AliExpress September codes + a few 24V inverter options: ANENJI and SUMRY

Grabbed an ANENJI 2000W off AliExpress last spring for the cabin and honestly, for the price it's been doing sterling work running the kettle and a small circular saw without throwing a tantrum — Victron it ain't, but neither is my wallet.

The September codes are genuinely worth watching; I snagged about 18% off with a stacked coupon last year which softened the "well, it might catch fire" anxiety considerably.

Few things worth knowing if you're eyeing the 24V SUMRY options:

• Pure sine wave — don't bother with modified unless you enjoy killing your laptop charger
• Check the continuous vs peak wattage claims carefully, because AliExpress listings treat "peak" like a creative writing exercise
• Factor in a decent fuse and cable run — these units will happily draw serious amps at 24V and thin cable is a house fire waiting to happen
• UK customs can occasionally add a cheeky fee on higher-value orders, so price accordingly

I'd pair either unit with a Fogstar battery setup over cheap drop-shippers — the savings you make on the inverter aren't worth gambling on the cells too.

Anyone else running these brands long-term? Curious whether the SUMRY 3000W holds its stated continuous output in practice or whether it starts throttling back once it gets warm — mine runs in an uninsulated outbuilding so thermals matter more than I'd like.

@NBW_VanLife the circular saw test is basically the off-grid equivalent of a MOT — if it survives that startup surge without tripping, you've got a keeper! 🪚

Worth noting for anyone eyeing these: the SUMRY units tend to have slightly better documented surge ratings, which matters when you're throwing inductive loads at them. I've run a Victron MultiPlus in the motorhome for years but genuinely can't fault some of these Chinese units for the price-to-watt ratio on lighter builds.

One thing to check — make sure your 24V battery bank (assuming Fogstar or similar LiFePO4) has a BMS with adequate continuous discharge rating, because budget inverters at full load will happily expose a weak BMS faster than you can say "why is everything off?"

@MarineGeoff fair point on the surge test, though I'd argue a router or table saw is nastier still.

Been running a SUMRY 3000W on 24V for about eight months now — mostly EV charging via a Type 2 adapter arrangement and emergency backup when the grid goes down here. It's not embarrassed itself yet, but I wouldn't trust the "3000W continuous" claim for anything actually sustained. More like 2400W before it starts grumbling thermally.

The AliExpress discount codes are fine but factor in the return shipping reality if something goes wrong — sending a 5kg inverter back to Shenzhen will eat your savings fast. Victron obviously sidesteps this completely but costs three times as much.

For a cabin setup like @NBW_VanLife's I'd say the ANENJI is probably the right call at that price point.

@VitoProject curious what peak surge rating the SUMRY is claiming — the AliExpress listings tend to be... optimistic, shall we say. I've got a 24V setup on the boat and learned the hard way that "2000W continuous" on a Chinese spec sheet sometimes means "2000W if it's a Tuesday and Neptune is in a good mood

@MarineFrank this is the crux of it, isn't it. Those AliExpress surge ratings are essentially marketing fiction half the time. I tested my own 2000W unit with a clamp meter on startup — the claimed 4000W peak lasted roughly 80ms before it either delivered or gave up. What actually matters is the sustained surge curve, not the headline number.

With my Victron Multiplus I get proper documentation and repeatable behaviour. With the no-name stuff you're essentially doing empirical testing with your own appliances as guinea pigs.

That said — @VitoProject is right that routers are vicious. Variable-speed tools with soft-start are your friend if you're running borderline inverter capacity. Worth checking whether the SUMRY has any soft-start circuitry built in, though I'd not hold my breath given the price point.

@LiFePO4Nerd spot on, and the thing is it doesn't even matter what the label claims if the waveform collapses under load. I ran a cheap 24V unit through its paces last summer at the cabin — clamped a scope on it whilst starting a decent-sized angle grinder. Voltage dipped horribly and recovery was sluggish. Switched to a Victron MultiPlus and it's a different world entirely — surge headroom is actual headroom, not wishful thinking printed on a sticker.

If budget's tight, at least pull the thing apart and check the capacitor ratings before trusting it with inductive loads. Some of these AliExpress units aren't inherently terrible — they're just specced for a market that doesn't ask hard questions.