Need advise for an Inverter

[andy04]

So I am planning to drive about 1600 miles this weekend. The car is 08 Camry Hybrid. Will be using portable DVD player, Laptop, Cell phone charger and MP3 player in the car. Will be plugging these in as need (of course not simultaneously). Planning to buy a 150 or 175 W inverter.
My questions are
1. Is it safe for the car, has anyone else used an inverter in Camry or any other make/model hybrid?
2. Is it safe for the devises? should I plug in an addition spike suppressor?
3. Which one should I buy? I am getting 150W for around $40. and 300~ for about $60. If i dont use the laptop I can even do with a 75W for $30...

 

[andy04]

Bump

 

[heymrdj]

Don't buy those cheap ones, they don't clean the power well. Buy a Full Sine Wave inverter (typically twice the $$$ per watt of their non sine wave bretheren). The cheap ones will mess iwht your laptop and make it BSOD prone.

 

[andy04]

Originally posted by: heymrdj
Don't buy those cheap ones, they don't clean the power well. Buy a Full Sine Wave inverter (typically twice the $$$ per watt of their non sine wave bretheren). The cheap ones will mess iwht your laptop and make it BSOD prone.

Are they available @ any local stores like bestbuy, CC, Radioshack, walmart... ??? Dont have time left for online...

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: heymrdj
Don't buy those cheap ones, they don't clean the power well. Buy a Full Sine Wave inverter (typically twice the $$$ per watt of their non sine wave bretheren). The cheap ones will mess iwht your laptop and make it BSOD prone.

For anyone wondering what he's talking about.

A normal wall outlet provides a nice smooth sinusoidal voltage. Sinusoid

A cheap power inverter (DC to AC) produces a square wave. square wave

A nice power inverter makes something closer to a smooth sinusoid, but it requires more components, hence why it costs more.