Xantrex 852-0200 XPower Powerpack 200 Plus Portable Backup Power Source

So far I've used this a couple times to jump my 98 Ford Windstar. My wife normally uses this vehicle and its become a little unreliable because the dome lights don't always go out due to aging door-ajar sensors that I don't want to pay to replace. This little unit was simple enough for her to use to jump the van when it died on her. (Well she did have to call me to walk her through one part ... she had forgotten to "turn on" the jump function with the switch on the side. Its kind of hidden in a weird spot.). I've only used it for jumping our minivan. I usually keep it plugged-in, in our garage with the AC plug which supposedly won't overcharge the unit. It seems to work. I haven't used the air pump yet, but I know it works because my wife accidently turned it on once and it scarred the daylight out of my kids! 8-) The best thing about it is that its very portable, so we can take it with us in the back of the VAN and it gives you some peace of mind that you won't be stranded if you need a jump. (Its kind of a embarassing to go begging for a jump when you have an old not-so-reliable vehicle. ) This unit claims to be able to jump 4 cylinder and "most 6 cylinder" engines. My Ford Windstar is a 6 cylinder and it seems to work fine. I gave it 4 stars because the jumper cable lead wires are rather short and the calipers don't really clip back on the side mounts that easily. You have to really coil the wires tight to get them pack one. ...but it does do the job well if you overlook that minor shortcoming. (You get what you pay for and for this price this little power pack has some nice features).

No charger came with my unit. Once power was depleted, no way to recharge. Special ordered power cord. Now even with cord unit won't charge. Low quality piece of junk.

Seems I got mine for under 50 dollars and it was Free Shipping, which is the main reason why I try to always do Amazon first. For 39.95 delivered to your door, it's AWESOME. Keep in mind it is a 12 Amp/Hour battery. This must be considered when you are thinking about your application/use. For most people this means look at the AC Inverter Output ratings: 160W contintuous/200W for 5 minutes, 320W max brief surge, at 115V AC 60Hz appliances. Use a 200W incandescent lamp and probably how long would you think until it starts to go dim? I bought it because it's better than jumper cables, has a functional flashlight, and I can inflate my tires, although I'd say don't expect much from the itty bitty compressor motor, it took about a minute to inflate a small pillow for my sleeping bag! However, primarily, it purchased this for a powersupply to my QRP ham radio, which draws only 55 mA on RX and 1 Amp max on TX, so this battery will run my radio for days. I used it for 4 hours mostly transmitting (5 Watts). After the contest, 4 hours later, it was still able to give me 5W output with the Voltage reading 11.9V on Transmit, 12V on Receive. It's small, the integrated handle is wonderful, and everything is self-contained. Unbeatable if you can ever get so lucky and find it for under 50 bux. It is possible to improve the longevity and Power handling performance of the battery, but not without significant addition of weight, and not without significant increase in cost. There are other makes that cost more, are bigger, heavier, and have no inverter. Not to mention pressure guage and built in air hose+nozzles. This product does everything I want it to do, but I was not expecting it to power even a 60W bulb or anything like that. It does what it was designed to do. If someone buys the smallest Toyota pickup truck expecting it to accomplish the hauling capacity of a Full Sized Tundra, only disappointment can follow. I am very pleased with my unit and I would purchase Xantrex again. NT4XT

Buyers should be aware of the following problem. The recharging system has what tech support described as a "low-charge cutoff", which is designed to keep the battery from falling below a minimum level of charge. The problem occurs when the unit falls below the minimum charge which can happen if you leave it sitting around for a while. When the unit is plugged into an outlet to charge the battery, the "low power cutoff" prevents the battery from being charged, so you find yourself in a catch-22. The battery cannot be charged because the "cutoff" mechanism prevents the battery from being used OR EVEN CHARGED! (A red light accompanied by a clicking sound is heard when this occurs) Tech support's recommendation is to turn the unit upside-down for 24hrs (I kid you not) and try again. If this dosen't work, their recommendation is to throw it away and buy a new one. My recommendation is to avoid buying the charger at all until they reengineer it to not self-destruct. Caveat Emptor.

I've had the Powerpack 200 for six months. I use it for powering up my computer if I can't find an outlet, pumping up bike tires, and for an emergency back-up if the power goes out in the house. The powerpack is a little too big and bulky as a portable. I leave it in the trunk of my car. It also needs to be recharged often (once a week) and takes a whole day to recharge. I doubt it could jump start a car (it has cables) or do big electrical back-ups. Although it performs small tasks for me it falls short of my expectations.