Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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47 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Black & Decker - What Happened???, March 12, 2008
Black & Decker® PS400JRB Electromate® 400 Plus
This is a great looking "guy toy"! I was hoping to get a lot of use from it and really looked forward to testing it. Well, I've had it now for about two weeks and I really WISH this device would perform all the functions that the script writers at Black & Decker claim for it.
Let's start with the radio so that I can give you some helpful tips. The radio has on/off again static and the volume seems to have a mind of its own. To temporarily eliminate the radio static, just give the unit a "whack" at various locations until you find the sweet spot. The static will then generally stop until you move the unit or turn it off.
The volume adjustment knob on the radio has no tactile feel whatsoever and just spins in either direction with the volume increasing/decreasing at some point. Just like the static, a few whacks on the radio itself will easily adjust the volume for your listening pleasure.
The USB port does work (eventually) but the fit of any USB cable into the port is very sloppy. Here's a tip...If you find the USB port is not working well, simply get some duct-tape and try various "tape-ups" until you see that it's working. Of course, you'll have to remember the exact configuration or start over again next time you need to use the USB port. If you have a camera, you can just take a picture of how it looked when you finally got it to work and then just duplicate the tape-up each time.
The "area light" works great if all you're trying to do is illuminate the inside of an M&M bag to see if just possibly, there could be even a partial piece of an M&M remaining. Otherwise, get a real flashlight or even a candle.
Hey, how about those 120volt and DC plug-ins? Yeah, right. As you salivate, just dying to plug-in something, anything (hey, we're guys, we like to plug-in stuff) and show your buddies that you are truly the master of this device..... good luck! Even though the unit was fully charged, it would shut down with every low wattage device I plugged into it.
Am I starting to get just a little frustrated with this Black & Decker® PS400JRB Electromate® 400 Plus? Gosh Cletus...yuh think????? I called the 800 support number provided by Black & Decker and was transferred to a recording that said the number was no longer in use.
There was a time when the name Black & Decker stood for quality. But it appears that was a long, long time ago.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great back-up power product!, January 26, 2008
I bought this for aux. power on my boat when I'm on the water away from shore power. I have two marine batteries on my boat, but I bought this product for emergency back-up while on the open water. Keep in mind that I only use this product down below in a constant dry area of the sailboat's cabin (away from water) for safety reasons. I really didn't buy it for the jump starter or the USB Port, but if needed, I will be glad to have them. Since I didn't buy it primarily for the jump starter, I was glad to see that the jumper cables were detachable when not in use. I selected this product based on three factors: price, power and options. I saw this same product at Wal-mart for a more expensive pricetag (plus tax). Also, the free shipping from Amazon was fantastic: it is rather heavy, so to get free shipping on such a heavy product was a plus . The features are great. I get two AC and two DC power outlets. Having the two power options (AC or DC) is awesome. When I'm out on my boat, I can plug in a portable DVD player, charge/power up my phone and portable VHF in emergencies, and listen to the radio or weatherband all at the same time! I've used the radio (which gets good reception) and the light (more of a narrow spotlight for finding close objects). It seems to hold a charge for day and overnight sailing trips (for my light uses). Oh, a small blower kicks on when the 120V AC switch is turned on and the 12V DC outlets are rated for 5A max. each. Overall, I am quite happy with this product. I can also see it useful for road trips and camping trips too! Oh, I almost forgot...you will need to buy a grounded extension cord to charge it, or you can use the included 12V charger (but that seems like it may take a long time to get a full charge from a drained battery).
UPDATE: Now that Amazon.com does not ship this item from its' warehouse, you as a consumer ARE NOT eligible for free shipping. It may now be cheaper buying it at your local Wal-mart. Do your research before buying!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great item. Great cranking power, July 19, 2007
We originally bought this for "emergency's" However, we find ourselves using it all the time. We frequently use it as our outdoor radio. While the radio is adequate and simple to operate, don't expect a high quality "boom box". I wish that it also had the emergency weather radio built in though.
It's a little bit heavy to lug around, but considering that it's basically just a big ol' battery, it's not too bad. It's reasonable
The charge on the system seems to last for a very long time, although I have never measured the actual charge life in hours. Even when the unit was not fully charged, it jump started a bull dozer instantly!. Everyone was impressed. We have also used it to jump start a car. It was super simple to figure out how to jump start the vehicles. (In my opion, it was easier than car to car jumping). Plus, everything that you need comes in the box. However, the jumper cables would be better if they were a bit longer
The item earns 5 stars because it does everything that the manuf said that it would do. :)
This is a great all around item to have. Makes a pretty cool gift too :)
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