[RE-wrenches] 2500 W inverter for $300

[Ray Walters]

These cheapo inverters are nothing new; we've had to sell against them 
for over a decade.
Its all about longevity, and how bad life might be with a several week 
outage.
Weight is a great, simple place to start.  The quality inverters are 
transformer based, and weigh much more.
Which one is going to last longer do they think?
Rather than totally bash the cheapos, I ask what they're going to do 
with it: live full time off grid, or just play around with it in their 
car.  I'll sell a cheapo here and there because they make sense for low 
priority, temporary power.   I have one in my truck.
But if they're living full time on it, the cheapos will become a door 
stop (literally) after a few years.
Finally, guarantees don't cover being out of power for weeks.
Last nail on the coffin: they usually are only available in 12 volt.

R.Ray Walters
CTO, Solarray, Inc
Nabcep Certified PV Installer,
Licensed Master Electrician
Solar Design Engineer
303 505-8760

On 8/9/2013 11:58 AM, Hilton Dier III wrote:
> What your customers will find is that these auto parts store inverters 
> only reach their nominal ratings with resistive loads. When trying to 
> start a motor they exhibit a fraction of their rated power - too much 
> reactive load. Same goes for anything with a transformer or power supply.
>
> Also, if you take the cover off of one you will be unpleasantly 
> unsurprised at the construction and workmanship. I've seen one with a 
> "heat sink" for the transistors that was a paper thin piece of 
> aluminum angle. You have to think that at $300 for 2500 Watts 
> (supposedly) they used the very cheapest discrete components they 
> could source.
>
> Talk them down off the ledge.
>
> Hilton
>
> -- 
> Hilton Dier III
> Renewable Energy Design
> Partner, Solar Gain LLC
> 453 East Hill Rd.
> Middlesex, VT 05602
>

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