Showing posts with label rechargeable aa batteries and charger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rechargeable aa batteries and charger. Show all posts

Solar 2 Go ISB-RL01 10 Watt Portable Solar Power Kit

Solar 2 Go ISB-RL01 10 Watt Portable Solar Power KitI ordered this product from Amazon and received it the day before Hurricane Irene arrived at my summer home in CT (well, TS Irene, by the time she crossed Long Island Sound). We were without power for 5 days, and I used this product to keep my DSL modem & laptop powered so I could work (yes, the landphone and DSL kept on working, even as cell service was disrupted for 2 days).

The supplied battery took about 10 hours of full sunlight to charge, and was depleted in about 7 hours, so I called the company also in CT, I was surprised to learn and found it can be used to charge a larger deep-cycle battery although of course the charging time would be much longer. So I bought a fully-charged marine deep cycle battery and ran the computer & network off that, while recharging the smaller battery to use in the evening to run my TV and satellite box. Between that and my stock of batteries and lanterns, battery fans, wind-up radio etc., I was able to relax while my neighbors drove miles looking for open gas stations to replenish their thirsty generators.

After we got power back, I used the solar panel to charge the marine battery back up over the course of a couple of days. I love this convenient little kit, and will look into buying a spare battery like the supplied one, which would enable continuous portable use.

I purchased this portable power kit recently from another site and happy to now see it here on Amazon! The kit comes with everything you need including a Charge Controller, Inverter and battery! I run my laptop off the 300 watt Inverter and am able to be outdoors and have my portable power kit with me. We can even run our new LED T.V. off of it, This is awesome! A great feature is the LED lighting strip that we use at night on the deck. Everyone that comes over loves it, it's quite the conversation piece. I will let family and friends know they can purchase them here----great product!

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I hooked it up and charged the battery, the day I received it. I live in the desert and our power has been know to go out at the most un-opportune moments. this will run my portable swamp cooler, and have some power to spare.

Read Best Reviews of Solar 2 Go ISB-RL01 10 Watt Portable Solar Power Kit Here

This was the most expensive thing I purchased at amazon. I was a little worried at first. I received my package,there was one missing item. I called the company and they shipped it right out. So far everything works. I hadn't tried charging the panel yet.

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Kodak Batteries K700c2 Ni-Mh Aa/Aaa Rapid Car Chargr

Kodak Batteries K700c2 Ni-Mh Aa/Aaa Rapid Car Chargr
  • Sold Individually

I bought this last year for our vacation in Europe. It did everything I wanted. We took something like 1800 pictures in 10 days and never faced a dead battery. While we used one set of batteries, this sat in the rental car charging the other set. Perfect. Good value too.

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It fits nicely in my camera case so when I'm on the go I can always have charged batteries.

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Received this model car charger as a gift along with a wall charger, case & Kodak camera. Unfortunately I had assumed it would work like the other items which did work, but when I finally needed this item on a trip it did not work at all. It has a 1 year warranty & I was able to get the sales receipt & have all the original packaging...but what Kodak does not tell you is they honor the warranty only if you mail it all back in at your own expense. For an item which costs under $10 it hardly seems fair with gas & postage prices the consumer should have to pay all the costs to ship a brand new defective item back to a company. Purchased from a mortar store I have been unable to find this item in my area stores so I would be able to return it with out having to shell almost what it is worth to ship back & though I have repeatedly requested Kodak to send me a return shipping label it's been to no avail. Nope...though not stated in the warranty I am told "I must shoulder the shipping & handling costs!" Guess the "valued" customer is just out of luck! The store it was purchased from no longer carries it (might it be because there were too many problems with the quality??) & told me to directly contact Kodak for service. I am afraid I am old enough to remember real customer service provided by companies... including return shipping labels for defective products ...so for me Kodak's "customer service" has a lot to be desired and I certainly have recommended to family & friends that their products no longer be purchased. I myself am tired of companies who make promises & are more than willing to take your $$, but then after the sale are not willing to stand whole heartedly behind their products! Certainly a customer should not have to dig in his pocketbook to have a brand new item fixed or replaced when defective! E-mailing brought cookie cutter responses & when this was pointed out to a CS rep by phone, they could of cared less. I know I will be wary in the future to purchase any product associated with Kodak....funny how Kodak is willing to lose trust in their reputation & future sales over a low $ item...so much for service! You would think in the current economic climate, with consumers making fewer luxury item purchases, big companies such as Kodak would be much more concerned about how their customer is treated & views the company. It's not that I can't afford it...for me it's totally the principle of having to pay to ship a brand new unused defective item back which sells for only a bit more than what it would cost to ship!

Travel Smart by Conair PS-200E Auto Adjust Smart Converter - 2000 Watt with plugs

Travel Smart by Conair PS-200E Auto Adjust Smart Converter - 2000 Watt with plugsHave used this set in both Monaco & most recently, Ireland, I've awarded it a star for each device the converter actually supported: a basic hair dryer & surprisingly, a clothes steamer. However, forget trying to use it with any kind of powerful flat iron, such as a CHI. I also tried to run a white noise machine off it, for sleeping through my husband's snoring. After a couple hours, it overheated & quit.

If you leave the US only occasionally & don't care about having raccoon eyes & Mrs. Frankenstein's 'do', this set is nifty. However, if you travel frequently, & wish to appear human, we've learned the hard way that you can't do things on the cheap. I suggest investing in 240v appliances, available online, & a set of universal adapters for use in different regions. Trust me, a single trip to the hairdressers for a formal business function in Monaco was just as expensive as buying a decent 240v flat iron I can use over & over!

Pros. Comes with a nice selection for foreign outlet plug adapters. Large 2000 watt capacity. Automatic selection of "hi" or "Low" wattages. "Resetable" circuit breaker (vice fuse) protection for accidental overloads.

Cons. The on-line description of what the unit will (and will not do) is incomplete, if not misleading. My efforts to obtain an owner's manual from the manufacturer's web site (prior to my purchase) were fruitless. The owner's manual (that came with the unit) stipulates that the unit is not to be used with two very common electric travel items, namely, hair dryers, manufactured in 1992 or more recently due to their electronic safety circuitry and electronic devices of more than 50 watts such as computers, hair curlers, flat irons (hair straighteners), etc.

What happened to the 2000 watt capacity??

Had I been aware of these limitations, I would not have bought this unit for my particular purpose.

Buy Travel Smart by Conair PS-200E Auto Adjust Smart Converter - 2000 Watt with plugs Now

Pros:

Convenient Carry Case

Auto converter didn't have to mess with settings

Hair dryer worked fine in Europe which was the main reason for purchase

adapters fit with recessed outlets

Cons:

A bit heavy for travel

Read Best Reviews of Travel Smart by Conair PS-200E Auto Adjust Smart Converter - 2000 Watt with plugs Here

I bought this so I could use my flat iron and blow dryer on my recent trip to South Africa. When I tried to use it for my flat iron all it did was switch between the low and high setting of the converter. It worked for the blow dryer though. For the price your better off buying a regular one.

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It supposed to work with both low and high watts, it worked fine in low mode. But when I tried it with hair dryer, the red light started to switch between the low and the high mode very fast then it burnt down. By the way the hair dryer was only 700 watts

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HQRP 12W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel 12 Watt (Size of 10 Watt / 10W) 12 Volt in Anodized Aluminum F

HQRP 12W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel 12 Watt 12 Volt in Anodized Aluminum Frame plus HQRP UV Chain / UV Radiation Health TesterAll of the materials used to build the panel are very good, The aluminum frame is solid, The glass is real glass and is the correct type of glass for a solar panel. The solar cells are very good quality. The only problem that there might be is that I can't tell if the panel has a built in Diode or not. Not having a diode should not make any difference unless you are hooking the panel up without a charge controller. Any charge controller you can get will have a diode in it so no worries.

Shipping One of the pictures shows the panel with styrofoam at each corner in a box, My panel came in this box, plus that box was inside another one, I thought having the panel in two boxes was really good because it offers better protection for the glass in the panel. I was happy to see this when it arrived as our mail here gets tossed around quite a bit.

What it comes down to is that you get exactly what is in the picture.

The only other bad thing is the free bonus mouse pad, It is really useless unless you have a round computer screen, which I have yet to see.

Update 1/22/2010 I was wrong about the panel not having a built in Diode, I took the cover off the back and there is a diode installed for sure.

I am very pleased with the performance of this small panel. I paired it with a Brunton Solar Charger to maintain two 60 Ah 12 volt batteries and it keeps them charged up.

I have a 600 Watt Inverter I use to power lights, a small pump and other devices at our -off the gridlocation. This panel keeps the batteries at a charged level.

Obviously this panel is too small to rapidly charge anything, but it is amazing how much it can deliver even in low light situations. Well constructed, worth every cent.

Nice shipping container as well.

Buy HQRP 12W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel 12 Watt (Size of 10 Watt / 10W) 12 Volt in Anodized Aluminum F Now

Exactly what is advertised. I hooked 2 of these in parrarel through a Brunton controller to a 275 watt lawn tractor battery and a 400 watt inverter to run my outside lighting at night. Works like a charm.

Read Best Reviews of HQRP 12W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel 12 Watt (Size of 10 Watt / 10W) 12 Volt in Anodized Aluminum F Here

I bought the HQRP 12W solar panel in May 2010 to build a small solar power generator. After hooking it up to a marine battery and one of HQRP's charge controllers, it worked like a charm.

Then, when I moved in October, I foolishly tried to attach the solar panel to the second-story awning of my condo.... with Velcro.

One day, a few weeks later, I came home to find the solar panel face down on the ground. Apparently, the Velcro had separated from the awning, and the panel had fallen 2 stories onto the cement patio deck below.

I feared the worst, and even though the solar panel still looked like it was completely intact, I assumed that the impact had caused major internal damage.

To my surprise, when I plugged it backed in, the generator came back to life, and the panel continued to charge my battery, as if nothing had ever happened. And to think, I paid under $70 for this tough-as-nails power plant.

Want HQRP 12W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel 12 Watt (Size of 10 Watt / 10W) 12 Volt in Anodized Aluminum F Discount?

This solar panel is well constructed and easy to use as a replacement. The seller was careful to pack it for safe transit.

Solar Battery Charger Kit for 12V batteries. 68 Watt Includes all major components.

Solar Battery Charger Kit for 12V batteries. 68 Watt Includes all major components.
  • Ease of installation Peel and Stick, Install on a fixed surface or carry it around.
  • 25 Year performance warranty. Made in USA
  • Flexible Light Weight & Durable, Best Resistance to wind uplift, No roof penetration
  • Includes 68 watt Flexible Solar Panel, Morningstar Charge Controller and 30' MC Cable
  • Better performance then Silicon Solar Panels in Hot climate & partial shades

I'm a system engineer and normally can figure out how to configure and install electronic and electrical.

this kit come with no instruction as how to install it. The single 30' MC cable has a female and a male connector one at each end. The charge controller is a screw on cable positions and is clear as to where the solar positive and negative cables should be hooked up and where the battery cables (+/-) should be connected. The issue is that the MC cable does not connect to the controller. There was no answer on the 800 number provided and no way to leave any voicemail.

So am I supposed to cut the 30' cable in half and connect the male and female connectors to the solar panels male/female connectors? Without instructions from the seller I'm not going to do that.

Also what gauge wires do I need to connect the controller to the batteries?

So the kit is not "Easy to Install" without any installation information.

I would not recomend This product.

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Este kit solar mantiene cargada la segunda batería de mi casa rodante en 13,8V cuando está bajo la luz directa del sol.

Aunque no trae instrucciones de instalación, esta se realiza de forma sencilla; sin embargo, desde la pagina web de la empresa se puede descargar la información básica de instalación.

A un par de dudas que tuve al momento de instalarlo (tal y como si se corta el cable para conectarlo al controlador o si hacia falta algún complemento que evite el retorno de corriente hacia el panel solar al entrar en funcionamiento el alternador del vehículo) solicite la información respectiva via correo-e a la empresa y fueron aclaradas por ellos perfectamente y muy diligentemente.

Por lo anteriormente expuesto, desde Caracas-Venezuela, recomiendo ampliamente este producto y la empresa que lo respalda.

This solar kit holds the second battery charged in my motorhome at 13.8 V when under the direct sunlight.

Although not bring installation instructions, this is easily done, but since the company's Web site can download the basic installation information.

A couple of questions I had when installing it (as if you cut the cable to connect the controller or to lack a complement to prevent the return of power to the solar panel to enter the vehicle's alternator operation) request information about them via e-mail to the company and were clarified by them very well and diligently.

For these reasons, from Caracas-Venezuela, I strongly recommend this product and the company behind it.

130 Watt Portable RV and Marine Folding Solar Panel Kit with Built In Charge Controller

130 Watt Portable RV and Marine Folding Solar Panel Kit with Built In Charge Controller
  • 130 Watts of power, Adjustable tilt legs
  • 7.5 Amps operating current, 13.8 - 17.2 V operating voltage
  • Built in 3 stage PWM charge controller, 4 different battery adapters, 15 foot cord
  • Lead Acid, Gel and AGM battery compatible, Safety fuse
  • Panel: 40"X20"X3.5", 36 lbs., Padded metal storage case: 41.3"X22.3"X5.3", 18 lbs.

Panel came early. Box was trashed! UPS neads to be held accountable! I opened box because it didn't appear to have intrusive damage. The protective case looked nice and has a very comfortable handle. opend up case and panels looked fine....and there were two Jolly Rancher candies in there! Not sure what thats about. They could have broke and had sticky gue all over since I am in the desert. I set it up immediately and it was very easy and came with the stated conections. While stroring the panels I did notice the case was collapsed just barely on one corner...ups sucks! Otherwise it did it's job.

As for only four stars....I started looking at the catalog and noticed a picture of the same panels (130 watt) but noticed the charge controller had a digital read out. If they really wanted to keep my buisiness they would put that on all panels and forget about a $50 coupon for a very limited selection of there own products! I didn't see that being sold but would have paid $50 more at least!? Marketing!?

Rally 7471 Portable 8 in 1 Power Source and Jumpstart Unit with Hand Generator

Rally 7471 Portable 8 in 1 Power Source and Jumpstart Unit with Hand Generator
  • Jumpstart any 12 volt battery quickly and safely
  • Emergency hand generator charges battery
  • 140 watt inverter operates a variety of household products
  • USB power source to operate and recharge portable electronic devices
  • 260 PSI air compressor for high pressure inflation of tires and more

Just received the Rally 7471 in the mail today, it is charging as we speak. First impressions of this is a great American product. I can't believe no one else has already thought of this. The packaging was great, the instructions are very clearly written and easy to understand. I purchased this to be able to use while camping / documentary out in nature. The pros for me with this product is the portability (light weight), power inverter for charging laptops and camera gear, and the ability to hand charge the whole unit when not near outlets or vehicle.

The manual says that after pulling the charging handle for approx. 3 mins there will be enough power to jump start a vehicle battery, and that powering a laptop will last around an hour and a half. I am going to take it through it's paces and update this review.

Thanks alot Rally!

***UPDATE***

actually got around to testing the unit out downgraded my initial 5 stars to 3 stars, and here's why. After fully charging I plugged in my laptop and watched a movie. The laptop draws at max 60 watts, the battery lasted about an hour and a half (what the manual says). The recharge from the wall outlet takes about 26 hours (has red, amber and green color changing LED for battery status). After draining I used the pull handle, pulls like a normal gasoline lawnmower engine. The manuals says that after pulling for 3 mins there will be enough power to jump start your car battery. I don't know about that, but it ran my laptop for another 5 mins.

Pretty weak battery performance, but overall good little product, light weight and has all the accessories.

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Decided to pick this up based on the positive reviews (which I suspect could be from company employees, perhaps). I charged the unit for 48 hours continuously. Then, I plugged in my laptop and used it as normal. This draws between just 40-50 watts using my watt meter. At the 45 minute mark, the unit was dead. The packaging estimated 1hr and 6 minutes of run time with a 90 watt draw, which is twice the wattage that I consumed. So, I figured that I'll just go ahead and see how much juice I get out of pull starting it for 3 minutes, and do another run test.

Well, on the second pull, the pull cord became fully extended and will not return back to it's retracted position. I couldn't help but notice on the bottom where it says MADE IN CHINA. Well, that explains that. Hopefully I can return this piece of junk for a refund.

Read Best Reviews of Rally 7471 Portable 8 in 1 Power Source and Jumpstart Unit with Hand Generator Here

I am disappointed. I used the hand generator , and the cord came out , and now refuses to go back in position. If any of you are trilled about the hand generator feature, well it is a gimmick, I should have taken the owners reviews into consideration. I hope i can get a refund. Stay clear of that product people.

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I just received this unit today. It is charging as I type. I like the hand generator feature and that's the main reason I bought this Unit. I don't expect too much from this power pack since it's only 140 watt inverter. I have a 600 watt inverter power pack from MotoMaster Eiminator. It works good but no hand generator. Will update this review if there's any problem or something worth mentioning.

EDIT: The Rally powered my 7" portable TV for 5 1/2 hours.

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I want to second what others have said. The unit looks great, but it doesn't hold much of a charge. It might be fine for jumps and pumps, but as an AC power source, it's very poor. I charged the unit fully (24 hours) and ran a laptop off it that pulls about 60 watts. As others have reported, I was able to run the laptop for about an hour before the Rally ran out of juice.

If you want it only for an emergency jump/pump or two, I'm sure it's fine. Also for *briefly* powering an AC device that has no batteries.

As a backup for a laptop (or any device that has batteries) it's terrible: you'll get far more juice out of a spare battery for a tiny fraction of the weight.

Solio Universal Hybrid Solar Charger

Solio Universal Hybrid Solar ChargerI reluctantly returned this product after a few weeks. It just does not charge in sunlight the way I expected it to.

Even the manual say it takes two days of sun to fully charge the battery. I placed it in a West facing window for a week and it never fully charged. The company said the usual stuff. Window coating can diminish results, clouds, haze, etc. Plus the instructions say it has to be pointed right at the sun to charge correctly. So if you are driving West with the device on the front windshield it still won't charge correctly. You have to point it RIGHT at the sun.

I laid it on my deck. It was drenched in sun and still didn't get a good charge.

If you plug it into a wall outlet overnight then it will do a good job as a backup battery. But that isn't why I bought it.

Plus it doesn't work quite right with iPods. When you plug the iPod in and hit the start button on the Solio, the Solio will charge the iPod. But after a few hours it will quit charging and the iPod will run off the internal battery until you hit start on the Solio again.

Solio tech support said this is a known issue.

I guess I will try again in a few years.

Great idea, just not ready for prime time.

I got the charger for my boyfriend for Christmas and he loved the idea immediately; however, the plugs that it comes with don't work with most of his little gadgets and the extras that I purchased didn't work with his Samsung phone and DS lite. He does love using this for his ipod and I can use it for my Nokia phone. Call customer service to discuss the extra plugs before purchasing so that you know exactly what you're getting. Good luck!

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The Solio works great as an extra battery while traveling with the wall charger. But it takes forever to charge from the sun. If you leave it in the window for about a week you might get half a charge. This will charge your phone at least once. Which was the reason i got it. Im sure it will be better in the summer when I bring it to the park or the beach and use it at the same time as im using my Ipod.

The connectors that it comes with are great! and the design is really nice.

p.s after impulse buying this I researched and found possibly better alternatives like solar rolls from brunton. Looks like you can get more for your buck.

Read Best Reviews of Solio Universal Hybrid Solar Charger Here

I just returned from an 8-day climbing trip and used this charger to keep my iPod working. I take an iPod on my trips to save weight (audio books weigh nothing), pass the time when weather turns bad, and mask the sound of the tent fly flapping during windy nights. I have an iPod nano and a fully charged Solio holds about 1 1/2 iPod charges. I typically left the Solio next to my tent to recharge during the day and it worked great. Interestingly, at some of my higher camps (~6500 feet) the Solio charged more quickly than it did at home (sea level), most likely due to the more intense solar radiation at that elevation.

My only concern is whether or not the Solio is waterproof enough to leave out on days when it might rain. The manual says "do not immerse in water", and putting the Solio in a clear waterproof baggie might be the answer, but I did not test this.

I wish there was an attachment to charge a Canon NB-4L battery, but so far I have been unable to find one.

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I wanted to love this. It's solar, it's pink, it's whimsical.

It could have been an integral part of my earthquake kit (we do live in Los Angeles).

But it didn't really work for me. First off, charging it in the car is pointless and slow. It requires direct sunlight so even a tree giving some shade makes it not charge. Secondly, it takes about eight hours to charge fully, that means you have to follow the sun for eight hours.

Unless you live in a yurt, you probably only get a few hours of sunlight from each window. Which brings me to my third point.

It charges best when left outside.

Nope, it's a $90 item and I don't want to leave it lying around outside.

I get that it's hip to be green and pink is fun and playful, the design it beautiful and the freebies are flowing with these (everyone at fashion week LA got one) but it just doesn't do what it's supposed to do.

I'll wait for the second generation, hopefully it will work better.

GTMax Black 3.5mm FM Transmitter Car Charger for Sony Walkman 4GB 8GB Video MP3 Player S736 S738, Wa

GTMax Black 3.5mm FM Transmitter Car Charger for Sony Walkman 4GB 8GB Video MP3 Player S736 S738, Walkman 8GB Video MP3 Player S638, Walkman 4GB 8GB Video MP3 Player E436 E438
  • GTMax the Exclusive Brand of BlueMall. Only in the United States.

The transmitter works as advertised, however it lacks signal strength when dialed into the unused FM Station of choice. If one turns the volume ALL THE WAY UP! on your WALKMAN or BLACKBERRY, you can hear the music ADEQUATELY. To compensate for the lack of volume and clarity, I also needed to increase the volume control on my car stereo and add some bass to the music in order to get to an adequate volume AND TONE for my discerning tastes. If there is a signal booster out there built into one of these transmitters, much like an equalizer used in days of old, it would be a great buy, but in my opinion, I guess you get what you pay for! Also, once you increase all the volume on you car stereo to get adequate volume, you have to remember to turn the volume down on your car stereo before you change channels otherwise you get a blast of over-amplified adjoining station signal!

GTMax Permium Black 7-In-1 FM Transmitter Car Charger Kit for Apple Iphone 3GS 3G, IPod Nano 3rd 4th, Ipod Classic, Ipod Touch 1st 2nd

Buy GTMax Black 3.5mm FM Transmitter Car Charger for Sony Walkman 4GB 8GB Video MP3 Player S736 S738, Wa Now

This transmitter work great with my sony walkman mp3. durable construction and very ergonomic. i will recomend this product to all sony mp3 user

Universal Twin Car 12v Socket Adapter for Multiple Charging - iPod, iPhone, Cellphones, MP3 Players

Universal Twin Car 12v Socket Adapter for Multiple Charging - iPod, iPhone, Cellphones, MP3 Players
  • Provides 2 outlets for car accessories that have DC adapters
  • Plugs into any cigarette lighter receptacle
  • One-piece compact and simple to use design
  • For use with any 12 volt appliance, with LED notification light, and fuse-protection
  • Made with quality by Scosche Products.

I tried this so I could use my iPhone's FM transmitter/holder and my GPS at the same time powered to the car's socket. I had tried two other products, and in each case, the iPhone and it's holder were too heavy to hold the item securely. But this adapter is incredibly sturdy and works beautifully. I don't know if it will survive in the long term, but since the male plug is not movable at all, it should last as long as it needs to. No problems with powering up the devices, connection is very solid. I work on the road, am in my car constantly, and so this is the perfect companion to make my ride comfortable. The adapter is very compact, so it fits perfectly, and I suspect it would fit most cars with no problem. I recommend this item highly to anyone who needs to simultaneously plug in 2 devices to their car's electrical socket.

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I was sent a generic piece of crap from hong kong. I ordered a name brand product. They told me they were out of it and they sent me something better. HA! Liars.

Read Best Reviews of Universal Twin Car 12v Socket Adapter for Multiple Charging - iPod, iPhone, Cellphones, MP3 Players Here

What a great idea. But this particular design was not capable of staying in the charging socket. It kept backing out on its own. The company very promptly sent me a replacement, but the replacement did the same. I drive a Subaru Forester, and I think it's socket would be the same as other manufacturer's, but nonetheless, I could not keep it in the socket. Gave up and bought another type.

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While this Twin Car 12V socket adapter works OK, there is NO fuse protection (I took it apart and there is NO fuse in it). Also, there is a warning label on the adapter that says "No Cigarette Lighting, Max of 2.5 amps for using both devices".

I've used this for a couple of weeks now so I could power my GPS at the same time I was listening to my satellite radio. For the most part, this works fine. The one problem that I've had a few times is that one of the 2 items plugged in may not be drawing power. Sometimes the connection seems loose, although I've never had a problem with the adapter coming loose from the socket itself. While it's not perfect, it gets the job done for me.

Blinc M2 Bluetooth Helmet Communication Module with FM Tuner

Blinc M2 Bluetooth Helmet Communication Module with FM Tuner
  • Fits all helmets and can be either removable or permanent using the tools provided
  • 4 hours of continuous talk time and 50 hours of stand by
  • 2 customizable speakers for true stereo sound, a built in microphone, and an FM tuner
  • Great for listening to music, GPS directions, taking or making phone calls even on your iPhone
  • Combine two or more units for rider-to-rider communications up to 450 meters

Basically, it does what it says. It just works. I have mine paired with my DroidX and use WinAmp for music. I have it mounted in/on a Scorpion EXO-1000 sublim helmet. Any problems I've had have been with the device it's paired with, not the M2 itself. As others have stated, the FM tuner doesn't lock onto stations very well, and the few it does, they fade out fast.

Volume is very good, even at high speeds. My advice if you have low volume is to turn the device up all the way, then adjust the volume with the buttons on the top/bottom of the M2.

To others who get this that don't use the helmet clip and actually stick this directly to the helmet as I did, if you have a problem with the clip not locking, take something with a pointy tip and use it to "clean out" the "channel" that the clip hooks over on the M2 itself. I almost lost mine on the highway. Cleaning that channel out made it lock back in w/out a problem.

Two minor complaints:

1 When you turn on the M2, there's a horrifically loud beep through the headphones. It's deafening, and VCan has confirmed there's no way to turn it off or down. My solution is to not pair the device or turn it off when I have the helmet on. :)

2 It has a proprietary charging connector, so make sure you bring the charger with you when you hit the road!! VCan please standardize the charge connector to Mini USB or something. It's awful to be stranded w/ no way to charge this or even go out and buy a charger!

EDIT (6/13/2012) some further advice:

1 Mount the device to the left side of your helmet unless you have cruise control.

2 if you use an android phone with this, when you pair a bluetooth audio device, sometimes the volume gets "stuck" at odd levels. The only way to correct that is to start playing a music track, then turn the phone Bluetooth audio all the way up, then all the way down, then set the listening volume to all the way up. In other words, sometimes the phone needs to know the high a low volume points. If you're doing it with the helmet on, make sure you turn the VCan device volume down first.

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This little guy is SUPER easy to install and sounds great. the music from my phone is super loud. the radio is super loud. the phone in it... I couldn't believe it, even with the super loud pipes on my bike people can still understand me. it's crazy! I love this thing! Totally worth the money. On a side note, sometimes my phone locks up but I don't think it's related to the M2. It's one good reason to get the FM radio version. Just so you don't have to stop and check things.

Also, I should add that 31 days after I got it, the left side stopped working but Amazon shipped a new one overnight free of charge.

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I saw the promo video and was impressed. I ordered two units and installed them on the helmets. One fit well without the adhesive. The other required the adhesive (which I didn't want to use). The sound from my MP3 was great and I was impressed. However, the communication between the two units is horrible. You have to max out the volume and you get an echo effect; if you can hear the other person at all.

Both of the units have a problem getting the plug from the microphone/speakers to stay properly plugged into the main unit. If they are not plugged in all of the way, the sound does not play for both ear speakers. It usually will only have sound in one unless you press and hold the plug into the main unit. In addition, the unit has a hard time staying place in the mounting device connected to the helmet. It comes out too easily. I have not checked other brands, but I was disappointed to find that it only has a 90 day warranty. I would expect the typical year as most products have. I would not buy these if I could do it over again.

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I purchased this about 2 weeks ago and thought I'd write about my experiences. Overall the unit is good. 95% of the time it does exactly what i want it to. Installation was a breeze. Took about 5 mins on my Scorpion Exo. My friends PGR helmet took a little longer but mostly due to the helmet, not the device. It comes with a quick clip and a more permanent adhesive attachment. I chose the clip just so i have the option to take it off. With the adhesive is it still possible to remove the device for security reasons. Looks great on my flat black helmet.

Music sounds great, calls are so-so. I can hear the music decently at 65+mph without a windshield. Calls are great up until about 60+ then the wind drowns them out unless the caller is screaming. When receiving a call it doesnt let you know who is calling(minor inconvenience, sure some phones will allow this). The controls are ok. Changing songs and volume is easy, just wish the volume buttons were larger; hard to press with gloves on. I also wish the unit had a dedicated pause/play button. The instructions say to hold the main button for 2 secs to pause and hit it again to resume music. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. I've had it pause for a second and continue playing for no reason. I usually turn it on, then press play on my phone before riding.

The battery life is fairly good. I generally get a full day of music without having to recharge. It does drain my phones battery fairly quickly, but that's to be expected with Bluetooth.

I have not paired it with a GPS unit yet, just the one on my phone but my buddy has had good reviews from that.

Both units seem to randomly freeze, which is highly annoying. it will freeze on and not play anything or turn off. When this happens, you have to restart it with the little clip they give you or let the battery drain to empty. Doing the restart causes it to forget your phone which is annoying. I forgot my clip when I was out riding one day and had to let it drain (which took all day) and recharge it that night. This seems to be a constant issue with these, from what I've read on forums. So returning it for a new one seems to not be any help. To sum up:

Pros:

music sound

battery life

ease of install

aesthetics

able to sync multiple items at once

waterproof

small and easily removable.

cons:

phone call sounds

volume buttons are tiny(not much of con, just prefer them to be bigger)

No dedicated pause/play button

Randomly freezes and is a pain to reset.

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I have nothing to compare it to and the fit of the helmet does make the difference in sound clarity/volume but beware it this product has frozen on me several times, i've tried to reboot,turn off and on but it wont work, Only thing to do is let the battery die. then your good till it does it again.

Sun Minicompass

Sun Minicompass Mini I with Split RingI purchased this as a lightweight hiking nut to replace my heavier compass, especially since it is only for backup if my Garmin ever dies on me while in the wilderness. The construction quality is great and it seems to be very accurate. The only reason I did not give it a 5 star rating was that the lanyard was not long enough after tying a knot in the end to allow it to go over my head so I could wear it around my neck. The lanyard is very thin and lightweight which help keep the total weight down to just 9 grams! Do no forget to melt the ends of the nylon lanyard to avoid fraying over time since this may weaken the already thin lanyard. I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to keep pack weight down but wants an accurate compass.

Car Kit Vehicle Charger + Home Wall Travel Battery Charger for Sprint LG Lotus Elite LX610 - LX290 -

Car Kit Vehicle Charger + Home Wall Travel Battery Charger for Sprint LG Lotus Elite LX610 - LX290 - LX370 - LX 400 - HTC EVO 3D Cell Phone - Premium Combo Pack - BestCellBuy BrandThese arrived very quickly and although I've only had them a couple of weeks they work fine. I would recommend.

No complaints at all. Don't use this cell any longer but my kids like to play the games. This is perfect for what they like to do.

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HTC HTC6350MNT Original Car Mount for HTC Droid Incredible 2 (Verizon Packaging)

HTC HTC6350MNT Original Car Mount for HTC Droid Incredible 2It is a great addition to the phone. When it's in the cradle the screen changes for using it in the car. It also has a plug for a power cord that can stay plugged in. The only problem is there is no room for a cover on the phone, it won't fit in the cradle. Big problem.

I got it in the mail pretty fast so i was pleased with that, but when i opend the package it was the wrong car mount and didnt even fit my phone.

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This is a great car mount! Automatically places phone into car mode. Has a charge port on the back of the mount. All works flawlessly! Very happy with this mount. Buy it!

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I got the product, but it was for the wrong phone. And Im sure I haven't got my money back. I got to check my statements.

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Very secure hold, easy to adjust and tighten joints for the perfect fit, and the suction cup hasn't melted on the windshield (yet). Always take this off when you aren't driving so that the plastic doesn't begin to melt on the glass.

I will say this: just because it's hands-free doesn't mean it won't distract you. It will. You may be glancing at the GPS, or trying to move your finger across the screen to get to another song, and in that moment you're essentially as distracted as you would be if you were holding it. I'd even argue that this almost makes it more distracting because it is so easily accessible. But hey, that's not this product's fault; it works great and does what it was designed to do, just make sure that you're smart when using it.

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4 PAIR COBRA CXT425 MicroTalk 25 Mile 2-Way Radios NOAA

4 PAIR COBRA CXT425 MicroTalk 25 Mile 2-Way Radios NOAA
  • (8) Brand New Cobra CXT425 MicroTalk 2-Way Radios - 25 mile range
  • 8 AAA NIMH rechargeable batteries (4 per radio)
  • 2662 channel combinations when used with 142 privacy codes (38 CTCSS/104 DCS)
  • UHF/FM: Ultra-clear long distance reception.
  • NOAA weather and emergency radio

We received this system as we were replacing an older model of another style of communicators. After two days the power supply cord quit functioning and I have been attempting to find one locally to avoid the hassle of shipping and return authorizations. I cannot find one, but now the entire system is becoming difficult to call functional at the least. The transmitting keys will stay engaged, preventing everyone else on the system from being able to communicate. The supposed 25 mile range barely functions within the same building.

I will be returning this system at my first opportunity.

12V Police Motorcycle

12V Police MotorcycleBought this for my 2.5 year old. He is crazy about motorcycles.

Although it has 3 wheels, the little guy falls over on it a lot. My 4 year old does pretty good on it but he falls over sometimes too. As long as you have some straight away real estate to work with it is good. Transitioning from the sidewalk to the grass is an adventure. Any kind of elevation drop makes the bike unstable.

I had to remove the windshield because the kids kept hitting their face on it when they would start and then stop.

The bike runs well. Pretty good speed in hi.

Battery lasts for a good while. The sirens can get annoying as the kids tend to not turn them off.

Careful with installing the mirrors. The screws will break through the plastic clamps. Recommend doing those without a drill and not torquing them too much at all.

My nephew loves this little bike. He wanted one, as he has decided at 4 that he wants to be a police officer and he just loves the thing.

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I bought this for my son's 5th birthday and he LOVES it! It is a little lower in height than I had expected but it is very sturdy and well balanced. It is easy to use. You will just need a screwdriver every time you need to charge the battery since it is under the seat and the seat is secured with a screw. Otherwise it runs great and my son loves it. It actually fits into the back seat of my small Mazda and it isn't heavyI pick it up and carry it up a flight of stairs just fine. It is the best present I could have picked from him. I was looking into a smaller bike but this motorcycle is perfect! It wasn't hard to put together, you will probably need a drill and someone who knows how to do it.

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This motorcycle was my twin sons' dream. However, it has been nothing but a nightmare since it has arrived. Assembly was difficult and design inferior. The high gear and battery have ne.ver worked properly. The suggested age is up to 7, but my 5 year olds are way too big for it. Do yourselves a favor and skip it!

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First off I bought two of these for my twins on Dec 5 2012 from seller Amazon LLC. I finally received my package on December 20th. The problem was that Amazon only sent me one but was happy to charge me for two. Customer service was nice and issued refund but obviously didn't care about the fact they just ruined Christmas for two 5 year olds that only asked for this one gift. I want to thank QVC who was able to order, ship and deliver by Dec 24th.

My kids woke up Christmas Day to two motorcycles and loved them.

The only problem I have had so far is that my daughter crashed and hi-speed forward didn't work thereafter. I quickly figured out that it blew out the fuse. I replaced it and she was off chasing bad guys again.

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Marshall Gas Controls 42421-60 60" Extend-A-Flow Adaptor Hose

Marshall Gas Controls 42421-60 60' Extend-A-Flow Adaptor HoseUsed this to connect the high-pressure receptacle on my pop-up camper to my Coleman LXE Grill. This is the type of grill that normally uses the small 1 lb propane canisters. Essentially it runs from the camper to the regulator on the grill. Good flame adjustment and easy to light once the line pressurizes (might take a few seconds for the gas to actually reach the burners when first hooking it up).

Works as expected. Might get a slightly longer hose if/when I need to replace this one.

Clore PL2320 20/10/2 Amp Pro-Logix Battery Charger

Clore PL2320 20/10/2 Amp Pro-Logix Battery Charger
  • Data rich display provides detailed feedback during charging
  • Reverse polarity protection and battery fault detection
  • Temperature compensation for more effective charging
  • Enhanced maintenance mode for ideal long term storage
  • Recondition mode rejuvenates distressed batteries

After much reviewing of blogs,reached the decision,I could spend more, but wouldnt get more very happy with product have brought a battery back to servicable status with this that my brand X couldnt.

Well made well thought out spend the extra money in this class you wont regret it.

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This is good if you need a 20a charger to recharge a battery fast and the ability to charge a small battery at 2a. However it's not good for keeping a battery at float charge. It has a feature to excercise (partially discharge) the battery at regular intervals. These intervals are too often and not deep enough (deep cycle Batt. needs a minimum of 10% discharge before regharge)I would recommend removing charger after charge and replacing once a mo. It would also have been nice if the display showed voltage and charge state at the same time. I wish I had just stayed with Schumacher chargers.

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I research battery chargers extensively needing a real good one to maintain my 2 AGM house batteries on my RV during times I do not use it or if I run down the batteries too much for the RV built in charger/inverter to do the recharge job well. This was the best excluding the one that was similar that costs 3 times the price. Good quality longer lasting, higher amperage (200 and up) AGM batteries are so expensive (a pair of 6 volt ones hooked in series easily cost $500) that using a cheaper charger on them that is not temperature compensated is false economy.

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I've had the chance to use the Solar PL2320 battery charger 4 times now, comparing it against my old standby Century 87105 2/10/55 amp battery charger. I like to Solar for the fact that it displays % of charge and charging voltage when charging and when not charging it shows the % of charge of and battery voltage. The charger is also nice in that there are 3 charging protocols: one for conventional flooded lead-acid batteries, one for Absorbed Glass Matt (AGM) and one for Gel-type batteries. I frankly don't know what the differences are but I did notice that the % of charge noted for the battery I had it hooked up to changed when I cycled through the battery types on the charger. The overall charger is solid with cord wraps for both the charging cables and the power cables. Both sets of cables are approximately 5 feet in length. The charging process varies in time not only based on state of charge but also based on the charger's 'multi-phase' charging protocol. The charger doesn't simply apply a charge to the battery and shut off at 100%, it actually goes through a multi-step process that includes applying a load onto the battery reducing the state of charge slightly and then charges again. As I understand it, this helps with reducing sulfation. The charger is fan cooled and the fan, when running, is noticeable but isn't loud (maybe as loud as a computer fan). Overall a very good charger and in my opinion worth the money based on build quality, charge protocol sophistication and battery information provided.