I really love this inverter.  I've used other inverters that claim to provide 150 Watts or 175 Watts, but their claims are bogus (explained below).  And to find an inverter that offers this much payload at this low price is sweet!First of all, what's an inverter?The electrical system in your car, boat, or RV runs on a 12 volt DC system.  Your cigarette lighter outlet provides power at 12 volts DC.  This is fine for things like a phone charger that have a 12 volt DC plug, but what about items that you normally plug into the wall in your home or office?  Those devices run on 110 AC power.  The role of the inverter is to change (or "invert") the output from your car's electrical system from 12 volt DC to 110 volt AC.This AmazonBasics inverter provides a grounded 110 outlet for plugging in those household devices as well as a USB outlet for things like iPhones, iPads, etc. (which is a nice bonus).So what makes this inverter different?  First it's important to know that your vehicle's electric wiring isn't intended to run your toaster or hair dryer.  Even though an inverter might be designed to provide a high output for larger devices (like a TV or satellite receiver), your vehicle's poor little cigarette outlet can't handle the load.  I've used inverters that claim to support a higher load, and they either blow their own internal fuse, blow a fuse on the vehicle, or (worst case) don't blow any fuses and just burn out the wiring to that outlet.  That's bad.So the difference with this inverter is that it supports loads up to 130 watt through the cigarette lighter outlet.  For loads from 131 watts to 175 watts, there is a set of alligator style clips to connect directly to the vehicle's battery.There are plenty of other inverters out there that connect directly to the battery, but I've never seen one this compact and this inexpensive.Warning:  Only use the direct connection to the battery while your vehicle is parked.  Don't try to prop open your hood and drive down the road watching TV.Here's a little tip.  Before you purchase any inverter, look at your devices and see what their loads actually are.  Sometimes those specs are written in gobbledygook and are hard to decipher.  And some devices have two loads: the initial startup load and the actual running load. The startup load for this inverter cannot exceed 175 watts.  To be absolutely certain of the draw from your device or appliance, consider using something like thisKill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor.  You plug the monitor into a wall outlet and then plug your device into the monitor.  The readout shows you the peak usage and the running usage.  If the peak draw is under 175 watts, then this inverter is OK for you.Bottom line, I'm very happy with this inverter.  It's the first one that I've ever had any success with at this wattage.  Just make sure not to overload the 12 volt DC outlet with more than 130 watts.  And don't use your toaster while you're driving down the road.