Harbor Freight Generator

I think he's going to be pleased. He just happened to mention HF having a gen for a really good price and since we'd just had the Christmas budget discussion, this fit right in. There had been a possibility of us dry camping just one weekend and this likely could serve the purpose if we ever did that...but not likely to happen. The plans for this year changed and we're back to FHU. Beats the heck out of hauling the big contractor size gen.

Good point about the frig/freezer/whatever during power outages. Our little area is not considered a high priority...we're sorta out near the boonies....and last time it was 10 days. Between the 2 gens, we should be good.

My small 79 dollar kept my freezer going in my garage when the power went out for 3 days. Didn't do anything else, but saved my food!

I ran races at an R/C dirt track with no power available for years. We used a couple of small generators over the years for powering all the electronics / PA system and even let attendees plu in ot charge their batteries for the R/C's. The 2 generators (first one destroyed after 2 years when someone gassed it up while hot and ste it on fire) where both the cheapest units we could find using straight gas (not gas / oil mix) and ran for 12 to 16 hrs each weekend. They no-name brands and where loud, but they where 1200 / 1500 watts and only cost around 100 / 125 bucks each, 1 from Tractor Supply, the other from Pep-Boys auto parts. Point being, there's cheap enough and good enough, while still easy to use generators out there -- expense mostly seems to come from making them most fuel efficient and quiet.

Well, I spent the $89 for the HF gen on tent sale. Spent a few minutes talking to an employee and, of course, he had nothing bad to say. But, DH has bought several things from HF and the only problem he had was an electric gauge "thingy", whatever it does is not part of my job description, and it did go south. It was out of warranty period, but he took it back anyway, just to see if maybe he'd get lucky. Bingo! Can't complain about them replacing something that is out of warranty for sure. Since several have mentioned the spark plug that is included leaves much to be desired, I will get one for his stocking. I think for his purposes, it'll do a good job, is a handy size that will fit easily into his RC trailer and I think he'll be happy.

Before reminding me how good the Honda gens are, remember that we had one years ago and it was great and was our fault it died so early. But to charge a battery for charging other batteries for his RC, several hundred dollars or more is overkill. If he has problems, the receipt is tucked safely away and he can drive 10 miles and get it resolved. Thanks for all the input and hope for those grins, as predicted.

CaveRun wrote:

bcsslc wrote:
I'll make you an offer you can't refuse. ... I'll pay you $88.00 dollars to not by that generator.

Hey,

I was thinking about buying that generator too!... You can also pay me! :B

''IF'' the generator is loud, you can make a generator or any other small engine quieter just by adding a piece of pipe.

I was going to buy 6 of the HF gennies. You owe me $528.00.

BurbMan wrote:

TNGW1500SE wrote:
Rules for harbor freight purchase:

Never buy anything electrical

Never buy anything that you depend on.

Only buy stuff that you could lose leaving the store and not care.

Not true, I have several HF power tools that work fine when I need them, like my portable band saw and oscillating saw. Of course they don't the same workout that my DeWalt stuff gets...

I am also a fan of their Pittsburgh hand tools. You can put them side by side with Husky, Kobalt and Craftsman and they will go toe to toe for quality and durability.

I've got a set of the HF Chromoly Impact Sockets, 1/2" drive and they work fine. Gonna get the metric set soon too. For $19.95 you can't beat 'em.

I'm neutral on the ET800 Yamaha clone (yes, the original design was by Yamaha, back in the 1970s, an offshoot from their ET1200 one.) This model was designed when sensitive electronics were the last thing on engineers' minds, and they were wanting something that could power a pump, keep a light bulb on, or some other tasks in the field.

The good:

Cheap.
Fairly easy to maintain. Use the cup that comes with the gas cap, and don't drink either liquid being mixed.
Decent service life.

The bad:
Usually the included spark plug is bad and needs pulled straight off.
Needs a precise break-in regimen.
The carb is delicate and will plug up quickly unless fogged or run often.
It is not extremely loud, but it is noticeable. However, if you put it in a ventilated (but yet sound-resistant) box, the noise can be dampened quite a bit.

The ugly:
The power from this thing is dirty. Very dirty. There is little to no voltage regulation on this thing, the crankshaft pretty much gives what is coming through the wire. Add a load or drop a load, expect a spike up to 160 volts (as per various YouTube videos), until the governor action can get the speed back to normal.
This isn't a 1000 watt generator. Nor is it a 1200 watt model. It is an 800 watt generator and gets very unhappy when loaded past that.

What would I use this for? If I had a RV Chalet or a vacation house, I'd have one of these fogged and ready to go as a backup of a backup. However, just a couple C-notes more can get me a known, good, voltage-regulated Champion. A couple more, and I have a quality inverter generator from Champion that I know will give clean power. Generators are not really something I want to cheap out on. I'd rather spend a bit more and get something that I know will be able to do the job. Doesn't have to be a Honda or Yamaha, but at least a name brand like Champion.

Bumpyroad wrote:
unfortunately, copies don't work. :)
there were some 25% off coupons for a little while.
bumpy

Yeah, they work, bumpy.

Just save the image to your computer and print it off.

I've been getting the 20% off coupons every month for 3 years, and I have shared them all over the internet! :)

unfortunately, copies don't work. :)
there were some 25% off coupons for a little while.
bumpy

BurbMan wrote:

I am also a fan of their Pittsburgh hand tools. You can put them side by side with Husky, Kobalt and Craftsman and they will go toe to toe for quality and durability.

Yeah, I have several sets of the Pittsburgh big wrenches and have a few Pittsburgh torque wrenches.

They're just as good as the Craftsman set I have, but cost less!

Here everyone!... Go to Harbor Freight and spend it all! :B




If ya need more, let me know next month!