Showing posts with label car battery deal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car battery deal. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

iKross Solar Bluetooth Speakerphone Handsfree Car Kit ,Universal Car Dashboard 360-Degree Swivel Ph

iKross Solar Bluetooth Speakerphone Handsfree Car Kit ,Universal Car Dashboard 360-Degree Swivel Phone HolderThe iKross gives customers the impression of a wireless solar powered Bluetooth hands-free, it's exactly that. However when it comes to speaker quality the sound is faint.

You need stop the car and close all the windows to hear what the other side is saying. Having a conversation beyond a car speed of 60 km/h is difficult and involves taking the headset next to your ear to hear clearly, which defies its purpose as a hands-free device. To be fair if you have quiet car like a Lexus you will be able to have an above average conversation over the handset.

I only wish someone manufactures the same concept of a solar powered Bluetooth hands-free but with a louder speaker, or an FM modulator and a wired mic.

It works pretty well except for the volume is so low you can barely hear it. Other than that i was happy with it

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The bluetooth isnt worth it! They can hear you well, but you could barely hear them...i didnt bother using the holder, but it looks flimsy. I dont think it would work well.

Read Best Reviews of iKross Solar Bluetooth Speakerphone Handsfree Car Kit ,Universal Car Dashboard 360-Degree Swivel Ph Here

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

X-gps S800hd MTK DVR + Wireless CCD CAR Rear View Camera 7.0 Inch 128mb RAM 8gb Gps & DVR Camera Re

X-gps S800hd MTK DVR + Wireless CCD CAR Rear View Camera 7.0 Inch 128mb RAM 8gb Gps & DVR Camera Recorder 2*8 Gb Au/ Us/ Eu/ Ca MAP & Wireless CCD Rv Camera
  • CPU:Media Tek MT3351
  • Built-in Bluetooth Hand Free for Mobile & FM Transmitter
  • The Latest Map on 8GB Memory Card
  • Wireless CCD CAR REAR VIEW CAMERA
  • 7-inch LCD touch screen

perfect. worked just fine when I figured it out. could use better instructions. But anyone with half a brain can

Buy X-gps S800hd MTK DVR + Wireless CCD CAR Rear View Camera 7.0 Inch 128mb RAM 8gb Gps & DVR Camera Re Now

gps works great but the wires are not compatibile. i suggest buying separate wires for charging since the voltage is different from one counrty to the other. camera works great . worth the price for sure!!!!

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Wix 24477 Cabin Air Filter for select Ford/Mercury models, Pack of 1

Wix 24477 Cabin Air Filter for select  Ford/Mercury models, Pack of 1While this air filter is used in some cars as a cabin air filter, in the 2007 Ford Escape hybrid it is used as the air filter for the hybrid battery (in the back of the car). While you could drop by your Ford dealer and pick up the same part (5M6H-19N619-AD) for twice the price, this Wix filter is of top quality and a perfect fit. Just as good as the excellent Ford part. [The complex hybrid battery has it's own heat/cool system.]

BTW, in the hybrid this filter should be changed every 25,000 miles or so. I waited 50,000 miles but by then the original was filthy and that tends to trip the Ford hybrid service-soon idiot light (a wrench). You can change the filter without tools. It is under a plastic cover on the left side of the trunk. The Wix filter includes air-flow markings, making it easy to install.

Hybrid owner, Sacramento, CA

If you have an Escape Hybrid this is the battery Air Filter. Most people never change this filter however it is extremely important as it's what keeps the hybrid battery cool in this filter can get clogged weight easily. It's an inexpensive replacement that will extend the life of your hybrid vehicle. It can be changed in about 30 seconds. I change this about every 10,000 miles a lot cheaper than replacing expensive hybrid batteries that overheat.

Buy Wix 24477 Cabin Air Filter for select Ford/Mercury models, Pack of 1 Now

Why 4 stars instead of 5? The box. It is HUGE for the size of the air filter.

Other than that, it fits great into the rear battery A/C filter housing on my 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid. It does have a screen-printed set of arrows, telling you which way to position for correct filter flow which is a nice touch. The motorcraft filter I had didn't even label that.

Read Best Reviews of Wix 24477 Cabin Air Filter for select Ford/Mercury models, Pack of 1 Here

Used this for a 2008 Escape Hybrid and it fit perfectly. This goes in the rear cargo area to filter air used to cool the hybrid components; very important job! It is at least as high quality as the OEM filter, maybe better. At half the price of what the dealer charges you cannot lose. Buy at least enough to get free shipping and save even more.

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As good as OEM, but much less in cost! Bought 2 and recieved free shipping.

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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Auto Automobile Car Emergency Tool Kit Jumper Cables

Auto Automobile Car Emergency Tool Kit Jumper CablesThis is a very basic auto kit. Tools are good and the case is great but the jumper cables are very short and flimsy. I would not recommend this kit.

Very basic, Tools are OK quality. But jumper cable is really bad. It did not work after i have used it for a couple of times. I suspect the wire on the inside broke.

Do not buy it.. you need things to work best when you need them most and its not an option to have an OK "Emergency kit"!

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The tool set is VERY basic. We've used it a couple of times and we've been glad to have it, but also frustrated with the quality of products inside. The jumper cables are small maybe 14 gauge so they barely pass any current and it takes FOREVER to jump a car. If you're trying to jump a large SUV or truck, forget about it! Other tools are basic and made of mostly plastic. No wrench for the socket set makes it fairly useless. I would NOT recommend this kit; spend the money on a better option.

Read Best Reviews of Auto Automobile Car Emergency Tool Kit Jumper Cables Here

Every car should have one of these in their trunk... They are handy for several jobs. We have 4 cars in our family and each one as one of these kits in their car.

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So this is a very basic tool kit for your car. It will do the trick in a pinch, but I'd probably spend a little more and buy something better. My main complaints are that the jumper cables are too small, both in gauge and length. Also, the case is kind of pain. I don't like the snap-in kits because they're fitted for specific tools. Thus, if you want to add to the kit there's no place for it. I definitely prefer the bags. Regardless, I got it as a gift and it's OK, but I'll get something a little better when it's time to replace this one.

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Saturday, July 12, 2014

Husky Liners Custom Fit Heavy Duty Front Floor Mat for Select Ford/Lincoln Models (Black)

Husky Liners Custom Fit Heavy Duty Front Floor Mat for Select Ford/Lincoln ModelsAfter minor trimming these fit our 1997 Ford Lariat perfectly. We live off a dirt road, with a dirt drive and the channels in the mats catch all the dirt and sand. They are easy to take out and "dump" between vaccuumings. Love them!

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Wednesday, May 14, 2014

American Power 12-Foot Booster Jumper Cables

American Power 12-Foot Booster Jumper CablesItem just as described. Good enough length to jump between 2 cars. Have used it about 5 times already, haven't had any problems.

I purchased these in good faith. The first time I used them they shorted out and created a fire in my car . The battery is located on the passenger floor . I was right there and able to get the cables out but not before they burned through the mat and part of the gear console. I am hoping the company will take care of the cost of the damage. Had I turned my back the whole car could have gone up.

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bought these jumper cables for my niece to keep in her car in case she needs a jump or to give one

Read Best Reviews of American Power 12-Foot Booster Jumper Cables Here

The jumper cables are very good and had no problems using it so far. I had used it once since I bought them and totally loved them.

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Monday, March 3, 2014

Schumacher PSJ-2212 DSR ProSeries 2200 Peak Amps Jump Starter and Portable Power Unit

Schumacher PSJ-2212 DSR ProSeries 2200 Peak Amps Jump Starter and Portable Power UnitBest in class--had a couple cars with shorts that needed lots of jumps and went through three other brands. Every one under $100 could not last or keep a charge long enough to work on demand.

The 2212 instantly started a dead battery on cold mornings. The 3 amp charger is much faster than cheapo models.

Basically it is a durable solid unit. You'll need to spend over $200 for a better jump starter. The long cables let me solidly place it while jumping, unlike the other boxes that barely reached.

Buy it & you will love the security of genuinely professional grade peace of mind.

Ill give you the good news first. This item will spin my 4.3 liter high-compression V8 like there's no tomorrow, and it will do it at least 5 times on one charge. It will hold a fresh charge for three months. It has a huge red digital readout that serves several purposes. It will let you know when you have a good connection to a car battery before you switch it on. It will let you know how much voltage it is providing, and it will tell you the charge state of its internal battery when it is in charge mode. There is also a warning if you cross up your leads. There is a cigarette lighter socket for 12V access.

Now for the bad news. First, you have to provide an extension cord, and, when you do, there's no place to store one of any length on the device. My advice is to buy the shortest single-socket 16AWG cord you can, and squeeze it onto one of the side hooks where the leads are stored. Otherwise expect to just leave the cord behind (probably the manufacturer's intent) or carry it separately. Second, while you can leave the charger plugged in full time without overcharging, there is a noisy fan that runs full time (and draws about 6 watts along with the display). Even if you charge it in your garage, you probably won't want to just plug it in and forget it for two years, because that fan will wear out sooner or later. At least it sounds like it will. (I wish they'd used a quieter fan of the type that comes on desktop computers.) Don't plan to store it in an unheated area in winter, because performance will suffer severely, although a sealed garage is probably warm enough in most climates. Finally, you can't use this thing as a charger to maintain a car's battery in the garage. It's not designed for that and won't allow it.

I'd like to make a couple of final points about battery-powered, jump-start devices in general. If your car's battery has failed catastrophically, meaning it's almost like a short circuit, you must disconnect one lead of the battery before using one of these. (Assuming your alternator is good, you can reconnect the battery once the car is running.) Otherwise, the bad battery will suck the charge out of the jump-starter. You may have encountered such situations with jumper cables, when you find you have to partially recharge the dead battery with a running car's alternator before you can start the car. This is the kind of thing that happens when you leave the lights on for a long time. It should not be the kind of thing that happens when you have tried to start the car and heard a clicking noise.

If your car's battery is dead because you've run it down while trying to start the car, you'll probably run the jump-starter down too. In fact, it will probably run down faster than your car's battery did, just because it's not as big. Don't blame the jump starter for either of these situations.

This jump-started does what it's supposed to do, and it is a good price. If you can live with the cord and the fan, and you don't ask it to perform miracles, you'll be happy with your purchase.

Buy Schumacher PSJ-2212 DSR ProSeries 2200 Peak Amps Jump Starter and Portable Power Unit Now

If you buy this product, watch out for one very strange quirk: No matter how fully charged the battery is, the digital readout will ALWAYS say it is 10% charged when you plug it into a charger. The readout will slowly creep up towards 100% over a few hours. But this readout is false: It has no connection to the actual charge on the battery. To determine the actual charge on the battery, press the "%" button on the unit and it will tell you the actual percentage the item is charged.

The Schumacher customer service department doesn't know that this is how the product works, and they will tell you that the unit is broken if you ask about it. You'll then have to pay $35 to ship the unit back to them to get a new one (it's very heavy), and it will take several weeks, and the new one will seem broken, too. But it's not: It's just a strange quirk of the way these machines are designed. Trust me: This happened to me twice before I figured it out on my own.

UPDATE: I have changed my rating of this item from three stars to one star because after having the unit replaced twice for the reason above, the third unit I received just totally stopped working within about two months of it being sent to me. This time, the unit was really dead: It takes no charge no matter how long it is plugged in, and gives zero read out. Ironically, I couldn't get a replacement unit because the new replacement was no longer under warrantee: The clock on the one-year warrantee started ticking when I received the first unit, and it was just about elapsed when I received the third one. So I ended up spending a year dealing with the service department to "fix" units that weren't broken, and then at the end I received a unit that stopped working after about 2 months. I guess it just wan't meant to be. I hope others are luckier with this product than I was!

Read Best Reviews of Schumacher PSJ-2212 DSR ProSeries 2200 Peak Amps Jump Starter and Portable Power Unit Here

I am on my fourth jumpstarer and after all the previous junk this is a keeper. At 22 ah it delivers enough cranking power for must vehicles, in a nutshell it is a self contained unit with trickle charger and voltmeter, the fan that cools the charger is a little bit loud and never shuts down even after full charge is reached don't know why. Finally I own a REAL jumpstarter.

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This box sells for $300+ on the tool trucks, and is a professional class jump starter. You can crank a turbo diesel that has two batteries with this bad boy and not even make it sweat. Im giving it 5 stars even though you will have to buy an extension cord to charge it(because the jumper does not come with one). Any one in the automotive industry needs one of these in their shop.

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Saturday, February 22, 2014

Black & Decker VEC026BD Electromate 400 Jump-Starter with Built-In Air Compressor

Black & Decker VEC026BD Electromate 400 Jump-Starter with Built-In Air CompressorI just wanted to clear up some common misconceptions regarding these jump-start/inverter/inflator products. I personally own 3 different types from 400 watts to 1500 watts and have done tons of research on them. I guess you could call it an unusual hobby I have. I blame the manufacturers for over hyping these units or just choosing not to inform consumers of their limitations.

THESE UNITS ARE NOT AS POWERFUL AS YOU THINK! Most people seem to be very disappointed by the amount of "juice" these put out.

--FRESHLY CHARGED this item will probably run a small TV/DVD combo continuously for around 2.5 hours. That's it. Also, you can't run a coffee maker, hair drier, microwave, refrigerator or heavy duty power tool off this. It's just not designed for that kind of use. Buy this to run a small TV, fan or laptop for a few hours, or to charge your cell phone. That's all it's designed for.

--You probably won't be able to jump start an 8 cylinder engine with this especially if it's an older car or has a totally dead battery. These units are mostly for 4 and 6 cylinder engines. They just don't have large enough batteries in them to turn over a big V-8.

--The air compressor is little more than a toy. All of these units have tiny, noisy compressors in them that will take 20 to 30 minutes to inflate a single full size 16" tire that is totally flat. And you will completely kill the battery just doing one tire like that. Plus you may damage the compressor by running it that long continuously because they heat up so much during use. You're better off taking your tire to a gas station!

THE UNIT WILL SELF-DISCHARGE JUST BY SITTING IN YOUR CAR! It will lose about 10 20% of it's charge PER MONTH. The hotter it is outside the faster it will self-discharge. PLUS YOU WILL EVENTUALLY DESTROY THE INTERNAL BATTERY BY LEAVING IT IN A PROLONGED DISCHARGED STATE! You can easily kill this device permanently by a process known as sulfation, in as little as one year, if you don't keep it charged. (This is what happened to my first unit, a Xantrex Power-Plus 400. It cost me about 1/2 the original cost of the unit to replace the battery!)

To prevent this you need to either bring it in the house and recharge it about once a month (who's going to remember to do this?), or keep it plugged into the cigarette lighter at all times. Some people claim this can overcharge the battery, but I disagree. Your cars built-in voltage regulator should keep the unit topped off without doing any damage to it. Plus you know you always have a freshly 100% charged unit ready to go.

-You should immediately recharge it after each use. If you use it for a jumpstart or even to recharge your cellphone you should recharge the unit within a day or two. This practice will prevent harmful sulfation and prolong the life of the unit.

-These don't last forever. Just like your car battery eventually needs to be replaced so will the battery in this device. Expect about 100 full charge/discharge uses or 5 7 years, whichever comes first, before the battery in this will need to be replaced. Some of these jump-starters/inverters don't have user replaceable batteries so you may have to replace the whole unit anyway. You can usually find a reasonably priced replacement battery on e-Bay if you're handy enough to disassemble the unit and find out what size battery is inside. Based on the weight and size I would say the VEC026BD has a 20 Amp Hr battery inside it, but that is only a guess on my part and should be verified by disassembly.

For the money I'm not super-impressed with this unit. I just bought the Xantrex PowerPack 600 on sale from Amazon for $100 delivered. The 600 has a more powerful battery and can run larger appliances longer than the B&D. It usually goes for $130 but even at that price it's worth the premium over the B&D.

I hope this guide has been helpful to you to maximize the usefulness and life of your jump-start inverter, and to give you an idea of what to expect when you purchase one.

I just purchased the electromate 400 a few days ago ....I charged it overnight then tested it on a few things. Obviously it will jump start a car since it is basically built around a car battery.

It ran my large box fan just fine. Also worked great when I plugged lamps into it.

I tried using it to brew coffee using my Mr.Coffee but apparently the amps being drawn by the water heating and also heating the hotplate under the pot was too much for it and it would just shut down after a few seconds every time I tried it. Too bad ! I suspect if you have a newer coffee maker with the insulated pot and no heated hotplate you might do just fine.

One thing I could not find much info on before I purchased it was just how long will it power ordinary household items during a power outage ?

To test this...with the electromate fully charged, I plugged a 13" color tv with a built in DVD player into the electromate, put a DVD movie in...and checked the clock. It kept the TV powered and the movie playing for just a few minutes under 3 hours. Not bad. This is a well built unit...seems very sturdy...but is a bit heavy so don't plan on taking it backpacking. I'd recommend it highly to anyone looking for a way to keep some of the small conveniences going during a power outage.

Buy Black & Decker VEC026BD Electromate 400 Jump-Starter with Built-In Air Compressor Now

Bought this for jumping off my second vehicle which oftens goes several weeks without being driven and for powering small devices when camping. Worked fine for jumping off the vehicle; however, used the unit to power an electrically powered air mattress inflator and it did fine. Went to plug in the small fan and nothing. For whatever reason, the electrical outlets do not work now. Tried everything.

Follow up:

Just received my second unit. Charged it 24 hours. Plugged in regular size box fan and the unit's electrical outlet status light starts blinking green and shuts down after less than 2 minutes. Plugged in a small desk top fan and the same thing. Even plugged just my answering machine in and the same thing. Black and Decker must have issued a bad batch since most other reviews are positive.

Amazon has been truly amazing. They shipped the replacement model which I received three business days after filing for a return and even had UPS pick up the original one.

Read Best Reviews of Black & Decker VEC026BD Electromate 400 Jump-Starter with Built-In Air Compressor Here

Perhaps too heavy to carry in your car all the time, but I did take it on vacation, and sure enough, I left a dome light on long enough to kill my battery. This had plenty enough power to get my car started. The 120 volt was used to power a trouble light at home, on a rewiring project. It sure beat trying to work with a flashlight. I have not tried the inflator. I bought this with some camping use in mind, but haven't got to go camping yet.

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While this may not be the most powerful backup power unit and it is a bit heavy (but a cool and practical design) I have found so many uses for it and well worth the $100 I paid for it. I'm kind of a tool girl and buy stuff even though I don't think I will need it. I was so wrong with this one.

I purchased my original unit in AUG, 2007. I immediately took it on a dry camping trip just cuz it was a group trip and we all like to show off our stuff. I won! On that trip, I was able to air up my mattress and keep a florescent drop light on for one of the party nights then recharged it off of a friend's portable generators.

I do craft shows and like to take samples. I was able to run a large crock pot with this unit, keeping my chili warm for hours, turning it on and off through the period of time I expected to need it and the chili remained at a "food safe" temperature.

At a most inconvenient time, the battery in my 1999 5 Liter V8 Ford Explorer died and I used this unit it to jump my truck several times a day for 3-4 day without recharging.

I have used it to top off my tire when I had a slow leak and needed to hold over until I could get it fixed. (Pretty large tires)

Most recently when Hurricane Ike was coming in during the early AM hours, I knew my power was going down. I fulled charged the unit and plugged the wireless router and modem into it so I could watch the live broadcast of the storm coming on shore on the laptop. It held over until almost daylight and I felt like striking up the generator.

I do chili cook-offs and have one of those blowup nylon/poly decor things like folks put in their yards at Christmas, a little smaller though. I can plug that into the unit and it runs for hours and I have power if I need it for a blender or something else like that.

I run a large chile garden and take this with me when I work in it for the day. Instead of running the truck radio or long, long extension cords out to the field, I just plug my radio into the unit.

My home and garage were burglarized this year and my original unit was stolen. It was one of the first things I replaced because I just think it's a good thing to have around.

This is by far a very amateur and non-technical review but I do hope that it does let someone know that this is just one of those things you think you will never need and you will be surprised at all of the ways you could use it. Sure, it would be nice it it ran for a longer period of time and it did not weigh as much as it does (but the handle is very comfortable, even when lifting it up onto the under-hood to jump your battery) the Electromate has managed to make the list of Hurricane Preparedness down here.

BTW, I would have never gotten the one with the radio instead of the air compressor...just plug the radio into this while you air up the inner tubes for the river!

I hope my info helps!

Beth in Texas

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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Fastronix Military Spec Battery Connectors- Positive Terminal

Fastronix Military Spec Battery Connectors- Positive TerminalThanks, this is a great product at an awesome price. Really happy with my purchase. Will be ordering for more cars/trucks.

the terminals are about the best money can buy for your automotive. being in the military and working with hummers all day, these are the way to go for your own vehicle.

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Thursday, February 13, 2014

Boss MR1560DI Marine MP3-Compatible Digital Media Receiver

Boss MR1560DI Marine MP3-Compatible Digital Media Receiver
  • Single-DIN marine AM/FM radio, MP3 receiver with built-in iPod dock
  • 4 x 80 Watts maximum power with front/rear 5V RCA preamp outputs
  • Detachable front panel with active black mask display and illuminated control buttons
  • Includes auxiliary input, USB port, SD card slot, wireless remote
  • Marine-ready with a UV-coated front panel and PC board with conformal coating
  • Built-in iPod Docking Station with iPodconnector (compatible with various iPodmodels)
  • USB and SD Memory Card ports
  • Full Detachable Front Panel
  • Single-DIN Mounting
  • 5 Volt PreAmp Output

We always use an Ipod when we are on the boat, so this sounded great! Installation was easy, I have two amps and this has pre amp outputs for front, rear and sub woofer so I just had to plug them in. Great sound, doesn't have any different sound features, just bass and treble adjustments along with bass boost if you have a sub woofer, but it sounds great. When you put your Ipod inside, which is pretty easy, it is secure so you don't have to worry about it getting wet or bouncing all over you dash. It also charges when it is docked inside. Won't support the Iphone, but I have had just about every Ipod docked in it and they all worked. The "touch pad" controls are not as sensitive or fast as you would think, sometime you have to touch them a few time to get it to work. The wireless remote is great. My stereo is mounted at an angle (2001 Ski Centurion)and if you are sitting down in the back set you need to hold the remote up high to work, not a big deal. The only real negative thing that I have with the stereo is that if you find a specific song, playlist or whatever it is time consuming and you will need the directions until you have done it a few time. The great thing is though, it has an aux input so you can always plug another Ipod in that way.

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I bought this with little expectations. Thinking that in a year or so, I'd upgrade. After the third month of having this on my boat, center console, I took the boat out on the gulf, started up the radio, and nothing showed up on the screen display. It's almost impossible to figure things out without the display. There are so many buttons that have multiple uses. Luckily, the remote control works fine and after reading the manual again, I can use it effectively.

What happened to the radio? I don't know. My only thoughts are that moisture got into my center console area and with the boat covered, the humid environment created inside the console where the radio sits caused part of the radio unit to burn out. Yes, the outside part of the radio (the cover) is waterproof, but the back of the radio that is placed into the hole of the console is not.

The ipod docking is pretty neat. It can be a little difficult to insert the ipod if you have big fingers like I do. I get it to work every time, but it could be a bit easier. I've also used the auxiliary-out option and it works perfectly. I have yet to try the USB option.

This radio does put out great sound. When I am cruising and blasting, however, it will flip off my fuse after about an hour of sustained loudness. I do have it cranked high, so it doesn't surprise me.

If you can keep this radio from getting any moisture, then it's a great buy. If you have an open center console where moisture may somehow get to the back of the radio, you might just run into the same problem as I did.

Read Best Reviews of Boss MR1560DI Marine MP3-Compatible Digital Media Receiver Here

Boss has out done themselves with this unit!! This unit compared to other models is less expensive and easy to install. It works with practically every ipod, except Generation 1 and 2. But my Ipod touch sounds great while docked inside safely. It was very easy to install and the 80 Watts x 4 makes any speaker sound better than before. I like the transfer feature that allows you to transfer music from a SD card to Your media device. Highly recommended for any boater looking for an exceptional stereo for there Boat.

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Unit has a great sound and power for the $$. Difficult to tune the stations as touch controls are very sensitive especially when boat moving around on the water.

I bought this unit a few months ago and installed it into my boat. The SSD card reader doesnt work the songs wont read and if they do read they skip like crazy. Since I cannot use the SSD card reader I'm forced to use the USB reader which also sucks, the songs skip and the USB reader stops reading quite often. The unit turnes on when powered off with out even pressing a button. The remote only works if its pointed directly in front of the unit about 2 feet away. I tried to return it to Amazon but they will only give me maximum of half of my money back. If you are thinking of buying this item, think again, buy something with better quality and save your money.Boss MR1560DI Marine MP3-Compatible Digital Media Receiver

Friday, December 27, 2013

Goal Zero Sherpa And Escape 12V Car Charger Black OS -Kids

Goal Zero Sherpa And Escape 12V Car Charger Black OS -KidsIt's a must have with your GoalZero products

Works perfectly

I own the Escape 150 pack and plan to purchase the Sherpa 50

SHOULD BE INCLUDED :-)

GoalZero don't do like Apple, don't change your connectors

This is a definitely a must have for your Goal Zero system especially for a run of cloudy days just like a cell phone needs one and you have to buy one.

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I use this 12v charger with my Goal Zero Sherpa 120 battery Goal Zero 11102 Sherpa 120 Battery and it works great. I really like the chemistry of that battery, how well it holds the charge and how many cycles it supports. When I charge from the solar panels it can take considerable time and often on camping trips we end up moving from site to site and thus end up in the car for a limited time. Using this 12v charger I can get the right voltage to top off the battery and set us up for a few more days.

The 12v adapter charger is designed to get the voltage up to where it's needed to enable a full charge in the battery. We are very happy to have this as an option. The battery comes with the 120 AC charger, we use the solar panels Goal Zero 12201 Nomad 27M Solar Panel when off the grid, and then this 12v adapter/charger when mobile. Adding this gives us a complete solution for nearly any situation we find ourselves in.

This charger is not designed for all Goal Zero systems, but specifically for the Sherpa and Escape lines. Make sure that you are buying this to charge one of those battery setups and it'll assure that you are getting the right voltage and plug for plug and play compatability.

5 stars, a great accessory, though it would have been better if included with a several hundred dollar battery!

Read Best Reviews of Goal Zero Sherpa And Escape 12V Car Charger Black OS -Kids Here

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Insten Retractable Black USB Charging Cable for Microsoft Zune 30GB Zune Scorpion 4GB / 8GB & Zune

Insten Retractable Black USB Charging Cable for Microsoft Zune 30GB Zune Scorpion 4GB / 8GB & Zune Dragon 80GB Media PlayerI have purchased two of these cables within one year of each other. The idea of a retractable cable is great, but it just wasn't a very good quality cable. This cable stayed strictly in my car hooked up to a USB cigarette lighter charger thing, and both that I purchased wore out very quickly, one in 4 months and the second one in about 8. In both of them, the plastic part that plugs into the Zune actually just fell apart in my hands, and the bare wires were exposed and I was afraid of being shocked. If you want an inexpensive cable, this is definitely an option, but don't expect quality.

have bought 2 of these and going to buy 2 more for spares. Had both for over a year and both work good as new. One at work I use about twice a week and still does great. Wire seems thin but has held up nicely and retracts as good as the day I bought it.

Buy Insten Retractable Black USB Charging Cable for Microsoft Zune 30GB Zune Scorpion 4GB / 8GB & Zune Now

I have having to fuss with regular cords. I wish retractable cords were the standard for everything now. I don't have any of my zunes anymore, but when I did have them, I quickly replaced the standard cords with these and don't have any complaints.

Read Best Reviews of Insten Retractable Black USB Charging Cable for Microsoft Zune 30GB Zune Scorpion 4GB / 8GB & Zune Here

Who could ask for more?

Just remember to take good care of the weak points near the ends.

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I purchased this extremely skeptical, I mean a couple bucks for a cable is unheard of. I got it because I did not want to spend 15-20 bucks on something that did the same thing, I think the product works great, and the retractable feature makes it easy to store and keep out of the way of my clumsy roomates.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Slime COMP 07 Rechargable 12-Volt Tire Inflator

Slime COMP 07 Rechargable 12-Volt Tire InflatorThe Slime COMP 07 Rechargable Tire Inflator is also marketed as:

Kwik Goal Portable Inflator

Campbell-Hausfeld Model CC2300

Unfortunately, the unit is sold with a cheap 12 Volt, 7.0 Amp-Hour internal battery that cannot hold up under the rigors and demands put on it by the general consumer. Anyway, the battery in any of these types of portable devices doesn't last forever and will eventually have to be replaced. Think of is as normal maintenance, to be done every two to five years, even with the best of batteries.

But a simple change to a 12 Volt, 8.5 Amp-Hour, high-rate replacement battery will greatly enhance its performance. Without going into a stuffy brain-dump: A simple 21% increase in Amp-Hour capacity (to 8.5 Amp-Hours) will double the amount of work the fully charged battery can do, under load, such as the internal 12 Volt compressor motor. The "high-rate" designation is also a type of battery that is designed to take heavy loads without damage -or shortened battery lifespan.

But don't make the mistake that many 12 Volt power pack owners sometimes do: Attempting to jump-start their car from this tiny device. Doing so will instantly destroy the unit's internal 12 Volt battery and literally melt the compressor case down. Also, never plug a 12VDC appliance into the "Output DC 12V" jack that exceeds about 0.5 Amps (6 watts). For example, plugging in a small 12VDC coffee cup warmer will draw 8-10 Amps and burn out the internal 12 Volt lead acid battery in a couple of minutes. You'll know when a sealed lead acid battery is burned out when the tremendous amount of heat from the dying battery melts and distorts the outside plastic case of the compressor and a sick vinegar smell emits from the now-dead internal battery.

That said, replace with: Power-Sonic PSH-1280 FR Battery, 12 Volt, 8.5 Amp-Hour, High-Rate Series. I ordered mine from BatteryPlexDotCom. Really, to install a lower capacity battery in a portable field device is just false economy. And note: The different brand names of this tire inflator seems to have battery terminals in one of two widths: "F1" designation is for the 3/16" / .187" wide metal terminal tabs on the battery, and the "F2" designation is for the 1/4" / .25" wide metal terminal tabs on the battery. So be sure to specify this, for a quick and speedy battery change with the internal wiring push-clips. To get to the internal battery, just lay the portable compressor on its side and unscrew the seven phillips-head screws that hold the halves of the outside plastic case together.

Now the portable compressor unit pumps up my 100psi bicycle tires -and 34psi minivan tires, with ease. The built-in pressure guage, in my unit, reads 5psi higher than actual, but that's easy to compensate for.

And the unit also now serves as a reliable 12 Volt portable power pack, a real workhorse, that is quickly recharged in the field with my portable 12 Volt wind generator, or my portable 12 Volt sun tracking solar panel.

I have also been pleasantly surprised with the unusually well-designed quick connect valve that seats perfectly on the valve stem, and releases without loss of tire pressure. Really, this has been a major headache with all my other air pumps, both manual and electric: When removing the quick connect valve from the tire stem, air always rushes out, and several more attempts have to be done before the tire is finally properly inflated, a real pain. But, to expedite things, and just to be sure, I usually disconnect the Slime COMP 07 quick connect valve from the tire valve stem as soon as the proper pressure is reached, with the air compressor still running.

The battery for this device is a lead acid battery, that is sealed, so that the electrolyte will not leak out of the battery. But, being a lead acid battery, it can do only half as much work, at 30 degrees Fahrenheit, as it will do at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. So either store the portable compressor in a reasonably warm environment until you need it, or accept its inherent shortcomings in a cold environment.

Also, never run the portable compressor down until it runs slowly, or ceases to run. This is commonly known as "batterycide." Doing so, even if promptly recharged, will greatly reduce the service lifespan, or even destroy, any good lead acid battery. Keep the portable compressor charged and ready at all times and you'll have no trouble. The LED Battery Check indicator is activated by turning on the Power switch (with the Compressor switch off). The unit is okay to run as long as the LED indicator is green "HI". The portable compressor should be recharged when the LED indicator is yellow "LOW". If at all possible, do not discharge the battery below 12.25 Volts. Always immediately recharge the battery after moderate-to-heavy use. You'll soon learn what this useful little compressor can handle -and can't handle.

And, being a lead acid battery, it will hold its charge for months and months, with very low self-discharge. Yet another advantage of lead acid batteries is that they are routinely recycled. In fact, a brand new lead acid battery, off-the-shelf, is manufactured from recycled lead.

One major, and justified, gripe many owners have with the unit is the ridiculous claim in the instruction manual that the device can be used to inflate air mattresses, rafts, etc.. Well, that's simply not true. The compressor is for pneumatic tires and soccer balls and footballs, etc. only (and maybe to run an airbrush). The hard-working piston in the compressor is only the size of your little fingertip, so it would take all day to fill up an air mattress, and keep filling it until the mattress bursts (if unattended). And the battery is not large enough to run the compressor that long anyway. For air mattresses and rafts, just buy a specialized high-volume, low pressure, 12 Volt air pump, and plug it into 12 Volt jack on your trusty Campbell-Hausfeld Cordlesss Air Inflator / 12-Volt Power Pack, and you're good to go.

A compact rechargeable inflator that uses a lead-acid battery. Noisy but powerful, it has handy storage for its components, but a useless pressure gauge.

After my last 12V-DC inflator blew the fuses on my Civic, I decided it was time for a tire pump that didn't depend on the car for power. This unit inflates my Civic tires about 2-3 times as fast as the old 12V.

It's not as loud as the car engine and the old pump were (running at the same time), but all the noise is from one point, so it seems louder to my ears. It vibrates enough to "walk" a little while running on the concrete floor.

The unit has storage panels front and back that store all of the cables/accessories that come with it, and a short instruction leaflet. The in-built gauge is useless. It approximates the correct pressure with the unit off (but not clearly enough to read a specific number). But turn the unit on, and the indicated PSI instantly jumps to 40psi and stays there.

I have to check the pressure before and after with my Accutire Digital Tire Gauge. An accurate built-in digital pressure readout would have been outstanding. The flip-tab on the hose is kind of stiff for the first few uses, I ended up letting a bunch of air out of my tires in the process of getting it locked into place.

The product's lead-acid battery has the advantage of no "memory effect", meaning charging the battery w/o discharging it fully doesn't shorten its life (like a Ni-Cad), but the drawback is that much like your car battery, a lead-acid must be kept topped off, and if you allow a lead-acid to drain completely, it fails and is no longer chargable. A Lithium-Ion would have been nice instead, since they are non-toxic (no special disposal needed) and are not harmed by being fully discharged.

I'm unclear on the choice of "Slime" as a brand-name, but it IS memorable, and the product is good. And it sure beats using a filthy public air pump at a gas station (and it's always freezing, searing hot, or raining when you need to do this), if you can even find one that's functioning.

This inflator could be quieter, use a Li-ion battery, and have a usable pressure gauge, but it gets the job done in a compact no-fuss package. Recommended.

Buy Slime COMP 07 Rechargable 12-Volt Tire Inflator Now

This seems like a very solid unit, but upon careful reading of the user guide I found that it should not be used to inflate while plugged in to the AC/DC power supply. The wording also implied that the unit should only be used to inflate while operating under its internal battery power, and that the 12v cigarette lighter adapter and Ac/Dc adaptor are for charging the battery only. The battery should also be routinely charged (5-9 hours) to prevent draining. I've written to Slime twice for clarification on the "don't inflate with the chargers" to see what the consequences might be if one did, but they have not responded. So if you don't remember to take it out of your trunk and recharge it periodically, it may be useless that one time you need it to do an emergency roadside tire inflation... Unless you have 5-9 hours to spare to charge it up first. Seems like a chance I wouldn't want to take. I returned it.

Read Best Reviews of Slime COMP 07 Rechargable 12-Volt Tire Inflator Here

This is essentially the same unit as a Campbell Hausfeld pump I had a few years ago. The only problem I have with that one I lost it. I honestly do not know what happened to it. Anyhow, this one looks, smells, sounds, and operates the same as the Campbell Hausfeld I had.

I followed the instructions to the letter charged it at room temperature for 18 hours right out of the box.

The test:

Two cars and one ¾ -ton truck, each with four tires that needed some (a few needed quite a bit of) air.

Two motorcycles, each with two tires about ten pounds low.

One riding mower, four tires that were in serious need of air.

All in all, twenty tires of various sizes. The unit filled all tires on one charge, and the yellow light was just starting to come on with three tires remaining. The truck tires are size LT275/65R20 (quite large); each were filled from ~60 PSI to 65 PSI, so I believe this was a pretty intense test for this unit.

The total run time to fill up all tires I estimate was about 70 minutes. The only rest time it got was moving from tire to tire.

Noise completely acceptable. Not as loud as some portable units I've heard. Quiet? No, but it is not what I would call loud. I would say "noticeable".

Valve on and off definitely tight, a little difficult in some situations. I recommend putting a little bit of oil on one valve stem. That will make it go on and off more easily on the rest of the tires.

Charging light stays on when plugged in, does not turn off when done. The manual recommends leaving it plugged in whenever it's not in use. I don't plan to do that. Instead I will charge it periodically.

I think this is a great unit, and it does what I bought it for keep me from having to drag out the extension cord when I need to check and fill tires. Is it the only pump I will ever need for all occasions? No. Is it the emergency pump I will travel with? No. Is it the pump I plan to use almost all of the time for filling tires? Absolutely. I am a creature of convenience :-).

I will update this review if anything out of the ordinary happens, but for now thumbs up!

I hope this helps thanks to everyone else for their reviews!

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I was hesitant to buy a product with "Slime" as the brand name. Nevertheless, it was on sale and I decided to risk it. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! It was cheaper than my previous tire inflator from Sears( I called the red hot mama!) and was much better. It was easy to use and was powerful enough to inflate the tires on two vehicles quickly without getting hot. I would recommend it to anyone and plan to seek out the "Slime" brand next time.

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Sunday, September 29, 2013

TaoTronics® TT-BA01 Wireless Portable Bluetooth Stereo Music Transmitter (Not A Bluetooth Receiver

TaoTronics® TT-BA01 Wireless Portable Bluetooth Stereo Music Transmitter for 3.5mm Audio DevicesI was hesitant to buy this after reading a few of the negative reviews that mentioned a major audio delay. Still, it was the cheapest, decently reviewed solution for my needs. After having the product for about 2 weeks, I can say I'm very happy that I bought it. I use this, in conjunction with the Samsung Modus 3500 HM3500 Premium Noise Cancelling Dual Mono Stereo Bluetooth Headset with 2 Adapters to play games and watch TV without waking up my kids. That includes playing games like Rock Band and Dance Central. With regular games, Dance Central, and TV, I haven't noticed any delay. The delay is noticeable with Rock Band, but it isn't anything that the game can't compensate for. According to the auto calibration, the delay varies between +160 and +200 ms.

In addition to the negligible delay, the battery life is fantastic. It lasts through at least two charges of the headphones (about 8 hours total), and it can still operate while charging. I haven't noticed any degradation in sound quality, either. This is everything I needed it to be, and at a reasonable cost.

I haven't had the transmitter for long, but here is what I have noted so far:

1. Works great with the Kindle in Text to Speech mode.

2. Works great with Kindle Fire playing a show on Hulu+.

3. No lag with the Kindle Fire while watching shows on Hulu+ (I imagine buffering and connections could change this, but works great for me).

4. Works while plugged in and charging (saw in another review that they read it didn't so I tested it).

Only problem I have is half my household is threatening to swipe mine if I don't get them one of these.

Buy TaoTronics® TT-BA01 Wireless Portable Bluetooth Stereo Music Transmitter (Not A Bluetooth Receiver Now

I have a zune and unfortunatly it does not have Bluetooth. I found this recommended as a solution and thought it was worth a try. It works great! I wish that my car radio was set up for mp3 players other than Apple and my radio controls would work too. Maybe some day people will realize that not everyone likes Apple and make software compatible to other players. Love the adapter.

Read Best Reviews of TaoTronics® TT-BA01 Wireless Portable Bluetooth Stereo Music Transmitter (Not A Bluetooth Receiver Here

TaoTronics and SunValleyTek are all Gentlemen and Scholars for this excellent product and at a good price!

I just tested these transmitters with all 3 of my TV's and with both my Creative D100 and D200 speakers and whatever video/audio delay there is its ever so slight its not even worth mentioning. I'm very impressed with how these work. I have an Altec-Lansing/Plantronics dongle and the performance is the same as with the TaoTronics. The only way I could tell there was any kind of a very slight audio delay was to play the audio from the TV itself at the same time and then you could see the audio was dead on with the TV speakers and just a slight delay from the Bluetooth. Had I not done that it was difficult to tell if there really was any delay. That's how close it is. I'm very pleased with this, especially for the cost of 20 bones. It paired perfectly with my Creative D100 and D200 Bluetooth speakers while they were plugged into my TV's and my Chinese iPod Nano clone. The pairing button and blue/red lights are awesome. The quality of the audio is just fine. My wishlist? Instead of the skinny wire, have the stereo plug attached directly to the unit itself and flip out. Oh yeah!

UPDATE: I decided to make comparison with these and my Plantronics/Altec Lansing Bluetooth dongle that came with my Plantronics BackBeat 903 stereo headset. Ever since I got this Plantronics dongle I've wanted to get another one but they don't sell them separately and if you can find them ever they're absurdly priced. Glad I never got another because these TaoTronics blow them away! The sound through my BackBeat headset is just as good but the volume now goes up about another 30% compared to the Plantronics/Altec Lansing Bluetooth dongle! The volume is also louder on my Creative D100 and D200! These Tao's rock big time!!! Oh yeeeeah!

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I purchased this along with LG Tone (HBS-700) Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headset Retail Packaging Black/Orange to use while at work. Luckily they both have about the same run time of about 8 hours. I plug these into the 3.5mm jack on my speakers and I'm able to walk around my office (up to 30 feet) without any interference at all. I've never heard of this brand and took a chance but it was worth it. Generally i fully discharge the battery and it fully recharges in about 1.5 hours. I'd highly recommend this product.

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Monday, September 2, 2013

Sunforce 11240 1000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter with Remote Control

Sunforce 11240 1000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter with Remote ControlI bought the inverter to use in an RV to power lights, TV/DVD, and other light AC loads. The price on this unit is very attractive so I bought it and checked it out before installing. I tested it under light and maximum loads and even hooked it up to an oscilloscope to verify if it was really a sine wave output. The last thing I did was bring it in the house to power the TV, stereo, computer, DVD, and VHS player simultaneously. (This is still well under 1000W.)

Conclusions:

(1) Powers all loads I've thrown at it without a problem (except see #4# including electronics, 1000W electric heater, fluorescent and incandescent lights, and an electric drill.

#2# Has a real sine wave output.

#3# Causes considerable interference to AM radio when used to power the stereo system, but absolutely no interference on the TV or FM radio or anything else.

Strangely, the TV guide function on the cable box stopped operating, but I can't be sure if the inverter caused this.

But the really bad part:

#4# It has unexplained shutdowns. This usually happens under light loading conditions. The unit shuts down and displays an error code of OST #overload# or 529 #inverter defective#. The unit was not overloaded #not even close) any of the times this has happened. And when it happens, you have to turn it off and wait several hours to turn it back on. I think it has to lose its memory of the error before it will operate again.

I will probably be contacting the manufacturer regarding this problem. The unit is no good to me if it doesn't work reliably.

Bought this off Amazon a month or two ago. I was looking for an inexpensive pure sine wave inverter to replace my Duracell (Xantrex) modified sine wave inverter. I was expecting to have issues from the get go (due to the cheap price!) but this inverter is working out quite nicely. I have it hooked up to 4 Trojan T-105 batteries which is charged up with an 85 watt Kyocera solar panel and Xantrex C35 charge controller.

Being pure sine wave, I can run anything now that my old modified sine couldn't. No more annoying buzzing sounds from CFL's or TV's. certain appliances that wouldn't power up on the old inverter now work flawlessly. Some things I run on the Sunforce: Samsung 22" LCD TV, CFL's of all sizes, Playstation 2, battery chargers, laptops, electric cooler.

I haven't tripped the over current protection yet at all, not even when using items that typically surge, such as a large power drill.

No fan issues like the other review mentioned.. in fact I haven't heard it come on at all yet; then again it's winter time here in Missouri so I assume it truly is thermal controlled.

The remote keychain that was provided with the unit works great. Since I'm doing the electrical work on our new cabin, I can turn off and on when working on the electrical. Then turn it off when we leave for the week.

The only issue I've had so far is once I came back on the weekend and the inverter turned itself back on sometime during the week. This normally wouldn't be a big issue except we're limited on battery capacity and can be a nuisance if kept happening. This has only happened the one time so no biggie.

The LCD readout on the front of the inverter is a nice feature, more expensive inverters don't have this by default, though I rarely look at it.

I would like to determine how much power the inverter uses when it's powered on and in idle mode. The documentation doesn't mention this anywhere and would expect that would be a major selling point. (or, disadvantage if it's too much of a power draw). I don't have an amp meter to test what it is, if you find out please post a review.

The only other downsides is:

1) this inverter has no permanent mounting brackets. only rubber feet on the bottom. luckily the thick DC cabling keeps it well secured within the battery box.

2) the DC hookups are HAND TIGHTEN only. This can be an issue if you, like me, use the proper gauge wiring. in my case I'm using 6 gauge, which is actually borderline of being too small but the batteries are close by. I ended up using pliers to tighten the hand lugs. With thicker wiring, I imagine this would be a huge pain.

PROS:

inexpensive! I noticed the price just went up though :(

LCD readout on front panel

Keychain remote, I haven't seen any other inverters include this with the inverter itself

CONS:

no mounting brackets? I'm sure you could finagle some aluminum straps around it, instead.

hand tightened DC connections

no mention of idle power usage.

Buy Sunforce 11240 1000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter with Remote Control Now

I have several 1000W inverters in my service trucks and thought the idea of a RF remote would be nice so I stepped away from my usual brand (Xantrex) Xantrex Technologies 806-1000 Prosine 1,000-Watt Inverter and their newer, more value conscious true sine inverter product line which is within $20 of this sunforce unit but lacks the features. This time I bought the sunforce.

First off, testing finished inverter installations, I use a 1050W load (it's a heat gun with 1000W heater and 50w blower). True, this is MORE than 1000W but all inverters have some surge capacity so it's never been a problem before. The sunforce unit's efficiency is within 1% of xantrex, requiring 114-116 AMPS at 12VDC to operate the 1050W load, however the sunforce will shutdown within 3 seconds with an output overload condition, while the xantrex units will drain the battery first.

I stepped the load down to 900W and things were fine, so I'm really going to overlook their slightly over-rated specifications on the inverter because my loads are in the 300-400W range and need clean power. Besides, the value proposition with sunforce's feature set is still there.

Another pro/con to consider is that the Xantrex units are metal cased with mounting holes, while these are plastic that may lead you to some innovative mounting solutions, but it's not a big deal.

Neither Xantrex nor Sunforce has developed a "everything easy to read display" my -806 model xantrex prosine comes close with a remote mountable on/off plate w/ lcd that shows volts, amps, and watts as a bargraph simultaneously. But the Xantrex LCD display is smaller than some digital watches and can't be read across the truck cab, which forces me to remote mount it. Sunforce uses BIG digits that are red LED, but it cycles through output voltage, amps, etc by pushing a button it will only stay on one value for 1 second. The problem is unless you are pressing the button it defaults to AC volts, where battery voltage might be more useful

Sunforce did something really clever. Inverters of this power level are not easy to wire in (4' of #4 wire is about all you get to the battery before wire losses cut into your power conversion). The knobb-ish looking thing in the upper right of the product photo is a rubber cover for a high current 12VDC socket. You did all that wiring to hook this up, might as well get a cig lighter socket that shares the same big wires.

A good source of wiring is available on amazon and I've reviewed them Cobra CPI-A4000BC AC Power Inverter AWG Cables although if you really need 1000W keep a battery within 4 feet a second battery like the Optima Batteries 8052-161 D31M BlueTop Dual Purpose Battery optima deep cycle is a good setup as it can be mounted close to the inverter and charged from the vehicle alternator. Be sure to use a battery isolator so that your inverter can not drain the vehicles' starting battery.

If your use involves ALOT of runtime at 1000W a parallel combination of 2 D31 batteries will run longer without running the engine. For near constant use, use a 124 Amp alternator and you will need to run wires back to the vehicle power system and run the engine to provide power.

The Xantrex series will give you much more surge power to 1500 W if needed for 30 seconds. Sunforce has created a clever product that comes with 3 remote on/off switches in the package. All inverters have some feature you may want here it was the remote, some Xantrax models offer AC cutover to battery when an outside power source disappears. You do get alot in this model for a good price. My unit gets daily use and has not had a problem. Best advice is shop around the old models that were $600-700 have come down to the $200-300 range. Oversize the unit for your use because all AC loads have startup surges, especially lighting loads and motors. I generally double the inverter size.

No matter what brand you end up buying, a TRUE Sinewave inverter like this will give you utility quality power. After nothing but bad experiences with pseudo-sinewave (there are lots of names for it, but NOT real sinewave) units frying expensive equipment over time. Those units are only good for incandescent lights, and even those burn out faster!

Read Best Reviews of Sunforce 11240 1000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter with Remote Control Here

First off. My battery backup flagged this product as "Building Wire Fault".

The product showed 119volts at 58hz. My lights flickered like I was in the early 1900s.

After checking all my indoor wiring and power strips, only this inverter remained.

Dismantling this product, the side "Heat-sinks" proved to be plastic. Worthless props.

I discovered the connections from the AC plugs had the "hot" connection soldered into the

ACN (neutral) and the neutral wire soldered into the ACL (load).

I soldered the wires into the proper positions, and after re-installing, still received

the "Building Wire Fault". I took the product apart again, and after discussion with another electrical technician, we concluded this product had no ground included on the neutral side

of the AC. I soldered a wire to the neutral side, and attached a ring terminal to the ground

screw in the back of the device. Reassembled, and re-installed, flipped the switch, and have

a functioning product. It now reads a steady 121 volts at 60.3hz steady. My lights don't flicker.

My power supply shows a properly grounded device. I am writing this review on the power from the

inverter. Bottom Line. VERY dangerous product. Not compliant for USA standards, and I don't feel

the average person on the street wants to have this "Shock Hazard" in their home. Just Saying....

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I've had the Sunforce 1000w inverter for a couple of weeks now. Like a kid with a new toy, I had to try it on a couple things.

1. Bass guitar amp First thing I noticed was the static noise was a lot louder than when it was plugged into grid power. I guess the power isn't as clean as it should be for a pure sine wave inverter.

2. Rice cooker It drew around 600 watts according to my Kill-A-Watt. The inverter cooling fan was turning on and off very frequently during cooking. When the rice cooker was done and went to "keep warm" mode, it was only drawing 40 watts but the cooling fan still turns on and off for a while until I unplugged it. I can see the fan turn on for any draw over 500 watts, but 40 watts???

Pros It works. Cheap price. Cool remote power unit. Power information display panel.

Cons Like other reviews, no way to mount it. Fan turns on at really low power consumption. The heatsinks are plastic and serves no real purpose. You would think if they used real heatsinks, it would've provided better passive cooling to minimize cooling fan operations. The big thumb screws for the battery power leads doesn't tighten good enough, better to replace them with nuts and washers from a hardware store.

I give it a 3 1/2 star.

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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Whistler Pro-1600W 1,600 Watt Power Inverter

Whistler Pro-1600W 1,600 Watt Power InverterI have purchased many inverters for my service truck, RV, boat, and emergency home backup, and this is what I have learned...

Buying a large inverter is confusing. Most people want their inverter to run the "continuous" loads that they have, plus have enough surge power to start air conditioners, microwaves, sump pumps, etc. Seems simple enough, but when they purchase an inverter, usually it can't handle the startup surge they were hoping. Herein is the problem: most people don't understand "Surge Duration".

Most inverters can put out more than their rated "continuous" output for surge. But the question is: How long can the inverter provide that surge? The vast majority of consumer inverters can only provide surge for 2 seconds with most less than 1 second! This is totally inadequate for hard starting appliances. I have measured the surge on my 2 hp air compressor, and it lasted about 5 seconds before it settled out to its "continuous" wattage. My 1000 watt microwave settles down at about the 3 second mark.

So what to do? Always look for an inverter with a long surge duration. The bigger inverter companies sell them, but they are usually labeled "Industrial" or "Commercial", and are much more expensive.

Which brings me to the Whistler Pro Inverters. Whistler Pro's have something they call "Smart Surge Control" that provides the surge wattage for close to 10 seconds. That is the longest I have found of any low priced consumer based inverter. I gave several a shot, and they work as advertised! They have more than enough surge duration to start my hard starting appliances like A/C, microwave, air compressor, large power tools, sump pump, etc. My 3000 watt Whistler (5000 watt surge) can start my hard starting RV air conditioner with no problem while also running my microwave!

...So add up your continuous wattage needs. Then find the wattage of your most surge hungry appliance (here is a great chart w w w.g e n e r a t o r s a l e s.c o m/w a t t a g e-c a l c u l a t o r.a s p ) and size your inverter based on those calculations.

Example:

Rated running watts ("continuous") of my lights + fridge + sump pump = 1440 running watts

Largest Surge wattage appliance is my big sump pump = 2700 surge watts

Pick the inverter that is above both ratings, in this case I would get a Whistler Pro 1600. It is rated at 1600 watts running continuous, 3200 surge.

Remember: inverters require VERY HIGH current, so the 12v cables have to be VERY large to work correctly. For larger inverters (1500 watt+) the cables need to be LARGER than the cables you see on your car battery. Large cables are expensive, stiff and heavy, but are a MUST! Your inverter will NOT run correctly without them! Follow the cable sizing guides, and don't skimp or you will be disappointed with your inverter's performance! I cannot stress this enough. Also, keep the 12v connectors clean and tight for reliable power.

Lastly, let's talk about your batteries:

Home backup, off grid or RV (large) inverter use requires more than one deep cycle battery, usually many more. Check with an inverter pro to size your battery bank correctly BEFORE you purchase your inverter.

For those of you that are running an inverter in an idling single battery vehicle, the vehicle alternator makes your battery look bigger than it is. In my truck I have a 165 amp alternator with a 1600 watt continuous inverter. It works terrific with the engine idling. I just don't use the inverter with the engine off. The continuous large current draw on an ordinary car battery will shorten its life considerably if the engine is not running. I could install a battery isolator with a second battery, but if I leave the truck idling, that isn't necessary. Remember, BIG cables, TIGHT clean connectors!

I hope this helps you with your inverter buying quest... Good shopping ;-)

Added May 23 2013:

Just to clear up some confusion about using an inverter in a running vehicle:

If you draw more amps than the alternator can produce at idle, you will drain your battery. Once the battery voltage drops below about 10.5 volts, the inverter will shut itself down. Most alternators produce about 30%-40% of their output at idle. High output replacement alternators are readily available. Just Google "high output alternator". Be sure to increase the size of the alternator hot wire if necessary to support the higher amps of the replacement alternator...

I purchased this to run my appliances (fridge and freezer) in the case of power outages. Got heavy duty cable and battery clamps so can hook up to any available auto to power the unit. Tried on the chest freezer and the over/under fridge one at a time with no problems. Will only need to run for an hour every 5 or 6 to keep things cold enough to not spoil. Can also obviously run lights and other items as needed with this. Easy to store, easy to use, no need to store gas, no maintenance. There is always at least one car in my driveway too.

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One just can't beat the amount of wattage this item provides for the money. It seems a good quality product and simple to use. Works great, if properly set up. One thing I didn't see anybody mention is that this inverter is NOT supplied with the battery cables, which these things used to always include. As another reviewer recommended, get very heavy wiring/cables to connect this item to your vehicle because it will draw a lot of amperage when driven hard. I give this Whistler product 5 stars and two thumbs up.

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I just ordered this inverter because my 15 year old Whistler 1500 watt is going on the blink. If this one lasts have that long I will be totally happy. I think the trick to long life is mounting it horizontal and give it plenty of air space around it for cooling. I use it in my Locksmith van to run key machines, a Dremal and laptop. Not at the same time. I also don't let the inverter get stressed, I run the truck while in use. This puts less stress on the truck battery to. Past experience is why I am going with Whistler.

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Powers my 1/2 HP sump pump from a battery without breaking a sweat. The display shows 1440 watts when the pump is running which sounds too close to the max for comfort, but the fans don't even turn on -so it's very quiet -and the pump starts and runs fine (it was running about 40% on, 60% off after a heavy rain when I tested it).

Edit: (changing 5 stars to 4) Apparently something fishy is going on with the ground wire. I expected that if the ground terminal on the input side is properly grounded, then the outlets will have proper ground. Not so. My voltmeter measures zero volts between both ground & neutral, and ground & hot. My high efficiency gas water heater, which uses electricity only for electronics and exhaust fan, refuses to run with error code "wiring error: high resistance to earth ground".

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Friday, July 26, 2013

75/35 Billet Optima Battery Hold Down Tray PLAIN

75/35 Billet Optima Battery Hold Down Tray PLAINWorks great to hold my Optima battery, cept I had to trim off some of the aluminum to make it fit where the old battery used to be for my '87 4Runner.

Comes with all the hardware cept I had to go out and buy longer bolts to secure it to the truck. Works great though, battery doesn't move at all.

Its perfect for my optima.my 2008 xb loves it too.I highly recommend if you have ocd like me! ;) buy one now

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Very happy with this product.Looks great in my 99 Mustang.

But you have to drill holes to install it.

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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Premium iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS , Nano 4th Generation, Nano 5G 5th Generation, iPod Touch 2nd Generat

Premium iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS , Nano 4th Generation, Nano 5G 5th Generation, iPod Touch 2nd Generation, iPod Touch 3rd Generation 3G 3-in-1 USB Data and Charging Kit - Retractable USB Cable + USB Home / Wall / Travel Charger + USB Car / Auto Charger
  • Brand new Non-OEM Charger
  • Power your phone with a car charger that allows using your iPhone® on the road while charging it
  • Best replacement for the original iPod® Home/Travel/Car Charger
  • Compact design and retractable coil cord are made for easy storage
  • Compatible with iPhone® 4, 3G, 3GS, iPod Touch® 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, Nano 4th 5th Gen

I've used this for several weeks, and here's my feedback, piece by piece. First, the USB cord. I fully expect the retraction mechanism to fail at some point, but for now, it works fine. You plug it into your computer or into either the AC or DC adapter. Second, the AC converter works with no problem. Third, the 12VDC converter doesn't seem to be able to provide enough power to recharge the unit. I use it on airplanes, and if you plug it in to keep a fully charged ipod at full charge, it works. If you let the ipod get down to about half power or so and then plug it in, after a few seconds the ipod will announce that unit trying to charge it isn't compatible and charging will cease.

All in all, I'm happy with it considering it is so cheap.

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Bought 2 of them and should have known for the price. I tried to use them with my 3G iphone. The car adapter didn't wotk, and it actually blew the fuse in my car! So I had to replace the fuse and then use a more expensive (Griffen) but usable product. When plugged into the wall outlet, it appeared to be charging, but after one hour I had no more battery life then when I plugged it in. When I use just the cord into a PC, it works 20% of the time and the rest of the time my PC gives me an error message about the USB failing. You get what you pay for :(

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I also bought the car charger, wall charger and retractable cord. Like the previous reviewer, while the merchandise was advertised as new it came in a plastic zip lock baggy. The retractable cord is shoddily made and seems quite flimsy. The wall charger does not fit into the adapter snuggly and the charge is therefore not consistent. Also, the retractable cord does not fit into my iphone while the case is on (I have an otterbox defender). The casing around the charging port on the cord is too rectangular to probably fit into any phone or ipod that has a snug case on it. Also, I ordered three of these chargers all delivered to the same address and was charged the same shipping price for all three. Overall, not happy and would not buy again.

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Did not work right out of the box. Waste of time and money.

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Works great with my Ipod Touch 3G. No problems at all. The AC adapter is made of cheap plastic, but what do you expect for $1.29? Sure beats paying Apple $30.00 for their AC adapter. I definately recommend this product and would buy it again.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

2.5mm Hands-Free EarBud Headset + Car Kit Vehicle Plug in Charger for Verizon Samsung Intensity 2 U

2.5mm Hands-Free EarBud Headset + Car Kit Vehicle Plug in Charger for Verizon Samsung Intensity 2 U460 Cell PhoneThis was a great buy because it came with a car charger!! The only thing I thought it had but it doesn't is a button right on the headset to answer and end your calls. It is still an awesome deal! It keeps me from getting tickets for answering my phone while driving and that's why I bought it!!!

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