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Provides ample wattage to power my small flat screen TV+ DVD player

Customer Rating:
I originally bought thi item to power my laptop or any cellphones on long trips. i could have bought the 200w version or a cheaper power inverter, but i got the 400w as i always like to prepare for the unexpected, and it turns out i can watch a dvd on a nice TV in the trunk of my suv when i go BBQ.

Pros: the blue aluminum outer case, provides great heat dispersion medium, it isnt too loud even with the fan on, it HAS a fan, shuts off when battery is too low, and the most important: provides alot of power for most application needes.

Cons: a bit bulky, a little more expensive too but you get what you pay for.

Laptop won't strain it.

Customer Rating:
I manage a field team and have to have my office in the truck. I used to try to have 12 volt adapters for all my gadgets. 12 volt chargers are not usually smart chargers so if you leave your device plugged in beyond the battery's capacity it begins to cook and destroy its ability to hold a charge. Mobile device batteries are expensive, so you don't want to be replacing them unnecessarily. The 110 volt chargers are called smart chargers because they sense when the battery is at peak capacity and dials back to a maintenance level of input. At first I thought a converter would be too bulky but they can rest under a seat nicely or in my case under the drink tray. So there they are, all my adapters all plugged into two power strips with just the device end of the cords sticking up ready for easy access. The printer and laptop plugged into one power strip and everything else plugged into the other power strip. This way I can flip the rocker switch on the power strip not in use disconnecting it and its resident adapters while the other adapters are happily doing their jobs and avoid scuffling around on the floor of the truck trying to plug in the charger I need at the moment. (If you are going to be powering multiple adapters at once, you'll need to pay attention to the total wattage being used.) The added convenience of being able to plug in any transportable household appliance is just icing on the cake. Coffee anyone? (Don't be trying to power a 1000 watt microwave oven. Its an alternative power source for MOBILE battery powered products.) That said, it handles my printer and laptop simultaneously without stressing its capacity. With the Panasonic Toughbook CF29 laptop plugged in alone, the cooling fan doesn't even kick on in the inverter.

Note: The instruction book (yes I actually read them) said you shouldn't leave the converter plugged into your power port unattended as it can drain the car's battery even when the converter is turned off. From experience, I can tell you it only takes about an hour or a little more to deplete my truck's battery if the engine isn't running while this unit is powering my laptop, so...