P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor
by P3 INTERNATIONAL
 |
List Price: Our Price: $14.99 You Save: $15.00 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $12.99 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
Product Details
Manufacturer: P3 INTERNATIONALAudio: English (Published)
Model: P4400
Color: Ivory
Product features:
- Electricity usage monitor connects to appliances and assesses efficiency
- Large LCD display counts consumption by the kilowatt-hour
- Calculates electricity expenses by the day, week, month, or year
- Displays volts, amps, and wattage within 0.2 percent accuracy
- Compatible with inverters; designed for use with AC 115-volt appliances
Tools and Hardware Reviews of P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor
Customer Review: Great little device for the price, though somewhat unnecessary unless labels are missing from your devices...
Summary: 5 Stars
4.5 Stars
The P4400, while not a perfect item, does exactly what it promises to do; delivers accurate metering of your electrical devices...and it is spot-on, as far as I can tell:
A/C rated 740W: fan only (lowest setting): 96W!...with compressor, ~735W peak
A/C rated 520W: fan only (lowest setting): 33W; with compressor, 516W peak (starts at about 330W and gradually reaches 516W as everything "warms up")
CFL rated 13W: just under 12W (wavers between 11 and 12)
Blu-Ray player rated 30W: 27W
It also demonstrates how some power ratings are completely ridiculous:
7-channel receiver, rated at 700W "RMS": 40W at rest, 45W at medium (tolerable volume), and 60-70 W at deafening volume (explain to me how this warrants "250W" as the average power rating on the back of the unit (it might be the average if audible distortion is present (at which point it's unbearably loud))
12" subwoofer with 120W RMS rating: 7W at rest, 10-12W at medium volume, never above 50W alongside deafening volume from receiver/speakers (granted, I could have pushed it into distortion territory to see that 120W (and then some) rating, but that's just bad for the driver)
laptop computer (adapter rated at 65W): 30W at rest, 40 - 45 W at 100% processor (Pentium Dual-Core) use (never above 45W...ever) (Pentium 4 desktop from 2002 (with 19" crt): 150W)
DVD player rated 17W: 5W at rest, 7W during playback
Original NES rated 17W: 2W at rest and during gameplay (Jasper XBOX 360: 90W at rest, 105W during gameplay (150W power supply))
The list goes on and on. In short, the device will both confirm and surprise; not once, however, did I find a device using more power than its displayed rating (and in most cases, it's actually significantly less). Thus, this isn't an essential tool unless you have many devices that don't have labels on the back...but it sure is fun to be able to see how much power is being used at any given time (and gives one a much more accurate perception of what their electric bill should be (in conjunction with a spreadsheet)).
Why not a "five?" It's hard to read the display (actually, "impossible" is more appropriate) unless you have plenty of light and are literally directly in front of the unit. It needs a user-activated backlight (button press)...who cares if it adds a watt to your usage for 3-5 seconds? In most cases, you'll need an extension cord of some kind to plug the devices into, unless all of your outlets are both out in the open and at eye-level (so basically, that excludes 99% of installed outlets).
Other than that, it's a great little meter for $20. Accurate, ample metering selections (and then some...what the h_ll is "power factor"), and simply fun to use, don't hesitate in picking one up.
Edit: 7/30/09 I now know what "power factor" is (basically the percentage of being "totally" resistive). I have found that the one real money-saving use of this item is to measure cycling devices over periods of time; e.g., if you're wondering how much power your A/C uses cycling on and off all day while you're at work, this will tell you. I found that my 8,000 BTU (740W) averages .32kw/h (much less than I would have thought) mainintaining 70 degrees in my small apartment. From there, you can calculate the cost very easily. Anyway, this is the main reason why you'd want to own the device. Pick one up!
Edit: 10/4/09 With the winter approaching, I'd recently decided to pick up a new "1500 Watt" space heater; worked perfectly for a bit, but began tripping the breakers...hooked it up to the meter...to find that for the first twenty seconds of the heater's power cycle it was drawing over 2000 Watts (during which the meter beeps and flashes warning you it's going to ignite (just kidding))! God knows why, but someone in China seemingly thinks that the typical 120 Volt (typically lower) circuit can support over 15 Amps. Guess what...it can't. This circuit has a 20A breaker, and between the 2000W (causing a voltage drop to 110V, give or take), when my mini-fridge kicks on, it's lights out (no, I can't relocate the mini-frigde...I have one circuit in my lowly apartment (that isn't dedicated to the microwave (which also peaks well above its rated usage, by the way))). Step 2: metering my older "1500 Watt" heater...to find that it peaks at about 1050 Watts (which explains why it has *never* tripped any breaker anywhere I've used it). Thanks to my meter, I will never take another power rating at face value again.
More P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor Customer Reviews:
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Description of P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor
Empowers You to Save Hundreds on Electric Bills
Electricity bills are rising. Now you can cut down on costs and find out what appliances are actually worth keeping plugged in. Simply connect these appliances to the Kill A Watt, and it will assess how efficient they really are. The large LCD display counts consumption by the kilowatt-hour, the same as your local utility. You can calculate your electrical expenses by the day, week, month, even an entire year. Also check the quality of your power by monitoring voltage, line frequency, and power factor. Now you will know if it is time for a new refrigerator or if that old air conditioner is still saving you money. Kill A Watt can help you reduce your power bill and will help find power-wasting appliances so you are able to decide whether it is worth keeping them plugged in. For standard 115 VAC appliances only, 15 amps maximum, 125 VAC maximum.Find Out How Much Electricity You're Using
 Large LCD display counts consumption by the kilowatt-hour |
Test The Quality of Your Home's Power
But measuring appliance consumption is just the tip of the iceberg. Because it can monitor voltage (Volt) and line frequency it can also test if an outlet is working, or evaluate the quality of the electrical power provided by your utility company. It can detect voltage drops around the house, help to predict brownout conditions or to make sure a new home's outlets are in working condition before escrow closes.
 The LCD shows all meter readings: volts, current, watts, frequency, power factor, and VA |
Founded in 1987, P3 International is a privately owned manufacturer of solution oriented consumer products. For the last twenty years they have strived to develop products that are easy to use and ahead of their time. Thanks to their customer-centric attitude and support from their clients, they have experienced steady growth over the past decade.
They are committed to manufacturing high quality products that appeal to a variety of different people, from the environmentally conscious to the more technologically-minded consumer. With this philosophy driving them they are always looking for innovative new products which they can offer their customers.
Their unique products have garnered much attention, in particular the Kill A Watt. Reviews of P3 products have been featured in newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Technical Specifications
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