Portable Generator/Black Friday Deal

[RSKY]

SAM's has an 8,000/10,000 watt electric start portable generator for $594 and FREE shipping. The brand is Gentron and it is made in China. Looks like it has the Chinese built Honda clone engine. Pricewise this is a good deal. Does anybody have one of these or know anything about them?

We have a Briggs & Stratton generator now that actually belongs to my son in law. It does not have electric start. I pull my guts out cranking the thing. Starts on second pull every time BUT my wife could never start it. I am being a little morbid here but as we are 63 years old I am looking at things I buy to see if she could use it if I were gone or incapacitated. This really sank in because I am on a 10 pound weight limit for the next four weeks then 20 pounds for three more.

This deals compares favorably with generators from Harbor Freight as far as price. It is hundreds less than anything Home Depot, Lowes, or TSC have. I have learned the hard way and store my equipment only with non ethanol gas in them. I also change the oil and do other maintenance on a regular basis so the upkeep on the 'Chonda' engine does not worry me.

Any information would be appreciated.

RSKY

 

[citytransplant]

We have a Briggs & Stratton generator now that actually belongs to my son in law. It does not have electric start. I pull my guts out cranking the thing. Starts on second pull every time BUT my wife could never start it. I am being a little morbid here but as we are 63 years old I am looking at things I buy to see if she could use it if I were gone or incapacitated. RSKY

Can't answer your question about Gentron, but your post gave me a chuckle because *immediately* prior to heading over to this forum I posted my B&S pull-start generator up for sale on Craigslist for the same exact reasons: I am getting old and it's hard to start, also it's getting old and I'm hard to start. Of course she usually will fire right up when I pull the spark plug and pour a few drops of gasoline in but that's a hassle. I will keep watching this thread as I'm in the market too. Good luck.

 

[goeduck]

SAM's has an 8,000/10,000 watt electric start portable generator for $594 and FREE shipping. The brand is Gentron and it is made in China.........This really sank in because I am on a 10 pound weight limit for the next four weeks then 20 pounds for three more.

I would look at the quality of the power head and its output. I would not want to fry my electronics.

10lbs still gets you quite of bit of good eating

 

[fried1765]

SAM's has an 8,000/10,000 watt electric start portable generator for $594 and FREE shipping. The brand is Gentron and it is made in China. Looks like it has the Chinese built Honda clone engine. Pricewise this is a good deal. Does anybody have one of these or know anything about them?

We have a Briggs & Stratton generator now that actually belongs to my son in law. It does not have electric start. I pull my guts out cranking the thing. Starts on second pull every time BUT my wife could never start it. I am being a little morbid here but as we are 63 years old I am looking at things I buy to see if she could use it if I were gone or incapacitated. This really sank in because I am on a 10 pound weight limit for the next four weeks then 20 pounds for three more.

This deals compares favorably with generators from Harbor Freight as far as price. It is hundreds less than anything Home Depot, Lowes, or TSC have. I have learned the hard way and store my equipment only with non ethanol gas in them. I also change the oil and do other maintenance on a regular basis so the upkeep on the 'Chonda' engine does not worry me.

Any information would be appreciated.

RSKY

Honda EM6500S is a wonderful thing - liquid cooled, twin cyl., ovhd. valve, electric start.
Bought one 25 years ago, when they were just over 1/2 crazy expensive as they are now.
If I were looking today though, I would look hard at a propane fueled generator instead of gasoline.
Propane stores forever!

 

[RSKY]

Honda EM6500S is a wonderful thing - liquid cooled, twin cyl., ovhd. valve, electric start.
Bought one 25 years ago, when they were just over 1/2 crazy expensive as they are now.
If I were looking today though, I would look hard at a propane fueled generator instead of gasoline.
Propane stores forever!

I understand that Honda generators are top of the line BUT..... They are also terribly expensive. The SAM's generator cost me $630 delivered to my front door. It is for emergency use as in the 2009 ice storm when we were out of power for two weeks and had parents, children, and others living with us. I don't need anything fancy, don't want to spend the money for something that may never be used. I need something that will run and power freezers, refrigerators, a couple small heaters, and maybe a TV. A Honda costing five or six thousand dollars would be not very cost effective.

For some reason I have become the go-to person for family emergencies and this purchase is just another preparation for such an instance.

RSKY

 

[RSKY]

And the Gentron was a few pennies less than $630 with taxes and delivery to my home.

RSKY

 

[hr3]

I have a Gentron 6 kw unit and so far love it..

 

[TractorGuy]

I broke down and went with a 10KW continuous diesel this year. Have already logged about 40 hours in outages and man it is nice to have all the power you need during those times.

 

[fried1765]

I understand that Honda generators are top of the line BUT..... They are also terribly expensive. The SAM's generator cost me $630 delivered to my front door. It is for emergency use as in the 2009 ice storm when we were out of power for two weeks and had parents, children, and others living with us. I don't need anything fancy, don't want to spend the money for something that may never be used. I need something that will run and power freezers, refrigerators, a couple small heaters, and maybe a TV. A Honda costing five or six thousand dollars would be not very cost effective.

For some reason I have become the go-to person for family emergencies and this purchase is just another preparation for such an instance.

RSKY

Your Honda price estimate (EM6500S) is a bit off.
Not "Five or six thousand dollars".
Can be bought on line (free shipping & no tax) For $2699.
Still not cheap, but no where near 5 or 6 K.

 

[3930dave]

OP - don't know anything about that brand. What I have heard plenty of good things about is HF's Predator line (Honda clone). I'm keeping them in mind for budget engines/generators.....

875 Max Starting/7 Running Watts, 13 HP (42cc) Generator EPA III with GFCI Outlet Protection

7kw still runs a lot. Is electric start, but says battery not included. Allow $50 for battery, another $50 for delivery, and it's about the same price as Sams. Has 120/240 VAC, 12 VDC outputs, and GFCI outlets.

Should be lots of reviews to read, at the above link. HF sells those Predator engines separately, as general purpose replacement engines. (Meaning, more engine reviews to read if you want.....).

Esp. on generators, for around the same money, I'd want to go with the better established brand.:2cents: (Edit - also like that HF can supply replacement parts).

Rgds, D.

 

[Oldpath05]

Amazon.com: Gentron Portable Gas Generator with Electric Push Start, 8, Running Watts, 1, Peak Watts: Garden & Outdoor <<<This one I presume.
Buying a generator at Sam's sounds ok to me as long, if I have a problem with it I can take it back and get my money back like at HD. Buying a Honda is overrated at almost 3k and it's still made in China, sounds to me like 2k is paying for the name. I'd focus more on quiet power and being able to run the essential household stuff.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Buying a Honda is overrated at almost 3k and it's still made in China, sounds to me like 2k is paying for the name.

That just isn't true...

The components that are in the Honda's are of much higher quality, no question about that...

There's a reason everyone compares them selves to Honda...

SR

 

[goeduck]

That just isn't true...

The components that are in the Honda's are of much higher quality, no question about that...

There's a reason everyone compares them selves to Honda...

SR

Agree. I have always felt that I spend less in the long run when buying quality equipment. That said, RSKY indicates the gen will be seldom used so I can understand the attraction.

 

[ShelleyWeals]

Gentron? Never hear of it. But most generators are electric start now.
Mine is hard to pull even without spark plug and I took the thing apart and when I disconnected a plug that leads to the electrical parts it was easy to pull so I plugged back in to see if it was the reason and it was cause when it's not plugged it it turns fine but when I plug that back in it's hard again. I'm assuming there's a clutch of some sort that engages when it starts but is malfunctioning. I'm assuming it's supposed to disengage when stopped and engage after the engine starts. But I still have a diesel genset with cummins which is really big....and big...and big. :mur:My brother gave me beucase he moved to another city.

 

[RSKY]

Your Honda price estimate (EM6500S) is a bit off.
Not "Five or six thousand dollars".
Can be bought on line (free shipping & no tax) For $2699.
Still not cheap, but no where near 5 or 6 K.

I stand corrected. I did look at the Honda website and compared MSRP and there is no comparison. This is an emergency use purchase that may get cranked twice a year for the next ten before being needed and used. If I were going to use it weekly then a Honda or Yamaha would be the brand I would get. As I stated in my original post this is for emergency use.

RSKY

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I guess your idea of "emergency" means something different to you than it does to me.

To ME, "emergency" means I have to DEPEND on it, and that means it better work EVERY time! SO, to me, that means I'm going to spend a little more up front, to up my chances that "that" tool WILL work every time it's an "emergency" and I need it.

I would be more inclined to take a chance and buy a cheaper product if it WASN'T for emergency use!

SR

 

[fried1765]

I stand corrected. I did look at the Honda website and compared MSRP and there is no comparison. This is an emergency use purchase that may get cranked twice a year for the next ten before being needed and used. If I were going to use it weekly then a Honda or Yamaha would be the brand I would get. As I stated in my original post this is for emergency use.

RSKY

I do totally understand your position.
The good news for me, is that I bought my 6500W electric start Honda about 30 years ago, so amortized over 30 years it has not been very expensive. It is incredibly reliable, and delightfully quiet, when compared with others.
I also have a little 2200W (inverter type) Yamaha, which is delightfully quiet.
I have a 3500W Porter Cable too. It is a nice generator, with real Honda engine, but is too loud.

 

[fried1765]

I guess your idea of "emergency" means something different to you than it does to me.

To ME, "emergency" means I have to DEPEND on it, and that means it better work EVERY time! SO, to me, that means I'm going to spend a little more up front, to up my chances that "that" tool WILL work every time it's an "emergency" and I need it.

I would be more inclined to take a chance and buy a cheaper product if it WASN'T for emergency use!

SR

That is EXACTLY the reason I bought the 6500W electric start Honda 30 years ago.
It has been used maybe 10 times in 30 years, and is still TOTALLY reliable!
Prior to the 6500W Honda, I had an 8KW Onan.
The 8KW Onan was 1800RPM, and a real quality unit, but was destroyed in a building fire.

 

[George2615]

OP - don't know anything about that brand. What I have heard plenty of good things about is HF's Predator line (Honda clone). I'm keeping them in mind for budget engines/generators.....

875 Max Starting/7 Running Watts, 13 HP (42cc) Generator EPA III with GFCI Outlet Protection

7kw still runs a lot. Is electric start, but says battery not included. Allow $50 for battery, another $50 for delivery, and it's about the same price as Sams. Has 120/240 VAC, 12 VDC outputs, and GFCI outlets.

Should be lots of reviews to read, at the above link. HF sells those Predator engines separately, as general purpose replacement engines. (Meaning, more engine reviews to read if you want.....).

Esp. on generators, for around the same money, I'd want to go with the better established brand.:2cents: (Edit - also like that HF can supply replacement parts).

Rgds, D.

No experience with Gentron brand but I also heard good things about the Predator brand. In fact, I just bought a Predator 3500W inverter generator on Black Friday for use on my camper. It is electric start and will run my entire camper and it's very quiet. I measured 55-56 db at 23 feet with several apps I downloaded to my phone.
I got there early and there were about 10 people ahead of me. Fortunately most of them were there for the larger 8750W gen. on sale for $529.99 this month. I hope they realize they don't come with the wheel kit or battery but still a great price.

 

[JRobyn]

Esp. on generators, for around the same money, I'd want to go with the better established brand.:2cents: (Edit - also like that HF can supply replacement parts).

Rgds, D.

Since when, (and exactly how) have you ever been able to get any replacement parts for ANYTHING from Harbor Freight???