Cheap Allstart 556 Marine Battery Jump Starter with AC Inverter

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List Price: $356.16
Sale Price: $140.24
Today's Bonus: 61% Off

5.0 out of 5 stars Quality Jumper Box with 22 amp battery, 1700 watt peak power, and 300 watt inverter, November 26, 2012

By Big Sur Steve This review is from: Allstart Tools 5569 Marine Battery Jump Starter with AC Inverter and 2 Pack Microfiber Cloth (Automotive)

I needed a rugged jumper box, that had a high ampere battery, was easily portable, and had an inverter to operate a variety of small AC electrical appliances. Tthis jumper box fits the bill.

The box is a little shorter and a little thicker than the Clore box I've been using for the past 3 years, which is excellent at getting cars jump started: Clore Automotive JNC660 Jump-N-Carry 1,700 Peak Amp 12-Volt Jump Starter If Clore made a jumper box with built in 300 watt inverter, I would have picked it up. They are ruggedly built, with a thick plastic housing, have strong clamps and thick lead cables capable giving a 1700 peak amp jump with 425 cranking amps. This is plenty of power to jump a large displacement V-8 automobile engines in addition to a number of Diesel engines. The box is also small enough to make it easily manueverable and can fit into tight areas where space is limited.

After looking at a variety of jumper boxes, this one came closest to meeting the specs I was looking for. The box is a little heavier than the Clore, but it also has a 22 amp battery which is a little bigger than the Clore plus a 300 watt inverter, which the Clore does not have. By no means is the Marine battery a heavy jump box, just a little heavier than the Clore.

I like the clamps on the Marine jump box. The tops of the clamps look better insulated than the iClore clamps and have strong clamping springs to prevent slippage of clamps off the terminals. The leads use a thick gauge wire, but not as thick as the Clore. The jump box provided plenty of juice to turn over a high compression V-8, and is rated at 40 jumps between recharging. Also the Marine box has a light. The light provides adequate light and rotates. The Clore box doesn't have a light.

On the back of the Marine box is a two plug, 300 watt inverter which is turned on with a switch. I used the inverter to charge an iPad 3 from 5 percent to full at about the same rate as a wall plug. The meter on the Marine battery is a bit more difficult to read than the Clore box. It is a vertical meter with 3 colors: green for full power, yellow for marginal, and red for needs charging. The needle had moved down on the green zone and almost into the yellow after charging the iPad 3. I prefer the left to right needle gauge on the Clore box which reads DC volts to show state of battery charge. As far as overcharging is concerned, the Marine battery has the edge over the Clore with an overcharge prevention feature, whereas the Clore box does not.

One other inverter test I ran was on a large Netgear Router NETGEAR Wireless Router N900 Dual Band Gigabit (WNDR4500) On a fully charged box, I kept the router running for 24 hours before needing a recharge. In case we have a power outage with the cell phone towers also down, I wanted to know how much router time I had for Internet access. During Hurricane Sandy, many of the cell towers were down preventing access to the web through 4G.

Here are my likes:

-sturdy build

-22 amp battery

-300 watt inverter

-stout, insulated battery clamps

-work light

-automatic charging shutoff when box is fully charged

Needs improvement:

-meter needs to show percentage of charge remaining

-external fuse on inverter could get caught and break. Needs a better location.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this box. It has a stout build quality similar to the Clore, costs about the same and also has a 300 watt inverter. The Marine appears to be a quality box on par with the Clore. Only time will tell if it hold up as well as the Clore with extended use, but I suspect it will.

To charge the jumper box by solar, I use a Goal Zero 15 watt panel which I have plugged into the round 12 volt port. This works pretty well taking about 18 hours of direct sunlight to fully charge the battery.

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I should first mention that the first unit I received did have a defect, and Cal-Van customer service was great about shipping a new unit, and including a RMO label to return the first. The first had a problem with the inverter and simply didn't work, although I was able to use the 12v plug.

My primary reason for purchase was to run my CPAP machine while away, and secondary to charge devices, inflate air mattresses, and as battery backup. I was able to run a RemStar plus cpap for two nights (6-7 hrs each), including inflating two air mattresses and phone charging. I believe it would run the cpap alone for 3 nights but I have yet to confirm. It worked great, and now I can camp without keeping my whole family up snoring. It's far less expensive than Lithium Ion cpap battery packs, and has the benefit of 12v, inverter, light, and jump starting ability.

It is heavy, but the handle is comfortable. It comes with a heavy nylon bag that will also hold the 12v to 12v charging cable, but it is a little bit difficult to get in the bag because of it's weight.

Charging is easy either 12v in your car or connected to an extension cord. The male plug is recessed so you can't charge on something like a surge protector bar, and it has a cover. The charge level gauge is accurate and easy to read. The charge indicator light at first didn't turn green at full charge but somehow is working now (turns green), and the charge circuit is a great feature that you can leave it plugged in and ready at all times. I'm very happy with the product and with Cal-Van's customer service. Thanks.

Best Deals for Allstart 556 Marine Battery Jump Starter with AC Inverter

Was hoping not to use it the 1st time on my boat, turn out that had to use it twice same day to start the boat at different locations, one on docks and the other one way out fishing in the river, saved my day...

Design isnt that great, because clamps can stuck with on-off switch, not a big deal, dont worry about this, but it could be better, also it doesnt have a charge cord, you only need an extension cord to charge it. Anyway, works great, still after firing up my boat twice, it says full charge..

Honest reviews on Allstart 556 Marine Battery Jump Starter with AC Inverter

I got this based off a suggestion from my Yamaha dealer and so far it looks to be rock solid. I recently upgraded to 3 group 29 deep cycle batteries as I run a large audio system and needed to make sure I had a way to start them if I ever ran into a dead battery. I took the boat out recently and the batteries were rock solid so I didnt nee to use the jumper, but my cousin and another boater did end up using it and it jumped their boats with ease.

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i used it a few times and have no complaints, it is small enough but powerful enough to get you out of a bind

Shorai LFX Battery Charger - -- Review

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List Price: $84.95
Sale Price: $76.42
Today's Bonus: 10% Off

This unit works very well. It is designed with the basic user in mind. It's simple use and the light combinations are easy to understand.

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but the plug or wire to the ac does not fit very tight and comes loose if you touch a little. Called and they did not understand what the problem was. So do not touch and you get a charge.

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My shorai battery died after a year with no charging. This charger brought it back to life. Expensive but necessary.

Discount iConcepts Car Charger for Sony Clie "T"

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I use this and a headphone jack tape adaptor to make my Clie T665C into an mp3 player for my car. Now, I can just pull my PDA out of my pocket and plug it in, rather than lugging around a CD player and multiple CDs. Having had three discmans stolen from my car over the past two years, this is a welcome change. Furthemore, after a drive to work while listening to my mp3s the entire way, I frequently find my PDA's battery has been fully charged!

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Especially for people who often work away from their desks and/or on the road. You will not regret this purchase. It is a quick and easy way to recharge. I have been using it for a while and am satisfied.

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I travel just over 40 miles to work and just plugging my Clie in with this adapter keeps it well charges all the time. This is a must if you have a Clie and at the price, it is also a really good deal.

Cheap Home Wall AC Travel Charger + Rapid Vehicle Car Plug in Power

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Home charger and sync cable work fine on my att note but the car charger doesn't which is the main reason i bought this. But for the price i can't complain i did get an extra home charger which i needed too.

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Reviews of Travel/ Wall Charger w/ IC Chip for Apple iPod 3G / 4G / Video

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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $5.87
Today's Bonus: 80% Off

I love those cheapo stuff Amazon sells, like those USB hubs with SD card reader selling for less than $5.00, a bluetooth USB adapter for less than $3.00 and so on. Most of my purchases of those cheapo stuff from Amazon work fine, but often durability may be an issue, or you don't know what kind of material manufacturers of those cheapo stuff used (they could be super toxic, who knows? Most of them have no valid labels.), or have no idea where to go to get some (or any at all) support.

I bought this iPod charger, not because I needed it, but because the price was so low, I just had to have it. Of course, the shipping was so much more expensive than the actual item. When I received the unit, it was in a clear plastic bag with white label with nothing on it. I opened the bag and plugged it in, and connected my iPod Classic (6G) to this charger. The charger itself was lighting up the red LED inside the white charger casing, making the whole unit looking pink, but nothing was happening to my iPod. I pushed the connector up a bit and for a moment my iPod went into charging mode (the battery icon with a little bolt icon) but as soon as I set the iPod down on the table, the charging icon would go away. I tried a few times, with different iPods that I have, but none of them really worked. There was either jittery connection or no connection at all. Oh well, my two dollars down the drain, and I should have learned the lesson by now... but I never do! These cheapo stuff has such a weird allure to me, and I just keep spending my money on them.

I sometimes laugh when I read other people's review for this type of cheapo stuff that doesn't work. A lot of people get genuinely upset for an item they paid the bottom price for. So, my conclusion is that this charger probably would work if the connector is making a good connection to the iPod's connection plug, but obviously with my copy at least, that is not happening. (I don't want to give these people who's selling these items a bad rap and I have no doubt that these chargers work fine when they do, but I am sure I just got a lemon.) So if you are enticed by the price of this piece, think of it as a gamble. You may get the one that is working perfectly from the start (other cheapo stuff worked for me well), or like mine, not quite working. You can go through the painful procedure of RMA and returning and all that, or save yourself and spend at least $10 for a decent charger (well, maybe $20 to get a real "decent" one). Heck, Apple is charging people $20 for their iPod to USB cable alone... So this charger is a huge huge bargain. Just don't expect this less-than-two-dollar item to be just as good as $20 charger... (You don't expect a 99cent-store screwdriver to last a lifetime, do you?) So there, from my experience, I am giving two stars...

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First of all. I gave it one star due to the awesome fast shipping. Now as far as the product goes, I bought it for my ipod 80Gig classic, plugged it in and NOTHING! It looks nice though (big deal). Really the only upside is that I am only out $3.81. I noticed on the invoice that it said iphone 3G charger however, when the box arrived it did in fact say ipod. Either way, it does not work. Trust me! This thing does not charge ipod classics. Spend the extra money and buy a charger that you know will work. I would recomend buying from the same carrier because this is the only problem I have ever had with them. NOTE: I found out that if it charges iphones, it will not charge the ipod classic.

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I plugged the charger into the wall and it flat out did not work, right out of the package.

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This product was advertised on the bargaincell web site, and listed on my invoice as an Apple iPod Classic Travel Charger/Wall Charger. It was not! This fact only came to light when I charged my husband's iPod while on vacation. Consequently a $250 device was destroyed because of this falsely advertised bogus $4. charger. I now feel fortunate to have only lost one iPod. Luckily mine didn't need charging. The company did not respond to my inquiry email before purchase nor my complaint email afterward. I'd rate this product a zero, but apparently at least a one star rating is required for submission.

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This is an good inexpensive alternative to the similar Apple product and so much cheaper.. Quality is good and I would recommend it..

Lenmar Global Compact All-in-One Universal Travel AC Charger Review

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List Price: $14.99
Sale Price: $13.80
Today's Bonus: 8% Off

Just came back from a trip to Central/Europe. The adapter works as advertised. I had no problems with it. Yes, all the outlets in Europe are the recessed type. However, regarding Amazon reviewers such as TravelGuru who posted a review, I'm not sure if I should fault the reviewer for not knowing how to operate the equipment or the manufacturer for not providing explicit instructions. The adapter prongs screw out, so there is no problem with recessed outlets. I would recommend this adapter.

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This travel adapter worked pretty well while we were in Italy and France. The only complaint I have is that the plug portion is not very long. There were many outlets in Italy and France that were somewhat recessed, which meant that this adapter would not work because it got too big too close to the plug (or the plug was not long enough). If the outlet was flush with the wall, there were no issues. Luckly we had a few different adapters for these types of outlets. The size is great (small), compared to other adapters.

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DO NOT BUY this charger adaptor! We purchased it prior to our trip to Ireland in July 2013. Not only did it not work, but when we tried to remove it from the outlet, the plastic prong broke off. It was absolutely useless and a complete waste of money.

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this is by far the best adapter in terms of size and functions, this adapter covers all country's, i just wish it has a USB output

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All of the outlets in Europe sit in a circular recessed hole. This adapter is too big and does not fit in any of the recessed outlets I have tried.

They need to redesign it to be smaller so it actually fits.

DEWALT DCF889B Bare Tool 20V Max Lithium Ion 1/2-Inch High Torque Reviews

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List Price: $280.00
Sale Price: $135.13
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Using this impact to take off lugnuts and reinstalling them is a breeze. When the air hose doesn't reach or having to take a wheel off in the parking lot, this would be tool to have.

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this little work horse will surprise you. I used this to take off rusty bolts 300 ft lbs of torque like an air tool.

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Great product as expected, my only complaint would be it is a little longer than expected, hard to get in tight spots.

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this product is great. long lasting. i have other dewalt tools and they have all preformed very well. i would reccomond buying this product.

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Personal use for rotating tires on my f-150 and my wife's Sable

I like the fact that I no longer have to drag a air hose with a impact.

Plenty of torque for removal and installation, my f-150 is at 150 foot lbs I use a torque wrench for proper torque, I already had

The drill and flash so it was a no brainier,very happy makes my life a little

Easier.

Buy Uniden Handheld Scanner - Black (BC75XLT)

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List Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $82.99
Today's Bonus: 17% Off

I purchased this scanner to replace one that I had purchased at Radio Shack about 15 years ago. Comparing the two, is like comparing night and day. What I like the most about this scanner is its ease of use. It took me forever to figure out how to use all of the functions on my old scanner, while on this one I was up and running in just a few hours time. Also, the signal reception is superb, allowing me to easily scan not only police and fire departments, but also the National Weather Service, aircraft bands, ham radio bands, etc.

The scanner has a wonderful feature that allows you to hone in on local frequencies, thus taking the aggravation out of spending an endless amount of time trying to connect to transmitters that are nearby. Also, while I'll probably never use it to the fullest, the scanner comes with a built-in memory, capable of storing up to 300 programmed channels. Another very nice feature, and one that will get you up and running in no time, is the 6 pre-programmed service searches, covering the most listened to bands. You can use either two AA batteries, or rechargeable batteries of the same size. I would recommend using regular AA alkaline batteries, as I've been using the scanner for over two months and have yet to have to replace them.

The bottom line is that this is a well made, reasonably priced scanner that comes with a lot of useful features and is extremely easy to use. I give it 5 stars.

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I'm a rail fan so I like to be able to hear the engine crews and dispatchers when I'm trackside. With it's pre programmed service bands, the BC75XLT is so easy to use. I found the reception to be good and when using Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries, I could listen in for hours on a full charge. The batteries can also be charged in the unit via a USB power source such as a computer or wall adapter. The unit is also simple to program if you want to enter specific frequencies or a range of frequencies. I also like that it is very compact and seems to be well built. I would recommend..

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Plug it in right out of the box, do need to buy batteries. Much easier to program using the USB cable to the computer. The frequencies are available on the web, just ask google for "Radio Frequencies" and follow the prompts. The unit is sturdy and will remain undamaged if you should drop it.

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It is really easy to program and works really well. For the money its a great little scanner and all we needed.

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For an easily programmable, portable, scanner in the $100 range, this was a surprisingly good unit. I found the instructions to be easily understood, and the software to program the unit by PC very simple and easy to use. I purchased these for our news reporters as a field unit and would not hesitate to purchase them again.

Buy Coleman Cable 08660 Heavy-Duty 4-Gauge Auto Battery Booster Cables

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List Price: $86.99
Sale Price: $43.28
Today's Bonus: 50% Off

I purchased these cables based solely on internet research. Coleman seems to be a well respected company. After inspecting the 08660 twenty foot long four gauge cables, I am satisfied with my purchase. The materials appear to be of good quality, and the clamp design is intuitive. There is a top of page review dated September 14th 2006 by Privacy Advocate titled "Slight disappointment" in which he describes his concern about the clamps having only one side of the jaw plated with copper. This actually is an intelligent design. The copper cable is connected to only one jaw (the jaw that is copper plated for increased conductivity). Copper plating the non-connected jaw would be counter productive. I recommend purchasing a minimum length of twenty feet, a minimum of four gauge cable, and clamps rated a minimum of 500 amps. The length is recommended because you may not always be able to place a boost vehicle nose to nose or side by side. The gauge and amps are particularly important if you live in a cold climate. Check the vehicle OEM battery specifications regarding cold cranking amps (CCA) for a clear understanding of why gauge and amps are important.

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For the price and in the right situations these are good cables. Good length, good ga. wire and copper connectors. But for me where they fall short is at the clamps and this type of clamp seems to be on MANY cables available today. I could not see it in the photos but the clamps are uneven at the ends because of the extra notch the manufacturer adds on one side to make it easier to connect to side terminal batteries. Also there are NO teeth on the end of the jaws so you HAVE to make your connection using the teeth on the sides of the jaws. This does not sound like a big deal until you are in a tight situation and have to clamp onto a top post battery straight down, then you have an uneven clamp end and no teeth to grip the post. I happen to also have a car (a domestic) with a remote mounted battery, not a HOT ROD or modified car, just a stock factory production car where the manufacturer could not fit the battery under the hood for space saving and design reasons and put it elsewhere in the car. Remote batteries used to be a rare thing on mostly European cars but it is fairly common now on all makes of cars. With the battery not under the hood or in the trunk I have a Pos. and Neg. lug under the hood at the end of battery cables to jump the car with. The Pos. lug is surrounded by plastic in a depression to prevent anything from accidentally hitting it and shorting. Because of this there is little room and I can not get the side of these jumper cable clamps to grab the lug, I need teeth on the end of the jaws to grip the Pos. lug. I'm returning these cables and for $15 more (on sale) than the price of these cables I got the same length, the same 4 ga. wire, clamps with teeth on all 3 sides, even jaw ends, a side terminal connection in the jaws, and they came with a hard plastic storage case, safety glasses and gloves. After shopping around for a week I found this is a great deal. I shopped all over the Net and in my local stores comparing prices wire length, size, and end clamps. There are many great items for great prices at Amazon but if you need what I need in a jumper cable go to your local SEARS.

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The cables are made in the USA, which is great, but they are not copper cables. They are the much cheaper "copper clad aluminum" cables that are of much lower quality. The product description states, "Extra Heavy-Duty" and "the strongest consumer grade available", which CCA is not. I need the jumper cables for emergency use only so they hopefully won't be used much. If you need to unroll and roll up the cables often look for copper cable, not this product. This kind of information should have been in the product description, but then if it was, I wouldn't have made this purchase.

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These cables are made with aluminum wire which has been tarted-up with a copper coating. The jaws are steel, also deceptively copper plated. The insulation on the wire is some cheesy substance that I suspect will crack and fall off within a few years. I would rate these three stars if they were sold as what they were, instead of pretending to a quality that they don't possess. If you need a long set of jumper cables that will start your car, and you don't expect them to last too long, these will probably do the job for you. If you expect quality components and a lifetime of service from the tools you buy, keep looking.

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This 16 ft. Coleman jumper cable is a 4 gauge cable which is a mechanic's grade. It is durable and will last a long time. The length ensures that you will be able to utilize this tool without worry, the clamps glow in the dark and fit both side post and top post batteries. It comes with a lifetime warranty and I am very glad that I bought it.

Reviews of Magnum MS 4024 4000 Watt 24 Volt Pure Sine Wave Inverter/105 Amp

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This inverter does everything and more. If you want clean pure sine wave, this is it. The power it delivers is cleaner then my home power from the city! I installed it on a food truck with 12v system, cost to combined two different systems wasnt able to afford, just added 12v convert / charge to run off 24v system to keep 12v system battery bank charged when truck not running. All my refrigeration keeps everything cold or frozen, motors dont run hot with pure sine wave! one pointer will help with your battery bank amp. Per hour usage. Use 12v,24v or 48v whatever your system is to get your hourly watts needed not 120v to build your battery bank for your 120v equipment. No one told me this information. Miss calculated how long truck can set not in use without being plugged in or run generator not 23hrs but 11.5 hrs low end still great. Overall very happy!

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Cheap Gomadic Intelligent Compact AC Home Wall Charger for the Garmin

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List Price: $29.95
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Today's Bonus: 34% Off

The product was exactly like it was advertised and it was sent to me very quickly and all the process was first class.

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Unless your car doesn't have a readily accessible power outlet, or unless you use this outside of the car (i.e. walking, biking), this accessory is not really needed. I've used it only a couple of times.

Discount Ingersoll-Rand (IRTW7150K1) IQv20 Li-Ion 1/2" Drive Impact Wrench

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List Price: $707.00
Sale Price: $389.99
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This thing is strong! However, the thing is heavy too. It was sad to see the lable "Made in China" on it. Well worth it though.

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Very powerful, extremely good price, kinda wish it was american made but it is fine my only question is hoping it will last a long time.

I will checdk back in, in 6 months with a reliability update

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+ Can pop an axle nut like nothing (I had a breaker bar + extension rod and stood on the bar with no luck. This thing popped off the nut like it wasn't even there)

+ Extremely well built and solid

+ You can still use it for small stuff. I still purchased a small impact driver though. This thing is a bit weighty for small stuff.

Heavier than expected

It's sooooo cool to use this that you can't find enough uses for it. You sort of have to do a lot of car work to justify it.

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this gun is remarkable for a 1/2 inch cordless I have broken several bolts with it. the gun has a lot of power would recommend it to everyone.

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This thing is a beast...plenty of power and holds a charge. I would recommend it; only downside is the weight.

Best Skque Black USB Car Vehicle Power Charger + Home Travel Wall Deals

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I purchased this product in April 2013 and it charges my Kindle Fire HD much fastser than the charger that came with it. I am quite impressed with that. The car charger is a great tool for me when I am running out and forget to charge my Kindle. I can just plug it in and it charges fast. However I only gave the product 4 stars because the car charger broke. There are little prongs on the one side of the USB part of the plug that have popped up rendering the charger useless. I don't know how that happened so the 4 stars may not be fair to the product. I am ordering 2 more sets.

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seems deficient in some way when trying to charge the kindle

Takes many hours to recharge .Would not recommend to a friend

Reviews of Battery Tender 021-1162 Solar Panel Charger Controller

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List Price: $26.95
Sale Price: $21.39
Today's Bonus: 21% Off

I've used it for 7 months now to charge alternately a 32AHr, 26AHR and 8Ahr deep cycle AGM batteries and it has done a great job. I have a 30 watt monocrystalline solar panel wired directly to it and connect it directly to my batteries using various quick disconnect connectors. I monitor the state of discharge (with a multimeter)and never let my batteries fall below 75% of rated capacity (as recommended by battery manufacturers for best practice and long life of battery.) The Battery Tender as described is a 3 stage charge controller and will put the most voltage out when the battery needs it and cuts back as it approaches full charge down to a trickle level. All the batteries quickly recharge even on partial sun days. Takes 3-6 hours of sun on the biggest battery less on the others. Keeping them topped off is easier (better for it), faster to recharge, and simple to rotate each bettery for its day or shared day of charging.

I've monitored its output to the various batteries and it does its job as described at manufacturers website.

Charge light lets you know when it is working and indicates what stage its at by color or flashing. Again just as described.

I use 12 volt DC LED lights and and connected to my inverter some AC CFL lights and charge all my phones and run my laptop a few hours EVERYDAY! If you have the right expectation of what wattage you planned to use and think about the set-up you can make a nice daily use (or emergency use) system with these components.

I am very pleased with the product to used for a small solar systems using a 45 watt panel or less. I plan to buy a few more and connect up lights, radios, in other rooms all over the house. My way of going green.

I also charge my AA, AAA rechargeable batteries with a DC connectable battery charger off my 32AHr battery too!

Saves me a lot of money on batteries and I use more battery operated devices now and the family enjoys the whole system. Use the Battery Tender only to charge batteries and do not try to run other things from it. That is not what is was designed for.

********

1 YEAR LATER: Now Feb 2013 AND THIS PRODUCT IS STILL SERVING ME WELL AND AS DESCRIBED. GREAT FOR SMALL TARGET INSTALATIONS!

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I have installed 15 applications with this device and all of them have been working flawlessly.

I am charging Group 27 (85AH) deep cycle batteries with 30 watt solar panels. All of the batteries are being maintained at an ideal float voltage with no indications of overcharging (boil-out). The batteries are under heavy load on weekends, Tuesdays and Thursdays with full recovery by the end of the next day. The controllers have been subject to ambient temperatures over 100 degrees and under 0 degrees with no issues.

It is very important to understand solar systems when using this device as well as the limitations of the device. Always connect the battery first. It uses the battery voltage to initialize the circuit. Always disconnect the solar cell before disconnecting the battery.

PLEASE NOTE this is NOT an MPPT controller, it will require your solar cell output to be at a higher voltage than the battery for charging to occur. Under nominal sun conditions, it will properly go into a bulk charge mode for a battery that is heavily discharged. Once the bulk charging is complete it will take the battery to a float mode. If you absolutely have to use a solar cell that is marginal on the voltage output, you will need to use an MPPT charge controller. This type of controller has a DC-DC converter in it and can provide a output voltage that is higher than the input voltage. They are much more expensive.

Be sure to look at the specs for your solar cell before you buy it. Generally, you should see the following data:

Nominal peak power (Pmax) in watts

Maximum power voltage (Vmp) in DC volts

Maximum power current (Imp) in DC amps

Short circuit current (Isc) in DC amps

Open circuit voltage (Voc) in DC volts

The specs for the panels I use are Pmax = 30 watts, Vmp = 18.5 V, Imp = 1.79 A, Isc = 1.92 A, Voc = 22.2 V.

These are typical for a "12V" 30 Watt panel. Lower wattage panels will have less watts and current, but the voltage specs generally are the same.

There are cheap panels that are listed as "12V" and have much lower output voltage. I would avoid this type of panel. Looking at the specs will let you know if it will work.

I personally would never hook up a power supply to the input instead of a solar panel. Most power supplies will not put out clean DC. Many of them will have AC ripple on top of the DC voltage. This can damage a solar charge controller.

As I mentioned in the beginning, I have 15 installations in operation. I am installing another 10 systems and feel very confident in this device.

Best Deals for Battery Tender 021-1162 Solar Panel Charger Controller

$20 for this product. Easy connect, and does what it says.

Connected to a 5w solar panel which keeps atv batteries, lawn mower battery charged.

Honest reviews on Battery Tender 021-1162 Solar Panel Charger Controller

I use this device in conjunction with my solar battery charger to maintain my motor cycle battery during longer periods of storage. Works great and prevents overcharging.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Battery Tender 021-1162 Solar Panel Charger Controller

I have used these several times over the last year. They do fantastic even with a 5 watt panel. I imagine the two negative reviewers were confusing watts and volts.

Anyway this works as advertised. I have one wired to a Harbor Freight 45 watt panel kit and it does a fantastic job of keeping my battery bank charged.

I also have one on a 10 watt panel that I have installed on my kayak to keep my trolling motor battery charged. Great buy just like all Battery Tender products.