Bobbo
Memphis, TN
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My 2007 Winnebago Outlook 31C has a Parallax 7345 Converter. Is this Upgrade Kit worth the $200+ price? How does it compare to the Progressive Dynamics and Xantrex units? Since it is basically plug and play, I would consider getting it if it is good quality.
On edit, it is a 7345 Converter, not a 6345 Converter.
* This post was
edited 07/02/08 08:54pm by Bobbo *
Bobbo, Linda and the furry kid (German Shepherd)
'07 Winnebago Outlook 31C on a Ford E450 Super Duty Chassis
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jauguston
Bellingham, WA
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If Randy at bestconverters is putting his name on it you can bet it is a very good product. Go for it.
Jim
Jim, Sharon and Buddy the Yorkie
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Hurricaner
Hurricane Utah
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Quote:If Randy at bestconverters is putting his name on it you can bet it is a very good product. Go for it.
It's a WFCO. The PD is far superior. Just because Randy sells it does not make it a very good product.
Sam
Sam & Kari
Hurricane, Utah
2004 34' Damon Challenger 315
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teb1272
Memphis
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The converter you choose depends on how you use the RV. The guys on here really like the PD and Xantrex units either because they "hard boondock" a lot and need a fast charge, or because they are techies and like to control the things. If you get a site with electricity 90+% of the time (as I do because I love A/C), and don't mind checking the water level in your battery every 2-4 weeks, the one you have is an excellent, robust, troublefree unit. It depends on the engine alternator to do the heavy charging, and will tend to electrolyze/evaporate some water out of your batteries in hot weather, so it isn't ideal for long boondocking or for sunbirding or fulltiming. The $200 worth on this upgrade comes from the ease of installation (so you can get a quicker charging unit), not because it is among the most technologically state of the art units.
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smkettner
Southern California
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My WFCO and many others work great. They just don't have the manual control the PD has. As long as you do not oversize the WFCO it will do fine. For two even three batteries the 45 amp is plenty.
The upgrade is well worth more than $200 if you often charge from a generator or leave the RV plugged in continuously at times.
* This post was
edited 07/03/08 08:50am by smkettner *
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jauguston
Bellingham, WA
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I have two WFCO's a PD 9160 and a Xantrex XADC 60 and they all will charge the batteries better and faster than the old style single stage converters. The PD is a poor converter as delivered. It has to have a additional extra cost accessory called a charge wizard to perform as well as the WFCO or the Xantrex.
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Matthew_B
The boonies near Dallas, Oregon
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The 91 series Progressive Dynamics units require the charge wizard to make it a three stage charger. The 92 series is a smart charger out of the box, you only have to add the charge wizard if you want to manually change mode.
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Oswald38
3rd Rock
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Is it worth $200+, of course. It will outperform any Parallax unit less maybe the new paramode with temperature compensation but I don't think the paramode will fit in the bottom of the 7300 though so not as popular for that reason.
I have the PD and Xantrex and the Xantrex is better but I would use the kit mentioned in a heartbeat. I've never heard of one overcharging a battery like the parallax 7300 and 6300 will do. Call them and ask, they have the best service of any company I've dealt with.
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wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
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Is it worth $200.. I don't know
For one reason I like the Progressive Dynamics 9200 converters better than just about anything else on the market
For another reason the Xantrex XADC line takes top honors
In both cases there are others that are just as good
This one is not one of 'em
What I don't know, since I have not compared prices, is if the difference in price is greater than the difference in performance.
As someone up-thread said.. Many folks are happy with the WFCO converters
I know I'm very happy with both my PD and my Xantrex
And though Randy and I don't always agree on what is best.. He don't sell junk
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
John is Near Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
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Bobbo
Memphis, TN
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wa8yxm wrote:Is it worth $200.. I don't know
For one reason I like the Progressive Dynamics 9200 converters better than just about anything else on the market
For another reason the Xantrex XADC line takes top honors
In both cases there are others that are just as good
This one is not one of 'em
What I don't know, since I have not compared prices, is if the difference in price is greater than the difference in performance.
As someone up-thread said.. Many folks are happy with the WFCO converters
I know I'm very happy with both my PD and my Xantrex
And though Randy and I don't always agree on what is best.. He don't sell junk
Just as reference, what does the PD and Xantrex do that the WFCO doesn't? As a plug it in and forget about it (except for checking water levels) I want the one that is best for my type of usage. Over 95% of the time I am camping with shore power (about a week every other month), or it is in storage with no power. Of course, the best for my usage may just be to leave it well enough alone. It is still new as I bought it new last September.
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