Customer Ratings & Reviews
- Model:
- CPI500W
- SKU:
- 6415323
Rating by feature
- Value
Rating 4.1 out of 5 stars
- Quality
Rating 4.1 out of 5 stars
- Ease of Use
Rating 4.2 out of 5 stars
Customers are saying
Customers are pleased with the power output, overall performance, and USB charging capabilities of the POWER 500 Watt Power Inverter. The inverter is also praised for its ease of use, compact size, and reasonable price. However, some customers have noted that the inverter can be a little noisy. Additionally, a few customers have reported an unpleasant smell and concerns about battery life.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
Defective products and return policies
||Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.As sad as I am in the quality of this product, I’m even sadder by little concern over our hard earned money when buying defective products. They gave me 14 days to return this item and I didn’t try to use it for a month as soon as I open the box I could smell burnt electronics
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .We are sorry to hear you had issues with your inverter. Please contact us at 800-543-1608, option 3 on the menu.
Outlet
||Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.The connector is flat and does not maintain contact once inserted. Device repeatedly bettors and turns off.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .Thank you for choosing Cobra. Please contact us for assistance at 800-543-1608, option 3 on the menu.
It's Junk, less than 1 star
||Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Total piece of junk. Don't waste your money. Bought a lesser inverter by the same company and it blew out first use. I exchanged up to the 500 it worked intermittently then quit. Got another one and it was dead right out of the box. I will return it and stay away from products by Cobra
No, I would not recommend this to a friendReturned
||Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Doesn't fit into plug in in 2025 Kia Telluride! Returned
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .We're sorry to hear it wasn't a good fit for you. Thanks for giving us a chance and we hope you will consider us in the future. Take care!
- Cons mentioned:Battery life
Dead
||Posted . Owned for 4 months when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Dead 2 months after purchase, worked great when it ran. Wont even turn connected to battery.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .I'm sorry to hear you are having issues with your inverter shortly after purchasing it. Please contact Cobra customer support at 1-800-543-1608 for additional help in finding out what the issue is with your inverter.
- Pros mentioned:Usb
Worth the money
||Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Works as expected. Additional cables are appreciated.
I would recommend this to a friend - Pros mentioned:Size
Love it
||Posted . Owned for 11 months when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Awesome small power strip a must have for your car
I would recommend this to a friend Power inverter terrible
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.The power cord has been nothing but problems! This was purchased for a road trip and power inverter did not work! Tried in multiple vehicles and still didn’t work! Plug is too long for car ports and won’t make any good connections.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .Most likely the issue was due to the vehicle CLA jack dimensions are out of tolerance causing a loose or intermittent connection to the power inverter. An improved solution is to hardwire the inverter directly to the cars battery which will allow for the inverter to operate at it's full rated AC output level.
Adaptor
||Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.I thought it could power my laptop but it does not have enough watts
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .We regret to hear this. For questions or assistance, please contact us at 800-543-1608. We're happy to help!
Works for 2 Seconds at a time
||Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Internal breaker makes it turn off pretty much right away. A few times it works fully but the slightest movement makes trips the breaker. I returned it the next day. Would not recommend to anyone.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .We are sorry to hear you had issues. In cases like this, we recommend contacting Cobra directly so we can get more information on your setup and help troubleshoot. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Cobra, Chinese for cheap junk
||Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.It does not even hold up to charging a Dewalt battery unless hooked directly to the battery.. once was a good company with quality products.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .We are sorry you are not completely satisfied. We'd love to provide some assistance. Please contact us at 800-543-1608, option 3 on the menu. Thank you.
- Cons mentioned:Smell
Inverter
||Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Have a burning smell the first day so I’m afraid to plug anything into it
No, I would not recommend this to a friend Cheap Chinese made product
||Posted .This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Didn’t work out of the box. I bought it. opened it in my car. Plugged it in my lighter, and didn’t work. I tested my lighter plug, it worked. I thought I was buying a bargain, 500watts pet outlet x2 outlets = 1000watts of power but the product didn’t work at all.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .We apologize for your experience and would like to assist. It would be most helpful if you call us on our Customer Care line at 800-543-1608 Monday - Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. EST to replace your inverter and discuss whether the CPI500W is the best choice for your power needs. The CPI500W Power Inverter is designed for a maximum output of 500 Watts and cannot handle continuous 1000 Watts of power output. The Cobra Team can walk you through Cobra power inverter options based on your power needs.
Does not work
||Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Have now two different times to get this product to work but the connection that plugs into cigarette lighter has to be manually held in place for it to work.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .Most likely the issue was due to the vehicle CLA jack dimensions are out of tolerance causing a loose or intermittent connection to the power inverter. An improved solution is to hardwire the inverter directly to the cars battery which will allow for the inverter to operate at it's full rated AC output level.
The worst
||Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.This device is terrible. I would like to return this Item as soon as i get back in town. Ports don’t work at all
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .We are sorry to hear this. The Pro 500 has been very popular and typically works well. We are available for troubleshooting at 800-543-1608, if you are interested. Thank you.
Cheap quality. Don't waste your time
||Posted . Owned for 10 months when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.The plug got stuck inside my cigarette lighter outlet. Now I have to ask my mechanic to take it out
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .We have never heard of this happening before, and are sorry to hear it. We'll pass this info along to our product team.
Worth it
||Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Does the job perfectly, fairly quiet, good temp. I get a ton of use out of it. I would recommend for long trips where the passenger wants top play on their laptop to keep occupied.
I would recommend this to a friendHot garbage
||Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.The chassis is overly large for the circuitry inside, the product gets very hot even with just a 65W load, and the fan bearing was DOA and produced a stunning rendition of Dumb and Dumber's "do you want to hear the most annoying sound in the world"
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .The fan in your CPI500W could be malfunctioning. The inverter requires forced cooling for normal operation with a loaded AC output. Please contact Cobra customer service to discuss support options. 800-543-1608, option 3
Didn’t work for me
||Posted . Owned for 7 months when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Blew the fuse in my car. I wouldn't recommend this for use in your car
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .The car CLA jack is limited in it's power output rating. If you place a load on the AC output of the Cobra POWER 500 Watt that exceeds the car CLA jack power rating then the cars CLA fuse can blow open. Consider hardwiring the inverter directly to the car battery to eliminate this issue and allow the inverter to operate at it's full rated AC output.
Returned
||Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.Charger didn't fit my charge port in my car resulting in the inverter going on and off. I returned it.
No, I would not recommend this to a friendBrand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .We are sorry to hear this. Should you require assistance locating a compatible charger, please feel free to contact us at 800-543-1608, option 3 on the menu.