Customer Reviews

Powerline By Original Power 0900-73 200/400-Watt Slim Line Inverter with USB Charging Port

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This is a decent power inverter, at best. I do not recommend this for continuous use for longer than 2 or 3 hours.

I purchased my first one at Wal-Mart, which subsequently died on me after about 10 hours of continuous use. It kept blowing a fuse, with OR without having anything drawing current, other than the unit itself. I disassembled it and found the internal fuse to be in working condition. I came to the conclusion that the voltage regulators were at fault, and drew over 30 amps of current, since I tried a 30amp fuse and it popped immediately.

I exchanged it for a second one at Wal-Mart, and used it on another road trip yesterday; this one no longer functions. I didn't bother disassembling this one because I've decided that this brand and/or country of assembly/manufacturing (made in china, of course) is not worth my while.

The cooling fan on both units was finicky. They would buzz after long use and often required multiple power cycles (unplugging and plugging back in) to get it to spin up again.

My usage was with a Dell Inspiron 6000 1.6ghz Pentium-M (SpeedStep enabled, running at 800mhz) with a 4200rpm drive, and cpu usage was between 0-10% at most. There was little the power inverter was required to do; the Dell AC power cord I use is rated at 65watt max current, and my computer, as you see noted above, was operating at 0-10 percent @ 800mhz. This is unacceptable performance from the PowerLine inverter.

My first inverter failure was at 10 hours, and my second at 7 hours. The second one, again, either has cheaply made voltage regulators or has blown a fuse internally; I won't waste my time taking this one apart to see if it's the internal fuse or regulators that have gone bad.

Each inverter failed in different cars, so it's not likely that a dirty or unstable DC power supply is to blame. I blame the over-sensitivity of the cheap components used in manufacturing. I've had cheaply-made power supplies in computers last longer than this, and I learned my lesson with those quickly--now I've learned my lesson with DC-to-AC power inverters, especially those of the PowerLine brand.

If your use is infrequent, and for less than 2 hours at a time, this might do the job you need. The internal capacitors are not a durable brand, either--there are no identifying markings on them at all. My draw of less than 65 AC watts causes the fan to operate improperly and then render the device useless--this is my second and last purchase of a PowerLine inverter product.

My experience is similar to Jonathans. This unit is a piece of junk. I had a similarly rated inverter for several years (I have forgotten the make and model) and it worked perfectly until it was stolen from my car. The FIRST TIME I used this one, with a Dell laptop power supply (rated 90 watts continuous) connected, after about 4 hours use, it began screaming at me with its built in audible alarm. It screams whenever it is turned on, with or without anything plugged in, load or no load. Maybe I will tear it apart for the alarm. THAT seems to work just fine!

I keep reading all these reviews and they all have the same problems I have had with the PowerLine Inverter: screaming alarm, flashing light, and basically just not working anymore after small usage.

So heed the warnings...
Don't buy this product if you want something durable!

Try another brand.

I have had this unit (the 0900-73 200W) for about 3 months. I bought it after my Radio Shack inverter died after about 5 years of use powering an XBox and TV in our van for many, many 5+hour trips (and it was only rated at 140W). So, I picked this one up (since it was cheap...) and it worked on our first trip just fine, and now just blows the fuse in any vehicle when I plug anything into it. The power output is intermittent. I have a light on my Dell laptop powercord that lights up when it has power. Thatlight does not come on reliably when using this inverter, indicating the the Powerline is not outputting power. When the light does eventually come on, the fuse in my car blows immediately. I am reluctant to plug it back in, and am going to go with a different brand (likely back to radio shack). Also, the internal beeper keeps going off with or without anything plugged into it, and regardless of whether it is actually outputting any power.

I purchased one of these for my wife to use on a plane. It worked fine that day but now has blown the fuse on two of my cars. My other Inverter from another company still works fine after about 10 years of use. This unit is JUNK!

Like others have said, this model is not reliable. It worked great while it worked, but after using it a few times is sounded an alarm and blew a fuse in my truck. After I replaced the fuse and plugged it back in, smoke poored out of it. It died a misserable death as its guts shorted out. There are other brands in the same price range that are much better quality. Skip this one and buy something else.

I've got to say, these guys have thought of everything! As a traveling "Road Warrior" - the biggest pain is not having the power you need to keep working while traveling. This inverter has allowed be to operate my computer and portable printer (beats Kinko's!)and keep my iPod charged ---at the same time!

This unit has 2 AC plugs and 1 USB charging port - what more do I need to stay powered while on the road. This product is a steal and works very well.

I have used this same unit for charging my computer when traveling for over a year. I've had excellent service until today. It popped a simple capacitor off the board. They aren't the highest quality components but meet the task for the price. A soldering iron and another cheap 30cent electrolytic capacitor fixed the problem. I hope to get a bonus year at this price!

One of the best inventions ever made! None of my cars are without one now. I find it slips nicely between the front seat and one the middle console (tucked away). Great thing to have!

The first of these inverters I bought was years ago and it worked perfectly, and to this day it still works. The only problem it has is the fan is noisy. I ended up buying 2 more since I was satisfied with this product, and for a few months I haven't had any problems. I was even wondering why there were negative reviews about this product. Then one day as I was driving I heard beeping, and the dashboard lights were even flashing. I couldn't figure it out at first, but then realized it was the inverter, and I unplugged it. the plug itself felt pretty hot. Later, when I parked, I tried it again, and it still beeped with a flashing red light. Nothing plugged in it. Even some smoke came up. So I decided it was no good. I then wondered if there was some truth to the reviews I read. I ended up using the second one, which gave me no problems. For a while I would plug in a miniature fan which my mom bought me as a gift. But today the fan had trouble starting up. and the inverter was whining, which didn't make sense as the fan is rated only 18 watts. I tried other things in the inverter and had no problems. I then tried the fan again, and this time the fan started smoking. I then tried the fan in a Cobra inverter and had no problems whatsoever. I also tried it in the older powerline inverter and it worked fine. What that pretty much tells me is these powerline inverters don't behave right. and I wonder if they're even safe. I don't trust them at all now, especially after the last one almost destroyed my new fan.