Wagan Slimline 1500W AC to DC Inverter

Great! I cut 2x4s with a 15 amp rated circular saw that another 1500 watt inverter couldn't even start! I had an older one of these that could run a wringer washer that another 1500 watt inverter couldn't start. Unfortunately the washer had no switch and I made the mistake of turning it on and off with the switch on the inverter. Starting it with a high peak load all those times ruined it.

I bought this Slimline 1500 (1.5kw) inverter from Walmart online with free 2-day shipping, and it arrived on our porch about 18 hours later. It seems well-built and is more compact, lighter weight, plus has more features than my old 1 kilowatt inverter that had barely enough power. I used to shop on Amazon a lot, but came to strongly distrust their reviews and how they treat both sellers and customers. Lately we've been shopping almost exclusively on Walmart and favoring items sold and shipped by Walmart. After unpacking I first tested it with no load. After connecting to a battery I turned on the switch and it powered up normally with a brief beep and a steady indicator light. Like my old 1kw inverter, it seems to draw a surge of current when first connected with no load and switch off. I base this on a visible and audible spark when connecting it to the second battery terminal. There was no drama when I turned on the switch. I installed it hanging on edge in the garage on two small-head screws for easy removal (slide up and out on slotted holes in the base), to take camping or in evacuation. Instead of the nice long cables supplied I used 6" 6ga. cables w/battery spring clamps made for my old inverter. Longer cables just waste battery power due to the significant current (over 63 Amps to provide 750 Watts A/C with 12 Volts from a battery). The clamps allow easy use on our car's battery, as I first did with the old inverter. Next I connected it to the Costco deep discharge marine battery that had been used with the old inverter. I normally keep the inverter mounted in place with one lead disconnected and the battery hooked up to a smart trickle charger. NOTE: I apparently fried the old inverter by hooking it up while the charger was connected. Though not certain, it seems likely that somehow caused failure of the 1kw inverter. Needless to say, I'll carefully avoid doing that with this inverter though it's not clear to me how or why that would cause failure. I plugged in a 22cu' 2003 house refrigerator rated 115V 6.5A e.g. 750W ( startup surge), and it immediately started up as though plugged into the wall. The fridge coils were last cleaned 11/2019 and are covered in dust, so the fridge is running a lot during a record heat wave. I measured 108V at the end of a 100' 12ga extension with the fridge running. It measured 105V 2 hours later, with the fridge probably running nonstop but if it did shut off it easily started again or we'd have heard it. When I unplugged the fridge, the battery was down to 11.5V no load and the inverter was barely warm. I'm impressed by the price and the Walmart service, hopeful about the two year warranty, and I like that it has three outlets plus USB charging stations. Most of all I like that it has plenty of guts to effortlessly start the old fridge, when the prior 1kw inverter often couldn't do it. I couldn't be more pleased today, and hope to get years of reliable backup power.