Generators Reviews

The unit failed after I owned it only five weeks. I was only actually used it a few times for short durations. I tried to use it one day and the fault light was illuminated and no ac power was coming out of the outlets. I returned it for repair or replacement 3 weeks ago after receiving a RMA number. I contacted Xantrex and they say they don't know anything about it, and the RMA number is not in there system. The customer support is impossible to get on the phone, and email support takes days to get back to you. They do offer to sell you another unit for 40% off though instead of sending me a replacement.

I needed a powerful but sealed power-pack (sealed battery + converter) for poolside use, to power a large 110-volt karaoke machine for five hours a day. The Xatrex 1500 is the only power-pack I've found that meets this requirement.

It was a pleasant surprise to find that the wheels have rubber rather than (noisy) plastic treads.

The first 1500 stopped working with a bang after two hours. When I phoned the Xantrex company, the technician I soon was talking to quickly concluded that my 1500 had malfunctioned and recommended that I return it. I was pleased with this candor. The second 1500 has worked for about a month now.

Not obvious is that the 1500 has a small storage cabinet, in which I store an extension cord.

Both 1500s arrived undamaged. A disclaimer is that I bought my 1500s from costo-dot-comm, which is relevant because perhaps Costco uses different packaging for shipping.

The "large karaoke machine" is a MegaStar CM-K1100, and its average draw has been 30-something watts.

I wanted a backup power supply to run the sump pump in my basement after spending big bucks on basement repairs and to prevent another flood. What good does the sump pump do when there is no power to run it if the electricity goes out after a heavy storm or wind storm? I got this Xantrex Xpower 1500 and also an automatic relay switch from www.tekrispower.com. Now I'm covered if the regular power supply goes out as the Xantrex automatically kicks in using the automatic relay switch and I don't have to worry about the sump pump not working and the basement flooding again. It's a heavy piece because of the batteries, but it works extremely well for my purposes.

I bought two of these hoping to save some energy. After five months, one radio would work using only the ac adaptor. Nothing would happen if I cranked it or put it in the sun. Since it was still under warranty, I sent it back to Freeplay. They never answered. The second radio lasted fifteen months. ...

Not a bad radio....does what it says...works on solar but needs cranked when sun goes behind a cloud. The only problem I have with it is when used in a moving vehicle turning corners the reception goes in and out. Would be great for the beach.

The reception and sound are good for a portable. This may be the only windup radio which does not have rechargable batteries. Rechargable batteries give longer playing time but need to be replaced eventually.
My only complaint is the gear noise. The sound is constantly annoying unless the volume is turned up more than halfway.
Most modern gadgets are marvels of miniaturization compared with this radio. The Freeplay FPR2SC in clear plastic resembles the electronics kits sold as education toys, but that is part of its appeal.
Other than the gear noise, the design is good in general if bulk is not a consideration. The gears hunt with a period of about 1 second. The gears almost stop with each cycle. The grating noise comes when the gears spin fast. The belt wheels are wobbely, but don not appear to be the cause of the hunting. The hunting is likely due to the electrical generator control.

This is a great small angle grinder. It has plenty of power and the three position handle is an advantage in certain situations over two position models. The only reason I give it 3 stars instead of 5 is the safety switch. It is a pain to operate out of the box. I had to file it down to use it, now it works fine. Milwaukee has a similar switch on their small angle grinders that is just as effective and works much smoother. I would not buy this grinder again because off the switch. A safety switch should be an aid to the user, not a hindrance.

As others have mentioned, the switch lock is not the best design, particularly when using heavy gloves, so it lost a star.
After several years of ownership, I felt the need to comment on the durability of this product.
I have absolutely beaten on this tool, and it continues to function perfectly.
I has been dropped, soaked, buried in the dirt, stalled out repeatedly, overloaded, and exposed to every kind of abrasive dust there is. Honestly, it no longer owes me anything at this point, but it just keeps going and going...
I would buy one again, but I may never need to.

Bought this grinder and never knew how many uses I would find for it. I beat it up and it keeps going! Well worth the $ - good value.

I've been using this generator for one year without any problems. In the field, it powers delicate gear like mole and kino lights for video production, which require clean power.

Starts easy, runs quiet.

When I started shopping for generators I had two different goals in mind:

1) I wanted to be able to take it along with me to power a variety of equipment, which would include photo strobes and other potentially sensitive equipment.

2) I wanted to have a limited home backup system, to power a medium-sized refrigerator and a few lights during a sustained power outage. Air conditioning is not a necessity and the fact that all heating appliances are gas-powered means that 220v and other high-power applications were not a consideration.

The first use demands a voltage stablized and preferably an inverter-type generator because the photo and lighting equipment is sensitive to this stuff. It also requires a unit that is light and compact enough to fit in the back of my car. The second use demands at least 2000w of available power and preferably a bit more.

In looking around, I found several options, including the Honda EU2000i and EU3000i and the Yamaha EF2400is, EF30is EF2800ic and YG2800ic. The latter two are pretty much the same model with minor feature differences. All the others are much "prettier" packages, but that was pretty irrelevant to me. The 3000w models from both companies are much heavier in part due to the inclusion of an unnecessary electric starter and battery. The Yamaha EF2400is is an attractive and "fashionable" unit but is actually heavier than the more powerful 2800w Yamaha generators. The 2000w Honda is a really neat and compact unit, but with only 1600w continuous, it's a bit of a weakling for even bare-bones home backup. If my sole use was for portable applications, the Honda would probably be the one.

A note about all generators is that they all rate themselves by available "peak" power, but the maximum continuous power is usually lower. You don't want to cut it too close.

I chose the YG2800 Yamaha (advertised as an "industrial") generator over the "consumer" EF2800 because I got a better deal on it. The heavier duty frame and ground fault interrupt were not major factors, though I don't mind having them.

I have been very pleased with the unit. While it is definitely bare-bones in it's styling, that fact also makes it quite easy to service. To date, my "service" has included one oil change and that's it. The bare-bones styling does make it relatively lightweight and compact when compared even to Yamaha's 2400w model, but apparently at the cost of a little bit of noise.

Nonetheless, I found this unit to be very quiet in normal use. This week we've had two blackouts in my area, and while neither one of them went on for long enough to really justify hooking things up, I decided to power it up and experiement a bit. With the refrigerator, a laptop computer, my cable modem and a few lightbulbs connected to the generator, it still purred along, with only a momentary increase in speed and sound level when the refrigerator's compressor kicked in.

I do not have this generator wired into my home in any way. I have a few long 15A extension cords around and run one to the refrigerator and another to the center of my living area where I can plug the other stuff into it. For my relatively modest townhome that is all I need.

In the field, this generator is also quite pleasant to work with. It purrs away in the background, powering a 2000w/s Dynalite power pack and a few other minor accessories. I'm shooting stills so sound is not much of an issue, but I think it would probably be OK for video too. A 100' extension cord would get it far enough away to isolate the event being filmed from the generator noise. It's that quiet.

All-in-all, I'm happy. This is a great generator for portable use or very limited home backup, and probably would be great for camping/RV use as well. It's not a full-blown home backup system and does not claim to be. For its intended purpose, it's fantastic.

You know what, I just don't get it. Why on earth would anyone spend over a thousand dollars on something without really knowing what they were getting.

You have the first reviewer that complained about not being informed about the need for a transfer switch. Well, I hate to say it, but you don't NEED a transfer switch. You only need a transfer switch if you want to connect it to your home's breaker panel. You must do that regardless of generator in order to meet the latest code standards. You could just as easily run extension cords. They also mentioned about not knowing the NEMA code for the locking plug. Off the top of my head, I believe I was told it was a NEMA L5-30. Funny, I was able to get the information. A quick call to Yamaha would have answered the question.

Then you have the person that complained about the generator not being 240V. First, no where do the specs read that it outputs 240V; it only specifies 120V. Second, the NEMA L5-30 is only for 120V up to a maximum of 30 amps. Third, you could always hardwire a cable from the transfer switch to a male plug for the generator. That's just one solution . . . there are others. Fourth, I clearly read on the website that Amazon would not accept returns.

I would agree that providing a manual online would be nice, but dinging Amazon or Yamaha for an individual's failure to adequately research a purchase is not the fault of Amazon or Yamaha. I called Yamaha with questions and they gladly answered.

All I'm saying is be fair with your review.

This unit is NOT A GENERATOR - it's a BATTERY. You can charge it up, and use the power later. Don't be confused at the name.

This storage battery is pretty good. I am using it right now to run my laptop computer. It is reasonably quiet, all you hear is a small fan blowing air, not the usual buzzing noise of an inverter. The battery performs as promised and is reliable. The only drawback I noticed is the awkward DC charging system which uses the output of your car's cigarette lighter - if you forget to disconnect the charging cable when you stop for gas or whatever, then you undo some of the charging already accomplished. My battery takes 32 hours to recharge from an electrical outlet. Now I see they are advertising only 10 hours to recharge.

I was looking for a good but enxspensive generater to buy for house and card. Well after looking found this generator at amazon. Read about and thought this could be just what I am looking for. I purchased this generator over 4 months ago and felt now would be a good time to write a review. This works great. I had to jump a car and (following the instructions) the car came to life. It also has a light that comes with the unit. This has been proving very helpful at times. It also has a magnet so you don't have to hold the light just stick it on a metal part and hands free. It does not take long to charge except when you first open the box. It tells you to charge the unit as soon as possible. This helps protect the rechargable battery from becoming damaged. Over all this unit has been great no complaints and thinking about (probably will) purchase the Xantrex 852-1830 C X-power 300c Portable Electonic Generator. This has a built in light, air compressor,along with the jumper cables the same as this one. And it is cheaper. Looks like a good deal. And it is at amazon. Over all, good purchase just keep the unit charged when it needs to be charged to protect the battery.

Being only minimally eletrical, I installed this unit with ease. My only problem was the reach of the supplied PBX, but I safely worked around that. Last summer I used the generator with extension cords for power outages - a real pain compared to the transfer station. This fall, when the low has been 8�, I sleep a bit better knowing that I have easy backup power. I gave my kerosene heaters to my son.

Great product. Easy to install. If you look at the front side of the unit you will see the UL label. Get some reading glasses John from Florida.

Just installed one of these Power Transfer Unit With A Generac 4000XL Generator . Great Installion Manual and Product.

Tool Crip ships this in the Porter Cable box. The box is thin cardboard and so when it arrived the box was almost in pieces. UPS had also dropped the generator and the frame was bent, spark plug was completely broken off, generator mount was bent, they really did a number on this one. Tool Crib was not very responsive in giving me a specific time to pick it back up and could not assure me I would not have the same experience on a re-shipment. I'd buy this item locally and skip Tool Crib given my poor experience with them. No one seemed to care or was concerned about my problem with their poor performance.

Walmart.com sells this generator for $100 less.

For a small (but a little heavy) generator. This little guy powers a construction site of tools without loosing breath. A great addition to any no power area!

This is a fabulous item to have around the house or cabin. No gasoline required, these contain a deep cycle battery and an inverter. Simply leave the Xantrex unit plugged to an outlet or charging on your solar array until needed, and when you need portable power you'll be ready. This model will run a compact fluorescent light or two and a small fan or other essential item until the power is back up. I've used mine many times powering all sorts of electrical things. If your needs are small or you can make do, buy this item, if not go for the 1500 model. It is also great for jumpstarting your car.

I bought the xPOwer a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of the next blackout - but I was almost disappointed that I hadn't had to use it until yesterday!!!

I live in an apartment so a gas generator is not an option. I continued to power a fan (to keep me cool) and my laptop - What an excellent product - I am definately recommending this to all of my friends and co-workers.

The xPower 600 has been perfect for getting me through the rolling blackouts that keep hitting my area. As I work from my apartment, the xPower 600 was able to keep me productive by providing me with power for my desktop computer, printer, and lights for quite a few hours. The best thing...no fuel,fumes, or noise, and my wife is not scared to use it.

This unit gives you 600 watts of AC power, so just make sure that the things you want to run don't add to more than 600 watts. I just leave my unit plugged in when I'm not using it, and it's always ready to go the next day. Very cool. I'm looking forward to bringing this baby camping next week. (The kids need their video games and TV!)

I bought this from Home Depot using a 10% card, this is the one top rated by Consumer Reports, but as usual no longer manufactured by Generac (Briggs and Stratton now makes it) It started first pull, and I ran a compressor, chop saw, and battery charger and the voltage never dropped below 113 volts, except on the compressor surge where it dropped to 109. It is big and bulky, and I would recommend a transfer box if you were going to rely on this, in my case its a true emergency generator so i can run my tools directly to it.
It is loud, even with the silencer, but no more so than a large pressure washer.
When we leave Hurricane gulch in a few years look for it on eBay....

Unit did the job during the short period of power disruption caused by hurricane Jeanne. Started on first pull out of the box and any other time I have started it. It has more than enough power to handle a freezer, two refrigerators, a few lights, fan, and TV. Despite the oversized muffler, it still produces a pretty good amount of noise (thus four stars). But, it sure cost a lot less than a quieter Honda.

I was more than satisfied on this generator as a backup power supply unit. The 5500 running watts along with the 8,500 starting watts more than supplied my needs. During Hurricane Jeanne, I was able to power a 230 volt 12,000 BTU window air conditioner unit along with 2 refridgerators, a 27" television, cable TV, and three lights. I felt the unit could sustain a bigger load since the generator ran for 10 1/2 hrs on the tank of gas. The only time that I was aware that the generator was loading down was when the compressor would kick in on the air conditioner. The built in regulator kept the unit at a sustained output.It was obvious I did not run the unit at full loading. This unit ran for 48 hours during the outage and we expierenced no problems with the unit. It did not use any oil and was extremely reliable.

On unpacking the unit and setting the unit up was a quick and easy matter. The initial start up took two pulls on the recoil start. From that point on, everytime I started the generator (even after it had been off for 4 hours) one pull was all that was needed.

The neighbors advised me on how quiet they thought the unit ran.

The only draw back was that due to the size of the unit, even though it is on wheels, makes it difficult to move around. Most women would never be able to move it around. The wheels set towards the back so the majority of the 180 pounds are situated directly on the front feet. I would have preferred to have the wheels and handle on opposit sides so when you would pull the unit out from under a protective cover (during the rains), you would not have to pull it all the way out to shut it off to refuel it.

Works great but note that this generator is not capable of push button starting. my wife can start the generator with no problem using the pull cord (starts by second pull) but if you need the electric start look else where.

As a remodeling contractor, I've been in the market for a generator that would handle all my power equipment, especially an air compressor, with power to spare, and also something I could count on the recharge my cordless tool batteries. So when I ran into this PC generator at the local building materials supplier and checked it out, it seemed to have everything I was asking for. The one I bought was a reconditioned unit that another contractor had returned, saying that the automatic idle down feature was not working properly. The supplier sent it out for repair, and all it was was a small adjustment in the idle setting and nothing else. I called the repair shop and they confirmed it. I've had it for three months now and have had no problems with it. It starts right up on the first or second pull and goes all day on a tankful. My guys tell me that even with the air compressor, chop saw, recip saw and two wormdrive saws all going, they were getting full power. The manual says 8000 watts of surge power, but the sticker on the generator says that this model has 12,500 watts of surge power, 6500 watts continuous, so I called PC and they told me that 12,500 watts is the correct number for the model currently shipping. My only complaint is how loud this thing runs. They claim 73-76 db, but it seems a lot louder. You'd think that Honda would put a quieter muffler on this 13.0 hp motor, but they didn't. And they don't make a quieter muffler for this motor model. So if you buy this generator and have to work closer than 20 feet from it, put on the ear plugs.

There are so many things to consider when you shop for a generator, especially if you intend to use it to power your home when the electricity goes out. This generator might be a good choice for you, it is a quality generator for it's size and price range. The Honda GX series engine is tops for this type of generator, the brushless alternator design is a must if you want your generator to last any significant amount of time. Also, a plus in my book is that this generator is a TRUE 6500 continuous watts - be careful because many generators list their SURGE wattage as the primary number.

Of course, that means first consider how much power you will need. I live in the country, I run a well pump, I have electric hot water, I need at least this big a generator... in fact probably bigger since I have electric heat or more. Decide what you want to run before hand and talk with your family to set expectations and requirements... you could save yourself money. I bought a generator with twice the power of this one, and not surprisingly, more than twice as expensive... as power goes up on a generator, price goes up even moreso.

Second, consider quality. If you are prone to prolonged outages, you can run up the hours pretty quickly. For a backup generator used a moderate amount, a Honda gx series engine ( like the one featured on this generator) is just what the doctor ordered. But if you are going to run very very often, or use it as a primary power source, you are going to want a (much more expensive) liquid-cooled model, either diesel, gasoline, propane, etc.

Which leads to another consideration: the fuel. A gasoline generator is great and the easiest to buy because of their predominance on the market, in fact my generator is gasoline powered. But consider where you will get gasoline from if it is a major blackout, since storing large amounts of gasoline is neither safe nor wise, and in many cases not even legal. Knowing a close by gas station that has it's own backup power would come in handy. But consider other fuels that are more easily stored in bulk - diesel, or propane. of course, that makes the generator more expensive, and of course you might also have to add a propane tank - even MORE expense.

Which leads nicely into a discussion of budget. Besides the generator itself, count on more expense for things like plugs/cables for the generator, a battery if it is needed, even in many cases - motor oil! And the most significant expense beside the generator itself - the transfer panel to wire it your house safely, and the cost of hiring an electrician to do the wiring, unless you are VERY comfortable with tapping into your home's power supply and messing about yourself. And note that the more powerful a generator, the more costly the transfer switch and cables to carry the power to your house, and the harder it will be to find the proper components with compatible plugs, etc.

Finally - do NOT forget to read the manual, and to do periodic maintenance and run the generator about once a month to make sure it is in good shape when you need it.