Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack Exceeds expectations

I ordered this unit on the recommendation of a friend who owns one of these and highly recommended it to me. One of my main reasons for the purchase is for the jump start ability for my emergency generator which has a tractor battery for electric start and is unreliable. The cranking ability of the Duracell 600 is unbelieveable. The added features just make this unit all the better. I like the radio for emergency situations, as well as the power for lights til the generator is running as well as the ability to be free from having to rely on getting help during an emergency. The unit works 100 % as quoted. You need to read the owners manual and think out the explanations and you will see that it performs exactly as described. I highly recommend this unit to anyone who has a need for the many purposes this unit is capable of performing. Just another quality product from Duracell.

Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack Nice to have

This is easy to use and has really bailed me out of grief. My zero turn had a soft tire and the grass is high on a beautiful day. Two years ago I took the tire off, twenty minutes to town, put the tire back on after a long wait at the shop for the repair. The day is shot and I haven't even started cutting. This year I reach in the back of the truck. Fire up the air pump option and I am mowing in a minute. Then take the tire for repair on a rainy day. Just the other day the neighbor was working on a back hoe. (the machine isn't used much) I stopped over and he was getting the battery out to have it tested and charged,(the twenty minutes just to get to town thing) I say hold it. Got out the Duracell, snap on the cables. He fires up the machine and off he gos. This is just too handy. I know this winter it will be used, if not by me, I just know I will be seeing people stranded in parking lots aftr leaving lights on and such. And in just seconds they will be on their way. I love this thing.

Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack Useful!

I bought this item almost 2 years ago and have no complaints. It is still going strong.

When I went camping at Bonnaroo, I had this battery in the tent with me. After 4 days of keeping my cell phone and rechargeable lantern charged, plus a few charges to the cell phones of visitors, it still showed 20% remaining. Having AC and DC outlets on a camping trip is great, especially when I saw others try to charge their stuff off their car and kill their battery.

I have also jump started a few cars with this. Again, it worked great.

My only complaint is that I wish the built in light were LED based. It is silly to have an incandescent sucking power out of the battery when an LED would have used so much less power. However, on a battery this big, even the inefficient bulb will last quite a while. I just use other LED based flashlights/lanterns and charge them off this battery and avoid the built in light. I isn't really a significant issue.

I should also probably note that it is quite heavy. Not enough that moving it around is a problem, but you're not going to want to carry this (for example, on a hike from your car to your tent) if we're talking any further than 1 minute or so.

Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack Great for jumping my car

In the cold winters of Minnesota, I've had a couple dead batteries - so I ordered this unit in hopes that it would do the trick. I've already used it this winter a couple times (same car until I was able to replace the battery). Even though there wasn't a bit of response when trying to start the car on its own, hooked up to this unit, it started every time.

I ordered this unit, as I thought the other features might come in handy. They really don't. But, that's not a fault of the unit, I just overbought for what I needed! I have no need to for an AM/FM radio on my battery jumper, however, the light is a great addition. Another feature that like is that the unit has "overcharge protection." That means, you can just leave the unit plugged in all the time and don't have to worry about it overcharging. That way, it's always ready to go right when you need it.

I give the product 4 stars because of 2 issues I have:
1) The connection where the jumper cables plug into the side of the unit is miserable. My hand hurt for an hour after working to get the cable plugged into the unit. I understand that you need a good connection, but it is WAY too tight. Getting the cable out from the unit was equally painful.

2) The cables are way too short. Either you have to set the unit directly on the car or have someone hold the unit and stand right next to the battery. I literally had to use a ladder to set the unit on while I jump-started the car.

Outside of those two issues, this did just what I was looking for it to do. When shopping for one of these, truly evaluate your needs. No sense in over-buying like I did! ;)

Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack Great battery

I jumped my FX45 three times off once charge and the battery indicator was still at 100%. I don't think it's the most accurate indicator because it stays at 100% for awhile, then when it finally starts decreasing, it goes pretty quickly.

Duracell DPP-600HD Great

I bought this for my husband for xmas he always wanted one,when he seen it on tv. He just loves this.........

Duracell DPP-600HD great for remote cottage

This battery is exactly what I needed to power small devices in a remote cottage.Fortunatly the radio is not a necessity as it's very basic. It had no problem jumpstarting my Subaru in 28degrees. I ordered 3 more so two can be in use while two are charging for the next day. Great educational tool for teaching energy efficiency.

Duracell DPP-600HD Perfect for C-Pap during power outages

I was looking for something to power my C-Pap when the power runs out, but didn't want to spend $600 to put in a generater switch and $800 on a generator. This was perfect. And I can also use it if I want to go camping! It weights close to 30lbs, so you wouldn't want to carry it far, but it easily powers my c-pap for an entire night. Based on another review I expect I could get 2 nights per full charge.

Duracell DPP-600HD Awesome Unit

The Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack 600 Jump Starter is an awesome unit. It started a hard starting truck in four degree weather on two separate occasions. This vehicle is our son's with a 2000 watt amp for stereo system. My husband ran a mini air compressor off of the DC outlet for airing up tires on our boat trailer and camper and it performed much better than plugging it into the cigarette lighter of the vehicle (with it running). As far as the AC outlet, I will update this review after trying that option. I would recommend this item to anyone looking to purchase this type of unit. Looking forward to warmer weather to try it out at the camp site. Also received the unit in about three days from Amazon. Great service as always.

Duracell DPP-600HD Good Emergency Tool

I bought this to replace an older model of a different brand. My previous one proved its value many times by jump starting vehicles. This one has two necessary emergency tools integrated: the light and radio. During the winter storms of 2009-2010 that hit the east coast I could have used this. We quickly exhausted our battery supplies in flashlights, lanterns and radios. We'll be better prepared next time and be able to use this to recharge our cell phones as well.

Duracell DPP-600HD Great backup for a single mom

The duracell powerpack 600 is a great backup for our home. it's easy to
work and i like the security it gives us. we have had several winter storms
and i am confident that my son and i can survive a short emergency.

Duracell DPP-600HD Best Battery Box I purchaed

I have purchased the so called "heavy duty" battery box at costco with the air compressor built and compared to this duracell I pick the duracell over the other one. This duracell has a built in power inverter and radio. I use it all the time camping. The best thing about this duracell is that it has one of the long lasting battery built in. 63 amp battery as opposed to others only having 45 or less amps. The more amps the better. I tested this pack to power a 50 inch TV and guess what? It turned on without any problems. It even shows you how many watts your using.

One thing I have to complain about this is the lcd battery indicator. It is way off, it told me I only had 0% power remaining there was plenty of juice left.


Great battery pack for the price. I highly recommend. By the way this duracell power pack is actually a xantrex in disguise for much cheaper. lol.

Duracell DPP-600HD Great Portable Power Solution + Renewable with Brunton 26w Foldable Solar Panel

I've only had this unit for a couple of days, but I really like it so far.

Pros:

-I can fully recharge the unit with my Brunton 26W solar panels simply by plugging it directly in to the DC outlet. On the first day I recharged it from 50% to 90%+ in about 4 hours. It's just enough to keep it topped off, without having to plug it in. Here is an image of the setup ( [...] )

-I like the fact that you can just add another 12v battery by using the cables they provide. I haven't tried this yet, but I imagine you could build a decent sized battery bank.

-It can run and charge my EEEpc and Dell Inspiron (simultaneously) for several hours. (about 5-7hrs depending on what I'm doing)

-It can run my 36" Panasonic LCD TV for over 2 hrs.


Cons:

-A bit on the heavy side. 30 pounds I think.

-The radio 'tuner' unit is garbage. It's almost impossible to turn the mini dial to a specific station without overshooting it 10 times. Any strong movement after that will un-tune it.

-The Watts & Battery Life display only show up in increments of 10.

-Have to wait 15 minutes of having nothing plugged in to get an accurate reading on battery life.




Questions:
-I'm not sure if I can run the AC power when charging via solar... the instruction manual says NOT to use anything when charging via plug and car, but doesn't mention anything about it in the solar re-charing section. If anyone knows, please respond to this.


Conclusion:
For the price you really can't beat it. I can bring this unit with me camping, tailgating and anywhere I need portable power.... all with the ability to recharge via the sun. Would definitely buy another if I needed to.

Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack Just what I needed

The duracell DPP 600 a very convenient way to power necessary items or items for leisure. I use it for backup for some of my photography lighting such as studio flashes when I am on the road. Of course the jumper cables are also a plus. The product is built nice and rugged. With 600 Watts of power I am able to power up multiple items that require minimal power for hours at a time. This unit is a must for people who love the outdoors and road warriors who are looking for an affordable power pack option.

Duracell DPP-600HD No issues whatsoever - works great!

I received my Duracell PowerPack 600HD just about a month ago (in mid-March) and have thoroughly tested it. Everything works fine. I spoke with a representative at Xantrex (the manufacturer) before ordering this unit to get the latest advice on charging and running the PowerPack. Apparently, if these units sit for over a year without being charged (for instance, before being sold) the battery can degrade and die. The unit I received had a manufacture date of 20Nov2009, so it was only 4 months old when I received it. I charged it for several days, as recommended by the instructions, and it took and held the charge. The Xantrex representative suggested that these units don't reach their full capacity until they are cycled 5 or 6 times. This is easily done by plugging in a standard 40 watt incandescent lamp into the unit and letting it drain the battery. The PowerPack monitors the battery voltage and when it hits the working limit, sounds an alarm. If the battery continues to be drained, the PowerPack will shut off automatically when a second limit is reached. This 2-tiered shut-down worked as it should with my unit. I charged it back up and the following weekend ran a second drain test. For this test, I clocked 5 hours before the alarm sounded. (Your results may differ, depending on the condition of the battery and the actual watts drawn by your light bulb...). Xantrex recommended leaving the battery plugged into the trickle charger at all times, and additionally cycling the battery every 2 or 3 months to maintain it in top condition.

I plan to use this unit to recharge phones and taping equipment at music festivals this summer, and it looks like this unit will do the job nicely.

As far a jump starting a car, this PowerPack should be able to do it if you've simply drained your car battery by accidentally leaving on the headlights or dome light. If your battery is old and dies for no apparent reason, you're better off calling a tow service and have them bring you a new battery...

Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack I keep it between the driver and passenger seats in my minivan

I keep it between the driver and passenger seats in my minivan. It worked well to jump start a vehicle from it to to the battery but not from just into the cigarette lighter/utility outlet. I use it as a charger without the need for car adapters and/or use to run a notebook computer for movies for my children while I drive. Big fat plugs might hit the power switch or limit the number of items you can plug in because of the outlet locations, but I am still happy I purchased this item.

Duracell DPP-600HD Good LIGHT-duty unit

Works like a charm, and I'm happy to have it for power outages and car jump-starts. So what follows are quibbles... and warnings for those who might expect too much.

While it advertises itself as "Heavy Duty," looks rugged, (and certainly is heavy,) these things are actually for only light usage, and are somewhat fragile.

It won't withstand the extreme temperatures in your car, and needs occasional recharging, so forget just carrying it around in your trunk. And if you over-drain it, it's ruined permanently.

It works great for small lamps, fans, musical instruments, and even my desktop computer. But this is not going to run your refrigerator, toaster, hotplate, coffeepot, or any such energy hogs. It ran my 42" LCD TV, but not long enough to be practical.

For those who want to charge electronic gear like computers or cell phones, they emphatically warn you not to use the AC outlets. The DC outlet, which is like that of your car's cigarette lighter, works fine for these items... which makes one wonder why they have THREE AC outlets and only ONE DC outlet. Also, when using the DC outlet, make sure you switch on the AC outlets, or the alarm for over-draining the unit will not sound.

The jumper cables are good but SHORT, and the built-in light is about like a mediocre flashlight. (A bank of LED's would have made more sense.) The radio is better than I expected.

The digital gauges are so wildly inaccurate as to be virtually worthless. (A 75-watt lamp registered as 30 watts, a 60-watt lamp registered as 10 watts, and a 28-watt fluorescent registered ZERO.)

My last quibble is that the AC charger, in addition to taking forever, gets warm enough to give me pause.

Despite the foregoing, I like the unit a lot, and recommend it wholeheartedly. But I keep it at home and have DC chargers for my electronics.

Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack Flawless Performance!

Went shopping for an affordable solution to allow me to use my CPAP machine while car-camping. A secondary use would be to power the CPAP during infrequent power outages. After doing extensive shopping on Amazon, internet searches and local "brick and mortar" stores, I choose the Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack.

Since the unit was delivered, I fully charged it (per instructions) and have taken it on two outings. I am very happy to report that it has performed flawlessly! Both outings were for two nights each. On the first outing, I had no opportunity to recharge the unit during the day, so I operated my CPAP without the optional humidifier. After the first night, the charge was down to 40%; so I expected the unit to die during the second night. Surprisingly, it didn't and operated my CPAP throughout the second night.

On the second outing, I had the ability to recharge it during the day and used the humidifier. Based on the rated watts/hour of the CPAP with humidifier, the Duracell 600 should not have powered the unit all night. However, it did!

I used the built in light just to make sure it worked (it did). May use it during a power outage, but will probably save the charge for the CPAP. Tried out the radio and it worked fine (even in camp). Good reception, but, as fully expected, lousy sound... AC/DC outlets both functioned well.

This unit scores high on price and functionality. I'm checking in to solar charges to take with me camping - this will let me take on a week-long scout camp next summer.

Duracell DPP-600HD Performed Excellent!

Planning an outdoor meeting, we needed a power pack that would run a Bose L1 Compact, a wireless mic, and a keyboard. After reading all the reviews we decided to go with the Duracell DPP-600HD. I chose the two day shipping and received it the next day!! We were in Phoenix and it shipped from Goodyear, AZ. Upon receiving it, the battery showed that it was fully charged. Not wanting to take a chance of it running out while we were using it, we plugged a laptop and a small fan into it. Brought the charge down a bit and then charged it over night prior to our needing it. The next day we used all three items for 3 hours and everything worked flawlessly. I am glad that I went with the Duracell, because when I received it it is really the Xantrex with Duracell on the body! The instruction manual states it and so did the outside box. In fact, my husband thought I had ordered the Xantrex until we pulled it out of the box. On another occasion, we used it to plug in an electric blanket. We were warm all night! :-) It met the need we had and I can see it will be useful in the future.