KICKASS 1200w INVERTER
There's so much gear on the market these days that it's darn right confusing and sometimes frustrating trying to find the right gear for the application. I found this recently when looking for a new inverter for the 80 series; to charge up all our gear on the road. From the drone, camera batteries, laptop, torches, batteries for the chainsaw and drill and a few more.
Now while it's easy to jump online and just throw a dart at one of the cheap imports I needed a serious unit for our gear PLUS it had to be pure sine wave to comfortably protect the gear and as we travel remotely, it had to be extremely reliable.
Having recommendations for KickAss Products, I made the plunge to purchase their 1200w Pure Sine Wave Unit. The specs read well, with rated power at 1200w, peak power at 2000w, internal safety fuses, smart cooling system with twin fans, fully controllable display panel, twin 240v and twin USB outlets ( both rated at 2.1amp ) plus it comes with a separate external display screen with a 5m lead. Also in the box are thick power leads to reduce power drop when connected. The advantage of having the remote screen is that you can’t always mount the inverter in a way to access the 240 outlets and see the screen.
Using the buttons on either screen it is possible to set different parameters away from the factory defaults such as under and over-voltage ranges, short circuit modes, the overload value and warning alarms. If something drastic does happen, fault codes are thrown up on the screen and with the included manual it's an easy process to work out the issue and eliminate the fault.
Now while it's a large unit the outer box is a combination of plastic and anodised aluminium which makes it extremely solid plus it's great for reducing weight on a build. The anodised alloy casing also serves as a heat sink to dissipate excess heat from the unit. The twin 240v outlets are positioned in a way that even the most difficult right-angled chargers will fit.
Having the external display positioned away from the inverter itself, you can easily see how much power the devices are taking out of the battery and also see the charge that the inverter is producing. Being a Pure Sine Wave it’s smooth and consistent. In the range KickAss, they produce a 700w, a larger 2000w and a monster 3000w mega unit.
A couple of times I’ve loaded up all the outlets and while the drawer is huge, the unit still produced a solid and smooth outlet current. Cheaper units lose massive amounts of power when converting from DC to AC, but KickAss claim their units have a 90% or better efficiency conversion rate. All the inverters come with a 2 Year Warranty - which is hard to find these days on quality gear. The 1200w Pure Sine Wave retails for $489 ish, but keep an eye out on their sale page online.
Many years ago born and bred Adelaidian Klaeton Sheehan started a simple eBay store selling camping products to the general public. 12 years later the mother company, Australian Direct has grown to such an extent that over 50 staff are employed worldwide with International offices. Based on the Sunshine Coast in QLD, the company launched KickAss Outback Proof Gear specialising in quality 12V gear and has a list of products as long as your arm. Including shower units, fridges, premium solar panels, batteries & battery packs. 12v ovens, air compressors & fans, battery charges as well as camping and adventure packages.
Other products include battery trays, fold-out shower tents, a range of torches, fridge slides, specialised wiring leads, outdoor entertainment systems and even a range of underwear, the list is darn right endless. In fact, they stock over 300 hundred quality products and are developing their own high-quality products for the camping, 4wd and caravan industries. The team at Aussie Direct and KickAss are all 4wd, camping and 12v enthusiasts who are experts in their own field. If you can't decide on a product as a gift, they also offer a gift voucher, ranging from $25 to $1,000.
---> https://kickassproducts.com.au <---
Am I happy with the 1200w inverter ?... So far so good, as it's exceeding all expectations charging our gear as we travel and explore Australia wide.