I bought this unit because there is no cooling fan, and rated 100W continuous. It makes no sound at all. Instruction book states it creates a modified sine wave for AC power, not the standard square wave which can lead to excessive heating. Modified sine wave was exactly what I wanted.
I have powered a GPS unit through the USB charging port together with a laptop PC, with the PC operating and battery charging, no problems. Unit did not get hot. I'm thinking I should get another.
Caution, the inverter plugs into the dashboard 12V car adapter quite tightly. Take care when removing the inverter from the dashboard by holding the dashboard 12V car adapter in place while rocking the inverter back-and-forth to remove, so as to not pullout the 12V car adapter from the dash.
The fit needs to be snug so the inverter does not work loose from the dash, but I think it is a bit too tight. I give it a Good (4) rating because of the tight fit, otherwise it would be Excellent(5). Stanley PC1A09 100 Watt Power Inverter with USB Power Outlet
To try out this unit I put our two-bulb desk lamp in the car, put brand new 60 and 40 Watt incandescent bulbs in it (to load it to the rated 100 Watts) and ran it on the way to work and back. It performed wonderfully. The adjustable neck let it fit into either of the cigarette lighter jacks. Power held true even while idling for a train slowly leaving the Container Port and for a traffic accident to clear on the way home. The unit was warm to the touch but certainly not hot at the end of each commute, even after running constantly at its rated full load. For reference, the unit performed this well in a VW "New Beetle".
Popular Mechanics magazine had recommended the purchase of a Black & Decker PI100AB 100-Watt Power Inverter for hurricane preparedness. When I looked at these on Amazon.com, it was clear ordinary consumers were not as thrilled as Popular Mechanics with that unit. But the inverter was still a good idea and Amazon.com also offered this model from Stanley which showed a much higher customer satisfaction rating. Clearly I share the high opinion of those previous reviewers and hope that this review will, in turn, benefit someone else.
I highly recommend this inverter. I have used numerous inverters and I can say without a doubt, this is the most compact and quietest one I have come across. Construction is very good and I really like the fact that it cuts out if the car battery gets too low. The USB port is very handly for charging my iPods, iPhone, and GPS. Must have for travelling!
Dead silent, runs cool, charges almost anything. A friend's EEE PC refused to charge, but there are all sorts of warnings on the manual about certain products that dislike the "regenerated sine wave" this inverter generates. Please note that it plugs very tightly into the cigarette adapter. This is by design. You don't want poor electrical contact on something designed to draw more than the usual amount of current. Make sure you hold your socket in place with the other hand when unplugging this unit and you'll be OK.
I have two of these inverters. One for each of my vehicles. The offset usb plug makes it real easy to plug in a standard plug at the same time. Everything I have plugged into these inverters have worked without fail (ipods, laptops, and cellphones). A good quality product. I highly recommend!!!
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This is definately one of the best and portable 'MODIFIED SINE WAVE' Inverters I have seen. Great price, great features, runs quiet, built to last.
I have a Solar Panel set up in my home and in 2009 went through the idea of trying to convert the 12 Volt DC current produced by solar panels so I could use my AC powered devices effectively.
I tried a Modified Sine Wave inverter like this one, but it was 'hit and miss' on what devices would run correctly and safely on this type of Modified Sine Wave inverter.
After much trial & error, I ended up researching and ended up buying a PURE SINE WAVE Inverter from Samlex. (Yes it is for sale here at Amazon)
Samlex PST -15S -12A 150 Watt DC-AC Pure Sine Wave Inverter - 12V
Low cost, very high quality, and EVERY device I plugged into it worked with no problems.
*If you want to get an idea what the difference is between MODIFIED SINE WAVE [this Stanley inverter for sale here is Modified Sine Wave] all the LOW cost inverters are most likely MODIFIED SINE WAVE. [ * PURE SINE WAVE Inverters usually cost $100 and higher ]
Do a search for [Copy and paste below line into a search engine online:]
Modified sine wave faq PURE SINE WAVE inverter
and you will get a clear picture which is all around better to use.
Thanks to the reviewers who stated what devices they use, and have had good luck with operating on this Stanley inverter.
IF you buy this Stanley MODIFIED SINE WAVE Inverter, let us know what device you are able to get working. I haven't had any luck getting many devices being able to run efficiently with Modified Sine Wave inverters in the past or present - I was hoping they had improved since 2009.
I have tried my Sony Dash, 19" Toshiba LCD TV, Asus eee pc 1000H & Asus eee pc 1215N, Roku HD, Roku XDS, Tenergy Smart charger, and several other devices and they all worked perfectly on the Samlex Pure Sine Wave inverter without any gliches at all.
WHEN I tried using these devices on this type 'Modified Sine Wave' Inverter, I had no luck. The LED on the inverter blinked red/green and the device wouldn't work. The only one that worked was the 19" Toshiba LCD TV.
This Stanley inverter may help you if you are lucky to find it will power your device. It is one of the best small Modified Sine wave inverters for sure, Best features of all I have ever seen.
For those of you that find problems, you may want to consider the Samlex 150 watt PURE SINE WAVE inverter like I did. I have been using the Samlex since year 2009, and no problems at all. Every DEVICE works as though it was plugged into a normal home wall receptacle. Heavy duty aluminum case, and one of the Lowest price & Highest Quality for a Pure Sine Wave unit.
Hope this helps someone out, I always appreciate reviewers that offer other options, instead of just complaining about a product. Thanks to Amazon for letting us all share our reviews. That's what makes Amazon the BEST place to shop online. You already know that, because you are reading this...
.............................................................. - Stanley - Usb Car Charger - Car Adapter - Ac-dc Converter'
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