Review of the $79 Harbor Freight Generator.

I used a 20% off coupon, when I caught this unit on sale for $99 dollars. For the record, I bought it as a backup to my 5000watt Coleman 10hp generator.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66619

Here some pics.









Overall I give it 3 out of 5.

Using a Radio Shack sound meter I measured its noise at 72dB at 22ft (specs are 69 dB at 21ft) 3/4 Load. Quiet enough, at the end of a 50ft extension cord.

At idle, the generator sounds like it is missing, put a small load on it 100watt and it smoothes right out.


I would recommend this generator as a backup, or for poor man seeking a little bit of power. I found the unit will stall at about 1000 watts, and the volts spike rapidly at above 850 watts.

Run time is about what they say it will get, four hours at 400 watts (they list 5)

Sticker price is $150 plus tax, no way would I have paid that, but for $79 it’s a fair deal. It would be hard to build one for $79 unless you already had a engine and alternator.

I intend to run it a lot during its 90 day warranty, in order to test it before it’s to late.

For those of you that cannot find it on sale for 99$ and apply the 20% coupon. Here is a coupon for $89.00 I doubt very heavily they would allow you to combine a 20% with it, if anyone trys and it works let me know



***EDIT**

After doing so browsing and photo comparison, I believe this unit is the same as the ETQ model at northentool

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200313480_200313480

160 reviews got it a 4 out of 5.

Although the watts rating on the ETQ is misleading, it will not run 1000watts of stable power.

Awaiting any additional insight....thanks for the post.

I'm a generator idiot. What could you run with this, household items as example....?

not much at the same time, however, a chest freezer/fridge (depending on size). Lights, TV computers, fans...the list goes on.

Thanks.

It's a good tailgating generator - would run a TV and a satellite receiver.

That's a pretty good price for a generator of any size. Almost makes it disposable, though I'm sure shipping ain't cheap.

For $80 I would buy one of these for a battery charger for my eneloops and power tools. I am eventually going to buy a Yamaha 2800, but this would be okay to play around with for the price.

If you buy it online, you pay full price. In order to get sale price and use coupon you have to go to store.

I wouldn't hook up a $700 computer to a $79 generator if i were you.

not if you want to keep your computers hard drive.

Which Harbor Freight and how long are they on sell for? Im in NW FL and hoping you got it in Tallahassee.. For 79.00 is there anything to compair it to? Looks like it would be fine for a little camper.. Thanks

Wish they offered a DC-only version...

800 watts at 14.5 volts would be around 50 amps - perfect for quick-charging deep-cycle batteries...

I have a similar generator. They're great for the money I think. The best part about these cheaper ones is that they don't just cut off at a certain wattage, instead the voltage starts to drop as you pull more current. This makes it great for things that can stand a drop in voltage –– fans, lights, space heaters, etc. If you pull to much they just slow down or dim. I'd get a UPS in between if you want to run anything electronic.

It's designed as a highly-portable construction generator, to run small power tools...

1000W/120V = 8.3 amp load.

It's also, IIRC, a 2-stroke.... Runs oilgas....

The same little genset is also sold by most of the national-chain auto parts stores (Oreilleys, Autozone, etc) under different brands...

Price is usually $90-120 or so...

I called my local store, and they have them in stock, and on sale.
I also printed off one of the 20% off coupons from the link you posted. (Thanks)

I've got a couple of heated water buckets (150w) for the horses, and this would be just the thing to keep in the barn when we lose power.
It's really a pain when their water keeps freezing up.

Central FL, I think the sale runs through Feb 10th.

Compare to these
http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&source=hp&q=two%20stroke%20generator&oq=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wf

Do you think it would run a small (5000 BTU) A/C? I need one for my weekend camper.

I will give it a test once I get my hands on one, it would not start a 11,500 BTU a/c that is in my camper......however, that thing is 20 years old. I could however, run it on high fan

I guess it will all depend on the surge amps, most new 5,000 BTU a/c only run at about 400-600 watts.

Very unlikely. A 5000 BTU A/C will draw over 500 watts while it's running - and probably closer to three times that amount while it's starting. Even if this generator is actually capable of supplying 900 watts for a brief instant, it's not enough.

I may have to get one of these for my remote campsite . Also could benefit for my elec chain saw . I have terrible luck w 2 cycle saws .

My bro had a nice small genny like this but lied to me and sold it . Darn it . Nother story I guess .

Thanks for the heads up !!!

Be sure to check your saw's nameplate first to see how much power or current it draws. Many electric chain saws draw more than 800 watts ( 6.6 amps) - a LOT more in some cases.

Hey, Blackops.
I picked mine up last night. After I got it home and unpacked it, the first thing my wife said was "It's so cute!"
I did a little testing with it today.

Using a kill a watt meter, it maintained a voltage of 122-126.
Frequency held between 61.2 and 62.
This was done with a 250w load.

It started easily, usually with 3 pulls.
It's no honda of course, but it's not as loud as I thought it would be either.

I've got no delusions about the durability or longevity of this unit, but so far, I'm pretty impressed.

Thanks for the heads up!

No Problem,

I have found so many good deals in the Survival Forums as the result of post just like mine, so I am happy to contribute.

I finally got around to reading the majority of the manual and found that the MFG suggest a 25 hour break in period not to exceed 600 watts.

If anyone else buys these, post what you have started with it.

I was able to start the following (separately of course)
a Six amp Circular saw.
5 cubic foot chest freezer
17 cubic foot fridge.
two 500 watt lights
a 1000 watt heater
50amp battery charger
misc small electronics.

I could not start a 11,500 watt rooftop a/c.

If I wanted to use it to spin my electric meter backwards by plugging it into a wall socket, would that work? How much gasoline would you go through to break even on the price of the gen vs. $80 worth of electricity?

WTF?