Gregg-- It's unfortunate you didn't ship your Cobra recharger pack to the manufacturer (Cobra) for repair/replacement eventhough Cobra required return shipping on the first shipment leg of the overall journey. I presume once repaired/replaced that Cobra would then pay the return shipping back to your home address. Thus, both you and Cobra would essentially share 50/50 of the full circle of shipping (that seems perfectly fair in my book).
I don't own a stand-alone recharger unit of any kind or brand, but I've always been intriged by their capabilities and they do have a place in the automotive marketplace. Cobra has been in business for many decades and their infamous CB radios have always been state-of-the-art. I imagine their high quality of workmanship would carry over to other products that they additionally manufacture, including their self-contained rechargable battery packs.
As a self-contained rechargable unit, I wonder if the built-in rechargable battery is simular in nature as smaller flashlight type Ni-Cad rechargable batteries in that they should be completely drained down to "zero" before recharging. Otherwise, premature recharging can lower the charge threshold and eventually make the built-in rechargable battery useless to produce adequate electrical current. Perhaps this could be a possibility in your case and is a potential reason why you experienced poor results.
VT has indicated great results with his Cobra unit, and seems to be on par with the excellent reputation of Cobra as a manufacturer. If I ever decide to purchase a rechargable battery pack unit, I believe I'll lean towards a Cobra brand unit just as VT has done.
![]()