My husband is a guitarist in 2 local Dallas based bands. When I was asked to review the Sanyo Pedal Juice I knew I had plenty of guitarists to take it on and put it to the test. Overall it seems to be a hit, but I did get a chance to get some great insight on Sanyo Pedal Juice from Brandon Knight of the Hammercocks.
First let me tell you a bit about what the Sanyo Pedal Juice is…
(this information is taken from the site)
- Power Multiple Effects Pedals – all at the same time
- 9V Lithium-Ion battery featuring SANYO eneloop technology
- Up to 50 hours of continuous, quiet, clean, stable power – from the first note to the last
- Eliminates AC ground loops – so your tone comes through loud and clear
- Two 9V DC outputs – power multiple devices; pedals, multi-effect units, and portable recorders
- 3-stage LED indicator – provides power level status
- Single on/off button – no need to unplug pedals
- Rechargeable hundreds of times – saves money and the environment
- Water and shock resistant – JIS IPX3 compliant water resistant enclosure
- Fully recharges in only 3.5 hours – via AC adaptor (included)
- Same footprint as standard effects pedal (2.5” W x 4.7”D x 1.7”H)
- Easy setup
Product Description
The SANYO KBC-9V3U Pedal Juice™ is equipped with high-capacity SANYO eneloop rechargeable lithium-ion battery technology which provides stable, long-lasting 9V power for music effects devices. Power to the Pedal! For more than 35 years, SANYO has pushed the envelope in the development of rechargeable battery technology. Today, SANYO is recognized as the leading manufacturer of Li-Ion batteries in the world. SANYO battery products are used for many commercial/industrial applications ranging from automotive, power tools, portable computers and telecommunications. Pedal Juice is built upon this legacy of industry leadership.
Here’s what Brandon had to say after he tested it out along with his musician father.
Sanyo – 9VDC Mobile Music Booster KBC-9V3U-S Review
Brandon Knight
Pros:
- Portable
- Appearance is appealing
- Simple operation
- Good battery life for devices under 300mA (7 to 50 hrs)
- Recharge time not to long
- Power Multiple Effects Pedals application is great
- Water proof. Holds up to beer spilling.
- Saves money on buying batteries
Cons:
- Not good battery life for devices greater than or equal to 1 amp. Not long enough for a show lasting more than an hour. An example of this is my harmonizer box that uses 1.3amps which would only last 1.5 hrs which is cutting it to close for a show.
- Lots of pieces to lose/forget. Six pieces to unit. Be nice if polarization was automatic reducing 1 cable.
- Limited applications because of volt range. 9VDC only available.
General:
I rate this an 8/10. It’s great for those of us trying to save money on the road. Good buy.
Thanks so much to Brandon for taking the time to review this and write it up. Thanks also to Brandon’s Father and everyone else that tested out the Sanyo Pedal Juice for me.
Click here to see where you can purchase Sanyo Pedal Juice.
I was not compensated in any way for this post. We were sent a product sample to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% honest.
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i have one and I use it alot, esp. when I busk.
it’s been great for me
I just hated buying 9volt and throwing them away again and again.
I get hours on one charge; it depends what’s plugged in, you know?
I tend to set up with 3-4 pedals and a small amp.
I even spilled water all over mine and it’s totally fine!
I use ALOT of 9 volt gear when i play – making ephemeral soundscapes for my audience that I play and sing through – melodic poetry that evokes a mood…
Anyway, Pedal Juice is the perfect solution for me. Sound is loop free and no more 9 volts. It’s heaven.
First of all, thanks so much for the review! We especially love it when musicians take Pedal Juice into the field and really try it out. (Full disclosure – as you can see from my screenname, I work for Sanyo)
I just want to point out one tiny thing:
The amount of time that pedal juice lasts on a single charge depends on the power needs of the set up. It provides 2000mA of power, 1000 mA out of each out. To estimate how long your set up will run, all you’d need to do is look up the draw of your gear and do the math.
Just to give you an idea, most analogue pedals draw around or under 10mA, so an average analogue pedal would be powered for about 50 hours without needing a recharge.
Taking it a step further, Pedal Juice could power a bank of analogue pedals (let’s say 5) for about 10 hours or more, depending on their draw.
Or, it could run a digi-delay for about 27 hours.
Or, it can run a Handsonic 10 drum machine and a small portable amp for 1.5 hours.
Or, it can run a 9volt keyboard and small portable amp for 2 hours.
And of course, no matter your set up, it just takes 3.5 hours to fully charge – and you get about 500 charges, which is years and years of power (and years of not using alkaline 9Volts and throwing them in the landfill!)
Want more info on set ups? There are some great examples on this page: http://us.sanyo.com/pedal-juice
Thanks again!
–Deb
For anyone that’s on the fence, I can’t say enough good things about Pedal Juice. I use it for recording, the wall noise used to be a probelm, but now I have PJ, which is SO much better than dealing with changing batteries all the time because they were starting to tank, which of course affects the clarity of the sound.
Now, all I do is plug ’em into Pedal Juice, and I can pay track after track with no probelms as all.