Powerline Coffee Cup

Product Description

Power up all your electronic devices while on the road with the powerline coffee cup in your daily driver. Styled to look like a standard coffee cup, it ... [Read more]

Features

• Unique Coffee Cup Design
• 200 Watt Continuous, 400 Watt Peak
• Safety provides 120V AC power from any auto 12V power socket
• AC Outlet, 1 USB Power Port

Top Reviews

Ingenious and yet somewhat lacking
by APorges (4 out of 5 stars)
October 10, 2014

Overall:

This product puts together 2 of the best ideas - 2 120volt outlets plus an USB port to charge up all your devices. And yes, it works quite well as I have been able to have all 3 charging ports up and running at the same time. The best part about this Inverter is that it is sized exactly like a coffee cup from Starbucks so that it fits loosely into your cup holder. More on that later. This Inverter has shown me how badly designed cars have become as now we need to come up with creative ways to find a power outlet. Not sure why cigarette lighter outlets even exist anymore. Basically speaking, once you buy this product you will wonder how you lived without it in the first place.

That being said, there are some negatives to this very useful product, the biggest issue being the actual design. The Inverter is rather top heavy so even though it is placed into a deep cup holder, it still moves around quite a bit. The next is the heavy duty cord to plug into the power outlet. The cord is stiff and feels about as graceful as a bull in a China shop. Depending on how far away the outlet is from the Inverter, the Inverter may not actually stay inside the cup holder. Next, the Inverter has a rather small 'cup' design probably so that it fits into all cup holders. This is good, except that when you take into account the top heavy design and cord, the Inverter is constantly trying to 'escape' the cup holder. So, therefore, the cup could have gone one size up and been alright.

Other minor issues include the spacing between 120 volt outlets which can be problematic for plugging in multiple phone chargers and the fan which is quite noisy.

Pros:
-Recommended for all cars
-Good 3 outlet design
-Fits perfectly into cup holders
-Works well
-Looks great
-Price is just right

Cons:
-Top heavy design
-Unwieldy cord
-Small 'cup' size
-Issues with multiple car chargers
-Noisy fan

Most useful feature:

Definitely the USB port which is tremendously useful in every instance. The designers understood how most people would use this product to charge mobile devices. While the 120 volt outlets are the main reason to purchase this Inverter, having the extra USB port is the cherry on top
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It works alright, couple of minor issues.
by David Monroe (3 out of 5 stars)
April 8, 2012

First of all, it does as it says, it converts automotive 12V DC to AC. I don't know for a fact it hits the watts advertised, but I do know it will hold up my kids 10" netbook which Stanley PC1A09 100 Watt Power Inverter with USB Power Outlet will not - despite holding mine up, which has nearly identical specs.

The device itself isn't a bad design, I like it, sort of top heavy meaning it can topple due to inertia if your cup holder isn't the best design and the right combo of turning, bumps, etc.. happen.

The packaging wasn't the best, it was a glued shut box, when I pried the top open the device was in two plastic blisters that weren't taped together, the thing immediately fell out and to the floor popping the top off held together by internal wiring.. I snapped it back on and it works fine.

There's a switch on the DC plug that appears to keep the plug spread so it won't plug in, but it pulls to the back so it can't be engaged while plugged in, I see no purpose in its existence.

It does have an internal fan that makes minimal noise when running, quite tolerable to me.

Overall it's a great product and I can recommend it, the lower star rating is due to packaging that can be hazardous to the products well being and the top-heavy design.
-------------EDIT 05/22/2013-------------------

Some how or another - and I'm looking at my ten year old - the blades of the fan broke off. They're internal so how is unclear, but it started making a buzzing noise. I replaced the original fan with Gino 40mm x 40mm x 10mm 4010 9 Blade Brushless DC 12V Cooling Fan
. It appears to work fine, the wires are shorter so it took some tricky finger work techs like us are used to, but yes, the internal fan is replaceable if you're up to it.
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Great for road trips!
by N. Groves (5 out of 5 stars)
January 7, 2014

I ordered this because I was going to be in the car for 12 hours on spring break. I wanted something that I could charge my laptop with as well as phones for all of us that would be going with us. Originally, I saw this online other places for a much higher price and was glad to see it on Amazon for a cheaper price. I tested it out before we left as I drove around town to charge my phone and it seemed to work good enough for that. When we took it on the trip, having a laptop plugged into the charger, one phone charger in the USB port, and one phone charger in the other plug, they obviously took a while to charge completely. However, that is to be expected. Having so many things plugged in and having a power-drain is normal, I wasn't expecting it to be as good as plugging it into a wall. People have mentioned that it's loud or gets hot. I didn't find that to be a problem with mine and actually thought it was very quiet compared to other block-converters I've had in the past. The only problem I had was that it got top-heavy, although again expected with things plugging into the top, so I had to wedge it into a cup holder with some spare napkins to keep it upright. If this ever gave out, I'd reorder this one and be content.
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Love it, perfect form factor
by M.C. Toon (4 out of 5 stars)
December 15, 2011

Bought this for a road trip (I know, everyone says that). I have a 2010 Toyata Highlander. This sits nicely into the frontmost cupholder. The cord wraps around the unit once and then into the lighter adapter. Perfect fit! I've used many power inverters and they all have problems with where you put them. Sharp metal edges in a rectangular box just doesn't work well in a car. This little guy is just perfect sitting in the cup holder.

I bought one of those extension cords with a flat plug then ran it under the floor mats and to the floor of the third row seats. Into that we plug a power strip.

I was concerned this unit wouldn't put out enough power. So far it's been plenty. I like to push everything to the limit so I plugged in two laptops, a Seagate FreeAgent Desk 1.5 TB External Hard Drive - Silver (ST315005FDA2E1-RK, Recertified) (or s similar model). We also charged 2 Nintento DSs. In the front I plug in my iPhone charger and my wife uses the USB outlet to charge her Android. No problems! There is a fan in the inverter that will run under load. It is a variable speed fan so it won't be spinning hard unless it needs to.

All power inverters suffer from the same "dirty" power problems. This one is no different but it is definately cleaner that other inverters I've used. When I charge my iPhone using the iPhone AC charger and plug in the audio jack to the aux in of the stereo there is a slight buzzing. At low volumes this is irritating. I tent to avoid this situation and listen to the radio when charging my iPhone.

There is a problem using the USB plug with my iPhone 4. For some reason the phone will occasionally reboot when plugged in. I don't know why this happens. It does't happen with the iPad 1st gen. The iPad charges fine but it charges at the slower rate so it takes 10 hours to charge the iPad. It's enough to charge while using the iPad and make some headway.
4 stars because it causes my iPhone to reboot, thus I must use the AC adapter with the phone.
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Has some flaws, but still the best I've tried.
by N. Roberts (4 out of 5 stars)
August 25, 2015

I've gone through my fair share of power inverters and this is by far the best one I've tried. It does have a few annoying flaws, but overall, this is the power inverter I pack for traveling every time. I'm usually on the road with my job a few days a week, so this gets a pretty regular workout.

Design: The power cup is nice because unlike others that jut out of the 12 volt outlet, this has a short cord that allows you to place the cup in the cupholder for easy access while driving. Depending on your vehicle this may not be long enough, but in most vehicles I've found it works well. For the most part, I use this to charge devices while on the road (and the occasional laptop) and it works quite well for that purpose. I have not tried using other devices that might pull more watts than a laptop, so I can not speak for performance closer to its maximum output.

Unfortunately, because the outlets are placed so close together, it is nearly impossible to plug in two phone chargers at once if they are not super slimline style, and some chargers slightly block the USB outlet so that it's not useable. This is annoying, so I usually am only able to charge two devices at once. I may try an extension cord at some point, but I worry that it might blow a fuse somewhere. I wish that the design of the outlets were changed to better accommodate using all three outlets at once, or remove one power outlet and put in more USB ports.

Another thing to note is that this device uses a fan to prevent overheating. It is loud enough to be heard, but not so loud that I need to turn up the radio or talk louder to compensate.

In some vehicles, I have noticed interference with the radio. This is not present in every vehicle I've used the power cup in. In my personal vehicle and most work vehicles I do not notice any interference, but it has caused problems in a few vehicles I've used it in.

Something else that I really love about this inverter is that it's cute, without being ridiculous. I've had a few people ask where I bought this. It also looks like a cup of coffee (duh) and sits nicely in a cupholder, so it's not quite as much of a theft target since it blends in a little.

Durability: This is why my frustrations with the outlet placement are overall less of an annoyance. Most inverters I've used have died swift deaths, either due to mishandling because the outlet stuck out or cheap builds unable to handle more than six months of use a few times a week. The power cup, however, has lasted well over a year at this point and is still going strong.

Price: Comparable to the cheap (in quality) inverters I bought at big box stores. Definitely worth the price I paid.

Overall: Despite its flaws, I find this to be one of the best inverters I've used in terms of price and durability.
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Works as expected
by hotelmode (5 out of 5 stars)
April 18, 2012

I bought this to charge LiPo batteries for R/C Airplanes. I have an old Power Supply from a desktop computer that puts out 12V DC power to the chargers. I bought this so I wouldn't have to open the hood of my car to access the battery to hook up the chargers. I can keep the chargers inside the car (hoping the batteries don't catch on fire....!).

I was hoping to be able to charge two batteries at the same time at 3.6Amps each. This equates to about 98 Watts or so at 12V. This inverter is rated at 200W. The power supply, chargers, etc., all have their own draw, so it's hard to tell how many Watts the inverter is actually putting out, but I tested it with AT LEAST 98 Watts, and at 64 Watts. While charging both batteries at 3.6A each (98 Watts+), the inverter held up for a little while, but then there was a popping sound and everything reset. With one battery charging at 3.6A, and the other charging at 1.8A, the inverter didn't have any trouble (64Watts+). After charging the batteries for a little while, the plug that goes into the cigarette lighter felt very hot. It's possible that the plastic around the metal will melt eventually, only time will tell.

Anyway, for my purpose I think I'm pushing this little cup to it's limits, but overall it's an improvement to my setup so I'm happy.
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When first plugged in, Fan sounds like car engine revving.
by CANDINI (4 out of 5 stars)
November 1, 2013

Inverter works when turned on but two things did not sound right when I first plugged it in. The fan cycled and sounds like a car engine revving at a traffic light. Also the light goes from green to red back to green during this revving. The manual says this is suppose to happen. Well enough. What I did not understand was the fan revving. I am wondering why this one did it and when I went back out and tried it out, I heard no fan and the light stayed on green. And I only attempted to charge a cell phone so no wattage was exceeded as stated in instruction guide. After this first encounter it was Nice and quiet like I like! I do not feel a fan is necessary, we have used the other Powerline for years with no problem not having a fan. I will keep it going a few days otw to work and see if the unit continues to work out okay. I checked and Amazon gives me 30 days so I feel pretty secure about that.

A few other observations. One like the previous reviewer said earlier, the plug is very very tight going in and out. FYI: I own a 2012 Honda Civic. The manual says you can adjust the little button one way or the other so I did so. It went from impossible to go in to going in tight, very tight. At least you do not have to worry about it becoming loose. Also, you can really only plug one plug in, the outlets are too close together for most plugs.

I am hoping this unit will last then I may upgrade the stars.
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Does what it says, with a few caveats
by Jon (4 out of 5 stars)
February 15, 2012

First of all - I love coffee, and my wife and I were going on a road trip. What better device to keep all of our iDevices charged than this power inverter in the shape of a coffee cup??

We used it throughout the trip. Worked well to keep mainly our iPhones charged, with a few caveats.
- there are two plugs plus a USB port on top. We used one plug adapter for the iPhone and one USB adapter. This will work; however, note the plugs are close together, so may not work for two larger power adapters.
- obviously this is going to take up one drinkholder, so if there are two of you, and you have two drinks, you'll have to hold one. Alternative: this can sit on the floorboard.
- main complaint: the iPhone attached to the USB cord worked perfectly fine. As for the iPhone attached to the power plug - we're not sure if it was an incorrect voltage/wattage, or what ... but the phone was basically unusable while connected to the power port. The screen would jitter and register button presses that were not made. However, the charging appeared to work fine.

What we basically did was charge the driver's phone on the jittery plug, and let the passenger use his/her phone on the USB plug. Worked well, but one star short of five for me.

Jon
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Very close to perfect
by Maura Rugg (4 out of 5 stars)
July 17, 2019

Very, very good converter. I've had a few in the past, but not in the style to go in a cup holder. The base is a little small for the cup holder I use in my middle console, but fits well in the smaller cup holder in the same console. I had to add an short extension cord because some 3-pronged plugs did not fit in easily; the charger is a pretty snug fit as well. I still love it and it's easy to use, install/uninstall, and my co-pilots love it as well.
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Performs well, but plug is a tight fit
by Your public name (4 out of 5 stars)
April 22, 2015

Pros: Fits in a standard cup holder, two outlets plus USB, provides long-lasting and consistent power, looks unobtrusive, a novelty item to those who have never seen one.

Cons: The cooling fan can be a touch loud, but your stereo is louder. The real concern is how tightly the plug fits into a cigarette lighter socket. There is a sliding switch to make it narrower, but it still pulls the socket partially out when removed (2009 vehicle, not weak or aged). The socket can simply be pushed back in, but it's not meant to be pulled out at all, so some wear may occur each time this item is used. One day, the socket's retaining clips/ears may simply break. You have to pull so hard that this becomes a real concern. I will probably take the plug apart and attempt to alleviate some of the pressure.

There must be a better-fitting plug on the market. Maybe the manufacturer will address this.

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