SAMLEX AMER Modified Sine Wave Inverter Charger

I have the Samlex SAM-1500C-12 connected to a 92Ah AGM battery running my washer and dryer. Very pleased with the inverter and charger function. I have a timer installed between this unit and the wall outlet to charge my battery during peak power production times on my home solar power system. Transfer switch works great for the washer, for the dryer (because of the design of the dryer not the SAM-1500C-12) it requires me to turn a knob on the dryer to restart.

SAM-1500C-12: I'm a fan of Samlex inverters. They seem to be high quality and run my power tools with no problems where other inverters have failed. On this one, the transfer time is about 1 to 3 seconds which is a little too slow for a UPS type of configuration, but it works well if you are looking for a battery backup type of system that doesn't require maintaining a steady current (for example a sump pump or emergency light, etc.) It also does a good job at charging the batteries and keeping them maintained. I like the fact that it is a 2 stage charger with 15 amps. The only thing I don't care for is how the battery cables connect up to it. If you use the protective red and black plastic covers over the terminals, then you are kinda forced to position the cables outward toward the sides of the inverter rather than straight back. This is more of a nit-pick though and not a big deal. Overall I'm very happy with the inverter. I do wish they made a pure sine wave version of this, but I have not had any trouble so far with the MSW version in terms of powering my equipment. It even powered my home entertainment system, surround sound receiver, LED TV, etc. as well as my shop power tools (chop saw, drill press etc. in my off-grid storage building out in my backyard). Purchased in April 2015. Rated 5 stars.Update July 7th 2015:The inverter seems to have died overnight for no apparent reason. It had been working flawlessly up to this point, and now it has failed (no lights, no sounds, no fan activity, etc). I have contacted Samlex America for a return authorization so hopefully that process goes smoothly and I can be back in business soon. Lowered to 3 stars due to the issue.Update Sept. 16th 2015:Well, the return process with Samlex went very smoothly, and I had a repaired inverter back in my hands within a couple of weeks. The only snag is that they are located in Canada so there is an additional shipping fee for customs, and a slight delay also. But overall I am happy with the support experience. Now for the bad part. The inverter worked great when i hooked everything back up again. A couple of weeks have gone by without much of an issue aside from an odd occasional shutdown that required me to go power cycle the inverter to restore power. But as of 9/14, the inverter has once again died on me. I am not sure what I will do with it at this point, but I've lost confidence in this model. I have a different 2kw pure sine inverter from Samlex and it has been rock solid the whole time, mounted in the same location. So all I can fathom is that this modified sine wave version just isn't built as well or with nearly the same quality. For $300 something dollars (which is higher than most other 1500w MSW inverters) I expected much better than this.

It works!

on a trip having challenges with it in our RV we will see how customer service when we get back..... update later...

We bought this for our camp trailer May, 10 2016 My son just now got around to installing it, (He does all the electronics for the local Volunteer Fire Depts, so he knows how to do it properly)The transfer switch didn't work properly when shore power plugged in. It blew the ac breaker in the house and bricked the unit. Too late for replacement, only 30 days. Don't waste your money on this one.

I have one but did not buy it on Amazon. AVE on YouTube just did a breakdown (Oct 2018) of the 1500 Samlex inverter that cost him $500-600 and it was no better made or designed than the cheap $80-100 version. Boards are cheap, fuses are soldered and not replaceable, mosfets are dissimilar, etc. The whole thing was a joke. Spend your money elsewhere