Customer Reviews

Cobra CPI 475 400 Watt Power Inverter

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

We needed a higher power interter to use in our RV when camping without shore power. We needed to power two laptop computers, charge cell phones and PDAs and run a small fan. This Cobra unit reviewed well so I ordered one from Amazon. It was delivered in just a few days (thanks Amazon). It has a solid feel to it, connectors are of good quality, and it is small enough not to be obtrusive in the confines of an RV. I used the cigarette lighter plug and put this on our dining table. The two AC plugs accommodated two AC adapters for laptops. As a bonus, there is a USB port on the Cobra that will supply 5 volts! So, I can charge my Blackberry simultaneously. What a delight!! The unit has an internal fan which only runs as needed. If I'm just charging a cell phone, then the fan does not run - but when I've got a load on - the fan runs and effectively cools the inverter. This is not a pure sine wave inverter but I've had no trouble at all using it with various laptops, pdas, fans, and cell phone chargers. I've not used it to power a TV or Radio (those could be more sensitive to interter noise). After a months use, I'm delighted with the inverter - it meets my needs completely.

This unit is small, light weight, comes with a carrying case, two ways to connect to 12v supply and low cost, what more could you ask for.

I mean what else can I say. I was looking for a midrange product that could travel with us and drive a laptop and a cell phone charger when needed. The price was better than I could get locally and it survived a lengthy road trip driving a Dell laptop the whole way. Now it will do the same thing for shorter trips in state and who knows what else. Did what it said it would do.

Very good product. Only design flaw is that the mounting braccket on the bottom is not wide enough, screwdriver is blocked by body of unit.

When I purchased this inverter, I was aware that if I needed to draw more than about 140 watts, that it must be directly connected to the battery, not plugged into a cigarette lighter outlet. However, I also found that if the inverter detects that the battery voltage is geting low, it sounds a loud continuous alarm which cannot be switched off and cannot be adjusted. This makes it nearly useless unless the battery is fully or nearly fully charged. Be aware.

We used this inverter on a 24 hour car trip to power a laptop, cell phones, a DS and a DVD player. It worked perfectly. I worried that it would get hot or be loud - it was neither hot nor loud. I am really happy with this inverter. My only complaint is that it is hard to tell if the inverter is turned on or off- the light did not light up (I am not sure if it is supposed to). The unit is larget than some of the single outlet inverters, but the size is worth it if you want two outlets. Nice product.

I keep this inverter in my car.. just in case.. im thinkin i might need it to charge my laptop or my cell when im traveling.. its been there for a while in my car.. i didn't use it yet.. but i tried it and it works and its there so when i need it i know i can use it :)

The box came with two cables.. one that goes into the cig lighter and one with clippers that can be connected directly to the battery when u need more power. The quality is good and assembly for the wires needs nothing.. the screws can be done by hand..

I use this inverter primarily to power my daughters' two DVD players on long trips. I've also used it to power battery chargers and a coffee cup warmer. It has done the job with no noted problems. I use the DC socket in my 2007 Tacoma. When not in use, I store it in the handy dandy sturdy plastic case that came with it.

This was well buying. I can power so many things from inside my car now. It's great for road trips or if the power goes out at home. I used it on a 130 watt product and it worked great.

I bought this to replace two Cobra 150 watt units as the units worked but the fans kept burning out and once it can't cool itself it turned off. I figured that if I gota bigger unit it would run cooler based on the fact that it wouldn't be running near its max all the time. I've had the unit over a month and it has worked perfectly, down to the undervolt alarm coming on BEFORE it ran my car battery dead. This is a very good feature. I was running an HP Laptop, a 500 gig external drive, a battery charger and my rechargeable clippers on my car battery for over two hours (work out of my vehicle) and other than a small hum from the fan it ran perfectly. I would suggest this for anyone looking for a small unit with a lot of power.