Portable Power Inverters?

[Dust]

Hey all!

I'm outfitting my truck for camping, and was looking at power inverters on Amazon. Sadly, the vast majority of those inverters are weird off-shore brands, and are obviously highly rated by shills. I was going to use it to charge cell phones, a battery charger for regular batteries, and maybe run a laptop. It doesn't have to be at the same time, though that would be nice. I was thinking 500 watt or higher. Does anyone have any recommendations? Are the Harbor Freight ones any good? Those reviews actually look fairly reliable.

Thanks!

 

[rijndael]

Make sure you get one that's a true sine wave inverter.

 

[malibu101]

I got a cheap 425W Sears DieHard inverter at Kmart a few years ago to plug my Milwaukee battery chargers into when at a remote off-grid cabin. It has worked perfect.

I have never run anything other than battery chargers on it though so I have never run it close to max output.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Pure sine wave is a MUST if you are going to plug in anything electronic, but good ones are expensive !

No experience with this, but Samlex has a good reputation Samlex PST-300-12 Pure Sine Wave Inverter.

 

[Voi]

Hey all!

I'm outfitting my truck for camping, and was looking at power inverters on Amazon. Sadly, the vast majority of those inverters are weird off-shore brands, and are obviously highly rated by shills. I was going to use it to charge cell phones, a battery charger for regular batteries, and maybe run a laptop.

We have one that is several years old now. I've even used it to run a coffee grinder and the spark on my tankless water heater. I can't find it at the moment but when I do I'll post back make and model. It is probably at our cabin and I need to drop a ladder off there tomorrow.

Part of the reason I can't find it is because I pretty much use my Makita batteries and a USB adapter for all of the needs you mentioned except for charging regular batteries. But I could do that too with the purchase of a USB battery charger.

Then you'd only need a vehicle charger for your cordless battery system, assuming you have one.

The big three (Milwaukee, Dewalt and Makita) all have vehicle chargers and USB adapters. Ryobi makes a vehicle charger but no USB adapter (except for Australia) but you can buy a 3D printed one on Ebay.

My Makita USB adapter has two ports and I can charge two phones or iPads at the same time. With a 5.0 amp/hour battery I'd guess you could charge two iPads for a weekend. I'm not sure if the other companies have one or more USB ports.

I recently started a long hike with my phone at 60% battery. Since my GPS app seems to eat up power I plugged it into my USB adapter and a 5.0 amp/hour battery. A few hours later I finished the hike and my phone was at 100% and the Makita battery still had full power bars. I had my GPS running the entire time.

Having both an inverter and USB adapters I'd be more inclined to invest in the latter over the former. I'd always choose portable power in a camping situation. But both is nice for sure, especially when you need more power. And of course with the inverter you could charge your cordless tool batteries with regular chargers.

 

[marineman]

First, all of the things you're looking to charge are battery powered, I would look into 12V DC charging options for each device first as it doesn't make sense to convert to ac then at the device it converts back to dc.

That said when I was driving over the road I had a harbor freight inverter in the truck and had no problems with much the same use as you're talking about using it for. It's not a true sine wave inverter but again everything you're using it for has batteries and adapters in line before the actual circuit boards of the device so I'll go against the grain and say you really don't need a true sine wave inverter. Those adapters can clean up some pretty dirty power sources and modern inverters really aren't that bad. You may potentially and slightly shorten the life span of the adapter but as often as most people go camping I think the life cycle of electronics will kick in before you notice any harmful side effects. My laptop lasted over 5 years on the road plugged into a cheap harbor freight inverter.

 

[txvwnut]

I’ve this used company a bunch, www.invertersrus.com

 

[kctyphoon]

500 is probably total overkill for you, the hf 200/400 watt peak is probably enough. Although the bigger hf model is only a few dollars more.


Almost all the splicer vans at the company I’m working at now have hf inverters inside them.. i have a cheap one that charges my cordless tools.. at my last job the same inverter was powering a set of computer speakers with a subwoofer that i rigged inside the cab since the radio and speakers in that truck sucked.

One thing thats nice about the newer hf inverters, and I believe most of them are like this now (i know mine is) - is on the old ones, if you left them turned on, no matter what the fan would run even if there was no draw on the thing.. the newer one like i have now, i leave it plugged in and turned on every day.. the fan only turns on if the inverter is actually powering something.. so in my case, i have a Milwaukee m18/m12 charger plugged into it permantely (for the most part). If i leave a battery on it for weeks, and its charged, the fan will never turn on. If i swap out the charged pack for a dead one, the fan will come on as soon as the charger starts to charge the battery... i never even touch the on/off switch on the inverter, but it being a cigarette lighter one, the cigarette lighter port turns off when i shut the van off anyway. The auto fan is a great feature for some just plugging it into a 12v battery, esp if the battery isn’t even in a car. It draws nothing if its not powering anything.

This is the one i have, looks like its only $19 now.. for $25 you can get one with twice the power rating. they use to come with both the battery clamps and a 12vdc plug in the box.. maybe not anymore...maybe so and they just dont show it????? to get the full current you cant plug it into a 12vdc plug anyway.. would be nice if its still in the box but it looks like its no longer included.. you can buy any 12vdc plug with wires and still hook it up that way though. The battery clamps it shows just hook up to terminals with removable nuts in back of the inverter. They were originally made to have the option to use the battery clamps OR the 12v plug.. again - you wont get the full current with the 12v plug, but you may not need the full current for your use anyway. Its a very robust little inverter too.

https://www.harborfreight.com/autom...-modified-sine-wave-power-inverter-61478.html


Here - this is exactly that unit, with the 12v plug it either does or no longer comes with. (I wanna say i paid $29 or $39 for mine, so maybe they dropped the plug and dropped the price?? - I’m guessing )

.. good review for you to watch.. it also has a USB port between the two 110 plugs if you didn’t notice.

Ive honestly been using the same model for at least 3 or 4 years, and only once i had the fuse inside the 12v plug go.. other than that its been perfect. In the review, notice the fan only came on when the laptop was plugged in, even though the inverter was on.

If nothing else i think it answers your question about using electronics. For those that dont watch, the guy uses it for his MacBook Pro, iPad, a second tablet, Milwaukee batteries.. so I’d say this pretty much does what you need, and he’s not even running it direct to the battery either. At one time he has the laptop and two tablets running off it, while plugged into a 12vdc plug, and its fine.. again - it would power more stuff if ran directly to the cars battery.. the thin wires inside the cars cigarette lighter power port is what limits its full potential. Its a very nice little unit and it has no exposed heat sinks like some others do online. It wont easily get banged up, and wont easily bang or scratch anything else up either since its all covered in plastic and not exposed metal fins.

For $40 you can even get the 750 watt inverter - reviewed here - but this you’ll NEED to run direct to the car battery.

To be completely honest though, I’m not sure I’d be so turned off by some of the amazon models either if you find one you like. these are not high tech things anymore, but i can say for sure the hf is a GREAT deal for $20..

 

[seagull369]

All the inverters Harbor Freight carries are modified sine-wave types and some battery chargers (such as those for power tools) plugged into them can be damaged and/or ruin the batteries they're charging. Modified sine is also a poor choice for microwaves, fluorescent or LED lighting, laser printers or anything that uses an induction motor. Contrary to belief, modified WILL run modern laptop bricks and TV sets just fine (switching circuity can handle it). As others said, true sine inverter should best approximate what comes out of your wall outlet, but you will pay a premium for it. Samlex is considered top of the line in consumer inverters (modified and true), but the cost of buying one that has any decent wattage output is obscene. I own a true sine brand called "tiger claw" which I've had good luck with. It outputs 1500 watt and has a surge of 3000 (albeit for only a second or so). Cost is usually around $150. YouTube has a number of good reviews on that inverter if you'd like to know more about them. Xantrex and GoPower are other quality inverter brands, but they are also expensive. Eliminator, Thor and Motomaster usually have Xantrex or Samlex guts in them, but they don't seem to be widely available in the US. Most Harbor Freight inverters I've used are fine. Aside from the Tiger Claw, I would stay away from any brands that can only be purchased through ebay, amazon or websites you've never heard of before. In addition, stay away from the Whistler, Energizer and Cobra brands.

To save yourself a lot of potential grief, charge your cell phone or anything else that runs off a USB jack through your car's cigarette lighter like everyone else does or via an on-board USB port that may be included on an inverter. DO NOT plug a wall adapter into the 120V outlet of your inverter (pure-sine or not) to charge/run your device, even if it's worked out for you in the past. Regarding your laptop, you may want to consider using a buck boost converter to run it instead of going the inverter route since they're typically more efficient. I can provide more info on how to do that, if you're interested.

A good general rule to keep in mind with inverters is that you'll only get about 1000W (@120Vac) for each typical 12V battery connected to it. If you have an inverter rated at 2000W, you'll therefore need to connect two of those 12V batteries in parallel to get all its rated power. This also holds true for inverters that have surge capability as well, This all is assuming you're using proper gauge cables at acceptable lengths.

 

[theoldwizard1]

All the inverters Harbor Freight carries are modified sine-wave types and some battery chargers (such as those for power tools) plugged into them can be damaged and/or ruin the batteries they're charging. Modified sine is also a poor choice for microwaves, fluorescent or LED lighting, laser printers or anything that uses an induction motor.

The sad thing is, that with modern electronics, the cost to make a low power (<1000 W) pure sine wave inverter is only about $10-$20 more !

 

[seber]

For battery powered units including your computer, sine wave is irrelevant. The battery absorbs and distributes power as needed. That said, my laptop charger runs hotter with modified sine. So does my Milwaukee 18v charger.

 

[rijndael]

For battery powered units including your computer, sine wave is irrelevant.

That's not true.

You can kill a laptop's power supply, especially ones with Active PFC, by using a non sine wave inverter.

 

[paranoid56]

i am a huge fan of these. i have one mounted in my truck just for those things.
Victron Energy

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4J9OOM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Dust]

Thanks for all the info guys, I'll be reading up on all this stuff and buy one this weekend when I get a free minute!

 

[RivennHewn]

So what did you go with?

I'm just starting to think about one for my truck. Still a bit confused about what I need.

Never heard of any of the manufacture's names.

Any preferred brands? Any to stay away from?

Besides the computer and such devices, I'd like to be able to run a power tool if needed.

Can you have the units mounted under the hood, and have plugs inside the cab?
I'd like to just have nice, clean dash mounted plugs. I don't really have room in the cab for the inverter.

I'd rather hard wire it, rather than use the temp alligator clamps most come with.

 

[pentavolvo]

I use and have use cheapy inverters in my company vehicles for years. Charge laptop, run mini printer, charge power tools and zero issues

 

[6PTsocket]

It is not that you can't get the rated power out of one battery, it is that you will **** it dry in nothing flat. DC or AC, watts is watts. To supply 10 amps at 120 volts takes 100 amps at 12. That 1500 watt inverter needs the batteries to supply 125 amps. It gets insane really quick if you need a lot of wattage. The inverter doesn't have to be very big before it has to be wired directly to the battery with heavy gauge wire and not through the vehicle wiring to the cab.
As far as wall warts go, they are mostly switching power supplies today. It is cheaper to use a bunch of components on a pc board to avoid having to use a transformer. The clue is when they say "input: 100 to 240 volts".

All the inverters Harbor Freight carries are modified sine-wave types and some battery chargers (such as those for power tools) plugged into them can be damaged and/or ruin the batteries they're charging. Modified sine is also a poor choice for microwaves, fluorescent or LED lighting, laser printers or anything that uses an induction motor. Contrary to belief, modified WILL run modern laptop bricks and TV sets just fine (switching circuity can handle it). As others said, true sine inverter should best approximate what comes out of your wall outlet, but you will pay a premium for it. Samlex is considered top of the line in consumer inverters (modified and true), but the cost of buying one that has any decent wattage output is obscene. I own a true sine brand called "tiger claw" which I've had good luck with. It outputs 1500 watt and has a surge of 3000 (albeit for only a second or so). Cost is usually around $150. YouTube has a number of good reviews on that inverter if you'd like to know more about them. Xantrex and GoPower are other quality inverter brands, but they are also expensive. Eliminator, Thor and Motomaster usually have Xantrex or Samlex guts in them, but they don't seem to be widely available in the US. Most Harbor Freight inverters I've used are fine. Aside from the Tiger Claw, I would stay away from any brands that can only be purchased through ebay, amazon or websites you've never heard of before. In addition, stay away from the Whistler, Energizer and Cobra brands.

To save yourself a lot of potential grief, charge your cell phone or anything else that runs off a USB jack through your car's cigarette lighter like everyone else does or via an on-board USB port that may be included on an inverter. DO NOT plug a wall adapter into the 120V outlet of your inverter (pure-sine or not) to charge/run your device, even if it's worked out for you in the past. Regarding your laptop, you may want to consider using a buck boost converter to run it instead of going the inverter route since they're typically more efficient. I can provide more info on how to do that, if you're interested.

A good general rule to keep in mind with inverters is that you'll only get about 1000W (@120Vac) for each typical 12V battery connected to it. If you have an inverter rated at 2000W, you'll therefore need to connect two of those 12V batteries in parallel to get all its rated power. This also holds true for inverters that have surge capability as well, This all is assuming you're using proper gauge cables at acceptable lengths.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[seagull369]

You should be able to run a good deal of handheld power tools with the cheaper modified sine wave inverters, as they typically use brushed motors. Some recommended brands were mentioned earlier in this thread, so you might want to scroll back and check em out. If you have a Harbor Freight near you, you'd probably be best just to get one there as you can return within 90 days if it doesn't meet your needs. Note that HF renamed their larger inverters "Jupiter" and are now on the ever increasing list of items that you cant use a 20-25% off coupons with =(.

Mounting an inverter under the hood is a bad idea. Garden variety inverters have a hard enough time dissipating heat as it is, without the added stress of putting them in a virtual oven in the engine compartment. A better idea would be to select an open area in the passenger compartment where it has room to ventilate and benefit from the air conditioning your vehicle might have. Wherever you place it, it's important you mount it on some sort of shock absorbing mat instead of screwing it directly to the vehicle, as components can become damaged or break free from their solder joints easier than you think from vibration. Something as simple as some large, heavy duty bubble wrap or a thick piece of foam between the bottom of the inverter and the mounting surface should work.

One more important thing to mention is that severe cold can also ruin an inverter. Capacitors can freeze up and subsequently blow their guts when the inverter gets turned on. Keeping it in the cab and giving it time reach a reasonable temperature via your vehicle's heating system will help prevent that kind of thing from happening.

 

[Dust]

I went with this inverter:

BESTEK Pure Sine Wave 300W Power Inverter DC 12V to AC 110V with 4.2A Dual Smart USB Ports Car Adapter
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DP9JE18/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I just got it the other day and have not yet tested it. The reviews make it seem like it's decent quality with a good output. I decided to go a bit lower on wattage because I reviewed my needs and realized I didn't need a whole lot. I figure that if I need the entire 300 watts I can wire in a dedicated power outlet direct to the battery with a 20 or 30 amp fuse and higher gauge wire.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Never heard of any of the manufacture's names.

Two good one were referenced : Samlex and Victron.

Besides the computer and such devices, I'd like to be able to run a power tool if needed.

Can you have the units mounted under the hood, and have plugs inside the cab? I'd like to just have nice, clean dash mounted plugs. I don't really have room in the cab for the inverter.

I'd rather hard wire it, rather than use the temp alligator clamps most come with.

I would NOT mounted under the hood ! This units are typically not weather/water-proof.

Unless it is a very small inverter (300W) stay away from the cigarette plug connections also. You will need heavy gauge wire depending on the size of the inverter. Possibly even 10 or 8 gauge. DO NOT USE CHASSIS GROUND ! Run the same size ground wire back to the battery. You need to install an inline fuse as close to the battery connection as possible.

Seriously consider wiring in a relay that is only energized when the key is on. The inverters DO draw a small amount of current when ever they are switched on. If you hard wire it to the battery, it probably will kill the battery overnight.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I went with this inverter:

BESTEK Pure Sine Wave 300W Power Inverter DC 12V to AC 110V with 4.2A Dual Smart USB Ports Car Adapter
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DP9JE18/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I just got it the other day and have not yet tested it. The reviews make it seem like it's decent quality with a good output.

From the reviews I have read, this one is "OK". Not in the same class as Samlex or Victron.

 

[theoldwizard1]

You should be able to run a good deal of handheld power tools with the cheaper modified sine wave inverters, as they typically use brushed motors.

Yes and no ! Motors will run hotter on MSW than on PSW. Motors also require a big surge of power on startup. PSW seem to handle this better.

 

[Knotgoalie]

FWIW...



120vac @ 1800w cont/3600w surge MSW and it has been really nice to have during a couple of recent power outs!

 

[RivennHewn]

With limited space in the cab of my truck and a limited budget, I downsized my aspirations.

I went with the HF version.

I'd like to have one that would run a chop saw or job site sized table saw but don't have the room. at 12" X 9" X 9", finding room for one would be a problem.

If it charges my M12 batteries and runs my computer/phone it should be adequate.

I hard wired it directly to my 2nd battery. I had to buy longer wires and add termination rings for the connections. Haven't had a chance to try it out as of yet.

 

[Mr_B]

It will power tool battery chargers and notebook okay, for phone charger it way more efficient buy a simple 12v dc to usb adaptor .

 

[RivennHewn]

It will power tool battery chargers and notebook okay, for phone charger it way more efficient buy a simple 12v dc to usb adaptor .

I installed a USB awhile back. It even has a battery level gauge.

Cheap on eBay

 

[VinceG]

We use Eaton/Bussman in our Fleet of Freightliner trucks it is pretty much the standard. high out put and dosent damage Cpap Machines. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DN6KGZX/?tag=atomicindus08-20