Power Inverter

By Simon McBride

18th September 2007

Tool giant Black & Decker has gone car crazy, with a steady stream of product launches. The latest to land on our testing desk is the company’s 400 Watt Power Inverter. So what’s the big deal?

Well, if you have ever needed to do some work on your laptop while stopped at a service station, or make an important mobile phone call when you’re low on battery, then you’ll know exactly why we are so excited by this kit.

The unit converts your car’s 12V battery power into a household 230V AC supply. What’s more, it has ‘soft-start’ technology, which protects sensitive electronics from massive power surges that might affect your gadgets.

Another string to the Inverter’s bow is that it comes with two ways of getting power from your car. There’s a lead with two crocodile clips, for connecting to the car battery, or you can use the more convenient method of simply slotting the 12V lead into your cigar lighter socket.

For our test, we tried the unit with a laptop computer, phone charger, digital radio, coolbox and 100W gar­age lamp, and it seemed to cope well with each. The Black & Decker comes with a built-in cooling fan, which operates all the time to prevent overheating. What’s more, it’s solidly built, and there’s even a retract­able handle to make carrying easy.

Price: £49.99
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy from: 01753 574277,
www.blackanddecker.co.uk
Problems? The unit is a bit big to store on the centre console.
So why buy? If you’re always on the move and you need electrical equipment charged, then this is the ideal equipment for you.