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Refurbished Inverter?


Reb14

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Hi, I am pretty new to this RV world and have been reading, preparing, and buying stuff in preparation of going fulltime soon. We plan on doing a lot of boondocking and want to buy a pure sine inverter. Currently, my motorhome has a Magnum 2000 watt modified sine inverter with the remote built in. I am assuming the magnum ms2012 would work the best since the remote is already installed. My question (finally!) is has anyone bought a refurbished inverter? I could save about half of the cost of a new one but is it worth it? The Magnum Energy inverters are fairly pricey. Thanks for all advice!

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I am not familiar with refurbished Magnum products, but in general refurnished or reconditioned products are a good value. Prior to retiring I worked for a couple of major tool manufacturers. The companies would get returns from consumers. Some products were defective, however, we had far more products returned because the consumer finished their project and no longer wanted the tool. The factory would check out and repair a tool to "new" condition but had to sell it as refurbished or reconditioned. I've found them to be a good deal. While the warranty usually isn't as long as a new product, at least a human has looked at the product and made sure it will work as specified.

 

For the Magnum products, you might Google for problems with the unit you are considering as occasionally a manufacturer might have design issues with a particular model.

Warren & Sandy

2006 New Horizons 36 ft 5ver

2003 Freightliner FL60 - Mountain Master conversion

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has anyone bought a refurbished inverter? I could save about half of the cost of a new one but is it worth it?

 

Purchased from a reputable dealer with the Magnum 90-day warranty.. I wouldn't have any problem with that. I haven't myself, but I know of more than a few folks that have with no issues. It's a great way to save if/when they are available. You don't really find a lot on the market though.

 

At present, emarine has one. They are a reputable company that several people have purchased from before. You have to be selective when shopping, but some really great deals can be had through them. Not just on the Magnum's. If I were in the market.. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from them.. although.. I might ride it out and see if one of the newer hybrid models became available. Of course, you also run the risk of someone else snatching the MS2012 they have right now.

 

Is it worth it? Only time will tell. For me, mine is hardly ever used and not what I would consider a "critical" component. I wish refurbished units would have been available "back when", but if it's "critical" for you and will see heavy use, I might consider going new with a full warranty.. but that's just me.

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I probably would go that route as well. Sometimes refurbished in my mind is more reliable because usually they had a small issue and they were completely gone over to resolve the issue. That means that you know it works.

I personally believe in redundancy so I have a Magnum Pure sine wave inverter as well as the coach gen and a Honda 2000i. The Honda gets used even more than the inverter but then I boondock a lot. I believe in keeping my batteries as topped up as possible at all times.

<p>....JIM and LINDA......2001 American Eagle 40 '.towing a GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 with RZR in the rear. 1999 JEEP Cherokee that we tow as well.

IT IS A CONTENTED MAN WHO CAN APPRECIATE THE SCENERY ALONG A DETOUR.

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I personally believe in redundancy...

 

The Honda gets used even more than the inverter but then I boondock a lot. I believe in keeping my batteries as topped up as possible at all times.

 

Jim brings up an excellent point if you plan to do any dry camping/boondocking on a regular basis. I carry/use 2 Yamaha 2000watt inverter generators and don't know of too many avid boondockers that don't carry something similar (even those of us who live primarily off solar). If you don't already have one I would strongly recommend adding it to your shopping list. You can "get by" without one, but you're a little "bound" by the almighty cord. ;)

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