329
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ranked #73,305 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★☆☆☆☆
Didn't work for me.
I'm afraid this box didn't do the job. After charging for 3 days (1 day more than instructed by the manual), I ran a 65 Watt light bulb from one of the outlets. After only 13 minutes I got the low battery alarm. I tried charging for 2 more days and got the same result. I then called Xantrex tech support (Though the box is sold as Duracell, the tech support number in the manual is for Xantrex - BTW, kudos to them for having a real person answer the phone). They said I should try first charging from a car for 2 hours (I was using the AC adapter previously). I plugged it into my car lighter socket, but the charge light did not come on. It did light when AC charging, so I checked the battery voltage with a meter. The problem was that the battery read over 13V, so it was already higher than my car battery. That was enough trouble-shooting for me, so I returned the Powerpack today, before my return window with Amazon closed. Amazon paid for return shipping, so I'm still happy with them. I got free shipping with the purchase, so I'm out zero dollars.
Here's what I think is wrong with this product. Gel cells (the battery inside the Powerpack) can't sit for a long time in storage without charging because their internal resistance goes up (something called sulfation). When that happens the battery can seem fully charged, but it isn't because the resistance prevents it from really charging. I don't think these Powerpack products move out the door rapidly enough, so many sit in storage too long before being sold. If you are lucky, you'll get one that hasn't been stored too long and won't have a problem. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't lucky and I'm unwilling to spin the wheel again.
To Duracell/Xantrex: You need to fix this problem by switching to a battery type that doesn't have these basic weakness. Lithium batteries would be ideal. It would raise the price of the box, but it would be worth it because you could get more power in the same size with less weight. Also consider that far fewer Powerpacks would be returned. That's got to save you some cash, yes? I'm ready to buy a Lithium powered one, even at $200, but don't make me wait too long.
June 2009 · Automotive · verified purchase