Customer Reviews

Cobra CPI 450 DC-to-AC Power Inverter

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I needed something to charge my laptop while on the road. This low-cost gem fills the bill perfectly. One annoyance though, if the engine is not running, the unit will emit an annoying high-pitched whine as a warning, I suppose, of voltage drop.

Turn off the ol' hearing aid, if you must and try this beauty.

Comes with a very nice handy case. Works great.
Nice bang for the buck

I did a lot of research on this item, given the small price. Cobra in my mind had a lingering reputation for poor quality. I am quite satisfied with this product. I like the fact that it gives you the option of using a cigarette plug in or connection directly to the battery terminals to draw the DC power, and the plugs are quite easily swapped with two thumb screws. The directions did say not to power over 150 watts with the cigarette lighter. I'll take their word for it. But if this is the case, I think they need to understand that we need more than 2 feet of cord to get from the battery to the passenger compartment in any sort of installation. There is probably some technical reason behind them not wanting to provide longer cords that could melt or something......

Anyway, it pops right on after you flip the on switch, is quiet, and powers a variety of electronics just fine - laptop, dvd player, cell phone charger etc. It also comes with a well-built hard-side case for storage, which is a strong plus in my book. Otherwise you would just throw it in the trunk, crud would get into the outlets etc. Also, this inverter comes with two outlets for AC, that isn't clear from the picture.

My initial impression is one of extreme satisfaction, from design, packaging, quality and usability, it appears to be the real deal.

Great product, but as soon as you plug a device in the fan goes off and it sure makes a lot of noise. If they would only make a longer cig adaptor i could place it under the seats to try to conseal some of the noise.

Most of these things are of substandard quality. This unit is solid and powers everything I need it to. It also comes with a nice case and cords that are long enough so you don't have to have the unit on the center console. Handy to have.

Solid product. Works great. The only little thing about it that I didn't like was that when the fan kicks on it's a little loud. But what do you expect out of a little fan, they are all loud. Other than that it's great. Runs my laptop just fine.

I purchased this for tailgating at my Clemson Tigers football games. It works great. It powers a 20" tv and DirecTV satellite box without any complaints. I love it!

I have also used it for road trips to power my laptop. I can't always read in the car and this allows me to watch DVD after DVD in the car without having to spring for more batteries from Dell.

They are right. These things should be built into the standard equipment package of every automobile.

I was expecting a lot of noise, but was pleasantly surprised by how quiet this inverter is. Very easy to use for two portable DVD players in the back seat. Haven't really tried it on other appliances, except an electric pencil sharpener to see if it was connected properly. Worked great.

I like that this came with both a plug for the cigarette lighter and clips to attach directly to the battery -- very versatile. I don't know what else to say about it; it's a power inverter, its ability to invert power met my expectations.

As a point of reference, this inverter will handle the load from a video projector, 50-watt speaker and PlayStation 2 effectively.

Works great! The fan is a little nosier than expected. Fan speed/noise increases as load increases.