Sunsynk/Victron vs others

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linear

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Hey solar experts,

I know Sunsynk and Victron are recognized as the best inverters to buy, but is it justified to spend double the price of say a Axpert/Kodak with similar features? What are the real, non-subjective differences between these "tiers" of inverters?
 
The Axpert/Voltronic type inverters are also pretty decent. An analogy would be buying a Merc/BMW/Audi vs another brand of car. They do the job but the Sunsynk/Victrons have a few other bels and whistles that the Acperts may not, e.g. the ability to fully blend PV, Grid and battery in order to meet load

Dont let the brand be your starting position but rather your specific requirements and budget
 
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Amazing to see Sunsynk and Victron lumped together. Some blue team people are not going to be impressed.

As mentioned above, the differences in inverters are not only in quality but also functionality. For example Sunsynk has the smart load output and ability to blend different sources, which the Axperts don't.
 
The "experts" would probably see Victrons as Ferraris, the Sunsynks as BMW/Mercedes and those others as Toyotas/Fords/Nissans to take the analogy further. They all would get you from A to B, the journey, extras and perceived prestige just differs.
 
Katelknaap said:
The "experts" would probably see Victrons as Ferraris, the Sunsynks as BMW/Mercedes and those others as Toyotas/Fords/Nissans to take the analogy further. They all would get you from A to B, the journey, extras and perceived prestige just differs.
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Yeah this is probably more accurate..hahah... but for OP, what are your specific needs, budget and environmental considerations?
 
These 4 1/2 hour stage 6 outages is hectic on my 1 poor Hubble. Was down to 33%, was worried it's not going to last till power returns, but at least it did. Probably shouldn't have used the washing macine, airfryer and grill ....
Was pulling over 4000 Watt from it at some stage.
 
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I started with an Axpert type and due to circumstances that had more to do with an unreliable installer than the unit itself I have now ended up with a Sunsynk and the experience is chalk and cheese.
The Sunsynk blends the power seamlessly and can utilise solar to power the whole house including the geyser and oven as long as there is grid as the backup. When the sun shines I often use zero grid power just by shifting my demand slightly. With the Axpert type, and maybe this was just my installation thanks to my first installer, solar could not power non-essentials such as the geyser under any circumstances.
For me at least, the far superior brains and brawn allowing the blending of sources to power even non-essentials is magic.
It cost me a lot to get to this point, and I opted for a larger unit after round 1 but I’m glad to have the Sunsynk.
 
Axperts/Voltronic inverters like the Kodak are difficult to lump together. A few people have already stated they can't blend power but the "axpert king/max" models like some of the Kodak models can in fact blend. You will need to look carefully at the whole setup to see if a specific inverter supports everything you need as the devil is in the details. But in a lot of cases the Kodak will work just fine if you have a good installer that knows the product and it meets your needs.
 
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B-1 said:
Axperts/Voltronic inverters like the Kodak are difficult to lump together. A few people have already stated they can't blend power but the "axpert king/max" models like some of the Kodak models can in fact blend. You will need to look carefully at the whole setup to see if a specific inverter supports everything you need as the devil is in the details. But in a lot of cases the Kodak will work just fine if you have a good installer that knows the product and it meets your needs.
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A good post to elaborate

powerforum.co.za

Help choosing the right inverter

powerforum.co.za powerforum.co.za
 
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Mzezman said:
A good post to elaborate

powerforum.co.za

Help choosing the right inverter

powerforum.co.za powerforum.co.za
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's a nice thread. I guess when it comes down to it the voltronic inverters are designed as "off grid" whereas the Sunsynk is designed as a "hybrid". Both cover some middle ground and each has some pros over the other but at the end of the day it depends on the requirements.
 
Mzezman said:
the ability to fully blend PV, Grid and battery in order to meet load
Click to expand...

This is a major feature that should not be understated.
Sunsynk is a very good product. I cant justify the additional expense of a Victron

I would not go near Kodak. Had issues with mine and the supplier ran away from the warranty
Solution was designed and installed with a company who had a greencard, but I wont go into that debacle.
 
Snyper564 said:
Im almost a year in with my sunsynk 8kw.

7 MW later

Havent skipped a beat and couldnt be happier.
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We had a party to go to last night and stayed the night by my folks. Went to bed in darkness at 1am, woke up to darkness from 8 -12 this morning.

I have no idea how people live like that since I've forgotten what it's like to have no power. Needless to say I couldn't wait to get home, and my dad can't wait for his solar install when they move next month...
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
We had a party to go to last night and stayed the night by my folks. Went to bed in darkness at 1am, woke up to darkness from 8 -12 this morning.

I have no idea how people live like that since I've forgotten what it's like to have no power. Needless to say I couldn't wait to get home, and my dad can't wait for his solar install when they move next month...
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What is he getting?
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
We had a party to go to last night and stayed the night by my folks. Went to bed in darkness at 1am, woke up to darkness from 8 -12 this morning.

I have no idea how people live like that since I've forgotten what it's like to have no power. Needless to say I couldn't wait to get home, and my dad can't wait for his solar install when they move next month...
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Yup I totally agree with this.

My wife and I WFH and the only time I realise its LS is when I pop out and all the robots etc are out or its dark around the neighborhood. Hands down one of the best purchases/investments we ever made.
 
Mzezman said:
What is he getting?
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Not sure, he asked me to help spec a system for 250-300k. He's not very tech savvy but I think that budget should get a decent system. And I suspect their new place is 3 phase since there a few cottages.

But even with a 3 phase inverter I guess he could get 10 kWp generation and 20 kWh storage within budget...
 
Snyper564 said:
Yup I totally agree with this.

My wife and I WFH and the only time I realise its LS is when I pop out and all the robots etc are out or its dark around the neighborhood. Hands down one of the best purchases/investments we ever made.
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Yup, my wife was moaning. I had to remind her of how she gave me grief about wasting money on a novelty item after which the topic quickly shifted to "we should get some sleep".

Anyway back to the topic if budget allows I would go Victron for the modularity. If not Sunsynk/Deye. I'm not sure about the cheaper options but given there's more community support for the others I would rather save up to be honest...
 
Katelknaap said:
These 4 1/2 hour stage 6 outages is hectic on my 1 poor Hubble. Was down to 33%, was worried it's not going to last till power returns, but at least it did. Probably shouldn't have used the washing macine, airfryer and grill ....
Was pulling over 4000 Watt from it at some stage.
Click to expand...
No No can't do. Save it for current Load Shedding
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
Not sure, he asked me to help spec a system for 250-300k. He's not very tech savvy but I think that budget should get a decent system. And I suspect their new place is 3 phase since there a few cottages.

But even with a 3 phase inverter I guess he could get 10 kWp generation and 20 kWh storage within budget...
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Hi it depends were are the 3-Phase installed.
Us here one Phase in the Flat other two Phases house.

Not all in one place. You mention cottages? Depending length to run.

SynSynk will sync what ever phase is used.
 
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