Inverter decision

[Theo]

The time has come when I need to get the new inverter. I have trawled through the web and have come up with these three as possibilities:

 

http://www.cybermarket.co.uk/ishop/923/shopscr3412.html

Sterling 1800W: £295.95

 

http://www.mdsbattery.co.uk/shop/productpr...epartmentID=113

2500W £184.99

 

http://www.caravantechnology.com/ProductDe...px?productID=16

2000W £199

 

I lean towards te cheapest one, particularly as it is the most powerful.

 

Does anyone have any experience of the mdsbattery one? It's £111 cheaper than the Sterling.

 

BTW I found it very difficult to find prices of Victron inverters.

 

Nick

[chris w]

Nick

 

Look at the specs of the different units very carefully. You will find it's not apples with apples.

 

The Mdsbattery one is quoted as 2500 Watts continous for 25 minutes only. That's not how I would define continuous. What is the maximim output allowed after 25 minutes and at what temperature is the output spec'ed?

 

The Sterling 1800W is 1800W continuous @ 40degC with a huge surge rating. remember the engine space may get quite warm.

 

The Caravan & Leisure one just says continuous but doesn't define continuous and also doesn't quote at what temperature the output is spec'ed nor does it state whether it is a square-wave or a modified sine wave. (It won't be pure sine wave at that price).

 

Also, even though many companies state "Watts" for various devices they often mean "VA"; a 2500VA unit is about 2000 Watts. Sterling's is definitely Watts. The others may be Watts, but it's sometimes a specsmanship trick. You need Watts not VA.

 

Finally check the standby current: for Sterling it's 0.6A, for the others it's not stated on the website. This is the input current drawn when the unit is ON but no output is being drawn.

 

Victron prices here

 

Chris

Edited January 21, 2007 by chris w

[anhar]

It depends on the purposes for which your require an inverter. Most importantly, do you need pure sine wave and what output level do you need? However note that anything other than PSW may not run all kinds of equipment, in particular those with sensitive electronics like TVs, computers, even some washing machines, so it may be a poor decision to go with anything other than PSW. So my advice is stick with PSW models only because you never know what you may plug in, even quite simple appliances these days may well have some kind of electronic control.

 

That leaves you with the decision on the output level you need, which in turn depends on the wattage and types of the maximum number of appliances to be connected to it at any one time. You can work that out but pay heed to Chris's advice on how manufacturers declare this and surge ratings where applicable to certain appliances.

 

Finally, I'd say stick only with top brands. Some names are renowned for quality, Victron and Mastervolt for example. A lot of people here seem to have Sterling which are possibly a little cheaper than the above and may well be okay. I'd be very wary of cheapo stuff although I guess that depends on the thickness of your wallet. I'm having a Victron combi inverter/charger on my boat and had decided to go only with them or Mastervolt. I regard them as a class act. But that's me, I'm an electrical retard who wouldn't know a battery from a buttery. But to me those two names positively radiate quality.

 

regards

Steve

Edited January 21, 2007 by anhar

[bottle]

<<<<<Snip

Victron prices here

 

Chris

 

Be aware, prices posted in Euro's, so makes them look high, but are excluding VAT.

 

So e.g 100 euro's = £65.64 + VAT = £79.56

[ChrisPy]

A lot of people here seem to have Sterling which are possibly a little cheaper than the above and may well be okay.

There are inverters available from Taiwan that appear to be identical to the Sterling specification, at much lower prices than in UK. My 1500W PSW combi inverter charger cost £550 delivered to my home, delivery time about 2 weeks. I haven't yet tried it out, but I would expect back-up to be as good as I would get in UK (bearing in mind that the last time I checked nobody seemed to have this Sterling model in stock in UK). Check on ebay.

[Theo]

In the end I decided on the Sterling (£302 with all the delivery etc). With all the talk about NB fires I decided that a well known make with plenty of protection would serve me well.

 

Nick

[NB Alnwick]

In the end I decided on the Sterling (£302 with all the delivery etc). With all the talk about NB fires I decided that a well known make with plenty of protection would serve me well.

 

Good choice - we have one and it serves us well!

[Guest]

In the end I decided on the Sterling (£302 with all the delivery etc). With all the talk about NB fires I decided that a well known make with plenty of protection would serve me well.

 

Nick

Our Sterling has served us well