Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Serves a purpose in a pinch

The Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack does serve several uses - some of which it performs above all expectations. However, it is important to remember that it is essentially a giant battery and NOT a generator.

One of my complaints is that the unit has a built in monitoring device that provides feedback on the amount of remaining power in the battery. Unfortunately, that feature did not work on mine. I am not sure if my unit is defective... but the display console is essentially useless.

PROS-

- Will power a cordless phone, modem and router for about 8 hours. We have our phone service through the internet - so when our power is out we lose everything.
- It can charge your car battery... in a pinch. I haven't tried it yet, but I am sure that if your car battery wasn't all the way dead the Duracell Powerpack could get you going!
- Nice built in flash light and radio. Not of huge use - but in the dark they are nice to have.
- Surge protector on the unit - things that pull too much juice will not even come on (like my wife's hair dryer)

Cons-

- VERY HEAVY - I haven't weighed it but the Duracell Powerpack probably tips the scale at about 25-30lbs. Any many cases it would be too heavy for a women or the elderly.
- It is severely limited in the number of amps that you can pull. Again, my wife's hair dryer pulled to many amos - and therefore - would not come on. This severely restricts its use during a power outage. As a rule of thumb only low powered appliances can be plugged in.


At the end of the day - for the cost - you could throw in a little more money and buy a generator. While the Duracell Powerpack is silent and does not produces any dangerous fumes it is limited in what you can operate. My recommendation - nice to have in an emergency - but it is not a cure-all if you happen to be out of power. 4 stars.

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