Customer Reviews

Black & Decker SS50B Storm Station With 50 Watt Power Inverter LED Flashlight And Digital AM/FM NOAA Weather Radio

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I got the Storm Station as a gift. After plugging it in to charge it for 24 hours (as recommended by the manual) I wanted to test it out. The flashlight worked fine. Nothing else worked at all. When I tried to turn on the radio or LED lights on the unit, they went on for about a second and then the whole unit died. I called Black and Decker customer service and talked to a pleasant, but unhelpful, rep who had no suggestions other than to return it. He indicated that this is not an unusual problem for these units.

I really liked the features on this unit - AC power inverter, USB plug, hand crank, etc. - so I decided to return it for a new one. Amazon's return process was awesome, unfortunately the replacement unit had the exact same problem as the first. In this case, it's two strikes and you're out so I'm giving up on the Storm Station and will find a replacement that will actually work (which is a desirable quality for an item you may need to rely on in an emergency!).

I chose to order this item despite some of the bad reviews. That was a mistake.

The unit arrived intact. It will not hold a charge - a not uncommon problem from what I can tell.

I contacted Black and Decker and this is no longer a supported item. The entire battery /power source product line was sold to Backus (spelling?)in August of this year. Unlike Black and Decker, who have responsive phone agents, no one answers the phone at Backus. I call, go through their menu, and no one picks up the phone. I get voicemail and leave messages with a promise of a return call.

No return call.

I am sending the unit back, as Amazon does stand behind its products.

I would advise against purchasing this item. I had the older model of this unit and it has worked well for years. It was a great product.

I am still without an emergency power unit, which I would like. I will be researching what items are available from other manufacturers.

This is a "don't buy". It was faulty out of the box and the new owner of this product line does not respond.

UPDATE
The new owner of this product line (Backus) finally called back. They were polite enough buy non helpful and did not want the unit back for repair. They suggested I just return it to the vendor from whom I bought it. I explained that was not an option as I purchased from Amazon and that was not available for this product. Finally, they said I could send the unit back AT MY COST and they would then determine IF it was eligible for warranty repair. I have the receipt and serial number. Not good enough to guarantee eligibility for warranty repair/replacement.

I don't know how to give it less than one star, but I would if I could. Be aware ALL of Black and Decker's battery line (car jump starters, etc.) have been sold to Backus. Be forewarned if you plan to purchase any items of this line. I know I won't be.

My husband bought this after reading many reviews for other similiar products. It was the best price for the size and functions. All the functions work, flashlight (good rechargeable flashlight), weather radio (I had no problems getting the NOAA signals), AM/FM radio (decent speaker and sound quality), all the outlet plugs, led bar light (very bright). Once the Stormstation was fully charged, I was able to charge my cell phone with no problem using the USB output plug. The main output plug is only 50 watts and may not run a lot of things. I did try to use my laptop with it, but the power requirements were different and did not work. This is something to consider if you have a laptop or other item. I haven't had to use the hand crank for a charge yet so I'm not sure how it will do. I rate the powerstation 4 stars because the instructions could be much better, it would be nice to have a case for storing the unit and AC adaptor together and one of the led bulbs on the light bar went out shortly after I got it and there doesn't seem to be any way to replace it. I keep the unit plugged in to maintain the charge when the power is on that way the Stormstation is always ready, although not required. Also so I don't misplace the AC power adapter. I would reccomend this to anyone looking for an all-in-one emergency item.

This unit is a P.O.S and I wish I has read the reviews about this item. I charged the unit like instruction stated and the unit came on and when I took the unit off the charge it went off after 15 sec. The backup battery did work. The main battery was dead. I took item to battery's plus and the tested the battery and it would only hold 5.5 volts and when taken off the charger it goes down to 0v and had no amps. It would have cost $60 to replace the battery but why pay almost half of what I paid for it.

Loved the concept of having an emergency power source, weather and FM radio, and flashlight/room light easily accessible in the event of an emergency. I especially loved the idea of a hand crank in the event of an extended outage. However, I must add myself to the disappointed group. The instructions said it would come uncharged and needed to be charged for a day. It seemed to fully charge within a very short time (couple hours) and the detachable flashlight did not light at all. I kept it plugged in the full 24 hours hoping the flashlight would then light up but it did not. Not even a dim stream of light. Absolutely no light shone from this flashlight. This would not be very helpful in an emergency.

Given that an emergency power station needs to be reliable, I had to one star this as this product appears not to be so.

I'm on my second one that has not worked properly out of the box. The first came and was not in new packaging, but the flashlight was super dim and it charged in just 30 minutes. It should of taken alot longer than that.

The second was packaged nicely, but the USB caused loud buzzing through the speakers and the weather alert function did not work.

I've returned them all and will avoid this model.

My Dad had mentioned to me that he would like to have an emergency radio so I began searching for one for his birthday. I found two different models of Black and Deckers and started comparing them both. After reading lots of reviews and comparing I decided on the SS50B and I could not have made a better choice! My Dad just loves this radio. When I mentioned maybe getting one for him for his birthday he said all that mattered was that it had a crank and that he did not need all the extras. After I gave him this one he said he was glad that I had gotten him one with all the "extras" on it. The LED light is bright enough to comfortably read with, the flashlight is very bright and works well, the AC plug (yes, we have been experimenting just in case we need it for real) will charge our cell phone and actually run the coffe pot! It picks up the weather and radio stations nicely and has the emergeny channels plus AM and FM bands. We tested it to see how long it would hold a charge and it held a very powerful charge for a week. Our whole family now feels a little safer when a storm comes through and my Dad is very satisfied with his birthday present and he especially loves all the little "extras" !

Disappointed. Looks great, but did not work AT ALL. This was a gift for someone, so it was sad that after charging for days, it still not turn on and nothing would happen. Defective product I suppose. Now, after the holidays I had to return it and get a different product.

We've had our unit for at least 5 years and have had at least three occasions to use it during power failures. The flashlight has always held it's charge and the radio has been great company. We've used the power source to charge our home phone and it worked great. We keep it plugged in so it's ready when we need it.

Does not work, wish I read the reviews.
But a fantastic Idea, Seems thanks to Amazon
the return will be pretty easy.