I bought one @ Radio Shack about 4 years ago. I use it daily, mainly to charge my 18V Dewalt drills. Its worked great and still going strong. I paid around $90.00 for it. Not a bad deal IMO

Tom

 

Hotdram and Fiverbob are right...
I'd like to shoot the marketing jerk that ever called that ba$tardized stepped square wave a "modified SINE-WAVE". That's great for lightbulbs, heaters and insensitive electronics that need 120V RMS power regardless of the waveform shape. (They should have called it a modified SQUARE wave or Step wave or...anyway, you get the point...)
Most modern electronics use switchmode powersupplies and some of them are
REALLY incompatable with those funky squarewaves the "modified sine wave" units put out.
Variable speed AC power tools that use phase-fired speed controls NEED that nice smooth waveform of a true sinewave to work properly. At best they'll behave like an all-or-nothing speed control...
TRUE sine wave inverters are found only in the better grade brands of inverters.. You'll pay more for true sinewave units but you won't have any worries about what type of load you can plug into it.

K.

 

Anyone know how much the true sine wave inverters run?

 

You fellers musta went to a different grade school than I did, I didn't understand a word yall said about those squiglly lines. I always said I couldn't draw a straight line with a ruler, but I'm way better at it than you boys. How in the world do you stay in lines when your colorin.

 

Bring a whole bunch of these....$$$$

 

I have been studying this over the past couple of days.
Here are a few things I learned, I will not buy a modified sine wave inverter.
A true sine wave inverter delivers clean power without the voltage spikes that damage electrical units.
True sine wave inverters cost about triple the money, for a good one.
As Fiver bob says, the gauge of the feed wire is also very important, bigger is better.

Rich

 

For smaller appliances in vehicles I usually use a tricked out computer UPS. The smaller ones have an internal battery with nominal 12V and an output of 300-600VA. They do run really nice sine waves and I do wire them that the internal battery is charged when the truck is running, and isolated from the truck's electrical system with the engine stopped- a second relay is enabling the UPC to charge the truck battery when I plug it into a power outlet. Comes in handy in the winter when I use this for the block heater and the UPC charges my batteries too. (Even if they are full they do appreciate a little current to warm them up at -10 to -20 F )- The modification to the UPS is simple and consists mainly of finding the buzzer and disabling it

HTH

AlpineRAM

 

Here's a page for one pretty well respected sinewave inverter...
http://www.majorpower.com/xantrex/prosine.html
BTW, even Xantrex, the mfg of this one, sells other high quality inverters that are modified sine-wave inverters... If it doesn't specifically say true sine wave, you can bet it is a "modified sinewave" inverter...Otherwise, they'll tout that it is "TRUE SINE-WAVE" in their description of the sinewave units...
K.

 

My fiver has a sine wave 2000w inverter. I use 4/0 wiring with a 300a catastrophe fuss. That will give some idea of the current anticipated. When my microwave kicks in, my batteries better be up high or it all kicks out and I have some good ones.

 

I found this place. I'm looking at the 1000W inverter. Inverters

 

I have a Prosine 3000 watt inverter in my truck that I have had for a few years and it is cleaner than most mains power and runs anything I plug into it. Even some of the better modified stepped or sine wave units will not run alot of chargers for batteries. Mine can draw in excess of 100 amps at full load so definatley no cigarette lighter connection.
I also have a 3000 watt Vector that performs well and is alot cheaper, only around $300.00.
Jim

http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/42/p/1/pt/24/product.asp

 

Do you have to rev the engine up to pull that much current?

 

It is direct connect to an Interstate 8-D deep cycle battery and charged with my Leece Neville alt system.
Jim