Mastervolt v Victron

[Slim]

The question is in the title.

 

Some time ago my Mastervolt 2000 (pure sine) inverter went belly up having had little use but over a number of years. On a short term basis I replaced it with a Sterling 1800 modified sine unit. The Mastervolt 12/60 charger is now playing up and will not always turn on. To be fair it's had a lot of use being left on for most of it's 10 year life. Additionally the MICC often gives obviously wrong readings.i.e a discharge when the charger is on or the engine running or a charge when neither are on but a demard is.

In short the whole setup is failing and in need of replacement. So, do I (a) go for a Combi or seperate units and ( Mastervolt or Victron.? Whilst cost is a consideration I'm more concerned with reliability and service life

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

 

Frank

 

Sorry but can't edit out the smilie, it's supposed to read ( b )

Edited December 16, 2014 by Slim

[nb Innisfree]

All I can say is I fitted a Victron Multiplus 24-3000-70 in '04 and it's not missed a beat since, claimed 94% efficiency seems to hold up throughout it's range. Was on 24/7 for over 5 years before we had to move from ccing to life ashore. Still going strong, no complaints whatsoever.

[Boat&Bikes]

I would go for separate items in case one fails. At least you only need to replace/repair one item then. As for which make I do not really think there is much in it, both performance and reliability wise. I was given some good advice by a guy who I think is a top marine electrician. He suggested how the equipment is installed and its location in the boat are paramount to longevity.

 

Ian.

[Robbo]

To put another good name in your dilemma have a look for Outback stuff.

Edited December 16, 2014 by Robbo

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Well, I'm a Mastervolt fan myself, I prefer separate units to do a specific job rather than Combi units, Most of my Mastervolt installation has been fitted & used in a Livaboard CCing capacity, on Fresh, Brackish and Salt water environments on my current boat for over 7 years with absolutely no issues what so ever.

But maybe I've just been lucky,

Whatever kit you choose, good luck.

[Justme]

They are all good, however they dont all have the same length of warranty & that would be important on such a costly item.

[nicknorman]

Mastervolt seems the better designed and slightly less clunky than Victron IMO, though both are good. We have a combi since I like the way it all just works, seamlessly switching between shore power, genny power or inverter, and no steps have to be taken to ensure the charger isn't being powered by the inverter. No manual intervention required. It is true that all eggs are in 1 basket but then if it is a reliable basket, so what?

[Proper Job]

The conundrum about whether to have separates or combi would for me depend on how ‘fixable’ they are.

 

If I had a combi and either the charger or the inverter failed, would you fix it/get it fixed or just get a new one?

 

If you sent it away for fixing, you’ve lost both units

 

How much do you need it? Do you have other sources of charging/ac power?

[nb Innisfree]

We have a small standby inverter and charger and generator plus of course engine alternator but our Victron has so far made some of those standbys uneccessary, bit disappointing in a way!

[NMEA]

Though I am a Victron agent I do concede that Mastervolt are a little better, this was offset by the higher price, but Mastervolt prices were reduced a little while ago making them more competitive, as for combi vs seperates, I am a great believer in designed in redundancy in case of failure, so if space (and budget) allows I usually fit seperates.

[ditchcrawler]

When I worked offshore it wasn't until just before I finished did I find that sitting in a cupboard in the control room of the un-manned platforms was a Victron inverter supplying 240 volts to the computer that controlled everything. Had I have known sooner then maybe a spare would have been obtained

On the boat we have have a Mastervolt

Edited December 16, 2014 by ditchcrawler

[J R]

I must admit that I am not a great fan of Victron based on the failure rates, in various forms, of the equipment on hire boats, and private boats, from experence.

 

I would however agree with above comments above on having some sort of built in redundancy. Have positive experience of Mastervolt products and would choose them over Victron. We went down the route some years ago, having done much research on available options, on fitting Sterling units which are seperates for each function. They have performed faultlessly over the last 8 years and work well for us. Everyone will have their opinion on the various choices and all three are reptutable companies. Cost is also an issue when it comes down to it. I would add that when getting an inverter, always go for pure sine wave, not quasi sine wave. 220v stuff is designed for pure sine wave and may malfunction or break if used with the quasi version.

Edited December 17, 2014 by J R

[Slim]

Many thanks for everyone's thoughts and opinions. To coin that well known saying "I used to undecided, now I'm not too sure".

 

I'll give the matter some thought over Christmas in between the turkey, plum pud and wondering what to do with dozens of pairs of socks.

 

Have a good Christmas,

 

 

Frank

[Robbo]

Many thanks for everyone's thoughts and opinions. To coin that well known saying "I used to undecided, now I'm not too sure".

 

 

I think any of the big three (Victron, Mastervolt or Outback) are going to be good quality and do the job well. I would look at the features and choose on them. If it's in a damp engine room a sealed unit may be better. (I know Outback do one).