KILL A WATTConnect P4498 Electricity Usage Monitor Power Consumption Meter with Two Piece Housing and 35 Inch Cord for Easy Use

Like everybody that uses this ingenious and low-cost device, we love it. The newest model, with the detachable readout, is in constant view. We can now see our mains voltage meander around all day, between 117 and 123VAC.BTW, we also use all of its functions when needed.

It's working fine for me.I recently purchased a portable AC (dual hose!!--just say NO to single-hose versions) as a back-up to house central air system. I've been watching it's power consumption with a Kill A Watt Connect for about six weeks, and the device is working fine. While I wasn't too enamored of the split monitor/receptacle design initially, I've come to see it's value. Much easier to glance over at the conveniently positioned monitor, and manipulate function buttons, compared to getting the viewing angle on the receptacle portion, let alone reaching in and pushing the buttons.It was easy to program with my local utility cost, to give daily/weekly/monthly/yearly operating cost estimates.The only feature I wish it had was a "peak" reading, for max amperage/wattage drawn. That doesn't seem to be offered by any of these units, from what I've seen.Not sure of the negative reviews, but the connecting cable *feels* like 4-wire phone cable, the style with four 22 gauge solid wires. Solid wires are fine in a static installation (like inside a wall cavity), but may not hold up as well as stranded wires when things are being moved around and flexed. I'm not going to open my unit up to check, but if it does start malfunctioning, checking that connecting cable for continuity will be where I'd start.Update: Added feature--the two pieces have concealed magnets to hold them (sort of) together. It's not a rigid arrangement, but ok. Where the magnets shine, however, is on the display unit--if you have a metal case, etc near the work area, the display unit will stick in position quite nicely.

Used it to decide on a mobile power solution, awesome to keep track of power usage. really wish it has remote reporting capabilities.. but it's a no nonsense no frills do the job device.

Works just like a regular kill a watt but you can have it plugged in and have the display out from behind your appliance. Great for tracking how much power is being used, and assessing the quality of the power delivered. You can use this to estimate your costs to run appliances, just take the kWh value and multiply it by your local kwh rate to get the $ amount used

I wanted one of these for a long time and found it very useful for figuring out high-drain stuff so we could optimize a solar power setup. Plus it’s just a blast to run around and check everything!

I bought 3x of these to monitor the power consumption of 3x window Air Conditioner's plugged into a dubious circuit in an older home. Before buying these, I owned a typical Kill-A-Watt for a decade and I loved it. It had only ONE design weakness, and that was the need to to crawl behind furniture on your hands & knees with a flashlight just to read the LCD output. So the idea of a Kill A Watt with a detachable/extendable LCD monitor that could be placed in a visibly accessible location sounded to be the perfect solution.Ah but silly me. In all my excitement I did not read the product page well enough.About 8 years ago I purchased a competing product: The Rosewill RHSP 13001 Load Meter, which is just a rebranded TrickleStar PM_891EM-US-W. When I saw the P3 P4498 offered on Amazon, I assumed I'd be getting something similar; Not so. Turns out there were 3 subtle differences between the Rosewill/TrickleStar offering and the P3 Kill A Watt P4498, that made them seem like 2 different devices.(1) Aside from the advertising, the Kill A Watt P4498 has a 32" monitor cable (NOT 35".) This makes the Kill-A-Watt LCD monitor cable a full foot shorter then the Rosewill/TrickleStar. And that just-plain-silly short cable largely defeats the point of the monitor extension since it won't reach many table tops, let alone a dresser if the outlet is near the floor.(2) No surge suppressor. Albeit, this feature was not advertised, and not truly necessary, BUT the Rosewill/Tricklestar included surge suppression, and since I am guessing that many folks will end up using this device to monitor the power draw on sensitive devices, like computers and audio equipment, it seemed odd one was not included.(3) Price. The Kill A Watt P4498 seems pretty pricy for what it does. I found the competing product to be much more reasonably priced. This is MY subjective opinion; you can decide for yourself.But in the end...In-spite if this, with the use of some short extension cords and nylon cable ties, I have pressed all 3 of these into service, and they have been meeting my intended vision. I hate returning stuff, so I will learn to live with these guys and make them useful But honestly, had I known I could have acquired 3x of the TrickleStars at other sellers, I would have purchased those instead.Even though this is a pretty negative review, I really need to re-assert that all my previous experiences with P3 "Kill A Watt" products have been excellent. The P4498's were disappointing, but I guess no manufacturers can be expected have perfect batting average all the time.

Easy to use, just plug it in, input your kilowatt cost and see your daily, weekly, monthly & yearly cost to operate your appliances

I wanted to calculate wattage from my power strip turns out I exceeded 1800 watts so the non replaceable fuse blew and now the product is worthless. So sad I loved this product until that happened!!! Just wish there was a way to reset or easy way to replace fuse.