Micro Air Easy Start vs Dometic Smart Start

[rgano]

I have a 3.5 KW Nextgen generator and two Dometic air conditioners, one a 13.5K Btu rooftop unit and the other a brand new Dometic Turbo 10,000 Btu. The generator electric end is rated at 6 KW (51.0 Amps is on its name plate), but the diesel end is only capable of running the unit at 3.5 KW (30 Amps). The rooftop unit's locked rotor amperage is 61 while the Turbo unit's LRA is 42, and the running amps for the two combined is less than 20. There is no way this generator is going run these two units simultaneously with out some intelligent starting technology. I was impressed with the Micro Air video I saw on YouTube where they installed their Easy Start module on a 13.5 K Btu rooftop unit (same as mine) and with special test equipment showed a 70% decrease in the starting amperage for the compressor with before and after running of the unit. If I were to get that percentage decrease, I would end up at right about the 30-Amp max for my generator if (and this is a big IF) the two units were ever to end up starting their compressors at the same split second (less than half a sec) that the compressors draw their max amps. Dometic wants $570 bucks for their Smart Start units, and Micro Air wants $199 for theirs. Maybe somebody out there has a reason that the cheaper unit would not do the job, but the video was very convincing to me. I spoke with a man yesterday who uses a 2 KW Honda to run his 16,000 Btu Turbo air conditioner rigged with a Dometic Smart Start module and who swears it is the best thing since sliced bread.