Product Description

The XPower Powerpack Solar is the first portable power pack that incorporates solar power in a compact, portable power source. It's completely self-renewing, which means the detachable 5-watt solar panel has the ability to recharge the power pack's 10 amp-hour battery.The 5-watt solar panel captures stores and converts the sun's renewable energy, replenishes the XPower Powerpack Solar's battery, and extends the runtime of many devices by up to 25 percent.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1731 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Xantrex
• Model: 852-2071
• Dimensions: 9.50" h x 13.50" w x 17.50" l, 18.00 pounds

Features

• Runs 120-volt AC or 12-volt DC products anywhere
• Built-in 400-watt inverter
• Two 120-volt AC outlets, one 12-volt DC socket and one USB port
• Three-digit display for easy battery status monitoring
• AC charger included so you can charge from a standard wall outlet

From the Manufacturer
The XPower Powerpack Solar is the first portable power pack that incorporates solar power in a compact, portable power source. It’s completely self-renewing, which means the detachable 5-watt solar panel has the ability to recharge the power pack’s 10 amp-hour battery. The 5-watt solar panel captures, stores and converts the sun’s renewable energy, replenishes the XPower Powerpack Solar’s battery, and extends the runtime of many devices by up to 25 percent. Product Features: Runs 120-volt AC or 12-volt DC products anywhere Built-in 400-watt inverter Sealed, non-spillable 10 amp-hour AGM battery Two 120-volt AC outlets, one 12-volt DC socket and one USB port Three-digit display for easy battery status monitoring Rubberized protection to guard against unit slipping AC charger included so you can charge from a standard wall outlet DC charger included so you can charge from a vehicle or RV Applications: Operates and charges a portable DVD player, 13-inch color TV, laptop, portable stereo, cordless phone, portable cooler and air compressor Operates multiple products simultaneously

Customer Reviews

Useful, But Does Not Perform Up To Specifications
If the Xantrex Xpower Powerpack Solar lived up to its specifications, I would rate it 5 stars and consider it well worth the money. That's why I bought it in the first place. Unfortunately, its performance falls short of the manufacturer's claims.

The overall design of the product is very nice. I had considered building something similar based on a how-to article in Popular Science, but the Powerpack is so nicely packaged for only a couple dollars more, I chose to buy it.

The Powerpack disappoints in the amount of energy stored in its battery that is available to power other electronic devices. The battery is specified as 12 volts and 10 amp-hours. As such, I was expecting to get as much as 120 watt-hours from it, but I barely get half that.

As a test, I fully charged the battery using the included AC adapter. By "fully", I mean the unit claimed to be charged. I then ran the built-in LED lights. The manual claims they should run for 48 hours. They ran 27.5 hours for me.

I assumed this performance reflected a bad unit and exchanged it. The new unit performs similarly. Either the battery in the unit performs poorly, or the electronics to monitor and control the battery state-of-charge are weak.

As another example of the poor performance, I charged the unit completely (again based on its built-in indicator that charging is done). It indicated 100 percent charge when I turned on the AC or DC output, but as soon as I plugged in any load, it almost immediately dropped to 70 or even 60 percent. Soon after the unit's indicator dropped to 40 percent, the unit shut itself down.

So, on the one hand, this is a nice unit to carry around, and it does slowly-but-surely charge the internal battery using the included 5 watt solar panel. It does a fine job charging cell phones and iPods, and a barely acceptable job charging a notebook computer. Compared to its specifications, and for that matter my previous experience with the Xantrex Powerpack Mobile Mini, however, the product is a disappointment.

Looks better than it works
The product information should include these crucial tidbids, which you only find out AFTER buying (by reading the detailed owner's manual): 1) you cannot use it while you are charging it, and 2)if you want to charge it using the sun, it takes 45 HOURS (YES -- that's HOURS). I used it at an outdoor festival to power a laptop, and -- even thought the manual estimated it would last for up to 4 hours, it pooped out after 1.5 hours. After that, I unplugged and charged it in the sun for a while. It got a lot of interest from people at the festival, who thought it was cool. I think it's cool too. I just wish it worked better.

Not Powerful Enough
You can use it to charge your laptop, PDA and your cell phone. But it's not strong enough to even just power a 12" fan.