Howzirt. Victron / Sunsync Inverters

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Hi

Looking at getting a Hybrid inverter / battery combo and been reading up on forums to get an idea, what’s the process of going about figuring out which will be best for my requirements.

From my calculations my essentials will be around 3500watts and I’m considering a 5Kva setup. (Would love an 8Kva , but budget doesnt allow)
Later stage looking at going solar route.

I’m looking at Sunsync combo and contacted a reputable Installer to get more info. He mentioned the Victron inverter doesnt have all the cabling etc built into the inverter like Sunsync’s. Hence it will cost more overall. Is this true ?

Overall is a 5Kva Victron hybrid inverter better specd out of the box vs the 5Kva Sunsync ?

There are a few Victron Inverters, is the Multiplus II the the direct “competitor” to the 5Kva Sunsync version ?

They both excellent inverters from what I’ve read. Spending a large amount of money I’d rather buy once and not worry about “I should have bought the other” down the line.

Which one would you choose and why ?

Your assistance is much appreciated :pray:

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Hi and welcome

You can’t really directly compare the 2, it’s more or less like comparing a Toyota Hilux to a Mahindra S6, both will eventually result in the same by getting you at your final destination, but in quite a different way.

The first thing, TLDR if you like, yes, ultimately no matter how you look at it, a Victron system will be more expensive than a Sunsynk, in my opinion Victron however have many advantages over Sunsynk which is what makes the big difference.

Firstly I chose to use Toyota and Mahindra in my example above for very good reason, think Toyota quality, support and backup in SA vs Mahindra quality, support and backup in SA. Victron simply have amazing support and backup in SA with a huge user base, plus everything coupled to a 5 year no questions asked warranty on all equipment.

Yes what you read is true, Victron isn’t everything in one box like the Sunsynk, a Victron system consists of a few separate components. Some people see this as a big disadvantage, but personally I think this is a advantage. Should you want to upgrade only one component or one component fails for which ever reason then on a Victron system it’s easy, you only take out that one component, where on a Sunsynk system you’ll have to replace the entire box with a new one or send the entire box in for repair.

Then there’s Victron’s flexibility in design, only want more solar but your inverter power is enough, sure thing, add another MPPT or vice versa, again you can upgrade individual components, put the system together just as you choose, think of it as building Lego.

One nice feeture I like with the Sunsynk is that you can start only with the inverter and solar panels, or with only the inverter and batteries. With Victron you can also start out with only the inverter and batteries, but you can’t start out with only the inverter and solar panels, you need to connect a battery to it right from the start and a battery is your most expensive part of a solar system.

Others will have much more to say, just my 2 cents.

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And to add to that, because it’s a low frequency design, this battery cannot be super/duper small. Of course, even with an HF design you still need to put the battery at least within inverter sizing (so preferably a 5kVA inverter always goes with a 5kWh battery, or larger), so this isn’t as big an issue, but I think it is important that we be open and mention it. With a Victron inverter, you cannot skimp on battery.

I also use the Mahindra vs Toyota example sometimes. Well, maybe the GWM P-series is a closer fit (it is the nr. 4 best seller, after Toyota, Ford and Isuzu). Toyota charges more and a large part of the reason they do, is because they can. They have enough value backing the offering that people are willing to pay for it. Conversely, a lot of people who buy the P-series do so because it is cheaper, because (to them) it represents better value for money (you get more for your buck), but it comes at a cost and at a risk.

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Ja I guess GWM can also work. :smiley:

A friend of mine has a brand new 9000 km on the clock Mahindra double cab, it’s been sitting in the workshop since February with a gearbox issue, they don’t know what’s wrong and eventually decided to replace the entire gearbox when all else failed, but waiting for stock.

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