[+]
4.0
bad power supplies
We purchased 6 of these power supplies to power our laptops in our retail stores and of the 6 we purchased, two of the AC power supplies have gone bad so we were unable to charge the units. After 3 emails to the manufacturer, Xantrex, they shipped me one replacement AC power supply free of charge. However, when the second one went bad and I have now contacted them 4 times, I have not heard anything back. Have even tried contacting the manufacturer of the AC power supply, Speclin, to see about purchasing some directly from them and did not hear back from them either. So now I am stuck with one of these units and I am unable to re-charge the unit.
Well the first one of these that amazon sent to me died in two days. The charging light refused to go out until the unit was fully charge even if the unit was unplugged, also the reading on the digital readout of wattage was vastly incorrect.
After receiving my second unit from amazon it works as described and I've found that this is mainly designed for light duty applications. Even though it sounds very powerful since it's able to run a device that is 600 watts and all. If you really desire to power something that powerful get a generator or something that holds more juice than this. For the most part I just use this to charge other batteries ie cell phones, laptop, and rechargeable batteries. I charge this machine on a solar panel about twice a week or so. 30 Watt Mono-crystalline Portable Briefcase Solar Panel 12V Charger - temper proof glass
It takes 3 to 5 hours to charge DC with a perfectly sunny day, which could easily give you to time to charge cell phones and laptops and not have to use this machine till the evening in an emergency.
[+]
10.0
The product you secretly can't wait to use?
When Hurricane Ike took us out in Texas we were without power for about a week. Many others were without for so much longer. I was pretty stocked up on batteries and even a shake light or 2 and a Grundig crank radio. A lot of people in my neighborhood had gas generators and I was tempted to get one also but doing the math - people were spending $50 a day to basically keep their refrigerator running. It didn't make sense to me to spend $50 a day to keep about $100 in food cold for a week. Thats a few hundred dollars a week and you can't really use a generator to run your air conditioner either.
So when I saw this battery pack I thought it was worth a shot. I really haven't had a chance to use it during an emergency but after fully charging it up I checked it out. I was able to run my laptop all night and it still had power left. I was also able to run a few small fans with no problem. The trick here is small - don't try to plug your room cooling Vornado into this, we're talking small appliances.
I think the usage here is like this. If the power goes out, you have a portable big honkin' battery pack you can take from room to room and power stuff. Need to make some coffee, take it into the kitchen and plug in the coffee pot. Need to access your laptop or charge your cell phone or such, its perfect for that.
I think it'll be great for camping also. It comes jumper cables and claims to be able to jump your car - can't attest to that but nice to know I have the option. It also comes with an adapter to charge from the wall and also to charge FROM your car. Thats a pretty neat idea. During Ike, I was charging phones & such in the car as we went to the store and one errands. Not sure how long it would take to charge but take this with you and let it charge up while you are out and about.
All in all I secretly can't wait for an excuse to use this product. Its solidly built, has a light and a radio built it. The light should be LED really, but its the old fashioned bulb kind.
[+]
10.0
Great product, great shipper
The product is great. I've charged and used it and it's been a blessing. I needed it for my sleep apnea and my CPAP incase the power goes out. This battery will keep my CPAP running for 2 full nights before needing a recharge. It's the best. The shipper was very fast, shipped in 1 day. Thanks.
[+]
6.0
Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack 600
Used this product on a 7K cross country trip. It let me down a few times and saved the day once. First, the battery life is not as much as advertised. It must be kept fully charged at all times to be effective. I had to use the "Jump Start" feature once and it came thru like a champ. I was using the unit primarily to power a portable cooler (Coleman AC/DC unit). The Duracell could not power it all night, it was dead by morning, less than 10 hours. Even charging it all day in the car (DC input) did not bring it up to a full charge. To fully charge it via AC takes over a day. I can see using it for small operations, but it will not sustain any long periods of use. For a home power outage it can give you enough power to use your lights for a while but try to watch TV with a light on for more than 30 mins and you will be out of luck..
[+]
10.0
Perfect low cost powerpack for CPAP
Received in record time and performs great! Does as promised. Bought for CPAP machine but used it the 3rd day for jump starting a tractor. Battery connections are in need of redesign...too difficult to attach to machine.
Buying this makes up for buying the 400 watt xandrex solar which was dissapointing. YOU can add a 30 watt solar panel to charge AND an extra external battery via battery cables to multiply the power output time considerably!! BUY this if want a stand alone work shop power supply for small to medium appliances or RV for a "green" power setup. Jumpstart a car is bonus too. Glad to see Green technology finally here. My mechanic suggested getting a $1700 honda generator which is way too much for a camping or emergency power supply. I'm going to invest in the bigger xandrex 1500 watt power supply since very happy with this product.
This is xandrex, well worth the money, will replace a small 1000 watt generator I was planning on getting used since pricey.
[+]
10.0
Performs as needed.
I recently purchased two of these Powerpacks to take tailgating at football games. I run a dish receiver, LCD TV and a margarita machine. I only use one at a time, and I can get almost an hour and a half from one pack. When it gets low, I simply unplug a single outlet and plug it into the other pack. All in all, I can get around three hours of use out of the two packs. They perform just as described and I'm sure they will come in handy during the winter to power small heaters or other devices as need since we occasionally lose power due to ice.
The quality of this item is excellent. We charged it up and plugged in a lamp that we would use if the power had gone out and also plugged in both our cell phones. We turned the light on and went to bed. It was still on and still had over 20% charge left in the morning. Phones were fully charged. Radio tuner could be better if it had a fine tuning knob like our weather radio has. Overall, great product.
[+]
2.0
Inop right out of the box
I used one star because the system won't let you select anything lower. Maybe I got the lemon, but the unit would not charge. I first tried the AC charger, but after one week of charging the battery was still dead. Thinking it may be the AC charging unit, I trying using the DC power cable. I hooked the unit up in my car for a week of my daily commute (about an hour a day). The battery pack never moved from a zero charge. I finaly shipped the unit back for a refund.
Overall, this seems like a durable and decently sized portable power source with a few nice bells and whistles, but for the price I think it could be better. Here's what I found lacking:
1) The included jumper cable set would not plug in to the socket on the unit. I had to jam a screwdriver into the socket and actually snap a bit of plastic to make enough space. This indicates a lack of quality control and/or testing at the factory.
2) The radio tuning control is extremely finicky. Barely tap it and the radio tunes too far up or down. It takes a while to get it tuned where you want it.
3) The included light source is a dim, inefficient incandescent flashlight bulb.
[+]
10.0
Does what it says it does....
Works as advertised.....no, it is not a generator but if you need to run a
few 40-60 watt lights, a small TV, charge your cell phone or listen to the
radio this item is great. And if you need a jump start for your car battery, it will do that, too. I particulary liked the idea of being able to hook up to the car battery and use it for extending the life of the internal battery on this unit....so far it has gotten us through 2 power failures of about 4 hours each with lights and TV....keep in mind that after February 2009 it will also have to power the digital converter box along with the TV.....that is another reason I got it.....
This has already proven to be a useful item. We lost power with Tropical Storm Fay, and we ran a few items easily, including a small hairdryer for my wife. Bought it at $100 and feel that was a good deal. The radio is not the best (obviously), but would be handy in a prolonged emergency. Neat side note: this item can be charged via solar panels with a little side work (explained in the user's manual).
One con: the peak wattage is 600, normal running is at 480 watts.
[+]
10.0
Better than I experted
I have a dead battery on my motorcycle and I was going to get a new battery for it. I used the money to buy this power pack instead. they cost about the same.
I was going to let the power pack to jump start my bike's battery and let it charge on it's own. but after I got the power pack and I tried to let it charge the motorcycle's battery over night and see what happens.
Guess what?! It charged the battery to full power. It's like new now.
I did not have to buy a battery for my bike anymore. love it.
[+]
6.0
Good product if it worked completely
I bought this battery for vending at festivals and camping. I first tested it using 3- 40watt bulbs and it ran for almost 2 1/2 hrs. This was not enough time for my purpose so I bought different lights that use the energy saving bulbs that were only 13 watts but give out 40watts worth of light, and it ran for about 5 hrs, which is exactly what I needed. It also ran for about 5-6 hours playing my Zune with computer speekers that have a woofer, supposedly 5-15watts, depending on volume. The problem is that the LCD doesn't work to show how much battery is left, and from what I've read in other reviews, this function doesn't really work anyway so I wasn't too disappointed and was going to keep it. But, I just found out the hard way while camping that the DC charging unit doesn't work so I only got to use the battery for the first 2 days. This is a great product but if you order it, just make sure it functions properly before relying on it. I am in the process of trying to return it right now for the same product cause it will be worth the cost when I get one that works.
[+]
10.0
great for home and boat
I bought this unit about 2 months ago and brought it with me to South America. I've been living here for 6 years and there are often times power outages so I wanted something with enough power to power up a TV and my modem at home so that I could have some sort of entertainment with these outages. So far, it has worked like a charm. I have a 32" Sharp TV that works for at least an hour (the power went back on) and I also connected my laptop and modem. Again, worked great. Very easy to use and as long as you keep it plugged in at all times it'll be ready when you need it. Now, I also have a boat where I lived and just a few days ago one of my batteries went dead so I hooked up the Duracell 600 to it and the motor started right up. I kept it connected for a few hours and it charged the bad battery. From now on, I'll bringing it aboard with me just in case. At this price, this product is EXCELLENT! When I leave Venezuela next year, I'll sell it for sure, but I'll be buying another when I get back to the U.S. I did A LOT of research on these power packs and truly, you can't go wrong with this one if you want temporary portable power. I weighed it (before I checked my luggage) and in the box it's about 32 pounds. I know there are differing weights going around on this product but for sure it's about that weight. Buy this product!
It seems like the best of all possible choice at the time and I can't wit to put it to use, but am not inviting an emergency.
I bought two of these to use as a power backup when my AC goes out. I am a CPAP user and it is important for me that my CPAP unit runs all night. using the 12 VDC directly I can get 2 nights of CPAP per charge... this will get me thru most power episodes.
These are great units for the size and they will also crank your car or truck easily when your battery craps out. they come with a very robust and well-thought-out set of proprietary jumper cables which make it nearly impossible to reverse polarity or short them out.
I got these units for 99 bucks each and they are super. great for taking along camping or traveling as well. there is a lot of battery on board. The Duracell brand and the Xantrax brand are one and the same.
Previously I have used a 450 AH version for about 5 years now and it has never failed me yet.
[+]
10.0
Great for camping.
This product is great at its primary purpose, being a portable battery. Although the radio's sound quality is not the greatest, it still works great to listen to storm warnings and such. I would reccomend this to anyone that is considering buying this product.
I bought this a few weeks ago for power backup here in Florda during hurricane season. Haven't used it for that yet, but a friend used it to jump start his car a few times until he got a new battery. No problem with that. I also used it to power my hedge trimmer. Much easier than plugging and unplugging extension cords while going around my yard. It's not a generator, but I think it's a good alternative for what it is.
This powerpack has saved me several times.
This works great for jump starting cars and boats!
[+]
10.0
Review for Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack 600 Jump Starter & Emergency Power Source with Radio
This product exactly mathches the requirement of mine, and I am happy with the performance of it.
[+]
10.0
Very Powerful!!!
Runs my telescope, camera, & computer all night with radio with an occasional burst from a hair dryer for the dew removal. The 600HD will go for a few nights b4 I have to recharge. Recharge is far shorter than 35hours as directions say. Light is not very useful due to it's angle but is VERY bright. I like to monitor the power especially when doing long exposure fotos and it seems to go down pretty quickly but after it rests for a while, it climbs back closer to 100%!!!
Very happy with the product!
[+]
8.0
It is NOT SAFE to leave this unit in your car trunk
An important item that the marketing materials leave out is that this unit must not be used or stored above 104 degrees Fahrenheit. There is a warning in the owners' manual about this. I contacted the manufacturer by email and asked if it was OK to store the unit in the trunk of a vehicle, which could get up to 150 degrees or so in the summer sun, as long as you let it cool down below 104 degrees before using it. The representative checked with their engineering department and responded to me that it is not safe to do so. Seems you can't allow the unit to get below 32 degrees Fahrenheit either, according to the manual. So much for leaving the unit in your car as an emergency backup.
Another thing that is not mentioned is that the AC outlets provide power that is a "simulated sine wave;" simply stated, this means it is not as "clean" as power from a regular AC outlet. Therefore, I would not recommend that expensive computers and other electronic equipment be plugged into the AC outlet. Use the 12V DC "cigarette lighter" outlet for this type of equipment, using the appropriate adapter for your cell phone or computer, and it is perfectly fine.
Otherwise, generally speaking, a good unit to have around, in your climate controlled garage, in case the power fails.
We have 3 of these. We lose power a lot and this will run small things like a fans, radios, probably a tv, but I haven't tried it. I had hoped it would run an oxygen machine but it only lasted for 15 minutes. The compressor on the oxygen machine just pulls too much juice. We have been pleased with this product.
[+]
8.0
Solar Power Generator
I'm using a 15 watt solar panel to keep the Powerpack 600 charged. I use it to charge pdas, cell phones, video games. I have also used it for portable power on fans,lights, TVs, and laptops. Will not power frigs and large power hunger items. I purchased the Powerpack 600 to see if it would charge from a solar panel and it charges from sun-up to sun-down. HEY,I'm a little greener than I once was!
[+]
10.0
Tailgater's Best Friend!
This power pack is awesome! It's great to have this kind of power to run a stereo, a blender, laptop, and still have enough power to spare to provide someone else without one of these a jump at any NASCAR Race or Jimmy Buffett Concert!
Best $100 I Spent for my tailgating passion!
[+]
4.0
Good Idea - badly manufactured...
I initially bought this product to use on a campsite at Rothbury Music Festival - mainly to keep our cell phones charged up and listen to a radio/cd player. It worked well, however, the face panel on the unit did not work correctly and would not display the wattage/battery percentage. I returned the item to amazon and they sent me another very fast. This unit, however, experienced the same issues as the first.
I can attest that the battery worked well, but I was unable to calculate how long it actually lasted because the digital panel on the front didn't work correctly.
Overall, not worth the money until they correctly manufacture this unit.
[+]
4.0
Noise, Noise, Noise
I purchased this unit with the anticipation of powering my music to perform. The amount of noise coming from this unit's power was ridiculous. These guys have a long was to go in cleaning this up. I even went as far as buying a stage 2 power filter and it didn't even phase the noise. So...back it went. Beware!
[+]
10.0
Great item at a great price
This item is better then I thought. I think the best feature is the display that tells you how many watts a plugged in device is using so that you can estimte how much time it will last. Yes it is heavy, it is giant battery after all but for those of us that live in an apartment and cannout use a gas powered generator this is a great alternative. The price is great and you will kick your self the next time your power goes out and you say to yourself "Why didn't I get one of these when I had the chance and before the power had gone out ?". Get it before you are in a situation that you need it and you will not regret it, I am actually considering buying 2 more.
http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/265/p/1/pt/30/product.asp
[+]
10.0
this thing DELIVERS
I had originally purchased Sears' version -- which was quickly returned. It had an air compressor that would overheat the unit, and to run DC source, the inverter needed to be turned on and was so loud i could not hear my radio.
I've used this Duracell600 a few times now and it is awesome. Ran my Bose Wave radio on the beach all day, 4 days in a row (would recharge at night) - and the day I left the beachhouse, my truck's battery was completely dead. Pulled this thing out and jumped it on the first try. This thing really is sweet.
[+]
2.0
Only 1 out of 3 units worked
Had to try 3 units to get 1 that would hold a charge.
good luck...
Great for power outages - probaably won't run your fridge though. But great in having a built in radio, light, and can power a lamp or fan.
[+]
10.0
super power supply
I got stuck last week with my car's alternator and battery being dead. This unit started my car 4 times that night and I actually used the supply to power the car so I could drive it an extra block to avoid paying a tow charge. It powers my hungry laptop for up to 4 hours between charges. I can't reccomend this power supply more....all aces
The Duracell power pack was a great buy. the power pack was great on our camping trip. Several people at our campsite love it and stop and asked where i had bought it. The price was great and it was worth it. while camping i was able to power regular size CD home sterio and a electrical air pump to inflate an air matress at the same time without any power loss.the radio worked the emergency light was brite. make sure you re charge after each use for longer power source if you are camping.
[+]
2.0
Gem is a big time dud
After reading reviews, I had hoped this product could be an answer to a portable power problem. All it had to do was power a portable dvd player.
When I got it I charged it with the supplied DC power supply for well over 48 hours. Not a single light turned on. Maybe my wall isn't putting enough out... the manual said it needs 120v. So, I had someone who drive extensively charge it for over 6 hours over a few days, a sure way to charge, yet still nothing, except the normal screech of death when I turned on its AC switch.
Well, Duracell, this is the second time one of your batteries failed me. I thought Duracell meant something.. it does, unreliability. I had hoped it wouldn't be so,really, but I'm so disappointed. Had there been a zero rating, I would give it such since this product gave me a huge headache in trying to get it to work, and the time wasted. My recommendation - Don't buy Duracell (a Xantrex Co.) They don't have a very good quality assurance program, in my experience. Unless you plan to buy 100 bucks of paper weight, this item is a no go.
I'm glad and thankful Amazon is taking it back and refunding my money.
[+]
10.0
Very handy to have
I bought this for my business to run my cash register when I do trade shows. So far it has worked like a gem. I used it for a weekend to run my register and didn't have to charge it at all. It also doubled as an anchor for my dog's leash so the weight of it came in handy!
Last weekend we lost power for about 6 hours and it powered a light and a fan for us, I was very thankful that I had purchased this.
I think if you remember that this is a power pack and not a actual generator than you will be very pleased with what it can do.
This thing does a great job. I use it on my boat to power lights, fans or the tv in the evenings after shutting down the generator. It works really well. My only complaint is the ear-shattering alarm that sounds when it's about out of juice. It went off at 4am one morning and scared the heck out of us! I wish there was a way to shut it off. Minor annoyance, though, for a really good product.
[+]
10.0
Handy Power Source
I've only used this on one camping trip and specifically for running my notebook computer and it worked great. The power lasted for 6-7 hours. I thought it might be too heavy to lug along, but it was reasonable for the convenience. The power gage is not very helpful. Overall I think its a great unit and I suppose its a great emergency power backup at home. It can stay plugged in and trickle charged all of the time.
Ran my 25" TV for 4 hours, 8" portable DVD player all day, and probably around 5-10 hours for my 14" laptop depending on what I'm doing (haven't ran it long enough yet to find out).
The display on my unit doesn't seem to be accurate but it's not really a feature I care about anyways. There is a light that lets me know when the battery if fully charged which 'is' working fine. When the battery is low it emits a short burst high pitch whine every 20 seconds or so. This is fairly loud so you will be able to hear it if you are anywhere in the vacinity. Not overly loud though, won't startle you.
I use the powerpack everyday for my laptop, as I work out of my car, and have had no issues with it yet in the first month. It might be a bit heavy for some (around 30lbs) but it's not very big and being a 29 year old male I don't mind the weight at all. My favorite thing about this product is how I can just leave it plugged in to recharge at all times when I'm not using it with no fear of it overcharging (ac only).
I made the mistake of letting the internal battery power run too low and so now I'm unable to charge it using the AC Adapter. I did read the manual before using it and did not see any warnings about "over using" the product. Only after having problems and then going to the mfr website was I able to find information on this problem. Right now I'm trying to revive the battery by charging it in my car, but so far (after 2 days of driving) I'm still not able to use the AC adapter. All in all, this is way too much trouble for something that I was going to use in emergency situations. Finally, as mentioned in other reviews, this is a very heavy item and it takes some strength to carry it around.
[+]
8.0
Meets expectations
I use this powerpack to run my pop-up camper. It is much quieter than a generator and costs a lot less too. I plug my campers AC right into the powerpack just like I would if it were a generator. I have yet to plug something in that trips the over current circuit. This summer I will be able to determine how long the battery will last while camping. Until then, I am satisfied with the peak power performance. This powerpack can handle pretty high draw without tripping.
This battery pack is no substitute for a generator, but is certainly a great backup. Rather than start up a generator to power a drill or a television, you can simply utilize this relatively light powerpack to run low power devices. We're definitely going to purchase a second one!
The internal light is powerful, and the internal radio is convenient. It's only an extra benefit that it can be used to jumpstart a vehicle. We're going to pick up some solar trickle chargers and use this as a small solar system in the house.
The only reason I did not give this product a 5 star rating is because it doesn't have over charge protection while using the 12 volt charger.
So far I have used this product twice on my 350 cu in V8 and it has worked each time!
Dan
Is there enough power to run a sump pump intermittently during a rainstorm when the power is out???
[+]
8.0
Good price for a backup power source!
I haven't actually needed to "use" this item yet but I've got it plugged up and on "standby" for any emergency. I bought it mainly for the wattage and the price. Compared with the Black and Decker Powermate (only 400 watts) I felt this was superior AND Duracell is a good name for battery products in my book! I can say that I have used the radio and the light on it and that it appears to be charging fine.
the readout of home much juce is left is blank which makes the product esentialy ussless
Great product. I took it on our first family camping trip. It blew up our air beds, ground fresh coffee, recharged my laptop - You know, roughin' it. All that and the charge never fell below 100%. I wouldn't take it backpacking, it weighs about 25lbs. But great for drive up camping, power outages, powering photo lights, etc.
Highly recommended. We were the envy of the campground.
[+]
8.0
When you need power
I've been using this power pack off and on for a few weeks and it's been great so far. If you need some additional or emergency power this is a good item to have in your inventory.
[+]
10.0
Versatile Power Source
I spent a long time searching for a portable power supply and this was the most versatile one that I could find. It has excellent jump-start power and also provides both AC and DC outlets. Other nice features are the radio and light, although it would have been better if the light were LED. The available power closely matches the times listed in the specs. In camp, it worked great for recharging cell phones, Gameboys, camera batteries. At home, it works great for powering a cable modem during a power outage to keep the house phone working.
