stuck Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Gents, I've been looking at inverters for recharging gps, phone, lap top etc along with occasionally powering a grinder / drill / compressor. Have decided on a 1Kw unit, the mega spendy ones offer full sine wave output, ones half the price offer Quasi sine wave output. For what I need it for will the quasi sine wave do or will lap top / gps have a hissy fit? Cheers, Mick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Used to run my laptop off a 350watt quasi wave inverter, didn't do it any harm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inaine Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 got a 3000 watt one here! http://www.maplin.co.uk/3000w-dc-12v-to-ac-230v-invertor-226535 can have it for half price, also got 2 x numax leasure batterys and all cabling for a bit more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Very cheap and cheerful: http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_18978.htm 150 watt max, so think it would do the first part of your list ok. Not sure about the grinder or drill though! I bought one today, mainly for the laptop when i'm on the road. Seems ok for the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 laptop wise, I bought an in-car power adapter that plugs straight into the 12v socket and then changes the voltage to whatever the netbook needs with a switch. It also has a powered USB socket, perfect for charging the iPhone . It was only ~£20 from maplin IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutty_32 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I got a 1kW inverter for the truck, didn't bother going for the fancy sin wave ones, just one from maplin. Works with everything I have plugged into it (laptop/phone/camera chargers, soldering irons/loghts) and I can power everything I could ever want from the truck (well, apart from a welder but thats not really going to happen ) I felt it was the biggest I could get without spending silly amounts of money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutty_32 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 and by loghts I mean lights Although not halogen ones, for some reason on the box the inverter came in it said not to plug halogens into it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I'm willing to bet a 1kW inverter won't run a grinder happily, just as a 1kW generator won't. You need to budget about 3x the power rating with these things when running big inductive loads like that. Best bet is 12v chargers for your gadgets (work anywhere not just in your car with the inverter) and then weigh up how's best to do the remainder - for those occasions you really need to run big power tools away from the mains, would a big cheapo generator be better or would investing in cordless or 12v powered tools be a better option? Why do you want/need to run a grinder in the middle of nowhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuck Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 I shoot at a range in an old quarry up on the moors, Occasionaly need grinder, drill etc for general repairs to signs, fences etc... Hadn't thought about a genny... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardAllen Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 When I looked at the inverter for camping, the biggest regular load was a hairdryer (wife + 2 daughters !). So I got a 2kw quasi-sine one. It also runs drill, grinder, and just about manages a hot air stripper for heatshrink, though only one at a time ! Regards Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnymofo Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 i had a 500w grinder and used to run it off a 800w inverter from argos. it did the job but died away easilly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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