Generator or Inverter

  • 3KW Generator

    Votes: 6 85.7%
  • 3KW (peak) Inverter

    Votes: 1 14.3%

  • Total voters
    7
  • Poll closed .

The Mad Hat Man

Well-Known Member
LZIR Despatch Agent
need to work off-site and just had my Genny stolen, so I need to replace it, but seing Buckshots post on using an inverter to run a grinder got me thinking. which one to go for?

your thoughts?
 
A3kw invertor is HUGE.....oh.....hang on peak......1500 continuous, bit smaller than mine which is just stupidly big.

Depends what your wanting to use I guess.......be wary of tools with a big start-up draw.
My 1800w circular saw trips my 3.6 peak invertor enough to be annoying so went and got a 1250w saw to use when I'm away from the grid.
I prefer it to a genny because it fits behind the seats (just) and is always there ready
 
Inverter will flatten battery in no time.

How about a Li Ion cordless grinder with 2 or 3 batteries?
 
Inverter will flatten battery in no time.

How about a Li Ion cordless grinder with 2 or 3 batteries?

something i hadnt thought of, Trew, but they seem to be about £270 and dont have the flexibility of a genny or inverter.
 
A 1500W invertor will be pulling 120Amps from your battery on full load if it was 100% efficient.... it won't be.
It obviously depends on the duty cycle of your power tools, but you better have a good battery or factor in for a split charge system.. or you'll be hand cranking your Land Rover:D
 
A 1500W invertor will be pulling 120Amps from your battery on full load if it was 100% efficient.... it won't be.
It obviously depends on the duty cycle of your power tools, but you better have a good battery or factor in for a split charge system.. or you'll be hand cranking your Land Rover:D

does ya wanna borrow me translator www.geektolandyowner.com Cos I don't think Daft unnerstaans leckky trickery. :doh: :D
 
have you got/tried one ive got a snapon one and its really **** struggles with 6mm bolt,could just be mine:)

I've got a Ryobi one. Seems to work OK but flattens the battery quickly (mine is only NiCad though and my batteries are getting old).
 
Inverter will flatten battery in no time.

How about a Li Ion cordless grinder with 2 or 3 batteries?

my battery was near as dam it flat (had to leave the jump leads on from the 110 for best part of 10 minutes to start the old 90) but rested a brick on the fast peddle and it did'nt dip the engine on start up (the grinder is 840w)
must say will get myself a battery grinder soon as work picks up (or if! to be more to the point :mad:)
both the inverters i have will give a warning and shuts down if it senses battery draining
 
Iv got a makita 18v li ion angley grinder. And it's brilliant. Obviously is not quite on a mains powered one sort of level.
But I use it all the time, along as you use the thin blades and don't give it loads of pressure, it will go through anything.

Batteries aren't too bad, the makita li ion are a 20min full charge aswell, so by time you have flattened one. The other isn't far of being done.

I'd go for a genny tho to get proper use out of an inverter you would have to have the vehicle running in which case you might aswell just run a generator
 
As you're extracting the urine I'll take the bait;

someone dun't understand what duty cycle is either

Wiipedia is your friend; Duty cycle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Watts = Amps multiplied (that's times) Volts

Therefore 1500 Watts at 250 Volts is 6 Amps

We are converting 12 volts to 250 Volts a ratio of 21:1

So that 6 amps at 250 volts at a ratio of 21:1 will be 126 Amps if the
conversion was perfect, but there are losses due to heat etc, so 80%
will be more like it, that results in;

a 20% loss, so we need 1.2 times as much input, so 126 Amps becomes
151 Amps.

I'm bored now :5brant: back to Fresh FM and Solid Gold Sunday http://station.voscast.com/4d70c10a6f822/
 
ermmm, I understand Mr Ohms law fairly well but thanks for the revision, but the duty cycle of a tool is not related to how long a supply will last - it's a ratio of the tools design usage time, this often is a good way to gauge is a tool is intended for professional or DIY use - I believe you are confusing how long you will expect to use your tools with their actual specification
 
I dont give a fook about duty cycles,
I cant ride `em,
but once lived next to a guy who had a company "sherpa" van kitted out for doing almost anything onsite.
had a 2nd huge jap alternater all wired into was must have been an inverta,
you open the back doors, 13amp sockets mounted on vans wall with electrickery box showing volts and a manual engine speed lever to increase boost volts outputs under load!
looked impressive.....
 

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