Eastern Tools ETQ 1800i Review

[jcarlilesiu]

thanks for the review on the generator. always nice to see first hand experience. to supplement our solar we initially bought a 2 stroke harbor freight generator for 79bucks. after replacing the original plug with the one everyone recommended it starts fairly easily. I use amsoil 2 stroke oil for the mix. still smokes a little on start up but once warm it stops smoking. it is enough to keep the batterys charged up very well. it is noisy but nothing compared to the construction grade generators. we only use it when it is cold so don't have any neighbors then.(we winter camp) we did upgrade this fall to a Westinghouse 2000ixlt. it has specs like the Hondas and is very quiet in eco mode. got it from amazon for 550 bucks. so far it runs very well and will power the little air conditioner in the ar-one. does not start on one pull like a Honda. takes a few pulls. I think it is worth looking at. there really are no reviews on it yet so hopefully as more sell there will be more feedback.

Thanks for the suggestion for additional options.

It's always nice to have a selection to choose from.

[max2bob]

thanks for the review on the generator. always nice to see first hand experience. to supplement our solar we initially bought a 2 stroke harbor freight generator for 79bucks. after replacing the original plug with the one everyone recommended it starts fairly easily. I use amsoil 2 stroke oil for the mix. still smokes a little on start up but once warm it stops smoking. it is enough to keep the batterys charged up very well. it is noisy but nothing compared to the construction grade generators. we only use it when it is cold so don't have any neighbors then.(we winter camp) we did upgrade this fall to a Westinghouse 2000ixlt. it has specs like the Hondas and is very quiet in eco mode. got it from amazon for 550 bucks. so far it runs very well and will power the little air conditioner in the ar-one. does not start on one pull like a Honda. takes a few pulls. I think it is worth looking at. there really are no reviews on it yet so hopefully as more sell there will be more feedback.

[mick]

Hey there ashley.

I am not sure where to buy the Honda, but I think they are readily available.

It looks like if you do a dealer search on Honda's website, there are quite a few in the Atlanta GA area.

http://powerequipment.honda.com/dealer-locator

If you get one, come back and tell us how you like it. They are expensive but look nice.

[camper79]

The Honda is definitely nice.

True. There appears to be quite a few manufacturers entering the market. It will be interesting to see if any other competitors give Honda a run for the money (alot of money that is).

[jcarlilesiu]

The Honda is just too expensive. Its hard to justify it for the few boondocking camping I do.

That is true, it is pricey.

You make a good point though about how often one uses something and if it validates the cost.

Great review!

[mick]

The Honda is just too expensive. Its hard to justify it for the few boondocking camping I do.

[jcarlilesiu]

The Honda is definitely nice. I saw a youtube video about the conversion to propane. I wonder if that is carburetor specific or if that can be done to other brands.

[camper79]

If you could have bought the Honda, and price wasn't an option, would you have bought that instead?

[jcarlilesiu]

Thanks for the review mick.

I have been looking for an affordable solution to charge my batteries when boondocking.

I hope that I can still find one of these. I see that Ryobi is also building a 1800 watt inverter now. That might also be a good fit, but I didn't see the asking price.

[mick]

Generators.

For many, the backbone of dry camping. Before I started camping, I needed to get a generator to power a prolonged power outage (which the electric company was nice enough to notify us about).

I didn't have a lot of money at the time, and basically just needed to power the tanks pumps and heaters for a few days. I found this Eastern Tools ETQ 1800i inverter generator at Menard's for just under $400. It fit the bill.



Reviews are not good on this particular brand. Ill start off by saying that they are fickle regarding the oil and how to get them started. However; with a little knowledge, they work quite well at an affordable price. They offer many of the same features as the Honda, such as an eco mode, and seem to have pretty clean and consistent power. Best of all, they are pretty darn quiet. 58 db at 20 feet at medium throttle.

So... when I first received it, I had a really hard time getting the thing started, and when I did, it would shut down on its own after a few minutes of running. The instruction manual? Forget it. Clearly a "lost in translation" scenario. So I picked up the phone and called the company. The gentleman told me to make sure that the oil level is just right, can't be low or high, or the inverter will shut down. Basically, when the unit is sitting flat, the oil should reach the first or second thread for the oil cap, and thats it. It has to be there.

I emptied a bit of oil from the generator, fired it up, and it purred like a kitten for the next three days.

After the power outage, I decided to keep it on hand for emergencies, and try to start it for 30 minutes or so every month. I was having a really hard time getting the thing to start. I found out that its quite easy to access the air filter by removing the panel screw on the outside. A little squirt of starting fluid, and she fired right up.

I used it this way for a number of years, changing the oil once a year or so. Then, I came across another post by another owner who also discussed the starting problem. According to this poster, you need to pull the pull-cord 3-4 times slowly to prime the carburetor and then give it a "starting" pull. I was doubtful.

I went out to the unit that had been sitting for a month or so, and pulled the string slowly 3 times, gave it a good yank and it came to life!

So... what is my review? Its a good little unit. It is touchy, and you have to learn how to use it. But it really does work great. Change the oil, keep some fuel stabilizer in it, and know how to operate it and it works fantastic at a 1/3rd of the price of the Honda model.

You can still find them online for fairly cheap. As the company went out of business, thats pretty much your only option at this point.

http://www.amazon.com/IN1800I-4-Stroke- ... roduct_top


Let's be clear, I wish I had the Honda or Yamaha. But, I had this thing laying around, and I do in fact recommend it for the budget conscience campers out there.

-Mick