Thanks guys, please keep it coming. The reason for considering the Progressive Dynamics converter/charger was because it was half the price, and 30 amps more, and does three battery banks instead of just two, than the Samlex below:
SAMLEX SEC-1250UL 12 VOLT 50 AMP 3 STAGE ADVANCED FULLY AUTOMATIC BATTERY CHARGER & POWER SUPPLY
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKH ... GM2K2OIRAD
My goal is to try to use DC appliances as much as possible and stay away from using AC appliances as often as possible. But I need a good charger to keep the van house battery (Bank 1) and the starting batteries (Bank 2) charged while parked in my driveway or while parked with electrical hookups in RV parks while traveling. For instance, we have stayed in Draper, UT while skiing Snowbird and at another small RV park near Jackson, WY while skiing Jackson Hole. And it is nice to have the Webasto furnace running off of an unlimited supply of DC current. But right now the van is parked and needs battery charging/maintaining, so I would like to install a permanent smart charger.
I am just not knowledgeable enough to be able to compare the differences between the two chargers above or experienced enough to know if there is another better unit out there.
I only need to charge two banks, and I want the smartest battery charger out there to get the most life out of my batteries.
So, I want to buy a high quality "smart" charger to maintain my batteries.
And I appreciate KTMRider's and Scalf77's suggestion re the Truecharge. However, after spending over $3K on Xantrex products and not being satisfied with their durability, I personally have sworn off Xantrex forever. YRMV.
Edit: Despite what I wrote above, the Truecharge2 appears to be much better than a converter/charger and may be one of the best chargers out there:
http://www.rvdoctor.com/2011/03/product ... arge2.html
(BTW, do you guys know if AGMs sulfate or, turning the telescope around, do they benefit from a Battery Minder which desulfates?)
And yes, after I get the battery charger (sans inverter) worked out, I will do some more research and revisit my previous thread seeking your input on my soon to be revised solar controller/charger.
I hope the OP doesn't mind this half a thread hijack, since he wants both an inverter/charger, and I am looking only for the best charger...
FYI, the following has been helpful to my understanding:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switched- ... wer_supply