Xantrex Technologies 851-0400 XPower Plus 400-Watt Inverter

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #146 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Xantrex
• Model: 851-0400
• Dimensions: 4.00" h x 8.00" w x 10.00" l, 2.20 pounds

Features

• 400-watt inverter for converting DC to AC power
• Power electronic gear and appliances while on the road
• Conveniently plugs into car cigarette lighter
• Automatically detects low-vehicle battery to avoid depletion
• Measures 5.9-by-4.1-by-2.2 inches; weighs 2.4 pounds; 1-year warranty

Amazon.com Product Description
The Xantrex Technologies XPower Plus 400-watt inverter provides portable power for trucks, RVs, boats, and minivans. By plugging the inverter directly into your vehicle’s 12-volt cigarette lighter, you can turn your vehicle into a mobile office and operate devices such as a 27-inch TV or 20-inch TV/DVD combo, a camcorder, and a laptop computer. This compact, lightweight unit automatically senses low battery voltage so you never have to worry about a depleted battery. It's a quiet alternative to noisy, gas-powered generators; it will provide hours of emergency power during snowstorms or blackouts. The high-efficiency design transfers 90-percent of the battery's power to your equipment, providing 400 watts for 5 minutes, 600 watts surge for easy startups, and 300 watts continuous power for operating appliances. An automatic shutdown mechanism protects against overload, over-temperature and low battery conditions. The inverter is equipped with two 3-prong grounded AC outlets, a DC outlet and hardwire applications. The durable plastic unit is 5.9-by-4.1-by-2.2 inches in size and just 2.4 pounds in weight. It is covered by a 1-year warranty.

From the Manufacturer
Plug this inverter directly into the 12-volt cigarette lighter socket in your car to power up a mobile office, entertainment electronics, handheld games, TVs, and more. Xantrex inverters automatically sense low battery voltage so you never have to worry about running the car battery down so far it won't start. A quiet alternative to noisy gas powered generators, the X-Power inverter runs off the battery in your truck, RV, or boat. Each compact unit stores easily and provides hours of emergency power during snowstorms or blackouts. The high-efficiency design transfers 90-percent of the battery's power to your equipment, providing 400 watts for 5 minutes, 600 watts surge for easy startups, and 300 watts continuous power for operating appliances. An automatic shutdown mechanism protects against overload, over-temperature and low battery conditions. The inverter is equipped with two 3-prong grounded AC outlets.

Customer Reviews

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

Get the 700 watter
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
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!!!