Customer Reviews

Kensington Auto/Air Power Inverter with Two USB Ports for Mac or PC (K38037US)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my First Inverter Purchase.
I was surprised at how small the Inverter was when I received it.
I uploaded a few pictures to show the size next to an iPhone and a US bank note.
My laptop power draw is only 65watts(HP Compaq nc6400) and the Inverter was able to power my laptop and an Iphone at the same time just fine.

For Airplanes:
First and foremost, before flying and purchasing one of these Inverters, make sure the plane you are going to fly on has DC or emPower. Some planes already come with AC power built in.

The following is a great website with a ton of useful information about power and flights:
seatguru(dot)com

I purchased this Power supply thanks to the recommendation from the seat guru website.

I took a trip to Dominican Republic on a smaller American Airlines plane, which had DC power.
The Inverter worked liked a Charm. It kept my battery charged for the entire flight of 2 hours from Miami.

I will be taking a trip with American Airlines(777 with DC Power) later this year, and I will update the review once I have used it on a LONG(14hour) flight.

UPDATE JULY 2010:
I used it on two 14H AA 777 flights. ( NYC to Tokyo NRT and back).
It worked just as advertised.
The plane power port did flicker on and off through out the flight.
So every 15min my computer would indicate that I was running on battery.
But this was not an issue with the inverter, it was with the plane.
It kept my laptop and ipod charged for the duration of the flight.
The Inverter works like a champ and I still highly recommend this Inverter.

-Matti

Kept my Lenovo T-71 fully charged using the Empower port on 9-hour flights to and from Paris. I also tried it briefly in my car's DC socket, and worked perfectly there, too.
I'm sure it's a pretty inefficient way to power a laptop (you end going from DC to AC to DC), but it worked.

Matti Waarna's review above provides good details for folks looking to power a laptop on a flight.

I purchased this for a long road trip from MN to FL. I never once lost my connection, and it kept my laptop charged as promised. I would definitely recommend this product.

When I have this plugged into my car and charging just an iPhone the fan is already whirring. When I plug in my MacBook Pro it sounds like a little jet engine, pretty annoying. On an airplane the noise gets drowned out by the engine noise so maybe there it doesn't matter.

Also, on an airplane with the Empower-style plug the power kept cutting off while plugged into my MacBook. I presume this was the safety limiter on the Empower cutting off, as the maximum wattage is 75W. Luckily I still had my Apple MagSafe airplane adapter, and that worked (though it does not charge the battery). I don't know to what extent this is the Kensington K38037US's fault. Obviously when plugged into the 120VAC end of the K38037US the Macbook doesn't know that it should not charge the battery so it draws more power.

I was happy to see that this unit does charge my iPhone -- I have tried several other models that do not. Having 2 USB charging ports allowed my kids to plug in their iPods on a long road trip. However, when my iPad is plugged in it says "not charging".

Another plus is that the construction seems relatively robust. I have had 2 other car inverters that were on the verge of falling apart.

I guess my main legitimate complaint is about the noise.

I bought this product for use in the plane. My laptop is rated 90Watt and 4.74 Amp/19 Volt. It works on the plane ONLY when laptop is switched off: when I work on my laptop in the plane the inverter goes on/off/on/off. Called Kensington and the customer service rep. pointed me to the FAQ about this inverter. It seems that the airplane power is limited to 75W/5A. Advise from Kensington is to start your journey with a full battery and re-charge your laptop when the laptop is switched off and thus only the battery is recharged (and not the whole laptop has to be powered). That works fine and it also works fine in the car with running engine. Not Kensingtons fault, but why not mention it in the sales/technical specs? I have just a regular 15 inch HP laptop. Not really a power hog.
I keep the inverter and use it with the restrictions mentioned above.

This is perfect for EmPower ports on airplanes. Works perfectly, and I let mine run for 8 hours on an trans-Atlantic flight. No overheating, no hassle. And it is very small and light. Just plugged it in and it worked. No need to over-complicate things - this thing is perfect. If you need power for an EmPower port on a plane, get this. You will not be disappointed.

Powers good and quite longer than expected but the annoying noise is inescapable. Wish there was a sound-absorbent accessory that came along, even if for a higher price. Am yet to try it for a long flight but I know it will be fine with necessary amenities on plane.

NOT FOR AIRPLANES!
I connected Kensington Auto/Air power to the plane power source and it goes crazy on/off/on/off/on etc...
If you turn the computer off it will charge your battery???? What??! I don't see a reason for this product to exist!
(for airplane use)
I gave 3 stars because I think the product is well built, just miss leading marketing.

I bought this item for my father to use on his trip to europe with my mother on an AA flight. Based on a fellow reviewer who also carried with item on an AA flight, hopefully this device will power my father's laptop for the long trip. I cannot comment on how well the device works at the time, but my father was pleased with the gift.

I will update the review once he returns from the trip.

This item kept my iphone (listening to iTunes the whole way) and my iPad charged the whole flight. However, before purchasing this item I did research to ensure my flight would even have the ports this device uses. Not all planes have empower ports, there are websites online that can tell you if the plane you are going to be flying on can use this device. Take the time to figure things out before you purchase this item.

NOTE: Even though my iPad said "not charging" it kept its charge throughout the flight. It seems to be an iPad software issue.