Jul 15 2008
Mobile Security - Portable Power Station
2008-07-15 20:17:51
There are times when you just need to get something done in a hurry. Jumping a car with a run down car battery is one of those things. Sure, there are battery cables and they work really quick except when the second vehicle cannot be positioned in the right place. That is when a portable power station comes in handy.
Starting cars are not the only use for one of these little gems. I use mine to start my riding lawn mower. Either way, it is very easy to carry the portable power station to the battery in distress, hook it up (must know the difference between positive and negative posts) and presto – turn the key and you are back in business.
There are several different power station models. Some have flashlights, some have radios, some have small air compressors, some sport battery cables and some have power inverters for plugging in small appliances or gadgets.
My power station had the battery cables and the power inverter. Yes, the word is “had”. After providing me with power over about the last 3 or 4 years I noticed lately that its charge was not holding enough to start a car battery. I also noticed during one of my road trips that my laptop battery did not charge fast enough to run my broadband card.
I finally gave up on it and bought a new one. This new power station (XPOWER) is really cool. It has an emergency flashlight, AM/FM radio, 600-Watt power inverter, a digital alarm clock and battery cables. Always before if the electricity went out during the night we worried about waking up on time – this should solve that problem quite well. I will report if it lives up to my expectations. I used the heck out of the last one so I should know soon if this was a wise purchase.
Portable power stations are great at home or as travel companions. With a full charge, the battery cables and your power cords it should provide security against being stranded with a dead battery whether it be in your car, laptop or cell phone.
As with any battery I will dispose of my old portable power station in a responsible way.
