( 9 reviews )
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Posted: Apr 2 2009
I purchased one of these about five months ago from a popular online seller for $199.99 with free S&H. If you already own, or you are considering buying this gen set, you should read this. If you have experienced some of the same problems, maybe this info will be helpful. I am a retired Plant Engineer from a major world class manufacturer in the US and have 40+ years of experience with machinery and equipment so I know a lot about equipment manufacturing and repair. I really like the concept and idea of this gen set because its small, light, and it really does run about 9 hours (50% load) on a tank (1.3 gal.) of fuel but it does have its problems. I can sum up the problems I've had in two words, Quality Control! I can't speak for all the units out there, only mine. From what I have been able to gather from my research, there are several generations of this generator manufactured to date. I believe mine is somewhere in the middle with a manufacture date of Oct. 2007, so some, or all, of these issues may have been addressed with the newer ones. I will give you the good, the bad, and the ugly, as I experienced it. I have two other generators that I use for emergency power but I needed something small, light, and more fuel efficient to use at the fish camp and hunting lease. I needed only about 1100 watts for lights, and to keep the RV batteries charged, so this one seemed the perfect match. Most people buy the largest generator they can get not realizing that they have to move, store, and feed the hungry beast. When I purchased this one, gas was over $4.00 a gallon so it was senseless to use a larger one for my needs and waste precious fuel. When I took it out of the box I liked what I saw. I filled it with oil and gas and started it as per the manual. I was disappointed that it took 7 or 8 healthy pulls to finally start it. Even though it was new it should start easier and quicker when you use the choke. After letting it run for 5 minutes or so I put it under a 1000 watt resistive load. It worked fine but I noticed a substantial amount of oil under the engine. Very disappointed, I shut it down and checked for any loose nuts, screws, oil plug, etc., but could not determine from where the oil was leaking. It continued to leak even though it wasn't running so I knew it was a below oil level leak. I drained the oil/gas and called the seller expecting to exchange it. Of course they recommended that I follow the manual and call the mfg. which I had already done. On the third day of calling the seller and demanding to talk to a supervisor, and demanding an exchange for one that functioned properly without leaking oil, he finally told me they were out of stock and didn't know when they would be restocked and offered a refund of the full purchase price. I took his offer and ask him how he wanted me to handle the return S&H. His reply surprised me. They didn't want it back and he asked me if I would dispose of it. Sure I would! I think he had an idea what the problem was and it wasn't worth it for them to pay return S&H, repair cost, and then having to sell it as refurbished for a reduced price. I was sure that with a little time I could determine the cause of the leak and possibly fix the problem. I was unable to see from where the oil was leaking without removing the generator from the frame so that's what I did. It appeared that the oil was coming from under the front motor mount so I removed both motor mounts. I still couldn't tell exactly where the oil was coming from. I cleaned the bottom of the motor and then filled it with transmission fluid (do not run it like this) knowing the red color would be easier to detect. It worked! The oil was coming from a "casted in hole" that could be used for an oil drain in other applications. Manufacturers generally do this a lot so they can use their product for different applications and mounting configurations. They just don't drill the unused casted hole all the way through. The problem was that in the bottom of the hole the aluminum was so thin that there was porosity in the aluminum casting. The oil was leaking right through the casting bottom even though no flaw was visible. An easy fix for anyone who knows their way around tools and procedures. I had to find the proper size tap and put threads in the casted hole as the mfg. would have done for a bottom oil drain. You must use a flush mount plug for this because the front motor mount fits against the bottom of the motor casting. I also used sealant because I knew I would never need to remove it. I filled it with oil and major problem solved! Now for the hard starting issue. You must be really careful with this one because the recoil starter cage is plastic. I really wish they would have spent a few more cents and made it of metal. The manual will tell you not to pull the starter rope all the way out. This is because you will pull the plastic recoil starter housing right off the motor. If you are a big person with long arms this will be a challenge. I've read many complaints where this has happened. There is a seller on ebay that has sold many of these for parts/repair, and all are missing the recoil starter. No doubt broken by over pulling the starter rope. Remember, it takes several quick, healthy pulls to start this thing. It feels to me like the compression should be a little higher so I pulled the valve cover to check the valve clearance. It was correct but I was surprised at how weak the valve springs are and I suspect the valves are not seating 100% on this one. This would account for being hard to start and lack of power which I will address later. I removed the spark plug and checked the gap. Too close! Only .020" which would result in a reduced spark. Should be around 0.030". I gapped the plug and tried it again. Not much improvement but I really didn't like the cheap plug that came with it so I went to the auto parts store and purchased a quality branded plug. This helped greatly! It starts with about half the pulls as before. Although it still doesn't start as easily as it should, this was a big improvement. Now for the load test. The mfg. description claims 1500 watts running load but that is a stretch for this one. No load voltage is 109 volts = OK. With 500 watts resistive load, it went to about 120 volts = very good. With 1000 watts resistive load, it was about 117 volts = perfect! When I added another 500 watts for a total of 1500 watts the engine strained just to keep running and the voltage dropped to 98 - 99 volts = too low. I reduced the resistive load to 1350 watts and the voltage came back up to about 109 volts = OK. It's only fair to say that other units that are running properly just might run at the claimed 1500 watts. As I stated above, I suspect the valves may not be seating 100% on this one which would account for the strain the little engine was in at 1500 watts. Anyway, this is all that I need so it works for me. Don't bother with the 92+ octane gas as the manual recommends. I tested 87 octane gas and 93 octane gas and could tell no difference, with or without a load, in the performance or voltage. At about 100 hours the sheet metal shield on the muffler fell off leaving three ??" holes in the muffler where the shield was spot welded to the muffler. Not a big problem but a little more noise. For me the shield is not necessary anyway. The muffler is tucked well inside the frame and you would really have to be trying to get burned by it. If the additional noise bothers you just do what I did. Go back to the auto parts store and buy some muffler patch putty. Just smear it over the small holes and let it cure as per instructions. It can be sanded and painted with high temp. paint after it cures if you want. After about four months the fuel line developed a crack and started leaking. I replaced it with quality 3/16" fuel line and added an in-line filter. I switched to full synthetic oil after about 30 hours of operation so the engine should last a long time. One other note; once I put it under a 1000+ watt load the engine started working harder and developed more vibration. If the generator is setting on a smooth surface, it will start walking away caused by the added vibration. The cheap, clip-on vibration pads just don't work. Cut a piece of old carpet padding (18" X 18") and set the generator on it. I've put about 200 hours on this little unit and it still runs fine. All in all, after about $25.00 for parts/supplies, and eight hours of troubleshooting and labor, I have exactly what I want and I'm happy with it now. I believe it will now run reliably for many years of moderate use. I'm sorry this is a bit long but I hope this has helped someone.
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Posted: Apr 2 2009
I purchased one of these about five months ago from a popular online seller for $199.99 with free S&H. If you already own, or you are considering buying this gen set, you should read this. If you have experienced some of the same problems, maybe this info will be helpful. I am a retired Plant Engineer from a major world class manufacturer in the US and have 40+ years of experience with machinery and equipment so I know a lot about equipment manufacturing and repair. I really like the concept and idea of this gen set because its small, light, and it really does run about 9 hours (50% load) on a tank (1.3 gal.) of fuel but it does have its problems. I can sum up the problems I've had in two words, Quality Control! I can't speak for all the units out there, only mine. From what I have been able to gather from my research, there are several generations of this generator manufactured to date. I believe mine is somewhere in the middle with a manufacture date of Oct. 2007, so some, or all, of these issues may have been addressed with the newer ones. I will give you the good, the bad, and the ugly, as I experienced it. I have two other generators that I use for emergency power but I needed something small, light, and more fuel efficient to use at the fish camp and hunting lease. I needed only about 1100 watts for lights, and to keep the RV batteries charged, so this one seemed the perfect match. Most people buy the largest generator they can get not realizing that they have to move, store, and feed the hungry beast. When I purchased this one, gas was over $4.00 a gallon so it was senseless to use a larger one for my needs and waste precious fuel. When I took it out of the box I liked what I saw. I filled it with oil and gas and started it as per the manual. I was disappointed that it took 7 or 8 healthy pulls to finally start it. Even though it was new it should start easier and quicker when you use the choke. After letting it run for 5 minutes or so I put it under a 1000 watt resistive load. It worked fine but I noticed a substantial amount of oil under the engine. Very disappointed, I shut it down and checked for any loose nuts, screws, oil plug, etc., but could not determine from where the oil was leaking. It continued to leak even though it wasn't running so I knew it was a below oil level leak. I drained the oil/gas and called the seller expecting to exchange it. Of course they recommended that I follow the manual and call the mfg. which I had already done. On the third day of calling the seller and demanding to talk to a supervisor, and demanding an exchange for one that functioned properly without leaking oil, he finally told me they were out of stock and didn't know when they would be restocked and offered a refund of the full purchase price. I took his offer and ask him how he wanted me to handle the return S&H. His reply surprised me. They didn't want it back and he asked me if I would dispose of it. Sure I would! I think he had an idea what the problem was and it wasn't worth it for them to pay return S&H, repair cost, and then having to sell it as refurbished for a reduced price. I was sure that with a little time I could determine the cause of the leak and possibly fix the problem. I was unable to see from where the oil was leaking without removing the generator from the frame so that's what I did. It appeared that the oil was coming from under the front motor mount so I removed both motor mounts. I still couldn't tell exactly where the oil was coming from. I cleaned the bottom of the motor and then filled it with transmission fluid (do not run it like this) knowing the red color would be easier to detect. It worked! The oil was coming from a "casted in hole" that could be used for an oil drain in other applications. Manufacturers generally do this a lot so they can use their product for different applications and mounting configurations. They just don't drill the unused casted hole all the way through. The problem was that in the bottom of the hole the aluminum was so thin that there was porosity in the aluminum casting. The oil was leaking right through the casting bottom even though no flaw was visible. An easy fix for anyone who knows their way around tools and procedures. I had to find the proper size tap and put threads in the casted hole as the mfg. would have done for a bottom oil drain. You must use a flush mount plug for this because the front motor mount fits against the bottom of the motor casting. I also used sealant because I knew I would never need to remove it. I filled it with oil and major problem solved! Now for the hard starting issue. You must be really careful with this one because the recoil starter cage is plastic. I really wish they would have spent a few more cents and made it of metal. The manual will tell you not to pull the starter rope all the way out. This is because you will pull the plastic recoil starter housing right off the motor. If you are a big person with long arms this will be a challenge. I've read many complaints where this has happened. There is a seller on ebay that has sold many of these for parts/repair, and all are missing the recoil starter. No doubt broken by over pulling the starter rope. Remember, it takes several quick, healthy pulls to start this thing. It feels to me like the compression should be a little higher so I pulled the valve cover to check the valve clearance. It was correct but I was surprised at how weak the valve springs are and I suspect the valves are not seating 100% on this one. This would account for being hard to start and lack of power which I will address later. I removed the spark plug and checked the gap. Too close! Only .020" which would result in a reduced spark. Should be around 0.030". I gapped the plug and tried it again. Not much improvement but I really didn't like the cheap plug that came with it so I went to the auto parts store and purchased a quality branded plug. This helped greatly! It starts with about half the pulls as before. Although it still doesn't start as easily as it should, this was a big improvement. Now for the load test. The mfg. description claims 1500 watts running load but that is a stretch for this one. No load voltage is 109 volts = OK. With 500 watts resistive load, it went to about 120 volts = very good. With 1000 watts resistive load, it was about 117 volts = perfect! When I added another 500 watts for a total of 1500 watts the engine strained just to keep running and the voltage dropped to 98 - 99 volts = too low. I reduced the resistive load to 1350 watts and the voltage came back up to about 109 volts = OK. It's only fair to say that other units that are running properly just might run at the claimed 1500 watts. As I stated above, I suspect the valves may not be seating 100% on this one which would account for the strain the little engine was in at 1500 watts. Anyway, this is all that I need so it works for me. Don't bother with the 92+ octane gas as the manual recommends. I tested 87 octane gas and 93 octane gas and could tell no difference, with or without a load, in the performance or voltage. At about 100 hours the sheet metal shield on the muffler fell off leaving three ¼" holes in the muffler where the shield was spot welded to the muffler. Not a big problem but a little more noise. For me the shield is not necessary anyway. The muffler is tucked well inside the frame and you would really have to be trying to get burned by it. If the additional noise bothers you just do what I did. Go back to the auto parts store and buy some muffler patch putty. Just smear it over the small holes and let it cure as per instructions. It can be sanded and painted with high temp. paint after it cures if you want. After about four months the fuel line developed a crack and started leaking. I replaced it with quality 3/16" fuel line and added an in-line filter. I switched to full synthetic oil after about 30 hours of operation so the engine should last a long time. One other note; once I put it under a 1000+ watt load the engine started working harder and developed more vibration. If the generator is setting on a smooth surface, it will start walking away caused by the added vibration. The cheap, clip-on vibration pads just don't work. Cut a piece of old carpet padding (18" X 18") and set the generator on it. I've put about 200 hours on this little unit and it still runs fine. All in all, after about $25.00 for parts/supplies, and eight hours of troubleshooting and labor, I have exactly what I want and I'm happy with it now. I believe it will now run reliably for many years of moderate use. I'm sorry this is a bit long but I hope this has helped someone.
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Posted: Dec 12 2008
I had some reservations about purchasing this item after reading some of the negative reviews but the very competive price convinced me to give it a try. When it arrived I tightened all the bolts first, however none of them seemed too loose. After filling it was fuel, I attempted to start it. After about 30 pulls on the starter I removed the spark plug to see if the fuel was gettint that far, which it was. I replaced the plug and after about another 5 pulls it started. It seemed to take forever to warm up and I had to gradually make choke adjustments to keep it running until it finally ran without the choke assist. I tested it on my RV and it ran everything I needed while charging the battery. It did not run the A/C but that is not a problem for me. Since the initial start up difficulties it has started everytime for me with one or two pulls, and I have not needed to make the choke adjustments as I did the first time. I have also used it for several power tools and it worked great. I do not know how it will work over several years but I am very satisfied with my initial experience.
