Anyone using 120V to 12 V adapter to use traditional appliances?

The item that you posted will convert 120v AC to 12v DC and would be useless on a truck. You need to buy a wired inverter above 1500W to power small appliances but it depends on the startup current draw of the appliance that you want to run.

Look at the power requirements and then check an online calc for the estimated startup draw. (The power spike when it is first turned on)

 

That might run a laptop or charge phones and tablets. That will not run any small appliances.

Get an inverter, 2500 or better.

 

A good pure sine wave inverter, not the cheap modified sine wave crap sold in truck stops will run most household appliances just fine. The modified sine wave is not good for appliances with motors, it will burn them out prematurely.

As said above, look at the watt ratings on the appliance you want to run and make sure you buy an inverter that can handle that with room to spare, paying close attention to the continuous vs. surge rating. Some manufacturers try to make their product sound better by misrepresenting the surge rating as continuous duty rating.

You will need to idle your truck to keep up with heavy demand appliances, and please have a professional shop or someone that fully understands wiring install your inverter to prevent a fire. The conversion ratio is roughly 1:10, meaning if you need 1 amp of 110 volt AC power you will be drawing 10 amps DC from your 12 V truck battery, so the wiring needs to perfect to prevent heating up and catching fire.

 

The amount of power you can draw from a cigarette lighter plug is fairly limited. I’m not sure you can even power a coffee maker. As long as the inverter is properly installed it is safe and most have a power off switch.

Regarding the post about pure sine wave inverters, that driver clearly has some deeper pockets.

 

I've replaced a few inverters but never did a fresh install on one. The biggest thing is to make sure you have the fuse installed as close to the battery as possible. A fuse will only protect what is downstream of it and big battery cables will make a lot of heat and fire if they were to rub through and ground out without a fuse to pop.

 

Buyer beware. Some of those products are decent, some are the same crap you get in a truck stop. I have used the 12 volt appliances in the past, they worked but not that well with the exception of the Dometic fridge. Works well but draws down the battery quickly. As with any purchase, read the reviews and do some research. 12 volt appliances are much simpler than installing an inverter, especially in a company truck where they will want their shop to do it and will have restrictions on size.

 

What is less expensive, buying the correct inverter and installing it once or buying the cheaper one three or four times plus replacing the 120 volt items you are trying to run on it? Same reason I buy name brand hand tools over imported crap, better value over the long term.

I have had this AIMS pure sine wave inverter for three years now, have not had any problems. It will run my microwave or fridge, just not at the same time. I wired the shore power pass thru so that when I park at home I just plugged in the truck and it kept the fridge running plus trickle charged my batteries. Had it in my tractor for two years and in the camper now for the last year, still problem free.
https://www.amazon.com/PWRI20001212...04093&sr=8-8&keywords=pure+sine+wave+inverter