 0% battery was resurrected to 100% in about two hours using 6A and 10A. There is another selector to choose between regular, deep-cycle, and AGM gel cell batteries.

The Schumacher SSC-1000A works exactly as I thought and hoped it would. I am most satisfied with the purchase and highly recommend the SSC-1000A to others who might be looking for a similar solution.

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Simple and intuitive to use. % of charge in battery, and toggle to voltage is a natural.

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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Tsunami AMP48-CAP 4 Gauge Multi Amplifier Install Kit with 1.2 Farad Cap, 4 and 8 Gauge Wire-Blue

Tsunami AMP48-CAP 4 Gauge Multi Amplifier Install Kit with 1.2 Farad Cap, 4 and 8 Gauge Wire-Bluetook forever for this to show up finally got and package was open thought it might of just brook in transit but after installing in my vehicle this item was a returned item the cap does not work either does the volt gauge for under the hood emailed the seller told me to send back but they want me to pay for shipping they sent me the open package with defective parts thats just not right

This item is great. Good quality wires, etc... However, it is missing the "(2) 16 feet/4.88 meters 701 Series twisted-pair RCA's" that is listed in the posting. Also, right on the front of the box, it says "Clear Blue Shielded Low Noise RCA Cables" but on the back it doesnt say anything about them.

Having Amazon send a replacement to see if it was just missing the part or not.

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the package is not complete,they said that have RCA cable in the package but that's not true,the box not describe RCA included inside the items.

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I have one, it exploded in my trunk, and the company is currently refusing to provide me any warranty even though the item states it has a 1 year warranty. IN SHORT DO NOT BUY TSUNAMI CAPS YOUR CAR MIGHT CATCH FIRE AND THEY DONT CARE

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I am an retired professional installer who works out of his garage on his own cars so I needed an "all in one kit"

This did just fine, wiring is good quality (not top of the line) and the 4 gauge wiring didn't seem to cheap out on copper like lesser manufacturers

The fuse holders are a snap to install and are of moderate quality but signal cables are a little flimsy (no noise)

I am knocking off 1 star because of signal cable and also that wiring could have been a foot or two longer to a accommodate larger vehicles

I would d definitely buy this again or recommend to others unless looking for top of the line (double the price also)

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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Car Kit Vehicle Charger + Home Wall Travel Battery Charger for Virgin Mobile LG Optimus S - LG Rumo

Car Kit Vehicle Charger + Home Wall Travel Battery Charger for Virgin Mobile LG Optimus S - LG Rumor Touch - Samsung Restore M570 Cell Phone - Premium Combo Pack - BestCellBuy BrandEverything works great! Was very happy that both chargers came with, and not a problem with either items yet. It is probably the cheapest quality chargers you can find anywhere

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Nextar X3-02 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Nextar X3-02 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
  • GPS receiver with 3-1/2" TFT color display touch
  • screen,Voice-guided directions,Built-in maps of the 50
  • U.S. and Canada,1.6 million points of interest,
  • Text to Speech (TTS) - Clearly pronounce instructions,
  • Built-in rechargeable Li-Ion battery.

I cant find an update for the maps!! As advertised. The box comes with a cable to connect to the internet, I dont want to use the mp3 option. To put it lightly, I am a country boy in california who knows a lot about back roads, and this thing always tries to take me to the freeway, highway, or interstate! The options in the settings are: Major, Less turns, Fastest, Which some roads I noticed that have been established for 4+ years are not on this thing! Instructions in the book dont tell you nothing about "updating maps" We read it over and over and come up with the name of the program Nextar uses, but when you sign up for automatic updates..... nothing! Nothing at all, you have to choose your language, plus the product you bought.... which is not on thier list x3-02. I have been waiting several months for an update notice..... I guess I have to drive MY way and not the GPS way, and keep going "off road"--"make a uturn" untill the TTS gets its way!

I will say, I sent my 2 girls to Sacremento..... everytime I plugged the address in, the TTS lady will get you there! I tried myself several times in the 2-3 months I owned it, TTS gets you there, but what about the roads that have been established for 4 YEARS? No Updates?????

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I recently received this as a gift for Christmas.

Positives: Music player a little quiet but like an ipod with speakers; Can possibly save your butt when you're lost; Very portable; You can plug it in right out of the box

Negatives: Sometimes take ten minutes to get enough signals to locate where you are; About half the drives I took it lost my position multiple times and repeatedly told me to take u-turns even though I was still on the correct route

I live in the Boston Area so maybe it works better in different regions. Good luck!

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I have read many reviews and it is stating the product is average, I have got the new Nextar X3-02 Gps Navigation System today, and i did a test run more than 1 hour, the item is working excellently. This unit is pretty good for the money we spent, for the same features we need to spend minimum of 300 dollars. Out the box the unit worked very well, i connect to the laptop and recharged the inbuilt battery. i observed that the volume could be louder, it is in medium level. Text to Speach is working very well. It is recaluclating the route fastly.

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Item lasted about 1 week. Sent it to Nextar for repair/replacement. They sent me a replacement and it lasted about a week and went dead.

My first GPS was an Nextar X3. It quit working shortly after getting it and I was charged $25 S&H to get it repaired. It worked OK long enough for the warranty to run out. It was always very slow aquiring a signal. Now it locks up 3 to 4 times on a short trip (less than twenty miles). It takes 5 to 10 minutes to get it to reset and even more time to aquire a new signal. I have had it for over a year but haven't used it more than 20 times. The initial price was cheap compared to other units but expensive considering the limited use I got. O well, I just solved my problem with the purchase of a new TomTom. I will never buy anything with the Nextar name on it.Nextar X3 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator and MP3 PlayerNextar X3-RE 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Monday, July 29, 2013

OEM Sprint Micro USB Rapid Car Vehicle Auto Plug in Battery Charger + Home Wall Travel Charger for

OEM Sprint Micro USB Rapid Car Vehicle Auto Plug in Battery Charger + Home Wall Travel Charger for Sprint Samsung Epic 4G - Galaxy S Pro - Notion Cell Phone - All-in-One Combo Packoem sprint micro usb rapid car vehicle auto plug in charger is exactly what i wanted plus i didnt realize you cab charge two items at once

Excellent just adding filler cause you have to have 30 words so just a few more and I am done

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I really enjoy this charger. Not only can I charge my phone, but I can also charge my friend's phone by simply changing the USB cord. Only needing one charger for home and car is a great investment for anyone.

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The usb stopped working after 3 days so I'm not happy with this purchase..! I was not satisfied at all

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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Rapid Car Kit Auto Plug-in Power Charger for Sprint LG Optimus S - LG Remarq LN240 - LG Rumor Touch

Rapid Car Kit Auto Plug-in Power Charger for Sprint LG Optimus S - LG Remarq LN240 - LG Rumor Touch LN510 - LG Rumor 2 LX265 Cell Phone - BestCellBuy Brandthis is a good quality charger, does what it is supposed to do!. I would buy this product again with no hesitation.

Received order very fast and it works in my suv for my phone. Thanks for service.Would order

other items if need be.

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Thursday, July 11, 2013

Kindle Fire PowerBolt Micro USB Car Charger by Kensington

Kindle Fire PowerBolt Micro USB Car Charger by KensingtonI purchased this charger because I wanted the option to charge my Kindle Fire at work. First, the Fire's battery life is amazing and I didn't actually need a charger, but the USB cord was great to transfer data using my laptop. The biggest complaint with this charger is the fact that if you push it all the way in the 12v receptacle, you are going to need something narrow to pry it out and probably some pliers unless you have an iron grip. I've seen other chargers that are designed to mount flush like this before but they usually have some type of d-ring to assist with removal. If you don't need to move the charger between vehicles then this charger would be fine.

Works nicely and the Usb cable connects my kindle fire to my computer files, 2 for 1makes it a winner

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Kensington makes excellent products. This Kensington Powerbolt car charger is good for charging the Apple iPad (use Apple's 30-pin cable) and Amazon Kindle Fire, and it comes with a micro USB cable for the Fire, but it costs $25.

The Kindle Fire requires an electrical charging current of 1.8 A (1800 mA), so only chargers meeting current output of more than 1.8 A can charge it in a reasonable amount of time. Many charges on the market have output current of 2.1A. Make sure you see this specification on the product page. Kensington, Skiva, and Scosche all make car chargers that meet the 2.1 A requirement but are much more expensive.

The least expensive is by AmazonBasics, under $10.

AmazonBasics 2-Port USB Car Charger with 2.1 Amp Output (Black)

You also need a micro USB cable:

AmazonBasics USB Cable 2.0 A Male to Micro B (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters), $6

This is the kind of cable (USB 2.0 on one end and micro USB on the other) that some reviewers were saying that Amazon should have included in the Fire box. It can be used for copying files from your computer to the Fire and vice versa.

This charger has two USB ports that share the 2100 mA output, so if you want fast charging, use just one port to charge the iPad, and leave the other not used by anything else.

This combo costs $16, about 64% the cost of the Kensignton, and the AmazonBasics has one additional USB port for less demanding devices. Physically, the Kensington is smaller and also well-made.

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Bought to use as a back-up during car trips. Worked great on a long trip last week. I like that it can be used so many ways.

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This is a "must have" item for the Kindle. The convenience of keeping the Kindle charged is way worth it.

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