Forum Discussion

fj12ryder's avatar
fj12ryder
Explorer III
Sep 10, 2018

WFCO price vs other brands.

I was posting on the General Rving forum and thought I might get more input here where there are more likely to be technical types hanging around.

My WFCO WF-68100 converter just bit the big one a few days ago. I took a chance and ordered a PowerMax that was rated the same as the WF-68100. I have been advised it is a good unit, which I am grateful for.

My question is why is the WFCO unit literally double the price of the PowerMax unit? On Amazon the WF-68100 is $293 and the PowerMax PM3-100LK sells for $145. The PowerMax had very good reviews too, better than the WFCO. Is the WFCO brand that much better, or are you paying a lot just for the name? WFCO doesn't seem to be held in extremely high regard on this site from what I've read. When I was searching for the converter locally I was told that the price from the RV places would be nearly $500 for the WF-68100. Woof!

Any opinions are welcome. Facts are good, but not all that important. :)

TIA
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Sep 10, 2018
    That's an excellent price for the WF-68100. The main reason I was looking on Amazon was reliable shipping. I paid $17 for 2-day shipping, ordered it on Friday afternoon and it got here, Monterey, TN, today, Monday.
  • SidecarFlip's avatar
    SidecarFlip
    Explorer III
    Sep 10, 2018
    I think WFCO don't really care to sell to the public in the first place. Most of their sales are to the builders in volume so piecemeal sales to individuals really isn't in their sales plan.

    My personal observation is, WFCO converters are not as good as a PD converter. Not sure if a Power Max is a PD unit however.

    No matter what, even the WFCO is better than the old toaster converters. Had one (Magna-Tek) in another camper and it almost burned the camper up.
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Sep 10, 2018
    Thanks for more info.

    One more simple question: The PowerMax unit has 4 reverse polarity fuses. Why so many when some units have 2, the WF-68100 had 3. Why the different numbers?
  • BFL13's avatar
    BFL13
    Explorer II
    Sep 10, 2018
    The PowerMax units generally have four 40s for the 100A and three 40s for the 75A and two for the 55A. Other brands it varies. They are in parallel so they add their amps. Idea is to have more amps than the converter's current limit
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Sep 10, 2018
    Cool beans, thank you. That makes sense and I didn't know they were in series, but that would be the obvious thing if you stop and think about it.

    I don't really know why this Fuzion has a 100 amp converter, but I guess toyhaulers come with bigger converters as a rule. I suppose I could have gone smaller, but I didn't want to overthink this whole replacement thing. :)
  • BFL13's avatar
    BFL13
    Explorer II
    Sep 10, 2018
    fj12ryder wrote:
    Cool beans, thank you. That makes sense and I didn't know they were in series, but that would be the obvious thing if you stop and think about it.

    I don't really know why this Fuzion has a 100 amp converter, but I guess toyhaulers come with bigger converters as a rule. I suppose I could have gone smaller, but I didn't want to overthink this whole replacement thing. :)


    I had to edit my post--in parallel you add the amps, same voltage. Whatever.

    The PowerMax 100 amper is also PF corrected like the 68100, so it is easier on the generator and could run on a 120v 15a circuit. An 80 amper without PF correction needs a 120v 20a circuit
  • sgip2000's avatar
    sgip2000
    Explorer
    Sep 10, 2018
    WFCO is all Chinese junk anyway. Go with Progressive Dynamics. USA made.
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Sep 10, 2018
    Well, I got the PowerMax hooked up and double-checked everything before flipping the breaker. Everything works like it's supposed to and the charging voltage to the battery was 14.05V when I came inside, and now it's dropped to 13.67V.

    So now I am, literally, a happy camper. :)
  • MEXICOWANDERER's avatar
    MEXICOWANDERER
    Explorer
    Sep 10, 2018
    WFCO plays whatever games it takes to maximize it's profits. It's similar to what new car dealer parts departments do with commonly available replacement parts. Only in the WFCO case, NONE of what they sell is of adequate design or inherent quality.

    Car manufacturers know for certain their stuff will be used on new automobiles and in dealer service bays. Some of the replacement parts on the market are better quality and design than dealer stuff but the car manufacturer and dealer could care less. Four hundred thousand water pumps or batteries or shock absorbers is a huge slice of the pie.

    It's the sloppy don't give a **** design of the WFCO that grates on me. There is absolutely no reason for it except snotty arrogance. Well screw them and the burro they rode in on...

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