 Ideal for RV, greatly reduces generator usage | | Review Date: June 17, 2008 | | Reviewer: EQReader, Alturas, CA United States | | I live off-grid, in an RV. I run the generator to recharge a 300aH bank of batteries for the 12v systems in the RV. But even the smallest, most efficient generator still supplies more power than I need. With the excess power I charge several of these Xantrex PowerSources. They then give me back the AC power I need when the generator is off. I use them to power my internet connection, laptop, cell phone recharges, watching TV/DVD, etc. As for usage... I have a 26" standard TV w/DVD, and I can watch a DVD for 3 hours or so. My wireless internet dish only draws about 5 watts, and I can keep it powered for days. If you are looking to power just a laptop and cell phone, for 8 hours a day, you could probably last two days with one unit. These batteries should not be discharged down to more than 50%, and the unit will beep loudly and eventually shut off power, so you don't get the full use of 400 watts overall, it's more like 240. You also don't really get 400 watts at once, count on only plugging in 300 watts worth of stuff at a time. Even so, given the price per amp-hour of AGM batteries, this UPS is still an incredible deal, just in battery value alone--and a much better deal considering portability (luggable, but not too bad), and the included inverter and drawdown info. Very easy to use, the readouts on both my units have always worked fine and any beeping that does happen is appropriate and helpful. Family friendly, and relatively idiot-proof. Once I explained how they worked, others who have stayed in my trailer have found them easy to operate and difficult to damage. Anyway, buy a couple of these and you'll run your generator WAY less often and for a much shorter time. |
UPS on Steroids for everything except the computer.. | | Review Date: January 20, 2007 | | Reviewer: Martin Anderson, Santa Ana, CA United States | This is basically a standard UPS with three exceptions.
First, it is not intended for use on computers and thus does not have a USB connector to tell your computer to shut down when the power goes out.
Second, and most importantly, its battery capacity is about 6 times that of a standard UPS. For instance, the Tripplite 700 UPS has a 7aH battery, which will provide 400 watts of power for about 7 minutes. This unit has 2 20aH batteries, for a total of 40aH, and should provide 400 watts for about 35 minutes. My big screen, Onkyo surround system, and satellite dish draw about 200 watts, so in an outage, I can probably watch TV for an hour. If my PVR alone is left on, it can run for 5 hours or longer.
Third, this unit has a power meter on it, so you can tell exactly how many watts you are drawing. |
Works as it says. | | Review Date: August 23, 2006 | | Reviewer: Carl Morris, Hooper, NE USA | This is an early review in that I have not had to witness a lengthy power outage to determine its run-time, but from initial experience it seems to run as expected. Some things I do want to pass on to other people, is that this UPS is like most others, even though its from an inverter specialist, and will not operate on an existing modified sine-wave inverter. This won't bother most people however. Others should just note that it is very large as is needed for the run-time it is able to offer, and weighs a good amount too. It does not have a continous audible alarm when operating in backup mode. The documentation states it is a modified sine wave inverter, however I have not checked to see what the exact output looks like. I don't have any delicate equipment connected, so I cannot know if it would cause buzzing from audio equipment or picture distortion in video equipment.
If you require a long run-time from a quiet back-up system this is an ideal solution. I use it to back-up power to my weather monitoring computer because I am gone too much during the day to activate my manual backup system. |
Powersource 400 packs a lot of power | | Review Date: July 10, 2007 | | Reviewer: B. Lachman, Chicago, IL | This is a really unusual product in that it can run for about an hour on full power (400 watts), or lots of hours with a light load.
If you need to stay powered up, and are concerned about intermittent AC power service, this unit is quite nice. It has 26lbs of lead acid batteries (2 12v 20ah batteries) inside, which cost a minimum $50 each to replace. So you are getting over $100 of value just in the battery of system.
It is not as "smart" as some computer oriented UPS units with USB and ethernet ports, which often drive higher output loads (often 1200 or more watts), but its battery is quite large for its price point, and its easy to use for most consumers. |
Excellent buy! | | Review Date: September 20, 2007 | | Reviewer: Brad B., Kansas | | I brought this battery backup unit to safeguard my work on my computer from power outages. I got it just in time. In the past week, there were two very short power interruptions, and I was able to continue working and downloading without any problems. The PowerSource 400 switched to battery power smoothly and kept my computer, monitor, and DSL modem performing normally while the power was out. When the power came back on, it quickly charged back up ready for the next outage. The PowerSource 400 performed as advertised. I am very satisfied and would highly recommend this battery backup unit to anyone who depends upon computers throughout his or her workday. |
Works Great | | Review Date: July 11, 2008 | | Reviewer: Ray Photon, Russellville, Arkansas USA | | Have run a 31" TV, Dishnetwork reciever, DVD player, portable computer, wireless telephone/answering machine and flourescent lamp for combined totals of 5 watts to 130 watts with no noticeable effects when switching between ac input and operating of internal batteries. Works great. |
Peace of Mind | | Review Date: August 28, 2008 | | Reviewer: Allen, USA | I have only had this product for a few weeks but I have tested it and was quite happy with the result. The switch over from line power to internal power was seamless. The transition back to line power was the same. I had a Desktop PC, small lamp, cordless phone, router, Vonage modem, stereo and speaker switch for my whole house system operating for just shy of two hours before the fifty percent signal sounded. There was no deterioration of performance quality on my phone,sound system, or PC(Including my Magicjack).
I really like the display of wattage use, although it is not extremely precise. It was good enough for me to tweak my device choices.
I bought this to have a safeguard against my family being left without communication should I not be home to get the generator started in case of an outage. It also provides me a 'no panic' time frame even if I am home, to get the generator going.
I would recommend this product. For the price there is nothing out there to compare. It is a little on the heavy side due to the battery capacity, but I am not planning on moving it so that is not much of a problem. Even though it is heavy it is not bulky and fits under my desk without interferring with my movements.
It does not have any USB capability, but that also is not a deterrent for my uses.
A reviewer mentioned a bothersome beeping. The unit does signal when there is a status change, but it is not constant. it's a feature that is more covenient then bothersome in my opinion. I don't have to concern myself with keeping an eye on it's status. Having the power off is enough to think about. There is also a fan noise when the unit is recharging itself, but again, it wasn't anything that was intrusive, although it was constant for the entire recharge which lasted several hours.
This was a small price too pay for a whole bunch of convenience.
I am thinking about getting the 1800 watt unit so as to extend my time before having to generate power, since a generator seems mighty noisy at night. I would then be able to use this unit to power lights and other covenience devices. HAVE NOW HAD THE 400 WATT UNIT ALMOST TWO YEARS AND I AM COMPLETELY DELIGHTED WITH IT. IT HAS GOTTEM ME THROUGH SEVERAL POWER OUTAGES SEAMLESSLY. |
Great Power. Great Price. | | Review Date: December 23, 2009 | | Reviewer: T. J. Long, Florida | | I bought this product because I am in the Army and needed a power source available away from vehicles and buildings. This is great! Smaller size when compared to other products because it does what it is supposed to do. Provide emergency or portable power, and let me tell you it delivers. It does not have useless feature I didn't want such as: air compressor, radio, flash light, or jumper cables. Can not say enough good things about this product. Keep up the good work Xantrex. |
It works well. | | Review Date: May 9, 2007 | | Reviewer: Garin F, | My unit only beeps once, when it starts up after a power failure.
The owner's manual is OK (There is a website--I did not use it.)
I will probably be getting a 2nd one soon.
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To me, this seems slightly better than a UPS | | Review Date: July 21, 2007 | | Reviewer: Jim Reitz, Elkridge, Maryland USA | You can use this when it is unplugged from the wall outlet. Most UPS's don't recommend that. This product works as advertised, and I got it for a great price from Amazon. Unfortunately, shortly after I bought it the price went up significantly! The blue LED on the back is useful for when the power goes out in the dark. It illuminates the outlets in the back so you can see to plug things in.
By the way, for an average 70 Watt load, I used it for 6 hours (disconnected from AC power) and according to its battery meter, I would have been able to get another 2 hours out of it, for a total backup time of 8 hours. I'm using this for my home networking equipment and Verizon FIOS. |
Great for street vendor lighting | | Review Date: August 9, 2008 | | Reviewer: Island Lover, Isla Verde, Puerto Rico | When cruise ships arrive to Old San Juan and stay until midnight, you can have 3 to 4 lamps with spiral shaped 13watt bulbs that illuminate like 60 watt bulbs and you have power for 4 nights in a row @ 4 hours per night.
However, to extend the life of it, I recharge it nightly. Works great since june and should last quite some time. Much, much better than the ones with jump start feature. |
Major Productivity Saver | | Review Date: December 19, 2008 | | Reviewer: Philip Cook, | | This is the best UPS out there in terms of longevity and price as compared to other UPS. My electricity goes out quite often and I have major school work deadlines to meet. It saved me more than once in the short month I've had it. It does what it says. I was able to get 7 hours running a lap top, printer, modem, and a light set on 50 Watts. In addition I was able to run a boom box on it for 2-3 hours over the 7 hours stated. I like the beeping warning it gives and that it shows the percentage of battery life left. The only drawback is the ability to charge a battery like the one in a lap top. It does do it, but may cause damage to it if you want to take the chance. This is clearly stated in the owner's manual. |
great backup power source | | Review Date: November 16, 2009 | | Reviewer: Brent, | | The xantrex unit works as advertised. It is heavy, but offers enough capacity to run computers or other equipment for several hours instead of several minutes like other smaller backup power supplies. I have three of these and would recommend them to anyone looking for a portable AC power source or a backup power source for power outages. |
Makes life great | | Review Date: January 1, 2010 | | Reviewer: Nichele D. Weatherford, Compton, CA | | This is a good product. I work in places sometimes where I have to sit in my vehicle for 8 hours and I want to run my laptop, charge my cell phone, or watch tv. I tried The Power Source and it works great. I was using the battery jumpers from Sears, and they suck. I had the one with the cigarrette lighter on it, so you have to have an adapter to plug in a cord for electronics. With the battery jumpers, my laptop would not always be charging although it was plugged in. With the Power Source it was always on charge when it was plugged in and it even fully charged my laptop. My Sears batter jumper never did that. The Power Source is a bit heavy at 35lbs. but it is worth it. I like the fact that you can have the batteries replaced after they burn out. |
Xantrex Xpower Powersource ROCKS! | | Review Date: June 27, 2009 | | Reviewer: Missy, St. Mary's, GA | | I love it! I bought it for my husbands birthday cause our power goes out all the time. Twice just last week we were the only people for blocks that had light, tv, dish network, and a clock. It was amazing. The only thing we couldn't plug into it was the airconditioner. lol |
Lasts Forever | | Review Date: July 8, 2009 | | Reviewer: TeadoraX, Ft. Lauderdale | | I use this as a backup for my nano marine aquarium. It will keep the pump going for 14 hours (when the power came back on) at 12 watts. Great for those Florida power outages! Highly recommend. I could only kill it when I had the 2 pumps and the chiller going, and that was 2 hours later.Worth every penny. Plus, no beeping! Just a pretty blue light. |
Excellent Product | | Review Date: January 10, 2010 | | Reviewer: Alan S. Plummer, Glastonbury, CT USA | | I have had this product for over a year, and happy to make comments. It performs as advertised. I have a desktop, monitor, cable modem, and wireless router plugged in. It has performed very nicely during power outages. Excellent product. I would buy again. |
Great UPS | | Review Date: January 9, 2008 | | Reviewer: Michael Grenier, | | This UPS is great, we have 4 of them and all are used on our servers. Depending on what we have plugged into it they run from on hour to eight hours. The only down side to this UPS is the weight and the fact that it doesn't have a usb input so that you can attach it to a computer to have the computer shutdown when the battery is getting low. |
Go mobile | | Review Date: April 4, 2008 | | Reviewer: Randolph K. Botti, Hilo, HI United States | The Xantrex portable powersource has allowed us to go mobile at outrigger canoe races with a fully powered laptop, a printer and keep an Ipod charges while it's hooked up to sound system.
Great product |
This just worked great! | | Review Date: April 1, 2009 | | Reviewer: George, Costa Rica, Central America | | I work as an online teacher and live in Costa Rica, where we have more than the occasional brown outs and black outs, so it is important that I have a back up if the power goes out. I reluctantly bought this because I did not want to pay so much for a battery which may or may not give me power enough to stay connected to the cyber classroom. My power was out for more than an hour and twenty minutes and I was able to keep teaching since the battery kept my desktop, 19 LCD monitor and my modem up and running for the entire time! I am really impressed. |
Good product | | Review Date: January 7, 2010 | | Reviewer: Dale Smith, Sammamish, WA USA | I purchased the Xantrex Technologies 852-0400 XPower PowerSource 400-Watt Back-up Power Solution to provide generator free backup power for the sporadic power outages we have in the Northwest.
We are using the Duracell XPower PowerSource to backup for our bedroom lights and radio alarm clock. When the power goes out where we live it is often out for days. When this happens we replace the bulbs in the bedside lights with CFL which helps to keep the overall watt usage down while providing sufficient lighting.
Since we only use the bedside lamps for a short time in the evenings before sleeping and the radio alarm clock uses so little power I calculate the product will provide useful power for over four days.
I gave the product four stars because the first one I received was defective. The manufacturer replaced the product at no charge. Technical support was very helpful, the RMA process painless, and the replacement was at my door in short order.
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Works as advertised but it has drawbacks | | Review Date: April 15, 2007 | | Reviewer: Mysecretavatar, New York USA | | It works as advertised but it has two major drawbacks: lack of any meaningful owner's manual and an extremely annoying beep that it makes everytime that backup power is used. Since there is no owner's manual, I can't figure out how to disable this beep or if it can be disabled at all. This basically provides a few minutes of emergency backup so that you can safely turn off your devices in the event of a blackout or similar problems. But the beeps make it impossible to use the backup power for too long. |
OK but not enough power | | Review Date: August 10, 2006 | | Reviewer: Jeffrey D. Fuller, Fairfax, VA USA | | I thought this thing would run a sump pump - no joy! |
LED indicators | | Review Date: December 9, 2009 | | Reviewer: D. W. Campbee, denver | | When you receive the item there is a LONG list of devices that may be damaged when used including anything with built-in rechargable batteries such as shavers, drills, flashlights etc. Made me questions it's use for laptops and cellphone since they have rechargers built in. It also may damage anything with speed controls or fans. It's also not for use with portable heaters or microwaves. That pretty much eliminates anything in my home with the exception of lights and the tv. However, backup system worked properly and without interruption when power cord disconnected. However, when unplugged and in backup mode the LED indicator always displayed a 100% charge and 0% Watt usage regardless of how many units were plugged into the device. I charged a cell phone for 10 minutes and upon plugging the unit back in to recharge it indicated the unit was at 80% capacity but recharged quickly to 100%. I think the unit is functioned properly as a backup but it has faulty LED indicators for battery level and Watt usage. The LED indicator lights did not work when in backup mode. I called customer service and and the number in the users manual is not a working number. This unit is HEAVY and definitely for stationary and not portable use. Definitely check the long list of devices that may be damaged before purchasing this unit. |
Would get a 5, but it comes on even when there's power available | | Review Date: August 31, 2007 | | Reviewer: Dan Freedman, | Fantastic unit, with a fatal flaw. Even when plugged in to 110v, the unit often (more than once per day) believes there's no power, and goes into battery mode. Sometimes, it recovers after a few minutes. Other time, it drains its whole battery, and turns off! As a result, the unit has drastically lowered the reliability of power availability - precisely the opposite of what it is intended to do.
I bought two of these units from Amazon, and will return them. I have since bought an APC XS-1500 which has less features, but works like a charm.
I spoke to Xantrex technical support, but they had no solution other than "sorry, please return them and try to get another one from a different batch date". Mine say they were built May 7 2007. |
Do not buy this product | | Review Date: January 15, 2010 | | Reviewer: Sammy, | | I have a number of Xantrex products and have found them to be good quality. I cannot say the same for thier product support. I have a Powersource 1800 that shorted out. It is less than 2 years old (20 months). It is out of warranty. I am willing to pay to have it repaired. They will NOT repair it or sell parts for it. The best they will do is sell me another unit at 30% off list. I was informed by customer suppoer that they do not repair products that are out of warranty. So beware buying Xantrex(aka Scnieider Electric), Durucell branded Xantrex products, and APC(a Schneider Electric company). Once they are out of warranty, if something happens to the you can throw them in the trash heap. |
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