KodiakJack Posted September 15, 2015 Report Share Posted September 15, 2015 I have been looking for reviews on the Samlex EVO series inverter/chargers and have found very little on the web. Since Donrowe.com has the EVO-2212 2200W I am interested in on sale (http://www.donrowe.com/Samlex-America-EVO-2212-p/evo-2212.htm) right now I thought I'd ask if anyone might have experience with or opinions on these inverter/chargers? Later, J 2012 Landmark, San Antonio 2013 Silverado CC, 3500HD, Duramax, DRW, 4x4 Backup, side and hitch cameras, Tireminder TPMS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted September 15, 2015 Report Share Posted September 15, 2015 This is just my own personal opinion, but Sammy's in that class can be temperamental. In general they have been plagued by some issues, but I don't have much experience with the EVO's. Customer service can be very spotty, but Samlex units either seem to come 'working' or 'not'. Just looking at the specs it seems to be a little feature bloated... meaning, to me anyway, to wonder if it can live up to it's own hype. There are some specs that would give me quite a bit of pause with this particular inverter/charger: Max continuous AC output: 18A. Max DC output is a robust 100A, but DC charging is 50A. Transfer switch: 40A (ding ding ding!) No option for temp compensated charging. With no first hand experience with this particular unit, my first impression would be that they are selling you a long list of features that are meant to compete with the new"ish" hybrid roll outs, but I would seriously doubt it's ability to perform well under real life application. That is NOT to say that all Samlex products are bad. There are a number of long performing and reliable inverters in use today that are a great mix of value and performance, but I think they are biting off more than they chew with their evolution series. Just my first impressions on this particular model. One thing I would note in particular.. I would be very reluctant to ever try to run my solar controller through this unit. If I were looking at a well priced, solid PSW inverter/charger, for one, you sure can't beat a Magnum MMS1012G. There might not be too many 'hybrid' options in that price range, but many a fellow RV'r have been living just dandy before hybrid inv/chg tech rolled out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horizon36 Posted September 15, 2015 Report Share Posted September 15, 2015 I don't know anything about the unit you are interested in but I do have one of their smaller inverters. I have a PSW600 12 volt inverter and use it to power a residential refrigerator. Installed it last November and so far no problems. This summer alone it has been on 24/7 since June and will stay on until mid October. It is rated for continuous duty. Full time since August 2010 2002 Itasca Horizon One fur kid - a Shih-Tsu rescue Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted September 15, 2015 Report Share Posted September 15, 2015 I have a PSW600 12 volt inverter If it's a PST series, those are great little units. Rock solid performers. Things really started going wonky when they introduced the "advanced technology" SSW line. I actually have s PST-600-12 installed in my rig at the moment on an AUX line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KodiakJack Posted September 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 Food for thought. Totally missed the 50 amp charge capacity that alone moves this particular unit down the list. Thanks for the comments. Later, J 2012 Landmark, San Antonio 2013 Silverado CC, 3500HD, Duramax, DRW, 4x4 Backup, side and hitch cameras, Tireminder TPMS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radar231 Posted September 18, 2015 Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 Howdy. Angela and I installed the EVO 3000 watt trusine inverter charger a little while back. I think we were one of the first units installed. We have it installed in a cabinet with another inverter as well as a backup charger. When we dry camp we are heavy inverter users as we have a residential fridge, TV's, Computer, supplemental freezer, microwave etc. We set it up so we could move the loads as we weren't sure how we would want to run it in conjunction with the other inverter. Bottom line is we have had a chance to use it in a variety of configurations and under various loads. We have 8 X 6 volt batteries which it has to charge as well. We also have 800 watts plus of solar on the roof. It has been flawless in operation and the unit has had to deal with some fairly high heat in the cabinet where it is installed. I played with the remote control for the first week or so and then kinda set it up and just left it. Really if it wasn't for the configuration I have it hooked up in, I wouldn't even need the other inverter. It plays nice with the solar input and the charging is excellent either on generator or shore power. I am not sure if you have any specific questions on the unit but let me know what you need and I'll do my best for you. Best inverter I have EVER had. Hope this helps. John and Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemsteadc Posted September 18, 2015 Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 My Samlex 24v 2kw inverter will shut down if it's seeing 28.9+ volts from the batteries as they are being Absorb charged, IF it's much over 90F in the storage bay. It's supposed to tolerate 30.0, but, the heat will cause it to fail, and will not trigger the fans to come on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kountryguy1 Posted September 18, 2015 Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 I also have a SSW-1000 and it will not start a small freezer. I have to send it back for them to check out, but have to send it to Canada. I have not found out what the cost of that will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horizon36 Posted September 24, 2015 Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 If it's a PST series, those are great little units. Rock solid performers. Things really started going wonky when they introduced the "advanced technology" SSW line. I actually have s PST-600-12 installed in my rig at the moment on an AUX line. Yarome, it is the PST. Still on, since early June, and running just fine. Full time since August 2010 2002 Itasca Horizon One fur kid - a Shih-Tsu rescue Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.