Xantrex Technologies XPower Plus 400-Watt Inverter #851-0400 Reviews

• Survived the North East blackout

  
  By on 2003-08-15
  It couldn't be a better time. Yesterday noon I got the X-Power 400 delivered by UPS, and in few hours it was put to its ultimate test. Yes we were hit by the 08/14 Thursday North East Blackout. But with the help of the X-Power 400, I was able to hookup the 13"TV and Dish receiver. Enought to spend the restof the evening siting in the desk and watching the CNN news update and TV programs with family and friends. I love the cigrette adapter and the battery clips.

  I used the battery clips to get power from my car battery.

  I recommend X-Power 400 for any regular household use. If you are planning to operate power tools, I suggest get the 700 or above.

  This 400 is smart, small in size packed with all the energy to keep your entertainment rolling without any interrruption. My original intention to use my Laptop on my roadtrips, but this proved to be much more useful than just powering the laptop.

  X-Power 400 User.
  
  

• ONLY 100 WATTS THROUGH CIG LIGHTER!

  
  By A326KT00EKA94O on 2006-07-25
  its a little misleading because if you plug this into a cig lighter you can only get a max 100W. if you want higher wattages you have to connect it directly to the battery with the alligator clips. RTFM
  http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/551/docserve.asp
  
  

• Get the 700 watter

  
  By A1KV6CMXV6R9SV on 2005-10-24
  Real nice unit, but I wish I had bought the Xantrex 700 watt unit instead. For instance, I have a small auto vacuum that need 6 amps. This unit won't handle it. This unit can attach to the cigarette lighter or directly to the battery. The 700 watt unit skips the lighter input -- fine with me but maybe not with you. If you need lighter input then get the 400 watt unit. I will say that the inverter is well built and designed. I like the fact that the power input leads are attached via screw posts. This lets you modify it as needed, for instance if you needed longer leads, you could make your own and not have to kludge it.
  
  

• Very useful

  
  By on 2003-11-16
  We bought this power inverter to power our daughters nebulizer and a t.v. and playstation for the kids on road trips. The only problem we had with it is when your using over 150 watts power you are supposed to hardwire it. That requires additional wiring. Other than that it is an excellent product at an excellent price!!!
  
  

• Don't buy this if you are planning to use for cordless tool charging

  
  By A3GOQWSH0BC72X on 2006-06-03
  This item works as advertised, but it is a modified sine wave inverter. If you are planning on using it to charge cordless tool batteries---don't. The owners manual contains a caution about using with cordless tool chargers (such as Dewalt). Do a quick Internet search on "cordless tools" and "modified sine wave inverter" to confirm whether your tool is effected. Some other items that may not work well are appliances with clocks, microwaves, etc. Be sure you understand the limitations of a modified sine wave inverter.
  For those smaller appliances that will run on modified sine wave, this item works well.
  
  
• adds to lifestyle and you are never out of power
  By AV0729N42FIYJ on 2004-10-29
  i am doing my masters in electrical engineering & i am a travel and gadget freak . i bought this inverter which is perfect to run my laptop,gps,cell charger,batery charger,camcorder when i am on the go.Buying the car adapters for all of these would cost atleast 400$.With this my car is my home when i am on road trips.I also use it to power my gadgets when i am on international tours.This is my best buy so far and I recommedn everyone should have one.
  
  
• Just perfect
  By A2A3M01OF3HF2W on 2005-10-10
  This device is perfectly doing what it is supposed to do. It either works from cigarette lighter or directly from the battery heads, very powerfull. It beeps when car is not running to remind you that it is using car's battery and shuts off automatically when battery is low before it dies. It brings the comfort of your home to your car
  
  
• Two outlet Inverter Review
  By A1KBFGYK9VADU5 on 2005-10-05
  This inverter works well. You can hook it up directly to an auto battery using the clips (included) or plug it into the cigarette lighter receptacle (wire also included).
  An excellent product and a great deal for the price. Not recommended for use with items that recharge batteries (like notebook computers) unless you take the battery out.
  
  
  
  
• Great Stuff!
  By A2PN40F4FC497X on 2006-02-25
  I bought this power inverter for my car. It works great. We can use 2 laptops simutaneously. And it is worthwhile.
  
  
• don't buy one for audio use
  By A3PCFGUJ98LQY6 on 2006-04-10
  I bought a Xantrex X-Power 400 Inverter about a year ago to use with my mp3 player in my car on long trips. It powered it fine, but there was such a loud buzz in the power line that it made the music unlistenable! Don't buy this product if you intend to use if for audio applications.
  
  
• Good product
  By A3S2D81JA0PHF0 on 2006-03-24
  Very nice gadget to have when you loose your electricity. We use it a lot when me and my family didn't have electricity for 3 days.
  
  Just one warning, don't use it to power the microwave. I know it was dumb of my part, but we wanted to warm our baby milk.
  
  
• Great for tailgating.
  By A37F8W82A1E6L7 on 2004-04-11
  My wife always said she prefered staying at home and watching the games on TV to going to the stadium. Now she can have the best of both worlds!

  Seriously though; When I first got my season tickets I resolved to pick up a couple of items a year to enhance the tailgating experience. My wife got me the Fire and Ice grill for Christmas and I picked up the Xantex Power Inverter and then went shopping for an inexpensive TV at a yard sale. We used to bring a small set designed to keep kids occupied on long road trips and had to sit in the cab of my truck leaning together to watch. (OK for me and my wife, akward for me and my brother, downright unnerving for me and a friend of mine) Well, No more!! I can't wait to set up this baby with a 20" plus screen in the back. Here's hoping for more late games this year so I can enjoy freezing in a parking lot watching the early game with large quantities of grilled meat!
  
  

• Works just like it should.
  By A2DCB8KX472MJJ on 2006-08-18
  I ran a PS2, a 13" color TV and a laptop all at the same time without any trouble. The unit stayed nice and cool.
  
  
• Good product, but need more improvement
  By A5MGDNGVL9N5C on 2006-07-31
  I liked this inverter, it is powerful and can drive many things simultanously such as laptop, dvd player, the speakers as I did. It's really useful for traveling with many power-hunger gadgets.
  
  It could be better if the 2 electrical outlets were far enough. I had to use the power strip to connect things together.
  Sometimes the fan makes little noise but not too annoying.
  
  I like this product and recommend it.
  
  
• Is she back there ?
  By A24K1X3FF4ZSX9 on 2006-08-23
  This Xantrex model works like a charm with a portable DVD player. We took an 11 hour car trip and in both directions I had to check and see if my daughter was awake or not. The DVD player and other devices just hummed along and made the trip a pleasure.
  
  For the price, this was a great purchase. There is a bit of fan noise, but I only noticed it when we stopped the car or turned off the radio. The directions warn you it might get hot to the touch but just running a portable DVD we never had that happen.
  
  
• Read the instructions!
  By A2KQN0OAJJ1AZL on 2007-08-05
  This unit, and the 700 watt unit, clearly state in the instructions that th only way to get those wattages from them is by connecting them directly to the battery. That's why they provide the clamps for when you're camping or such. The wires and fuse for the lighter socket cannot handle that kind of current. It's perfect for a laptop, but trying to do much more than that will blow your fuse and you'll probably blame the inverter. This is a great little unit, but I only wish that it had an aux lighter socket on it so I can use my radar detector (maybe I should just obey the speed limit, some of those radars out there are too good for even my highest rated detector).
  
  
• Just What I Needed
  By A1780CW1S8FKZD on 2005-09-30
  I bought this unit to run my Ridgid twin battery charger on board my work truck. It has performed flawlessly so far and I would recommend one to every tradesman who relies on cordless tools. It sure beats having to pull a charger out and fight for space in a job site power pole or have to set up an extension cord all the time.
  
  
• worth the 5 stars
  By A3TSQVDK4TZ1VD on 2005-10-11
  had it a year in the rv...damn, why are not all things so well designed!!
  
  i am ordering a 2nd to keep on the tractor...
  
  no fault, no penalty, you'll be happy
  
  
• Did its job...
  By A2XUPT1TYEYE9E on 2006-05-10
  Used this baby to power a DVD player on a long car trip and it worked like a champ.
  
  
• Helpful for travel and emergencies
  By AL9NZZ6PHQZO9 on 2005-09-11
  Bought this unit for summer vacation to keep kids busy with notebook computer when traveling by car. Worked great. Also keep it for emergencies at home to power wireless network and broadband equipment during electrical outages.
  
  
• Useful Item - Works fine
  By A1YW3V4DI9OGK6 on 2006-01-03
  I got this item about a year back or so. I use it to charge my cell phone (I never got the charger that works with car lighter) or my laptop etc. Proved to be very useful. Worked perfect all the time.
  
  
• Does what it should
  By A3VAPL98W9UE8 on 2007-04-20
  I used this with a Macbook pro in my car while driving across the US. This model is best of both since it comes with both a cigarette adapter, and direct connection cables with the battery. The fan turns on and off, but is quite silent and isn't noticeable.
  
  
• Works great, very reliable.
  By A22DRBVRAYXDBH on 2005-09-02
  Bought this item in order to power a mini (travel) refrigerator and my laptop during a 2,000 mile roadtrip. Worked great. Easy to set up, fairly quiet. Great product!
  
  
• Perfect for Travel
  By A1XLTXIN0BI54Y on 2005-09-09
  Purchased this item for a family road trip vacation. I was able to keep my laptop running as a DVD player for the kids and keep my digital camera and cell phones charged. I didn't experience any problems. This item was a great value!
  
  
• Great for traveling
  By A1RHGGP6SK9UID on 2005-09-14
  Deserves more than a five. It's great for all that little stuff that you usually need on your trips. Silent and a compact design.
  
  
• Positively Power
  By AEHAPUIZZU6EH on 2008-05-30
  I purchased the Xantrex 400 Watt Inverter. We also have the 700 Watt. I bought the 400 for $28, including shipping, on Amazon. Great deal. My husband gets 40-60% off at a distributor, and the $28 beat his best.
  
  My husband wanted me to get a 700, and he would hardwire it to my car battery as he did his, but I didn't want to. I wanted portability. I needed an inverter so that when I go to our storage room, which acts as my stock facility (I sell on Amazon and eBay) I could plug it into any one of the several cig lighters I have throughout my large and long Expedition. Location of it plays a big part in its convenience for me. I just plug in my computer, recharge my cameras batteries, recharge my iPod and phone, and plug in a lamp if needed. I liked the fact that I could just plug it into any car, hardwired I could not do that. This unit is completely portable. I am an avid tent camper, and we also enjoy boating, so portability is a major plus. Nothing like camping in the great outdoors, but still being able to watch a movie while snuggled up in the tent. With this, I run an extension cord into my tent, and I have DVD and a lamp or fan if needed.
  
  I live in south Florida. I am no stranger to hurricanes and their adverse effects. A portable inverter helps with power outages, and recharging all of life's modern conveniences making the sting of losing power for 3 weeks just that much easier. With this little beauty, I can directly clip my inverter onto my battery, as if hardwired, and it provides higher wattage or amperage, whichever you call it. When it is plugged into the cig lighter, it can only provide what that specific outlet was set up to deliver, which I think is 100 on almost every car model out there. Directly hooked on the battery, it gets close to 400. Why they call it a 400 and not a 380 or whatever the max wattage is is beyond me, but all the inverters are set up like that. Go figure. Must have been a man's grand design. Kidding, but you have to admit, guys just measure things differently. Double entendre intended.
  
  At any rate, if you find it at a good price and you care about portability, this is a great unit. I have no issues with it. It is not noisy. I never even hear the fan!
  
  I no longer have to purchase a new car charger for my cell phone when I have upgraded. With this, I just use the wall plug in my car. For that alone, it justifies the price. Two car chargers are more than the price of this unit.
  
  My package included the unit and two sets of fairly long cables. One cable is for plugging into the cig lighter, the other is a nicely made cable that clamps directly onto your car's battery, the clamps are much smaller than jumper cables, but seem to be equally sufficient.
  
  This unit is versatile, portable and an all around good purchase. Every car should have one.
  
  Best wishes.
  
  
• Great little inverter. Powered 2 large laptops
  By A81U3PRZFFSLO on 2005-09-21
  This guy powered 2 dell 9300's at the same time with no trouble at all.
  
  
• Good Product
  By A24AQL65GWAZMS on 2006-08-16
  It works good on the trip. Very useful product. If the two sockets were not too close to each other, it would be perfect!
  
  
  
  
• Perfect For Mobile Electronics
  By A3QYK1HXNDFFAQ on 2007-02-03
  I use this inverter to power my laptop and external hard drive while on the move. It's cool to the touch and quiet. I think my hard drive makes more noise. As a bonus, it's light and small. Perfect.
  
  
• Works great - I recommend
  By AFZISW22S65FG on 2007-03-20
  I used this for long driving and so far, it has performed to my expectations. Powered my laptop and phone simultaneously for the entire trip. I would give this 5 stars, but the fan is a little louder than I expected and the unit is rather large. But so far I'm happy with this and expect this to last for quite a while.
  
  

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