RoadPro 5027S 12V Smart Car Pot

 (13 customer reviews)

Just got this little 12v. pot for heating water, soup, etc. and didn't expect much since I had a recent bad experience with a 12v. coffee maker that, after waiting over an hour for something to happen, didn't work at all. Well, I was pleasantly surprised! This litle unit is well-made and has some very nice features, such as being able to remove the pot from the base for easy cleaning. I also like the fact that, as well as an "on" light, the pot lights up with a white light to let you know that it is seated correctly on the base. It also has a nice safety feature in that it will shut off if there's not enough water, so it won't "burn dry." Best thing, though, is that it really does work! It does take longer with 12v. units, but that's to be expected. However, in less than half an hour the water was bubbling merrily away! I am very pleased with my purchase and would definitely recommend it.

Being an over-the-road driver I carried one of these for awhile in order to make coffee and hot cereal. It actually heats pretty well, and is a much better product than the previous one I had. However after about 3 months of 3-4 times a week use, it started to leak through the base and into the heating element. After that it quit completely. As this happened with 2 of these in a row, I tend to believe it's a design flaw. For occasional use, it's probably well worth it, but if you use it regularly, expect to replace it every couple of months.

I purchased this unit as my wife and I love the "coffee on the go" mode and figured to save a few bucks in the long run on the expensive Convenience Store drinks. So far, and that includes three vehicles, we have blown the fuse every time that we plug the RoadPro into the cigarette lighter. I am approaching half the cost of the unit in replaced fuses. I'm not saying that the unit will not work, in fact I believe that it will do what it claims if you can get the proper power to it. For many vehicles, it will require a heavier wire to be routed from the battery to a seperate 12 volt outlet. This takes the convenience away and adding new wiring to the vehicle adds cost to the use of the RoadPro.