Xantrex 852-0200 XPower Powerpack 200 Plus Portable Backup Power Source Reviews

• Wonder how I ever did without it.

  
  By AWZ5RARKU8V6R on 2006-06-26
  I have sleep apnea and can run my cpap for eight plus hours when the power goes out. It inflates things with ease. Our car battery was completely dead and it started it on the first try. We have had ours for over a year and now I want to buy them for gifts.
  
  

• Excellent portable power solution

  
  By A1N3B83EJAD6KE on 2007-01-03
  This is an all around great performer when it comes to portable power. With an AC and DC plug you can power many small devices for a long time. As well I have jumped a couple cars with no trouble. Having everything available in a compact profile is very handy. The designers of this did a great job of thinking about it from the customer standpoint when putting it all together. My only issue with it is the charging of the pack via DC. I have 2 of them, a 150 and a 200 and neither will charge via the DC adapter. (in the manual it says you can use the double sided dc adapter and charge it back up via your car's cigarette adapter.
  
  

• A LIFE SAVOR!

  
  By AUJNXLQHW91KG on 2007-01-18
  I GOT 2 OF THESE ON FOR MY HUSBAND AND ONE FOR ME. MY HUSBAND HAD TO USE HIS THE OTHER DAY CAUSE HIS CAR BATTERY WAS DEAD HE WAS GOING TO JUMP HIS CAR WITH MINE UNTIL I REMINDED HIM THAT WE HAD THESE, HE WAS KINDA IFY ON IT UNTIL I SAID TO JUST TRY IT SO HE DID HE SAID HE HOOKED IT UP TO THE BATTERY TURNED IT ON AND WALKED AROUND AND TURNED THE IGNITION OVER AND THE CAR STARTED RIGHT UP HE WAS AMAZED AT HOW FAST AND HOW GOOD IT WORKED. THE REASON WHY I GOT THIS MODEL IS BECAUSE HIS TIRE IS ALWAYS GOING LOW AND THE FAN BELT IS ALWAYS BRAKING SO THE TIRE COMPRESSOR AND THE LIGHT I THOUGHT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR HIM. WE BOTH LOVE THIS AND RECOMEND IT TO ANYONE.
  
  

• Does what it is suppose to do

  
  By AB66901BJCRNY on 2007-02-20
  I haven't had a chance to jump start a dead battery yet but everything else seems to do the job....fill car tires and plug a light into it. It is fairly light at 16 lbs. and compact so it is suitable to carry in my Honda CR-V for emergencies...my own or others. I hike in some remote areas so it is reassuring to have it in the back at all times. Wish I had it awhile back when I came out to the garage and found a tire half flat. It would have been nice to fill it up and drive to my tire repair shop instead of having to change it first with that puny jack they put in cars now. Another use for it is powering my computer and maybe a lamp the next time there is a power outage....I think the way things are going we will see more outages over the coming years. For $58 or so you get a lot of utility for your money.
  
  

• Can't be beat for the price.

  
  By A1LDKZ7ES2XTMS on 2007-08-24
  Seems I got mine for under 50 dollars and it was Free Shipping, which is the main reason why I try to always do Amazon first.
  For 39.95 delivered to your door, it's AWESOME.
  
  Keep in mind it is a 12 Amp/Hour battery. This must be considered when you are thinking about your application/use. For most people this means look at the AC Inverter Output ratings: 160W contintuous/200W for 5 minutes, 320W max brief surge, at 115V AC 60Hz appliances. Use a 200W incandescent lamp and probably how long would you think until it starts to go dim?
  
  I bought it because it's better than jumper cables, has a functional flashlight, and I can inflate my tires, although I'd say don't expect much from the itty bitty compressor motor, it took about a minute to inflate a small pillow for my sleeping bag!
  
  However, primarily, it purchased this for a powersupply to my QRP ham radio, which draws only 55 mA on RX and 1 Amp max on TX, so this battery will run my radio for days. I used it for 4 hours mostly transmitting (5 Watts). After the contest, 4 hours later, it was still able to give me 5W output with the Voltage reading 11.9V on Transmit, 12V on Receive. It's small, the integrated handle is wonderful, and everything is self-contained.
  
  Unbeatable if you can ever get so lucky and find it for under 50 bux.
  
  It is possible to improve the longevity and Power handling performance of the battery, but not without significant addition of weight, and not without significant increase in cost.
  
  There are other makes that cost more, are bigger, heavier, and have no inverter. Not to mention pressure guage and built in air hose+nozzles.
  
  This product does everything I want it to do, but I was not expecting it to power even a 60W bulb or anything like that. It does what it was designed to do.
  
  If someone buys the smallest Toyota pickup truck expecting it to accomplish the hauling capacity of a Full Sized Tundra, only disappointment can follow.
  
  I am very pleased with my unit and I would purchase Xantrex again.
  
  NT4XT
  
  
• Couldn't ask for better !!
  By A1N655X9X7C6QY on 2007-06-25
  Oh..this ones a keeper...a small tote-able generator..air hose...and I love it.
  
  Very easy to carry !!!
  
  I bought it to pump up my car and bike tires at home..and this does the job PERFECTLY !..but it also starts the car..will run a light or phone or computer during a black out...or traveling..and has an emergency light to boot.
  
  I did have to charge it for a couple of days...and then......I pumped up my bikes 80 pp tires and the truck too !!.you just set the weight put the hose on and push the button !
  
  Its GREAT and I love it...you will to !!!
  
  
• Great item for people with sleep apnea!
  By A28E87HVOYLVVV on 2008-03-25
  I purchased the Xantrex 200 Powerpack for my husband who has sleep apnea, and is on CPAP nightly. This little unit paid for itself when the electricity went out in the middle of the night a couple of weeks ago. He plugged his CPAP into the unit and went right back to sleep. We still haven't tested it to see just how many hours he can get out of it, but he was able to sleep at least 4 hours with no problem. It sure beats having to get up and drag the gas generator out of storage at 2am! :o)
  
  The only downside is that we should have gone ahead and bought one of the bigger Xantrex units. Our medical supply company suggested getting a car battery and inverter, and we didn't feel that was feasible for us. This has been one of the best purchases we've made, and we'll probably get another unit to go along with this one in case of emergency.
  
  I highly recommend the Xantrex Powerpacks for anyone on CPAP. It's well worth the money, easy to use, and is a real lifesaver.
  
  
• great
  By A2OI0MD926FZ8H on 2007-06-02
  if ou own a car this is a must have -never be stranded again with a dead battery. also very handy around the house when the power goes out. wouldn't be without it!
  
  
• Awesome Find!! Thanks Amazon
  By A2E0DVN40HCRHE on 2007-06-30
  This was a great find, at less than 1/2 the price of similar Astronomy portable power sources it performed very well. It doesn't have a radio and three (or more) plugs but there are adapters for multiple items which will still be cheaper than buying an Astronomy specific power source. This powered my Celestron NexStar 8se for over 4 hours and still had at least half its charge left.
  
  Easy to carry and use, the air compressor works well too. Love it and going to recommend it to everyone who uses portable power supplies with their telescopes.
  
  
• Would not hold a charge
  By A3R5FE4GSX97W7 on 2007-08-08
  Bought this item to bring on a camping trip to power a cd player and patio lights. Before leaving, we charged the Powerpack for nearly 72 hours, more than the 48 hours suggested by the instruction. The first thing we tried to use was the cd player - the Powerpack worked for 20 minutes then died. We then recharged the Powerpack by plugging into our vehicle's power source and driving around for a few hours sightseeing. The Powerpack green light came on indicating it was fully charged. That night, we waited until it was dark to try the patio lights (1 strand), the lights & Powerpack died after 20 minutes. We weren't expecting to light the area all night, just 2-3 hours which was what the Powerpack should have done. No option for zero stars, so had to pick 1 star.
  
  
• Works Wonders
  By A3TSIJ9I5MJUP4 on 2007-07-25
  Not only did I receive the powerpack in 3 days but it is wonderful. It works wonders, I would definitely recommend it people.
  
  
• Just what I've been looking for!
  By A2DG655MYOVC0L on 2007-08-02
  Along with a first aide kit, a Xantrex Powerpack should belong in every household, and perhaps every car.
  
  Some reasons you may wish to consider purchasing:
  
  1. Storm / rolling Power outage -- no problem. Run a small appliance (coffee maker, radio, tv, scanner, light, cell phone) using this device to get you through those painstaking times where would normally be breaking out the candle lights and scrounging for a good book.
  
  2. If you drive a sports car that sits in the garage all winter, this is a must have -- no more fussing with cables, just charge it up, and jump your car when you're ready to cruise in the summer time.
  
  3. Camping! Inflate your comfy air mattress, charge the kids' video games or iPod, or plug in your portable TV while you relax after a day of fishing and hiking.
  
  4. A great accessory to keep in any vehicle. Although I like keeping mine in the home for emergency purposes, I'm considering purchasing two additional units for each of my family's cars.
  
  5. Bonus -- everyone hates waiting in line, or dropping quarters into the air pump at the local gas station. Get your self a cheap tire pressure gauge, and use this to keep your tires inflated properly.
  
  
• Inexpensive and exactly what I am looking for
  By AZAC3AMG4W2H9 on 2007-08-09
  I need 110 power out in the middle of nowhere to run pyrotechnics. This little battery rig does just what I need. I can't speek for the other features because, frankly, I'm not planning on useing them. I'm just udeing the 110 power socket on the top. Of course I'm not useing it for a car, but I assume everything else works fine as well. It's light, durable, and rechargeable, everything I need.
  
  
• Worth Every Dime!
  By A1O2GTYNFTCUK2 on 2007-09-29
  A great product with several functions. A great jumper for the car or truck, super back-up power supply, light with a pump for tires etc. worth the money and only needs to be charged every three months if not used.
  
  
• good item
  By A3AG1H490IYFFF on 2007-11-26
  purchased this unit a few weeks ago and have been only using it lightly, but it works well and i'm happy with it. only downside i can think of is that it comes with a power meter (that lets you know how much juice is left in the battery) but i'm not sure how accurate it is, as the powerpack seems to go from having full power (according to the power meter) to having no power (again, according to the power meter) after using it for a while- problem is that there's really no indication of the transition (power bar seems to only stay either at full bars or at no bars).
  
  
• It does as advertised.
  By A2TP5IQLSJRXAB on 2007-10-31
  I have had the Xantrex 852-0200 for a few months and have used several times and it has worked well. I have not used it charge a battery and I can't speak to the manufacturing problems mentioned by others but I have used it to power a laptop, an IPOD stereo system as well as a desk lamp and after about two hours of combined usage, it still indicated a charge of a a little more then half. I also used it on a tire but I only needed to top it up, I got the impression that this may not be an efficient way to fill up more then one tire at a time but it served it's purpose.
  Overall I like this and as long as you don't expect it to run your house, it should prove handy for when you need a few hours of power for low energy products.
  
  
• Works well. Nice and portable too.
  By AGV2K9CXF5NKH on 2008-02-22
  So far I've used this a couple times to jump my 98 Ford Windstar. My wife normally uses this vehicle and its become a little unreliable because the dome lights don't always go out due to aging door-ajar sensors that I don't want to pay to replace. This little unit was simple enough for her to use to jump the van when it died on her. (Well she did have to call me to walk her through one part ... she had forgotten to "turn on" the jump function with the switch on the side. Its kind of hidden in a weird spot.).
  
  I've only used it for jumping our minivan. I usually keep it plugged-in, in our garage with the AC plug which supposedly won't overcharge the unit. It seems to work.
  
  I haven't used the air pump yet, but I know it works because my wife accidently turned it on once and it scarred the daylight out of my kids!
  8-)
  
  The best thing about it is that its very portable, so we can take it with us in the back of the VAN and it gives you some peace of mind that you won't be stranded if you need a jump. (Its kind of a embarassing to go begging for a jump when you have an old not-so-reliable vehicle. )
  
  This unit claims to be able to jump 4 cylinder and "most 6 cylinder" engines. My Ford Windstar is a 6 cylinder and it seems to work fine.
  
  I gave it 4 stars because the jumper cable lead wires are rather short and the calipers don't really clip back on the side mounts that easily.
  You have to really coil the wires tight to get them pack one. ...but it does do the job well if you overlook that minor shortcoming. (You get what you pay for and for this price this little power pack has some nice features).
  
  
• Falls short
  By A2E2O0JHU7KDOX on 2008-03-23
  I've had the Powerpack 200 for six months. I use it for powering up my computer if I can't find an outlet, pumping up bike tires, and for an emergency back-up if the power goes out in the house. The powerpack is a little too big and bulky as a portable. I leave it in the trunk of my car. It also needs to be recharged often (once a week) and takes a whole day to recharge. I doubt it could jump start a car (it has cables) or do big electrical back-ups. Although it performs small tasks for me it falls short of my expectations.
  
  
• OK product
  By A1J51A73XV29MW on 2008-03-26
  My big issue with this powerpack is that the charger is not self-contained. We lost the charger a few times now and really wish the engineers had designed it to be an all inclusive system. Other than that it works great.
  
  
  
  
• Works very well so far.
  By A2ZD2LGJF92IK9 on 2008-04-01
  I bought this over a month ago because my car battery was giving me trouble, but I ended up replacing the battery. Therefore, I have never used it to jump start my car. However, I have used the air compressor and the electrical outlet and they were both very easy to use and worked very well. It is also holding the charge, even after using it several times. I am not a mechanically inclined person, so having this is very convenient. I am glad I bought it. The children love it to recharge their video games and it also runs the portable DVD player.
  
  

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