Victron Energy Phoenix 500VA 12-Volt 120V AC Pure Sine Wave Inverter with NEMA GFCI

Take note this inverters rated at 90% efficiency at most all loads which is exceptional. A 100 watt load running a blower style fan resulted in the unit not heating up and no internal fan noise on a 80 degree day.I was able to power a 6.3amp 120 volt half inch hammer drill with this (used on concrete without any issues.) I have the inverter on some 8 gauge wire to a 100ah Lithium Iron Phosphate battery. It would not however run a typical 10amp saw and alerted me of tripping the overload (auto reset was prompt and automatic.) With the victron bluetooth adapter connected to the unit the APP lets me select the status of the inverter on / off / eco no matter what the switch position is set to eco / on etc. Additionally the app lets you set output AC voltage +/- from 120 vac for finer tuning of the output which was an unexpected feature. This is a solid product and I am confident it can handle 500 watt draw sustained and can briefly take a peak temporary starting load of about 950-1000 watts this is important for motors and drills. I would advise getting the 1200 watt version if you want to run a microwave or a table saw but make sure you have a battery bank capable of supplying 150-200Ah loads. If you want to run a gaming laptop or macbook pro for editing videos on the go save the money and go with the 250VA option it should do just fine and give more mounting options due to the smaller case size.Quick update. I was able to run a constant 400 watt load of florescent lighting. The unit ran warm and fan was cycling (fairly quiet.) The 8 gauge wire for this kind of constant load is ok for a short time less than an hour but wire was very warm to the touch. Definitely use 6 gauge wire (max it officially supports) or adapt it to utilize 4 gauge during install with some car amp power cable adapters.

So quiet, so reliable. It’s a Victron..

Easy install and everything works great. I tested it with 4 30w chargers, a 60w shop light, a small oscillating fan, and a 32” tv. Worked great. I did notice if I had it on eco mode and just the tv plugged in it would shut off and not turn back on. I think it won’t power back on unless it senses at least 14va, and powers off if it’s less than 10va.Overall I’m very happy, dead silent and perfect for my usage. I do think it’s more expensive than it needs to be, but I trust this company. I also find it annoying I had to buy a Bluetooth adapter.

This inverter runs our TV and internet gizmo in our RV 5th wheel, which is at the time our full time home as we travel around. We have a 600 watt solar array that keeps the battery charged up fine.I have gone through 3 cheaper Asian inverters, the last one after 6 weeks started to howl from the fan. So this time I stepped up and bought this much more expensive Victron unit.First impression is how large and heavy this is. While the devices I run do not require much in amps (5 amps @12 volts), my hope is that the fan don't make too much noise. In my case with the light load, there is no fan noise. The manual states that at 100 watts and under, the fan stay off. Excellent! After being on all day, the case is just warm, but not hot.My only complaint is that the on/off switch and operational LED is on the back of the unit, not on the front "business" end where the one 120 volt receptacle is. But this is not a deal killer, but nonetheless, an annoyance. I plan to install a remote on/off switch soon.I use a Victron SmartSolar charger on our array, these seem to be trouble free devices. I had no hesitation buying this for what I hope is my last inverter. This inverter gets heavy daily use, the less expensive units are not up to the task of all day everyday use, and fail.After a few days, my wife and I agree, this is a completely silent operating inverter.

I am using the 12 V 500 Watt version to run a small 1cubic foot frezzer on my boat. Works excellent. Starts with no problems at all. Uses 4.8 amps running the frezzer.Pro: Clean output does not interfere with VHF. Good starting power. Robust Design with transformer.Con: 12 V connectors a bit flimsy , no cable suppliedOverall highly recommended.

I have had several small cheap inverters but I needed a good one to operate a crock pot off of a 50AH LiFePo4 battery that was 16.5v. Most inverter cut off at 15v so would not work, this one works between 9.5 - 17V, a great input range, with 120VAC PSW output, handles the crock pot without issue. Features like remote on/off, phone configure with a module, ECO mode where it senses the load and turns on/off when needed while only pulling 1 watt, these are only things you find in the high end inverters. It is a little bigger and heaver than I needed but that only attests to its quality build, Victron makes some of the best inverters and controllers around and it shows!

I was upgrading the electrical system in my van and needed an inverter for some of the things I would like to have that are only 110v. Everything else is Victron so this would be too. This is a great little inverter that fits well (nice size) and performs well. It is the quality you expect from victron. The downside is that its rather expensive when you consider you have the purchase price of this device and then have to order a separate remote power switch and a separate smarts module so you can see it in with the rest of your victron ecosystem. This is a huge downside to have to purchase so many extras that many competitors offer in their products. I paid for the Victron name - but really wish I didn’t have to pay again and again for “add on” devices that really in this day and age should be standard.

Beware this unit (500va) is about 4x the size and weight of cheap Chinese sin inverters. That said the weight is entirely due to magnetics (ie. iron cores in toroids and other coils). These magnetics will ensure a nice clean sin wave with very low harmonics. The price is affordable for the 500va model and it comes with a remote input that allows you to turn it on/off using a toggle. You can also buy the bluetooth dongle and adjust/monitor alot more.