Wagan EL2200 Elite 180 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter

• 180 watts continuous power, 360 watts peak surge power
• 1 AC outlet and 1 USB port
• 12 volt DC plug allows for connection in your vehicle
• Overload, overheat and low battery protection
• Recharge appliances faster and extend life of appliances using pure sine

I researched the plethora of inverters on the market, and I finally decided that a pure-sine inverter was the best way to protect my MacBook Pro while I charge the battery in the car. Considering that the power adapter on my MacBook Pro is 60 watts, I felt confident that a 180-watt pure-sine inverter would be able to handle the electrical duties. I couldn't have been more wrong. Even though this Wagan inverter should be able to handle electrical devices of three times the wattage that my MacBook requires, it was unable to generate enough power to charge my laptop.

I tested the inverter with the 45-watt power adapter from my wife's MacBook Air, and the inverter WAS able to power that computer. I then tried to charge my mobile phone, and again, the inverter worked...for a short while.

Despite the very low power requirements to charge my mobile phone, the Wagan inverter started SMOKING excessively and emitted the most putrid odor--like someone was attempting to char-broil a skunk.

Needless to say, I immediately disconnected the inverter and have deemed the device a total FAILURE.

As I said in my title, the thing is a WORTHLESS, SMOKING PILE.

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My disappointment in this device starts with the difficult to open clamshell packaging. Once open, the inverter felt very light and cheaply constructed. The end caps feel as though they are made with a very low grade plastic. When I plugged this device into a 12V connector in my vehicle, nothing happened. I assumed this was because the plug wasn't fully inserted. I tried the plug in five different 12V outlets several times and it just wouldn't work. On my final attempt, the little green light on the device finally illuminated. I began to smell something burning, and smoke started pouring out of the back of the inverter. I guess I could give it two stars because the ten seconds it was plugged in it did charge my phone properly. I did not get an opportunity to try the outlet. I should have listened to the bad reviews on this site.

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This unit borders on being barely useful for powering my notebook computer while traveling. On road trips with my wife, the passenger pretty much stays on the computer -previewing traffic, finding good restaurants, and checking e-mail. As long as we are driving on the interstate, all is well. However if I come to a stop and the engine goes to idle, the unit alarms and then shuts down. It is a complete shutdown from which it does not automatically recover. You have to reach back and push the power button when in motion again. My prior inverters at least would come alive again when the supply voltage from the vehicle rose once the engine RPMs increased again.

Further, the 12 V cable was improperly soldered. I had to disassemble it and re-solder the wire to the tip connector. Further, the tip did not fit securely in the jack therefore I was concerned that it could come out and the hot side short to ground potentially blowing fuses in my vehicle. This required a little bit of hot-melt glue to secure it. Not a huge deal, but I should not have to repair Manufacturing defects before I put an item into use. I repaired it myself because I could do that far faster than the act of boxing it, generating a label, and shipping it back. Now if you are not comfortable with soldering of electrical connections, you may have more extensive issues.

I am currently in search of a modified-sine inverter that does not have such bad behavior.

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I purchased this inverter with the intention of powering my macbook and other sensitive electronic devices in my travel trailer. The first thing I noticed when opening the package was that the dc power supply cord could easily be hooked up backwards, thus frying the unit and voiding the warrantee by the way. This is a ridiculous design flaw and strike one. Once powered up I noticed the fan was very loud and the unit had a large of amount of vibration due to the poor quality fan. Strike two. Then when I plugged in the power supply for the macbook the touch pad acted erratically. Strike three. I also noted lots of noise on the DC circuit as my HF radio was making a ton of racket. The power supply for the macbook only draws 60 watts and I had 13 volts available so I am confident it was not my system causing the poor performance.

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Device was defective and non-functional on arrival. Green status led came on, however output power was approximately two volts AC. Returning the unit this week and will make sure to get a different brand.