Hands-On: Husky’s Portable AC/DC Power System
By Chuck Cage
We’ve owned a number of portable jump start units, but we were really impressed with Husky’s new offering — which not only serves as an effective starter, but also adds a 400W inverter, an air compressor, and a 12V power outlet. If you’ve been thinking about buying one of these, read on for our hands-on impressions and lots of photos — this unit impressed us, and it’s quite affordable.
Unboxing/Features
The Jumpstarter System ships in a good ‘ole standard foam-packed cardboard box. Our particular unit seemed to arrive safely with no marring or other damage. Once you’ve got it out of the packaging, a few features really stand out.
The most noticeable is the lack of an external power “brick.” The ‘System’s 110V charger is integrated internally in the unit, and only outward indication of the charging system is a deployable male three-prong plug on the back. To charge it, you rotate the jack out to un-stow it, then plug in an extension cord. We have an older multi-function-jumpstarter around the shop, but we long ago lost the charger brick; Husky’s arrangement seems much more sensable.
We’re also impressed with the arrangement of the ‘System’s jumpstart leads. Rather than storing them in a separate bag — or allowing them to lay loose or wrapped around the handle — Husky added open-topped square boxes on the back of the unit to hold the wires in place while the leads themselves clamp onto nearby studs designed to keep them in place. As you can see in the photos, this arrangement leads to a clean, easy-to-use layout that keeps the leads from catching on things when you load the unit into a trunk.
A door on the back opens to reveal a compartment perfect for stowing the remaining power cable and the air compressor’s air hose.
A three-digit LED display on the front panel indicates the current battery voltage (when you press the appropriate button) to indicuate the charge state of the internal sealed lead acid (SLA) battery. A rotary switch to the left of the LED enables jump start power. A switch below the LED activates a three-white-LED flashlight mounted nearby.
A pressure gauge for the unit’s air compressor is located to the right of the LED, and the switch to activate the air compressor is right below the gauge.
A door below the main front panel allows access to a 110V - 120V plug — powered by the unit’s 400W inverter — and a 12V DC outlet (cigarette lighter style). A switch activates the inverter.
On the whole, the ‘System seems quite durable. Door hinges and latches seem quite solid, and the handle itself is integrated into a small “roll-cage” design that further protects against impact damage. The handle’s grip is comfortable, which is important since the unit’s quite heavy due to its internal battery.
A rubberized mat around the bottom of the unit makes it “stick” to smooth surfaces (and carpet) a bit, which keeps it from sliding around in the trunk.
Read on to page 2 for our experiences using the Power System.
November 1st, 2006 at 3:39 am
When considering a jumpstarter purchase, consider a few points:
1: How much capacity do you need / weight do you want? The “marketing number” seems to be inverter wattage, but the useful number is battery capacity, in amp-hours. A bare minimum for jumpstarting engines should be 12AH, and look for 20AH if the unit’s likely to be cold while you’re using it. (Lead-acid chemistry is *very* temperature-sensitive.) Don’t be fooled by a high-wattage inverter mated to an inadequate battery.
2: Is the battery treated properly? All the jumpstarter packs I checked out at Harbor Freight were discharged, and had probably been that way since they shipped from China. Lead-acid batteries are damaged if they sit for long with less than 80% charge, and anything below 20% for more than a few hours is just murder. Also, does the charger have any sort of regulation to prevent overcharging if you leave it plugged in?
3: Is the battery replaceable? Even treated right, lead-acids in this type of service are only good for 4 or 5 years. The inverter, clip leads, and case will probably last much longer. Make sure the battery is a standard size, and that you can change it without having to glue the unit back together when you’re done.
4: Are the accessories built to last? If you’re looking at a unit with an integral air compressor, make sure the hose is stored thoughtfully. Cramped corners and tight bends will kill cheap rubber hoses, and they’re often a pain to replace. The last thing you want is a bulky, expensive, heavy unit whose bulk, expense, and weight are due to a failed or otherwise useless compressor. Are the jumper cables long enough that if a clip hinge gives out, you can replace the clip and still have some useful length?
5: How are the ergonomics? As this review points out, having the clip leads stored on the unit itself can be nice. Xantrex opts for separate leads that plug in, which is great if you’re primarily using the unit as a portable inverter, but would quickly get annoying if you’re just starting a lot of cars. Personally I’ve always found that the built-in lights are somewhere between useless and hostile, because they invariably shine at my face, rather than my work. Until someone puts a gimballed light in one of these, I’ll opt for a separate flashlight, thanks. I saw one pack with an integrated charger, normally a handy feature, but you needed a special narrow-nosed extension cord to sneak in and plug the charger in. All the weight of a wallwart, all the bulk of an integrated charger, all the clutter of carrying a special cord!
6: What’s the recharge time like? My brother lives in Buffalo, where heavy snow on still-leafy trees recently knocked out power for over a week. (From his own backyard, he could see *several* tree-meets-wire altercations. Multiply across hundreds of square miles and it’s no wonder it took the utility a long time to restore service!) He was running a laptop, a cellphone, and a carbon monoxide detector from his power pack at night, then taking it with him to the office (on a different part of the power grid) to charge during the day. Obviously, the more power he could replenish in 8 hours, the better! If the unit’s AC charger is a wimpy 1A wall-wart, that’s only 8AH, and because of Peukert’s theorem, only about 6AH of that is usable. Charging straight from a high-amperage DC source (like a running car) can be much faster, but is harder on the battery.
November 1st, 2006 at 7:04 am
Great review! I have been looking for a decent portable air compressor and this might just do it for me.
November 1st, 2006 at 2:16 pm
I received one of these as a Christmas gift last year. We (my wife and I) are happy with the unit. I leave it in her Suburban “just in case”. I’ve brought it to jobsites that didn’t have electricity (great for a radio or a spotlight). I have even been able to use it to charge up my two battery system in my truck (24 volt system).
We’ve mostly used it to give other people jumpstarts. I recommend all husbands buy one of these (or a similar unit) for their wife’s car. They’re simple to operate and they hold a charge for a long time. Just don’t do it as an anniversary present, unless you include a really big box of chocolate.
November 1st, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Forgot to mention that the latch broke off in the first month we had it. Only complaint.
November 9th, 2006 at 5:41 pm
Owned a husky portable power system for about 18 months,finally used it for something other than battery power to run my c-pap, flat truck tire,,new, got to 30psi, timed out, cooled, ran again to near 40psi, sound of compressor suddenly changed, now runs but no air. I’ll let youknow what home depot does. Nice piece of equip to have the little compresor ruin all the good features. Hope they make it good?
December 29th, 2006 at 5:29 pm
Just bought one with a Home Depot gift card. One thing that was mentioned was that lead-acid batteries are damaged if they’re stored with less than 80% charge (point 2 in the first post). The manual advised to charge for 24 hrs before using, but I noticed right away when I plugged it in to charge, that the battery was full, so it seems these are shipping with enough of a charge to keep them “healthy” until you buy one. I hope this unit works as well as some of the reviews have said it does. I’ll report back if the compressor breaks.
March 24th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Can a jumpstarter unit like this also be used as a trickle charger if needed?
I want to get one of these Huskys, but right now I also have gate opener battery that needs a trickle charge on a setting of 12 volts dc and 2 amps or less. It would be great if this could do the job.
March 24th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
The chargers included with these packs, whether they’re external wall-warts or built-in, are generally unregulated. (The exception being Xantrex products, which are nicely overengineered.) Leaving any battery connected to an unregulated power supply will overcharge it. An occasional carefully controlled overcharge is an “equalizing charge” and is a good idea, but aside from that, disconnect the charger as soon as it’s done.
If you’re talking about walking out to the gate-opener with the Husky and clamping it on to transfer charge into the opener’s battery, that’ll work but it’ll never get the recipient battery up to 100% charge. Every few months, bring the opener battery into the house and connect it to a “12 volt” wallwart for a topping-off. Even so, spending most of its time at low state-of-charge will shorten the opener battery’s lifespan.
A much, much better option would be to get a small solar panel and a charge controller. If it’s shady there, you can even put the panel some distance from the opener, since the currents involved are so small the voltage drop in the connecting wires should be minimal. (18ga landscape-lighting cord is great in this application.) The charge controller is essential to keep the battery from overcharging, but once you’ve got it all hooked up, you should be set for years.
April 25th, 2007 at 3:09 am
This is my first- time blog entry (I’m totally new to blogs).
I found the Husky portable power system at my local homeDepot (I haven’t bought one yet - I’m on a budget).
This power system is much larger than any I’ve recently seen on the automotive market.
Husky doesn’t specify on its packaging how long a single charge lasts, for say powering a vehicle.
The tool blog which I’m commenting on doesn’t specify this either. Is there anyone who has further experience with this power unit, who has used it for longer durations?
I own a kiln (Its heat capacity rated at 2.900*F) that I haven’t used as yet since I bought it. Is the Husky portable power system strong enough to handle such an appliance?
Can the “Toolmonger” Blog answer this question?
January 12th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I unfortunately have two unusable power packs. I cannot use the first one I bought because the part that fits over the tire stem gets stuck on the stem. I was able to remove it with great difficulty. It ruined the stem on the tire. The second one I bought is also tough to get off. I cannot use it now because the latch handle that locks it on the stem broke. I have had to go back to use my 20 year old portable Campbell-Hausfield compressor when I need air. What a disappointment.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:50 am
HY I BUY HUSKY PORTABLE AC/DC POWER SYSTEM AND I TRY TE GET THE WARRANTY WATH I HAS TO DO TO GET THAT WARRANTY
EMAIL ME IT HAS THE SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM TANKS
CEJAUTO@HOTMAIL.COM
April 18th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
anyone know how to replace the battery on this Husky ? It ’s well built and cleverly engineered, but I can’t figure out how to open, and replace battery. The instruction book recomends taking into into the shop, but Husky now owned by B&D, who no longer makes this model and will not fix it. this machine is a quality pieces of equipment a shame to throw it out .
June 16th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Best bet is Batteries Plus, they usually can match or offer a sub.
http://www.batteriesplus.com/
They may have already did such a replacement and could help.
June 16th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
For John Conant
Had the same problem, just purchase an extended stem which are longer at the top and it will work fine. It will thread onto your existing steam. Autozone or one of the others and they are cheep.
July 29th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
We bought the Husky portable AC/DC power system. It’s smoking when you use the compressor(burning wire smell). According to Husky website, they do not have a model HSK037…Home Depot says I have to bring it in and they’ll send out for repair. 800# says take to store and they’ll replace. No # found to speak to Husky directly. Suggestions? Have others had this problem?
September 10th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
I have enjoyed using my HSK038 Portable POwer System unit, the 3 or 4 time since I purchased it a year ago. Great AC/DC system, area light, jump start, and once or twice as tire inflator. However, the compressor/inflator unit now refuses to work; no power, sound, pressure on guage, or output occuring, I will endeavor to reach the HUSKY POWER PRODUCTS toll-free PH nbr.(800) 916-7004 tomorrow (9/12/08). I like the unit, but am troubled that the compressor has malfunctioned at this point. (I can’t locate the fuses referred to in the owner’s manual). Anyone have any ideas pertaining to my query? Thanks. Reid
September 30th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
It looks like the compresser is the weak link. Mine mysteriously stopped working alltogether about a month ago, then when I brought it in from the garage to get the S/N etc, to give Husky/Home Depot a call, it fired right up. I supposed it could have been cold, but it’s summer here and my garage hasn’t dipped below 70 degrees.
It also seems that from an 120V outlet will stop powering some devices when the votage meter gets down to around 11.
Other than that, it’s a nice unit.
October 1st, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Hey all. I’ve a question. Has anyone just lost the ability to check the charge using the button? I noticed it wasn’t lighting up when it was charging (as it should do) then realized once it was charged, that I couldn’t check the charge level….nothing lights when I press the button. Anyone else have that problem?
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:04 am
[...] two years ago we talked about Husky’s portable AC/DC power system. We’ve aired up a ball or bicycle tire with it here and there, but it largely remained stowed [...]
October 21st, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I used the compressor for the first time today and i was able to only inflate one small tire before i heard the compressor just run and not pumping. I heard something rattling around in the casing and found out after taking it apart that the pin that is on the motor came loose from the pump so i replaced the pin and works fine now. only proble is, is how do you keep the pin from falling out again ???
November 1st, 2008 at 4:10 am
Purchased HSK037 from Home Depot in Dec 05 - compressor does not work - clicking sound when Compressor switch “ON” - all other functions OK. Is there a simple fix?