Black & Decker VEC049DCB Inverter

by Black & Decker

Product Features

• Maximum continuous power is 1000 watts
• Powers up to 8.5 amperes
• Converts vehicle DC power into 120 volts AC power
• Soft start technology prevents start-up surge
• Output voltage range between 105-125 volts

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 7.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0027ISB1I
• Item model number: VEC049DCB
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,059 in Automotive (See Top 100 in Automotive)
  • #87 in Automotive > RV Parts & Accessories > Power & Electrical > Power Inverters
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Black & Decker VEC049D (1000 Watt continuous power/2000 Watt peak) converts your vehicle's 12 Volt DC power to 120 Volt AC household power. Features of the VEC049D include: MAXXsst Soft Start Technology; short circuit protection and fault interrupter shock protection; automatic reset; turbo cooling; noise filter technology; two grounded 120 volt AC household outlets; high surge capability; powerful internal high-speed cooling fan; high and low voltage protection; overload protection; low battery alarm and low battery shutdown; remote control connection sold separately; power "on" and fault LED indicators; wattage output power level meter.

Product Description

Power Inverters converts your vehicle's DC power to 120 volts AC household power. This is ideal for use with laptops, cell phones, digital cameras, and MP3 devices. Includes soft start technology which prevents start-up surge for increased applicance/tool efficiency. 2000 watts surge capacity and 1000 watts maximum continuous power.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic poor man's generator, February 17, 2011

By 

Josef Gabelberger - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black & Decker VEC049DCB Inverter (Automotive)

We have had a winter with several power outages here, usually lasting a day or so. We considered buying a generator but the cost & need for upkeep made me consider buying an inverter instead. I already had the Cobra 875 inverter which works well for the most part but couldn't reliably pull up a couple of key motors in the house - the heating system's oil burner and the fridge. Once running, these don't consume more than a few hundred watts as confirmed by my kill-a-watt but motor startup always blew the fuse in the Cobra. So I found this one here, not much more sustained Watts (1000 vs 800) but "soft start" specifically for inductive loads. This is great! This completely replaces a small generator now, without the cost / worry about it starting / maintenance, and having to run out to get canisters of gas every day. Check out the review for the "AIMS 1000 Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter" titled "Prius UPS". This is almost exactly the arrangement I have, except with a different inverter. The more expensive inverters give you sine wave (which is nice for TVs etc. but no real difference for motors, laptops etc.) and of course more power. Since I also have a Prius, I specifically didn't want more power since that would endanger the Prius battery's fuse. Instead, should there be an overload, it'll just shut down the inverter which can then just be reset. Prius + this inverter = great generator. I also used it on our Odyssey, the only difference is that it uses a bunch more gasoline because it's a 3.5L V6 and has to run all the time whereas the Prius is a small 4-cylinder and starts/stops automatically when the battery gets empty/full.
I love this thing. If you have a car (which I assume you have) and have occasional power outages, this is the thing to have. They should just bundle these with every Prius sold ;-)

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, December 15, 2010

By 

Robert A. Mullins "Alex" (Cookville, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black & Decker VEC049DCB Inverter (Automotive)

This inverter is the best that I have ever used. I use it in my truck, I have an Alienware laptop that needs 400 watts of power minimum, and this is the only solution!

I have used this on a mobile video set in a field, running two 450 watt Aries Video lights.(make sure your vehicle is running, or your battery will die very quickly) I made a portable lighting solution with a single Arie 250w light and this unit strapped to the side of a car battery (45m-hour of life)

I have also had an Xbox Rock Band Party in the parking lot at my college, running an Xbox and TV off of the bed of my truck! (lasts about 40 minutes on a full car battery without starting the vehicle)

On a final note, you can run this unit off of your car's cigarette lighter for portability, HOWEVER do not exceed 300-400 watts on the meter or you will burn out your car's fuse, or worse. (Optimally, Wire this unit like you would a big car stereo Amp, directly from the battery to use its full potential.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hurricane relief for family, August 29, 2011

By 

Wizard One (Doha, Qatar) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black & Decker VEC049DCB Inverter (Automotive)

We've loaned one of these to my sister in law, who is currently still blacked out from the hurricane.
It's keeping her refrigerator running quite well and has a fair amount of reserve available to power other necessary items, as needed.