Posted: 1/26/2026 11:25:36 AM EDT
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Looking at a larger generator for the house. The wen 13000 and the predator 11500 both invertors. Anyone have experience with either? I have two smaller 3500 wen inverters and have never had any problems |
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Originally Posted By staringback05: I believe you're right on the warranty. I think the wen has better features but the cost and warranty is better for the predator There really aren't any videos on either Generators are one of things that you need to work when you absolutely need it to work. If I need a replacement, I know I have a replacement 30 minutes away. With the Wen, it can be days away and or a major hassle. I would rather lose features over the ability to return and replace with ease. |
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I 've never owned one that big, but I have never had a problem with either brand and I run the Wen a LOT. It powers the camper so days of constant use isn't unusual. I probably put 3-400 hours a year on it just on fishing trips alone and I've had it seven years. The only thing I have to be careful about is beach sand in the air filter. |
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Originally Posted By CashOnlyLargeBills: I went with Predator and a store bought warranty. Because when it shits the bed, I can angrily drive to the store and immediately exchange it for a new one. I cannot do that with a Wen. But I thought 2 is 1 1 is 0 So i got 3 wen generators, 2 invertor and 1 regular. Regular one is 7 years old now still fine. Other two are 3 and 1yo and no issues at all. |
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I have a dozen or so WEN power tools. And I've been inside HF a thousand times. In general, WEN and HF are identical quality. They often times are identical tools, just painted different colors. If you are comparing an item from WEN with an item from HF, assume the tools are made by the exact same set of hands with the exact same materials. Use every other thing you want to decide which one to buy. Maybe the WEN version has a feature you want like a farting alarm. Maybe you want to pick HF because they have physical brick and mortar stores so you can do an exchange. Those are the sort of things you should let guide the decision. In this case, the wen has a bigger number on the side. Does everything else in your setup support you even being able to use that higher number? Or is it just a bigger number that will do you zero good in the real world, like the cell phone camera megapixel wars? |
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I have a Yamaha and a Champion 2000 inverter both and both have been fantastic runners and problem free but when they finally bite the dust I'm replacing them with HF Predators. Quite a few friends have them and work the heck out of them with no issues. Besides, Our local HF store is really good about taking care of any issues and replacing items if needed. |
No more geriatric politicians.
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I have a 2k wen, just gave away a 2.2k dual fuel. And just today I got 6800 240 volt inverter dual fuel electric start wen, as in its still in the truck. My dad got one as well. As for warranty my 2k has a minor surge when not loaded, I sent a video to them. They asked for my address and sent me entirely new carb and throttle control no questions asked. The gen now has probably 250 hours on it with the original carb with the minor surging and I have a spare carb setup. I have read about a few that smoked more than they liked and wen swapped em out with no issue. Honestly I would buy either with no issues, but wen has better features and they have what seems like insane shipping. I have never had or heard of anyone having one take longer to arrive than 3 days. The one my dad ordered he ordered last Thursday before the snow and it arrived Saturday. |
"I am gonna laugh my ass off looking out the air vent of the box car watching some of you shot in the head in a ditch when you finally realize it's time to resist." stolen from RR_broccoli
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Originally Posted By Pointman91: And if HF has power and is open. That is along my thoughts as well. When our area has issues, generators go out of stock quickly and take a while to replenish. I don't know what the store policy is for priorities but I would be concerned that sales (online orders) may be prioritized over warranty replacements. So many places tell you that they will take care of you but then make you jump through hoops to for them to do so. When you need a generator then you need a generator. I bought Honda's for that reason. |
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I went with a WEN, BUT my use case is a bit different. I'm only trying to keep my fridge and Starlink going, at most. So I bought a small Wen Dual Fuel generator, and a Pecron power station. I can keep the fridge and Starlink going for 2.5 days, then run the generator for 4 hours and recharge it for another 2.5 days of run time, keeping the Pecron at a 20% SOC or higher. I run the generator on propane just because storing propane is infinitely easier than storing gasoline. I also have 800 watts of solar that i can hook to the Pecron. The last test I did, during hurricane season, I didn't need to run the generator once in over a week, and that was with using the fridge like normal (not being super careful about opening it or anything). |
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