Anotherpower.com Forum
Product Information => Product Reviews => Topic started by: Rover on March 18, 2012, 12:46:55 pm
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Hi all
Looking at getting an inverter 1500 to 2000W area, maybe pure sine wave.
Anyone have a review of samlex inverters?
Rover
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Funny thing Rover. I was thinking about asking the same thing.
I was wondering about the 2000 watt, 24 volt unit.
http://www.solar-electric.com/sa2wa24vosiw.html
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The Unit I'm looking at is
http://www.directdepot.net/product_info.php?products_id=35341
Rover
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I made an inquiry to a vendor, as to in stock status and time to ship. I received this very interesting response
"Sorry but this item has been put on a quality hold by the manufacture and all inventory is being shipping back. About 50% of the units start smoking when plugged in."
Rover
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I don't have any experience with Samlex inverters, but I had a Samlex power supply for electronics lab work. It was one of the best I ever had. It always put out the exact voltages it was supposed to.
You might ask about them on the NAWS website since they sell them. http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/ (http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/)
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After reading the things I have about this inverter, i would be avoiding it like the plague
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I have a Samlex S-2024A sinewave inverter that I took back from a customer because it pulls about 50 watts idle, which ate up most of his solar output. I ended up eating that one and I fixed his old trace msw DR2424
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I've sent an email to Samlex to see if they have anything to say about the vendors claim.
wait and see.
Rover
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I received a very interesting response from them... apparently disuading me from searching out the unit any more... what follows is the complete transcript of my email conversation.
Below is my response and the rest is the trail
*****
Thank you for the prompt reply.
I dislike misinformation when trying to settle on a product.
I’m, a this point going to look at Xantrex and others,
Thank you,
Scott W Barlow
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From: Dawn Mann [mailto:dawn@samlexamerica.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 6:08 PM
To: swbarlow@earthlink.net
Subject: FW: Samlex SSW-2000-12A 2000
Hi Scott
Thank you for contacting us.
Direct Depot does not purchase directly from us and I am unaware of where their misinformation regarding the SSW-2000 was derived from.
We have had an opportunity to make improvements to the design and capabilities of the SSW-2000.
Currently, we do not have any inventory as we have chosen to wait until the improvements have been completed before bringing in product.
We have a number of other models that can be used in its place, and at this time, we are recommending a substitution of the PST-200S-12A.
We have a number of on-line suppliers that carry our products. I would suggest you contact www.Donrowe.com ; www.batterystuff.com or www.allpowersupply.com to purchase.
Regards,
Dawn Mann
Vice President - Operations
103 - 4268 Lozells Avenue
Burnaby, BC V5A 0C6
T: 604 525 3836
F: 604 525 5221
www.samlexamerica.com
www.samlexsolar.com
From: scott barlow [mailto:swbarlow@earthlink.net]
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 1:34 PM
To: tech@samlexamerica.com
Subject: Samlex SSW-2000-12A 2000
Hello,
I received the following reply from DirectDepot when asking about the availability of the Samlex SSW-2000-12A 2000
Is this true ?
Thanks,
Scott Barlow
----MSG BELOW -----
Sorry but this item has been put on a quality hold by the manufacture and all inventory is being shipping back. About 50% of the units start smoking when plugged in.
Thanks,
John D.
Direct Depot, LLC
----- Original Message -----
From: "scott barlow" <swbarlow@earthlink.net>
To: <directdepot@directdepot.net>; "Direct Depot Management"
<directdepot@directdepot.net>
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2012 5:08 PM
Subject: Enquiry from Direct Depot
> on item
>
> Samlex SSW-2000-12A 2000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter - Free Remote
> [model:SSW-2000-12A upc: 622988073731]
>
> Do you have thes in stock? If not please approximate time to ship
>
> thanks,
>
> Scott
>
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Rather interesting email correspondence.
Interesting to hear their word spin :-)
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For me ...
-the Question was never answered
-the response was that they are working on that product line ( never admitting there was an issue, yet see next point)
-suggested the PST (which is a hiher priced product),
- listed 3 approved vendors to get it from.
In the end , my question was not answered.
Rover
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One of my Co Workers has been evaluating there 24 volt model (Not sure the model #) and he is not real impressed 50-60 watts idle load. There was more he had to say but I forget exactly I will have to bug him again about it.
Ryan
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Rover,
Thanks for all the legwork and trying to pump the company for info.
I ended up ordering a 600 watt portable model for testing. At least if it sucks it's not as much out of pocket.
Ryan, that's interesting. Thanks. Would really like to know more because it was the low idle draw that attracted me to the Samlex brand in the first place. My cheapie Harbor Freight MSW inverter is drawing about 15 watts at idle. Maybe it's not so bad after all.
I think I've made up my mind to go with Magnum or Outback when I finally do pull the trigger on a larger PSW inverter. The Xantex ProSine line is looking real good, too.
All pricey, but I guess you get what you pay for.
Thanks,
Kevin
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Kevin;
I have had super customer service from Outback!
My FX 2500 watt unit got popped by lightning while well out of warranty and they sent the boards to swap to fix it at no cost to me. They had a hiccup in their shipping dept. that delayed the shipping a bit but they refunded the payment I made. They also provide great videos of the swap process so anyone with decent dexterity can repair the unit onsite with boards they provide.
My Mate got killed in a similar lightning incident and Outback replaced it free of charge by sending me a fresh one and then I shipped mine back in the box.
As far as I am concerned, you can't beat Outback!
Others may be as good but this is my experience with Outback.
Tom
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Tom
you have talked me into the Outback.
We had a lightning strike that took out our Xantrex. So I thought I was doing right by
getting the Prosine 3.0. Boy, was that a mistake!!! In 5 months, I have had to send it back 3 times for repair. The first time was less than
24 hours after installation. I installed it at about 3 in the afternoon. Next morning, I decided to run the generator to make sure the
batteries were fully charged so we would start off right with it. We were almost an hour into the generator run when I suddenly heard
the generator dragging down. I ran to shut things down, but it was too late. You could smell the burned electronics from the Prosine.
And instead of repairing it, they just sent another one. No explanation of what happened or why. The second worked pretty good
for about 3 months. Then following the instructions in the manual, I was cleaning battery terminals. Hooked the cables back up, and
fried it again!!!!!!! So, more time and money shipping it back to them again. The 3rd one was hooked up and working when the
display showed a stuck relay. This must be a constant problem since they have an error code for it!!!!!
So sent it in again. This time the service tech called and left a message that they would not honor the warranty any more. Remember that this piece of crap is only 5 months old!!!!! When they shipped it back and I opened the box----it was not the original factory box
that I had shipped it to them in. And the unit itself looked like they had thrown it down the stairs before they boxed it up. IT WAS
BEAT ALL TO HELL!!!!!!
If you look at the warranty page in the manual, it says they will not honor the warranty if if has been misused, neglected, improperly
installed, or physically damaged, either internally or externally. So they made sure that they beat the hell out of it before they
sent it back.
Anybody want to buy a very slightly used Prosine 3.0????? Only 6 months old!!! Make you a real good deal!!!!
I can tell you right now Xantrex will never get any more of my money!!!!
The only question I have about the Outback is, can you hook up 2 mates at the same time??
I want to have one in the inverter room and one in the engine room so I know what's going on at any time.
Thanks for the info on the outback, I WILL be ordering one.
Ralph
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Ralph;
Not sure on 2 Mates but if you could you would need a hub and some method to make one the "master". Some of the folks here used to be with Outback so maybe they know? I am sure a quick question to their support email would yield an answer.
Tom
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The Hub has ports labeled 1st mate and 2nd mate, but they never got around to implementing the software to enable the 2nd mate function. I am also a big fan of Outback, they are very easy to work with, and really stand by thier products. They send you parts and a video, and still stand by the warranty even though it wasn't repaired by an "authorised repair center" although I guess they "authorised" you to repair it :)
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Thanks for the endorsement, Tom.
I don't mind (too much) paying more for high quality. It's usually cheaper to buy quality in the first place than to keep buying cheap crap over and over again.
Kevin
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After all of this, thinking I'll probably just go with a MSW that fits my needs. I like the Outback. But I'm not ready to shed out that kind of $$$ , along with my intended periodic use.
Shame for now about Samlex.
Rover
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The Xantex ProSine line is looking real good, too.
Myself, I am not impressed with anything Xantrex.
They were fine for a while when they were still basically Trace units, but they went down hill fast after Xantrex.
IMHO, they went down hill fast (again) after Schneider became involved.
Xantrex was running on Trace's reputation.
Schnider is running on Xantrex's reputation.
Really, would Trace have made a 100W 'pocket inverter', or the xpower series?
I think not.
G-
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I must agree Xantrex ( Schneider Electric) had gone WAY down hill.
When I purchased this Xantrex which was nothing more than a rebranded Trace.
I think I was getting the end of the good stuff. Trace most certainly ranked up there in my books.
I recently purchased this Schneider Electric C-60 charge controller, I was actually sent the C-40, but got that swapped with a local dealer..
This thing looks very cheaply built circuit wise, in the nice casing Xantrex used.
It's most certainly not the machine that Xantrex was .
Looking at the quality of this, I will never be buying another, or any other Xantrex product again.
Outback might be my next avenue for any new products I need, after reading this thread.
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I have been running a 12 volt ProSine 1800 for 3 years on weekends, and so far so good. Hopefully I got the last of the "good stuff" too, but I have been on the prowl for a deal on a backup/spare.
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Hey Eric,
How ya doing???
After the experience I had, I would recommend anybody but Xantrex. Since it's been 3 years, is your warranty gone??
And let's talk about Xantrex service.
They have an authorized service place in Colorado Springs. I took my PS2524 there when it took a surge from a nearby
lightning strike. He said it needed 2 circuit boards. OK, I kind of figured that. Then he said it would cost $2485.00 for the 2 boards!!!!!
I think that's more than I paid for it new!!!! I said "NO WAY!!!!"
By the way, he said that Prosines were made for mobile applications (RV's, motor coaches,etc.) and they are not repairable.
He said he cannot get parts for them.
Compare that to what Tom said about his experience with Outback and getting parts to repair it!!!
Ralph
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Compare that to what Tom said about his experience with Outback and getting parts to repair it!!!
Ralph
Well the complete board set of 3 boards was going to be about $400 but due to the shipping delay they refunded the charge. The inverter sold originally for about $1800+ new I think. The 70# transformer is about all the internals that did not get replaced in that swap. Rebuilt / repaired boards but they worked. Still do. 24/7.
Just to clarify.
Tom
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he said that Prosines were made for mobile applications (RV's, motor coaches,etc.) and they are not repairable.
He said he cannot get parts for them.
Considering Prosines are their top-of-the-line INVERTERS...
Doesn't sound like Schneider is very serious about stuff we can use.
Also a bit of coincidence, googling xantrex a week or 2 ago took me to Schneider Elec with 3 major subdivisions, but now goes to xantrex.
Tonight, xantrex is almost a hidden footnote on the Schneider site.
Some of their new GTI stuff looks ebay-ish (S elec).
I can't even find the Prosine on their site (x-site).
Looks like the xantrex name is up for sale to the higherest qualityedness Chinglish-speaking bidder?
G-
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i've got a 24V prosine 1800 that i bought used on ebay for $500 and LOVE IT!
it runs anything i plug into it except for my millermatic 135 mig welder... it will run it, but just not if the dials are cranked to 11. it also won't run my harbor freight electric log splitter. but aside from those two items, it handles my pancake air compressor, chop saw, portable table saw, or worm drive circular saw with ease (not at the same time).
the only funny thing i've noticed about that inverter, is if it goes into shutdown mode, it doesn't like to restart if there are even tiny loads on it.
the dollars per satisfaction of that inverter blow me away on a regular basis, though i did purchase it before schneider elec purchased xantrex.
adam
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Howdy Ralph - doing great, thanks. Lots of improvements up my way on the "Manor", you still gotta swing by sometime. Had a well drilled, great water, now it's almost septic time for us.
Sounds like I am lucky I have not had to get my Xantrex serviced. I will step up my efforts looking for a backup though, as I would hate to be broken in the boonies, and back to the dino-fuel gen!
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I know this is an old post, but in the interest of reviewing the product, I thought it may be worth resurrecting.
The 12 volt Xantrex 1800 Prosine started pulling a bunch of power all the time, even with no load on it. It still produced power, and was not in any fault status, but was eating up my battery. I thought my battery was going bad, but noticed large arcing (as in heavy current draw) when troubleshooting it. Didn't think to put a meter in circuit to measure draw until after I replaced it with my backup. I have not opened it up to see if there are any obvious signs of component failure, and honestly don't know where to start troubleshooting it other than to look for bad capacitors or discolored components. If anyone has tips in this regard, I am all ears. No warranty, as I bought it used.
i am now using this one: http://www.safety-devices.com/xp3000.htm Also an older vintage (manufactured in 2008), but the price was right ($130 on CL) and it has been working for close to a year now flawlessly. It barely breaks a sweat (fan rarely turns on due to internal heat), even when running a coffee maker or the refrigerator kicks on. The Prosine fan came on any time a load was introduced, even before heat was generated. Oh- forgot to mention that the fan stopped coming on, even when under heavier loads towards the end of use I had to go tap it to get the fan to go. With the 3000, especially when first turned on and cold, my CFL's make a slight buzzing noise since this one is modified sine, but other than that, I have had no other adverse affects on the TV or other devices.
As a side note: How many years of service should I expect from these mobile style inverters?
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Strider - Define "bunch of current"... ?
I recently acquired the same inverter... There's a sleep mode that's disabled by default whenever the 12V source is disconnected/reconnected. Not sure if this is what you're seeing. And yes, there's quite a "pop" when you first complete the 12V side when the caps inside draw their initial charge.
To enable/disable sleep, turn the inverter on, watch the display, and when it says something to the effect of "power save disabled", turn it off for about 3 seconds, then back on. The display should now say it's enabled when it goes by.
After a few seconds with extremely low or no load, it should enter a sleep state, drawing only a couple of watts. It sends out "feeler pulses" every couple of seconds, and if there's a sufficient load there, it powers up to feed it.
The no-load draw without the sleep mode engaged is in the 20W range (ammeter on the display on mine teeters on the edge between 1 and 2A). In sleep mode its something like 100mA. Also, the at-a-glance giveaway that its snoozing is the backlight for the display turns off (the display itself still has info on it).
As for operating life expectancy, jury is still out on mine and probably will be for a while... It's not quite in service yet, waiting on other things. I've done some basic testing and that's it.
Hope that helps....
Steve