Inverters - cheap or very expensive

Why are the expensive ones ridiculously overpriced?

Couldn't you say that, equally, the cheap ones are ridiculously underpriced?

Basically you get what you pay for.

The cheap ones have modified sine wave output that may kill some appliances you plug in. You have to know and be careful. Make a boo-boo and you let the smoke out of your appliance. And they may not necessarily last the distance, 'cos they're cheap.

The better "ridiculously expensive" ones are pure sine wave. Just like mains power, they will run anything within their power limits.

You pays your money, you take your chances.

Cheers

I wish we always got what we pay for - but the rule seems to be that you pay double the price for something that is 10% better.

But first you may be referring to different types of invertor to get such price differences Gold Hunter.

If its for general caravan use you should get a sine wave one which normally costs more.

The differences can be very significant.
Higher efficiency, so lower power consumption.
Lower stand by power consumption.
Adjustable sleep modes for when no appliance is running.
Ability to run very large overloads for much longer times.
I bought a good quality one 12 years ago and never regretted it.
I usually leave it turned on 24/7.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

As I said, you do get what you pay for, however the pure sine wave inverter on eBay below seems ok.


Pure Sine Wave Inverter 2800W / 5600W 12V-240V With Remote Control 2.1 Amp USB

Which brands would you recommend for a good one.

Cheers

Are you sure you want a 3000W inverter? Firstly it needs a 15A 240v connector.

Most importantly, At 280A at 12v input ( with the rated 90% efficiency), a 100AH battery will last all of 10 minutes - tops.

On a sunny day, 120W of solar panles will recharge your battery enough in about 7 hours to use the 240v for another 10 mins tomorrow. If it is overcast you may have to wait 2 - 3 days before using it again.

I don't know what you're using it for, but please be aware that you won't get to use your 240v appliances for very long.

I would have thought you would need 6 - 10 big 100 AH batteries in your camper to get even light to moderate use out of an inverter like that. Then how do you recharge them in a reasonable time?

Out of interest what do people run on their inverters I have only found one thing I need to run on my inverter and that was a nebuliser my dog needs and if I searched around I bet I could find a 12 volt one Maybe the microwave but can get along without that
Cheers
Steve

Thanks everyone, I'll have around 400ah, 450w solar. Reading these replies does make me question why I need an inverter, as most things can be operated from 12v. Charging cordless drills, etc would wait for a night at a CP. "the navigators hair dryer" is another thing altogether though. I want to thank everyone for their patient replies. Cheers