Xantrex Technologies 851-0401 XPower Plus 400-Watt Inverter

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9861 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Xantrex
• Model: 851-0401
• Dimensions: 2.00" h x 4.00" w x 5.00" l, 1.99 pounds

Features

• Provides up to 400-watts of AC power
• Converts 12-volts of DC power from a vehicle battery into 115-volts of AC power
• Two AC outlets to operate two devices at once
• Automatic shutdown protection against overload, over-temperature, and low or high battery conditions
• DC terminals for a vehicle DC socket or direct battery connection

From the Manufacturer
Designed to provide portable power for your mobile electronics--such as a mobile phone, PSP, and laptop--when you’re on the go, the XPower Micro 400 Inverter accesses AC power from your vehicle’s DC socket. The interactive LED display provides the user with instant feedback on input current and output voltage. It also offers valuable troubleshooting guidance. Commercial trucks with sleeping cabs can use the XPower Micro 400 Inverter to operate entertainment devices such as a small TV, radio, DVD player, and more.

Customer Reviews

Works well
So far I have only used it to power my laptop through the cigarette lighter, but it worked well on an 8 hour trip and never once gave me any trouble. I especially like the small size and intelligent fan that only turns on under heavy load. You can keep this under the seat all the time and it's there when you need it.

Just Right
This Xantrex 400-Watt Inverter is very nice and would strongly recommend it.

I have an old car and needed to wire it directly to the battery because of my older smaller wires in the dash. Other than Rewiring I have no problems with this little power house. I am in college and been finding my self sitting in my car surfing the internet and doing some classwork then my Laptop battery would go dead in about 3-5hrs... This little 400-Watt inverter has no problems powering my Laptop and recharging the batteries. I can sit for 2hrs running off my car battery (850cca) and not drain it or have to start engine to recharge because of low battery. The Unit does not pull much for a laptop but it does Pull More when charging the laptop battery and running it. I found the Fan not so noisy, a little radio drowns it out. (no louder than the Ac fan on low or medium) I have notice when my laptop battery is full and no longer charging the Inverter slows and even stops the fan because of a lighter load. The Fan only comes on when a moderate Load is their, otherwise it is dead silent and the little green light is on. Like I said the fan has turned off before with the laptop plugged in.

I have 3 other Xantrex products and never had a problem with them. It is a very good product, built strong, and last long.

I have not done any heavy testing on it, but a 100Watt incandescent work light light bulb and laptop running full speed does not phase this 400-Watt inverter. I have had them both on and for over and hour and still had 12+ volts in the car battery. I have a 25min drive to college and back every day and I just plug my laptop in and let it charge as I go to and from school. I have no problems with it and would definitely recommend it for the traveling Laptopers.

A laptop does pull down some power and I fear any thing less than a 200watt inverter would struggle under the constant load of a laptop. The two electrical outlets are convenient, for other small electrical applications that you may need to plug in, like a printer for example.

My Car is old and when I first plugged it in the Cig lighter it only worked for 10mins then the 11.00 Volt alarm would sound,and it is very loud and does not shut up until the voltage gets about 11.50volts for about 1min... This is why I had to ReWire my car (very old) and now with a new hot wire off the battery I have no low voltage alarm.

Pros: Powerful, quiet when not in moderate use, small, convenient, extremely portable, Fan turns off when no load (so you do not have to unplug or turn off ever time you stop using it)

Cons: low voltage 11.00volt alarm is ear shattering, Internal Fan is evident when on.

Faulty on arrival
After opening the package, I did smell something funny, like when wires or circuit burns. But that did not deter me from trying it. So I went to the car to try it.

I press the red/pink button, it starts (you hear the fan, and status light turns green), but as soon as I lift my finger off the button, it shuts down. After several trys without succcess, I opted to get refund/replacement.

I tried to get a replacement, this site does not provide free returns for defective items. So I decided to return for a refund after I could not get through with any customer service.

I think I was thrilled to see this product, and it seemed to work fine, started my camera battery charger, but not for too long when I lifted my finger of the switch.

Updated Dec 1, 2008: Amazon customer service sent me another unit, and asked me to returned this damaged unit, and send them an email for the cost of returning. After returning via USPS, I emailed them the cost, and they promptly refunded me the cost. When you return an item, Amazon system also gets updated of the cost and they match with what you ask for.

This product worked like a charm. I tested it once in a car plugging my macbook into while I was using the computer, fan only came on once, but the sound was pretty low, only I could tell, no one else heard it, and it shut off the fan after couple of minutes. I like this product, not bad for the price and benefits. I couldn't change the rate later, so now I give 4 stars.