Product Review: Portronics CarPower One Inverter charger

What's in the box?

The box contains this large glass-sized inverter with a 24-inch (two feet) power cable and a manual. This CarPower One has a compact design and with a size smaller than a 500ml pet bottle, it easily fits in most cars’ cup holders. The glossy finish gives it a nice shiny look but it’s a finger-print magnet. Nonetheless, one doesn’t need to worry about dust or any liquids falling on it while the device is not in use, thanks to the protection lid.

How to install it?

It’s a plug-and-play device so there’s no complex method involved to use this one. Just plug the power cord in the car’s in-built 12V charging/cigarette lighter socket with the other end connected to the inverter. Connect your charger to this device and click the power button. A green LED will glow on the CarPower One device denoting the charging status of the device. Keep it in the front cup holder or centre console, as the two feet long power cable might not reach the cup holders behind. Most cars now also get a 12V charging port in the second/third row, so connecting this unit there won’t be a problem anyway. Just make sure the car’s ignition is on while using CarPower One so that it minimalises the load on the car’s battery.

How does it work?

Many of our appliances are designed to work on AC current. Not that most of these might be used in a car, but imagine you’re travelling and your laptop runs out of juice while you are drafting something important. This device helps charge your laptop and for that matter other multi-media devices quickly as well. It provides a quick charge through USB and boasts of a multi-layer protection to ensure safety measures for your devices and the car. There’s over-current, over-voltage and over-heat protection and auto-shutdown on higher loads. So, it safely charges most devices and gadgets below 200W when used with 12V DC only (not 24V). Interestingly, it’s integrated with a cooling fan to dissipate the heat from the device keeping it cooler than most adapters.

How much does it cost?

‘CarPower One’ comes with a one year warranty and is on sale for Rs 3,499/- in both online and offline stores. We couldn’t use the product for a prolonged period as we do for other products, so we won’t comment about its reliability. But for whatever is available in the market, this looks to be an above-average product, even though, one of the most expensive ones. Since there’s not an easy way to replace a fuse if in case it blows, it makes it a difficult choice to make. Especially when other car inverters in the market offer this. Nonetheless, it’s a very handy tool for individuals who travel a lot in their car and need a power supply for their laptops and alike devices. Also, it might use up one of the car’s 12V power outlet when in use, but it has one to provide unlike conventional chargers.

Pros

Easy to use

Charges almost everything

Option of fast charging

Over-current/voltage protection

Many charging ports available

Cons

Uses up a cup-holder space

Short power cord

Not as portable as some other inverter chargers

Expensive

Specifications

Model Name – POR-003

Material - Plastic

Weight – 399g

Dimensions – 7.2 x 7 x 14cm

Wattage – 200W

Input Voltage - DC 12V (DC11-15V)

Output Voltage - AC 220-240V/50Hz

USB Output - DC 5V/3,4A

Input Cord- ABS V0 Anti-Fire

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi