I own both the MK (Minn Kota) pwr station and the UM (Unified Marine) 50090681 pwr station, therefore I'm writing this for both. Luckily I purchased the UM to hold my back up battery. If quality is worth the cost to you then the Minn Kota is the choice. I've had the MK pwr station on a few trips so far with no problems.
Quick comparison: MK box container is well made and transports my heavier 27 battery with no problems, strap is well made. Now for the UM, placed my lighter 24 battery and proceeded to lift box by the handle - handle came up but the box remained on the floor. Unbelievable...quick fix drilled some screws through to secure the handle, not sure how long this will last. Strap hasn't broke yet, but my confidence is very low that it will make it out of the garage for the 2nd trip.
Power meter: MK works well with good quality readings on charge. UM, not sure why they bothered to even place this on the box...cheap/unless. Only reflect a full charge when you have it plugged to the charger, and that's the only time you can trust what it reads.
Power lugs are fine on both, with the MK still being better quality.
Power accessory have not used yet so can not provide any feedback.
As stated above I only got the UM for my back up battery case so not overly disappointed, it works for my application, it's priced low, has a circuit breaker and pwr lugs work fine, so I'll give it a 2 star rating. However, if your getting this as your primary box for your trolling motor with needs of a higher quality box with a power meter that works, it's best to spend the extra money on better box. Unified Marine 50090681 Power Station Battery Box
I use this to hold my primary battery that drives a trolling motor on my 10' Walker Bay.
Pros:
* Nice external power hookups
* Plenty of room for my Group: 27 size battery and a Minn Kota circuit breaker I installed inside
* Side handles (for heavy batteries)
Cons:
* The battery charge indicator tends to show less charge than the actual charge (not to bad)
* Case and strap buckle are too lightweight to carry my 70 lbs. battery by the handle
* The strap buckle is already cracked and needs to be much stronger
* Car lighter style plug is not secure enough for accessories to stay connected
Al in all I am happy with my purchase but that is mainly because I have not found a better unit that has these features.
This product is a great idea for a boat or camping. The problem I have is that the retaining buckle broke almost immediately (this apparently happens almost 100% of the time based on other review sites) and it states that it is universal for 24/27 series batteries -- it is not "universal". I have a 24 Series battery that will not fit properly in the box. I plan to buy a properly sized battery box and remove the connectors/wiring from this box to make a quality box. Quality?!?!? That's a word seldom heard!?
This is great unit at a great price, except the battery meter does not work properly. Even after fully charging the battery the meter shows 1/3 full and if you use the battery even the slightest is shows needs to be recharged. I measured the voltage and 12.6 volts or less shows recharge, and you don't get to full unless a battery charger is attached and are at 13.8 volts or higher. So other than this minor issue it works great.
I would have given it a 5 star, but have yet to test the battery meter. Some say it is not accurate, we'll see. As for everything else, it is a well made/designed box. A previous reviewer posted a problem with the buckle, it is fine and can handle more than 30 lbs.
Bought this for small engine on tender and the top is secured only by a cheap plastic handle and secured by strap in center of box. Plastic not strong enough for weight of any sized battery, anyone want to buy mine-cheap!!! - Boating - Moeller Marine - Sailing - Optima Deep Cycle Battery'
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