10 Responses to “Xantrex Technologies 852-2071 Xpower AC/DC Powerpack Solar With 400 Watt Inverter, Two AC Outlets, USB Port, And Digital Display”

1. msallin says:

   August 8, 2007 at 3:58 pm

   Rating

   This is truly a wonderful product and very useful. I’ve used it out in my back year as a power source for my hedge cutters and it worked great. No more need to run long extension cords our in the yard anymore. I just use a short one attached to my Powerpack and carry it with me. It only weighs about 20 pounds and has a handy handle too.

   I tried the solar panel out over the weekend, and it really does work. It charged the unit back up to 90% in about 6 hours. This is going to be great when we do some family camping trips in the future. Cheers.
2. S. L. Browning says:

   August 23, 2007 at 7:09 am

   Rating

   Works great ! Just rather small; doesn’t hold enough power to run a toaster or hot plate. Will keep your phone charged up, and the lantern from this unit will light up a big tent for hours. Very convenient and portable and lightweight enough for traveling and camping. I’m looking forward to the day when such units can pack a larger solar panel and a bigger battery.
3. Scott says:

   October 2, 2007 at 8:20 am

   Rating

   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.
   
4. WILLIAM MCLEAN says:

   July 3, 2008 at 3:31 am

   Rating

   I like the unit. I just wouldn’t pay over a hundred and thirty dollars for it. I got mine on eBay for eighty five, including S&H. It came NEW with all accessories and in the original box. The User Manual had been updated a year ago. I guess that means the battery may be as old. But the buyer never knows the age of the battery no matter who the seller is because it is not accessible.

   While I like the Powerpack and do use it, many improvements are sure to be incorporated in future models. For one thing, the battery is not user replaceable. It may only last 5 years. I have given it 4-stars because I know the current cost of a 5-Watt mono Christal solar panel, a 10Ah AGM battery, and all the functions that come with this Powerpack. And it really is sturdy and very well built. If only they designed it so that (1)the user could replace the battery. . . and (2)users be able to use an additional battery and an additional solar panel.
5. R. Salas says:

   July 8, 2008 at 8:20 pm

   Rating

   OK guys come on think before you buy. I go camping a lot and I use it to charge my IPhone, portable speakers, and power LCD light rope it works grate yeah it will charge laptop as well but not if your not going to use it for multiple things. Buy 2 like I did
6. Darryl S. Holt says:

   September 28, 2008 at 3:19 am

   Rating

   I purchased this product for my trailer and for when I’m far away from normal power sources (off the grid) and it has performed like a champion. This product is totally awesome, I feel that anyone that needs a dependable and flexable alternative power source should purchase this product.
7. Susie Q says:

   October 7, 2008 at 9:26 pm

   Rating

   I use the solar powerpack primarily on camping trips for pumping up air mattresses and charging my cell phone. It works great! Much better than hauling your queen-sized Aero Bed through the campground after pumping it up using the outlet in the bathroom or the RV hookup sites! Although a little on the costly side, I believe this product is well worth it. My sister also bought one and she uses it frequently for her girl scout troop outings.
8. Captain Geek says:

   January 31, 2010 at 6:23 pm

   Rating

   Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2RLYNYJ4M8X25 This is a great little unit, I have used it a few times to test just how long it lasts and it never failed to impress. The only problem with this unit is that the digital display is highly inaccurate in displaying the batteries charge level when anything is plugged in and the ac output of devices under 50 watts. I have not experienced any error code problems. I’ve used this unit to power a small table fan, a laptop computer and some other small draw items. Here are my run times:

   Small ac table fan = 3-4 hours on low setting, 3 max on low setting

   12 volt dc fan = 5-7 hours on only high setting (0.8 amps 10 watts from walmart)

   13.3″ macbook = 2.5 hours with lots of processing and display on full brightness
   
   4 hours max with low brightness and light web browsing only (full battery)

   acer aspire one = 5-6 hours on low brightness and light browsing (battery charged prior)
   
   netbook

   Items that will not run long on this powerpack:

   1. powerful entertainment or gaming laptops

   2. desktop computers

   3. big ac fans

   4. high draw dc appliances such as a dc coffee maker, hair dryer and spotlight

   5. items with heating elements in general EX: coffee maker, heating blanket, electric heater of any sort (expect 3 min or less run time, just don’t even try to plug any of the mentioned items in AT ALL!)

   6. big lcd tv’s or any crt tv (yes even the 13″ rated for this product)

   Items that will be damaged by this device due to modified sine wave ac output:

   1. rechargeable batteries (your laptop will not be damaged because it has a special transformer (I.E. the power brick)

   2. nightlights of any sort

   3. rechargeable electric shavers

   4. any devices that specify they will only work with pure sine wave power (grid power = pure sine wave. keep in mind that 99.9% of all powerpacks use modified sine wave for ac power)

   Bottom line: Don’t treat it as if it is a generator or as if you still have power coming in off the grid in an emergency, be conservative and it will last the night. If you have never owned a power pack like this, keep in mind it’s just a battery and the solar panel won’t make it function like a generator. If you don’t know solar, keep in mind this unit has the largest possible solar panel that will fit on the unit, that doesn’t mean it will charge in a day like your solar accent lights outside. A full day of sunlight will give you 10-20 percent of overall charge (use this to charge your cellphone or run the efficient built in lights at night). You need to charge this unit every 1-3 months. Failure to do so will cause the internal sla agm battery to sulfate and refuse to charge(your warranty is voided with xantrex for neglect). Realistically don’t plug devices in that use more than 70-80 watts if you want reasonable run time (this is true with most powerpacks, even the huge ones). Large items should not be used at all in an emergency power situation. If you want more power and longer run times, buy a 400 watt inverter for your car (please don’t kill your car’s battery, start it up) or buy a $100-$150 2 cycle generator, especially if you need power for medical devices. This unit should last you at least 5 years before the battery needs to be replaced (10 ah agm battery, nut and bolt terminals, tall style battery = $29 online) A lot of powerpacks use this battery. My campbell hausfeld power pack with this battery is 3 years old and counting with the same battery (runs great too, no loss of power) and my past devices using sla batteries lasted an average 7 years before needing replacement. Treat your battery right and it can last just as long. Feel free to ask any questions, I’ll try to respond asap or whenever I can check my inbox.
9. cblocksmith says:

   June 21, 2010 at 7:50 pm

   Rating

   great unit, I have used it a lot every day in my work it never failed to impress me The only problem with this unit is that the digital display is hard to see in the sun so I can not tell some time if it is off. I have experienced error code problems some time . I’ve used this unit to power a HPC Key machen, a laptop computer and a rytan Key duplacator. I only have to take it in once a week to fully recharge it Don’t treat it as if it is a generator . A full day of sunlight will give me 10-20 percent of overall charge otherwise I leave it out in my service vehical to recharge a wonderfull unit
10. camper guy says:

    July 19, 2010 at 7:19 pm

    Rating

    I used this for the first time while camping in the mountain this past weekend and it surpassed my expectations. This is a great emergency back up unit along with outings.

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