PowerTank 17

I have bought both the Power Tank 17 , and it's little brother (though this may be harder to find). Before my review points, please remember to charge the Power Tank after use. Don't let it get go flat, after multiple uses. It may have many Watts of power left, after each use but is a sealed Lead/Acid battery at its core. This needs a little care and time to charge after each use to keep it in prime condition. Even a top-up charge of a few hours, is recommended if not used for a few months. Note that there is a "back door" flap containing the "Cigarette lighter" cable. This is not always well mentioned. Don't go out and buy that. Unless you need another 12V outlet. It is great that there are 2 "Cigarette Lighter" sockets, but it is important to know that they are Not The Same. One is centre Negative (-ve), the other is centre Positive (+ve). For my Celestron C8, it is the right-hand; centre Positive. So if you think the Power Tank isn't working, for your appliance, try the other one ! Plus the great fuse protection provided, may need a quick check. If you are using this Power Tank for astronomy, the red light gives you the "night sight adaption", protection. You can change eyepieces and see what you are doing without any white light "dazzle". Excellent. The main beam is on a ratchet, so you can point it downwards, while walking around in the dark, great to avoid dips in the ground, tree roots etc, if out in the countryside. Which brings me to another point, that the Power Tank can be a great aid if camping/caravaning etc. I wouldn't get it wet, but when away from any mains supply, there are 2 x USB 1.5 Amp (5V) charging ports. Very usefull, for charging phones/tablets etc. I have even found the Power Tank a blessing in a power cut. Keeps a light on and phones etc running. There is the added joy of a radio on the Power Tank 17..... AM & FM ! Surprised by the tonal quality on both bands. Obviously keep volume appropriate to where you are. And then... The Siren Setting ! Who thought of that ? Initially surprised by this lovely fun function, but could be Really handy if someone is lost or needs to get attention when out camping, in a dark observing site etc. I think that the price, is fair, for such well thought-out and good capacity device. You get what you pay for. I recommend it for astronomers, with portable motorised telescopes as myself, and to all others with a need for portable power. Nice One Celestron !

Feels like a premium and robust power tank able to power a demanding mount for a few hours. I am not given the chance to take it out and try its capabilities yet, but I will definitely update my review, if the item does not meet my expectations.

Bought two of these (£43) in Jan 2007 to run my telescopes etc. They were excellent, plenty of power to run LX8 and LX12 and lasted most of the night. Very easy to charge, great to have a fuze as a safety backup as well, yes they took a few hours to charge but with two I never encountered any problems. Unfortunately, the first one stopped accepting a charge back in early 2011 and the second in 2014. The 2014 one, nearly 7 years I though was reasonable but not the 2011, less than four years seemed far to short a lifespan. I still have them both as bricks in my shed, can't bring myself to dump them. :-)

Great. product and super essential for serious powered telescope owners like me. However one added bonus feature is the ability to charge a flat car battery. Not jump start but transfer charge from this battery to your cars. One dangerous point to note... as proudly and clearly stated in the instructions, this function is available weather the operating switches are on or off... that's right... it's always live and with washers around the terminals and no rubber caps, they are eternally exposed to stretched out fingers and a nasty 12v electrical shock. I have put my meter across them to test this and opened the case to disconnect this function permanently. This same model is also available with other branding and equally without which the latter reduces the price considerably... but beware the bonus car charge function. Some insulation tape will do but when connecting cables you will forget until you get a shock. Even short out the charger itself.! The next model up includes a radio but only one 12v socket so compromises are abound if you want to power the Scope controller and a dew shield... most necessary in the UK. I have also. modified the large torch with red film so setting up without losing my night vision is a thing of the past.... Overall a great buy... BUT don't kill yourself....seruously...get it professionally protected or disconnected.

I run a Celestron NextStar 8SE and it powers everything at a breeze. well built, charges swiftly ,good torches and the FM/AM radio is good. very pleased with it.

Only used a few times for Astrophotography as not many clear nights this year. Charged it up and it only lasted just over an hour. Not any good for out in the fields. Poor battery.

What a little beast! It’s quite heavy but solidly built and holds a charge for a long time. I bought this specifically for my Celestron telescope - the power cable for telescope is included with the powertank. It’s very versatile though, perfect for a long week away camping to charge all of your devices and do some astronomical viewing too! I’d recommend.

My old skywatcher version being second hand was getting tired from over use. This celestron power pack is the same version just a bit more in price.

Used it for powering telescope and other items on April 8 eclipse trip. Worked perfect. I can power a telescope mount and small items for several days on one charge. Nice sounding radio too, plus flashlight is bright and removable. Charger easily stores in compartment. Very handy power source!

Purchased to power a Nexstar 8 SE, this item is highly versatile. Not only does it power the telescope, it also offers a variety of other uses. As advertised, it has two flashlights. One big LED spotlight and a smaller light with a red cap aimed at preserving night vision. There are 2 twelve volt cigarette lighter receptacles and two 5v USB ports to recharge smart phones. Be advised however that there are no 3, 6 and 9 volt receptacles. These have been replaced by the USB ports. The tank can also be used to boost a weak car battery, a definite plus if the need arises. All in all, a very useful item for astronomy and a wide range of other uses. Highly recommanded

Es una bateria portatil excelente no solo para uso con telescopios motorizados, se puede usar por si sola para ir de campamento, su versatilidad es excelente.

Super pratique pour utiliser un telescope en pleine campagne, la batterie dure longtemps, équipé d'une grosse lampe et d'une plus petite rouge pour éviter de d'éblouir. 2 prises allume cigare ainsi que des port Usb pour recharger smartphone ou tablette. On peux même l'utiliser pour démarrer la voiture en cas de problème ( câble non fourni et je n'ai pas essayé). Le câble d'alimentation pour le telescope est fournis contrairement à ce que certains racontent, il est rangé à l'arrière dans une trappe pas très visible. J'en suis extrêmement content.

Great product, great support from company