ETQ TG1200 1,200 Watt 2 HP 2-Cycle Gas Powered Portable Generator
by Eastern Tools & Equipment
|
List Price: Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Tools and Hardware Reviews of ETQ TG1200 1,200 Watt 2 HP 2-Cycle Gas Powered Portable Generator
Customer Review: Good unit
Summary: 5 Stars
I thought at one point of trying to get a small engine and an old car alternator to make a small DC generator myself, but when I saw that a unit like this costs less than a small engine alone, I quickly changed my mind. I just got this and have had no problems on receiving it damaged or such. I tried it out and haven't had anything really unexpected. I only added ~1/3 gallon of gas (knowing I didn't want to run it for a real long time), but it ran for about 2 hours on that. I ran a 750W space heater on the 120V circuit for a good part of that time which it handled fine and a small fridge (each of those 1 at a time). I'm not sure I want to even try my full size fridge since the surge draw to start a lot of motors is easily over the 1200W surge limit (and it is rated 1000W continuous, the 1200 is a surge rating). It does run fairly quiet compared to some things with engines, but you'd still have to speak up a bit for someone to hear you while right next to it. It didn't bounce or walk around by itself from the vibrations, so it has been balanced well.
I tried hooking up a small "jump start" battery to the DC connection and found it instantly was raising the voltage to ~18V, so it doesn't have any voltage regulation on that. Since I didn't want to overcharge the battery (which you are doing if you go over ~15V), I connected up a small heater that draws ~8 amps, but that instantly popped the circuit breaker for the DC output on the generator. So it seems you get a choice of allowing it to overcharge your battery or popping the breaker if you try to keep the voltage down by drawing enough power, neither of which are good options. Now to see if I can come up with some way to regulate the voltage and/or allow it to continue to provide some charging even if the battery is getting drained.
Update 10-09: I measured the power draw on my regular fridge and it was at ~2 amps normally, so I went ahead and tried plugging it into this to see if it would work. The generator really seemed to bog down from the surge draw required, but it ran it (and of course bogging down was also partly from the throttle being hardly open to begin with and it needed to open near full to respond to the load, so that takes a second to change). I did intentionally start the fridge with nothing else connected to ensure the full generator capacity could go to starting the motor (which I'd recommend to anyone trying to run a motor from this). I also wired in the sunforce 7 amp solar controller to regulate the voltage for me on the 12V DC connection. That did exactly what I needed to prevent over-charging the battery while letting power thru when running lights & such.
Customer Review: Great Value
Summary: 5 Stars
For the money, it's a great generator. Packaging and shipping is the questionable part. Mine arrived with the bottom of the box nearly falling apart. Also, there's little to no protection for the spark plug sticking out. They should redesign the packaging or have the end user install the spark plug.
Mine started right up after fueling. There is a little measuring cup built into the gas tank cap, so you can put normal gas into the tank and then fill the cup (to the line) with oil and let it mix in the tank.
Initially, I didn't have any voltage (AC or DC) coming out while the generator was running. I noticed a wire and plug was loose behind the choke lever area. Once I plugged that loose wire in, I had voltage. I didn't have to disassemble anything to do this, just reached in with long-nosed pliers and pressed it in.
The first thing I noticed upon starting the generator was how quiet it is. Not as quiet as the 1000 or 2000 Honda, but not bad at all. You can hold a conversation while standing over it. It's quieter than the electric chainsaw or skill saw I plugged into it. With a 50ft extension cord, you can barely hear it running. I equate its sound level to an average small car's engine running at fast idle in the morning. You now its running, but it's not bad at all.
You have to screw the carrying handle onto the gas tank. It comes with two washers to put under the handle. Well, I didn't tighten those screws enough, because once I filled the gas tank and started carrying it around, gas seeped from around those two screws. Once I tightened them (really tight), it all sealed up and didn't leak. So, make sure you tighten those two handle screws really well.
The air filter is really easy to get at, which is nice. Also, the carb has a drain screw, which not all of the cheap generators have. Also, there's a fuel shutoff petcock valve, so I just turn that off and let it run out of fuel when I'm done with it.
Speaking of fuel, I am really impressed with how fuel efficient it is. I ran it for two long afternoons using my electric pole chainsaw (maybe four hours each day) and it only went through 3/4 of a gallon of gas.
Overall, it seems to be built really solid. The only exception is the one 120v electrical outlet. The plastic panel this is mounted to is not secured very well. If you do a lot of plugging and unplugging, I'd recommend a pigtail splitter to leave in place to reduce the wear and tear on the outlet. This is the only negative aspect I could find in the design.
Again, for the money, it's a great deal.
Customer Review: Much better than expected...
Summary: 5 Stars
I was worried to buy this generator after I was reading all the other evaluations... for nothing. It turned out to be a great buy!
Super fast shipping from Amazon - in less than 48 hours in front of my door with super saver shipping (free).
No problem about transport damage - the generator was packed in a heavy and strong box, sitting in a item shaped styrophom casing - safe....
Unpacked, manual consulted, gas and oil filled (super easy), and cranked.
Started at the first stroke! Run for a few seconds rough, then right away very smooth.
I was primarily surprised about the low noise level. It has a low dump sounding and smooth running noise, even on my closed in balcony. I hardly could hear the noise when I just closed the balcony door. Incredible!
The worksmenship looks trustworthy and I believe the generator will hold up - just listening to the smooth engine sound to realize that this engine will hold up some milage.
The fill in lid comes with measuring cap to get the right amount of oil to the gasoline and everything looks like well thought out and easy to handle. Easy for anyone, technical touched or with to left hands super easy and simple.
The instructions are clear and fast understandable - it took about five minutes to get to the start up.
Again, amazing is the low noise level. The mufler does its job, and the strong rubber feet take 100% care of any vibration.
I obviously can not tell if this generator lives for many years in service of construction sites - I live in a hurricane area and need the back up in case we are again for a long period out of electricity (two years ago for two weeks). I am confident that this generator will do a superior job for that purpose. He produces enough power to run a regular fritch to keep things from spoiling, runs a large TV, and charges my computer system, besides providing light. It appears that the frequenz modulation is alright too because I had no problems with electronic equipment.
It also has a 12 Volt hook up and even clamps for battery charging are supplied. Nevertheless, there is only one single receptacle - means you will need a multiple T to hook up more lines. I would also certainly recommend to use a multiple plug in like you use for electronic or computer equipment to avoid damage due to voltage fluctuations - just in case...
Simple to use - good quality - dependable - highly recommendable!
(I am writing all this, because I was lost reading all the other evaluations and like to help making the right decissions)
Customer Review: Everyone should have one of these stashed.
Summary: 5 Stars
Ordered on the 5th arrived on the 8th. Pretty good for free shipping. Arrived in one piece, no breakage. One gas tank capscrew was cross threaded and stuck out a bit. Fortunately, I removed it and carefully started it straight and it went home fine. Gassed it up and gave it a minute to fill the bowl, and it started on the third pull. I think they did a really good job of suppressing all the harsh high frequency sounds, the remaining sound is low frequency exhaust and ball bearing noise. I plugged in my dual 500 watt halogen work light and it took first one 500 watt load, then both, with good governor response. I let it run for about half an hour with one lamp on and checked the noise level in the house. You would need to listen carefully to tell if it was running. It does reek of coil varnish and will sit outside for a couple days for that to dissipate. It runs very smoothly under load for a 2 stroke and seems much happier at 3600 RPM than most of the 4 strokes I've heard. When hot, there is a little spark knock at idle but it runs well altogether. I'll put a scope on it one of these days, but the power should be cleaner than any inverter I can afford.
You wouldn't want to carry it very far, but you wouldn't want to carry most generators at all. And here, where we have snow and slop much of the year, the roll cage with wheels types cease to be portable as soon as it snows.This one can go anyplace on the property or in the car trunk to anywhere. It's too bad they deleted the 12V output, but it should work with a battery charger for that case.
It seems to be jetted a bit on the lean side, actually probably correctly, but without the tweak toward rich usually added to make sure it doesn't starve out when moved. But for this fixed speed, stationary application, that's probably OK and saves a little gas and emission. With the only maintenance item being the spark plug and the air cleaner, they've made this as close to appliance grade as a generator can be. It's still probably not ideal for the totally clueless, but it doesn't take much mechanical savvy to run it. I must say I'm impressed, especially at this price point. 500 hours down the road, I'll be really impressed. If it gets me through one emergency and some utility use, I'd say it's an excellent buy for what it provides.
Customer Review: This one's a keeper!
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought this on Amazon.com for $119.00 with free shipping....the lowest price I could find for this. Plus the free shipping was the clincher.
This is a good machine. Well made and comes in sturdy shipping carton packed in styrofoam. Comes with a small tool set for setup and maintenance, A DC charging harness and the owner's manual which is well laid out and clearly written.
This machine requires a 50:1 fuel mix which translates into 2.5 OZ of oil to 1 gallon of gasoline.
Mixed the fuel and it started right up out of the box. No backfiring, no blue smoke, no nonsense. Just set the choke, open the fuel valve and pull.
So easy a kid could do it.
It weighs 46 lbs and the sound level is acceptable, you can hold a conversation near it, that's for sure!
Keep in mind that this is a basic generator. You get 1 AC outlet and 1 DC outlet. That's it. Strickly no frills but it does it well.
On the AC no load after it stabilized 123VAC @ 60HZ and 18VDC.
Over the course of 1 hour I powered a 250 watt worklight, a 100 watt table lamp, a small refrigerator, a portable B&W TV, a portable AM/FM radio, a 18" box fan and a small space heater.(not all at the same time).
All worked properly with no flickering,voltage fluctuations or noise. A little static on the TV picture and AM radio but still acceptable.
I then connected the TV to the DC output and it performed well there too.
Under load I obtained 120VAC @ 60HZ steady and solid, The DC drops to 14.4 volts under load. You can charge a battery with the included DC wire harness but I have not tried that yet.
Basic and simple for light duty work. And over the course of 1 hour the fuel level hardly dropped.
So what are you waiting for, try it, you'll like it!