Portable Generator We Don’t Have What You Don’t Need

I have had this for about a month. This is a very high quality unit, nicely designed. I chose it over the Honda Eu2000i because it has a fuel gage and is a hair lighter (2 pounds), and liked the styling better. Specs are so close it’s a tie… the Yamaha unit specs a bit quieter in “eco” throttle but the Honda specs a bit quieter at full power. Prior to this purchase I had bought a Honeywell inverter generator (a much less expensive Chinese-made knock-off) from Costco which I returned, because I was unimpressed with the Honeywell unit’s quality and noise level. While the price difference is major, you get what you pay for in this case. Anyone looking at the cheaper knock-offs should really consider that a 5db increase in noise level is about twice as loud, the way humans perceive it.

The most impressive thing about this unit is how quiet it is. Even at full engine speed you can stand about 6 feet away and have a normal conversation without raising your voice, or talk on a cell phone without undue distraction. It features an “eco” setting which tapers down the engine throttle and noise when full load isn’t required. At half-throttle or less, from about 6 feet away it is about half as loud and amazingly quiet. I used it to run a 50-amp 12v battery charger and at full charge level the charger only required the generator to operate at about half-speed, and when the charger tapered down the charge level to under 30-amps the generator became so quiet I literally forgot about it. It is MUCH quieter than my boat’s inboard diesel engine, and more efficient than running the main engine just to top off the batteries. I also used it to power a heavy duty 120v grinder and it had no problems supplying the needed power, even on electric motor start-up.

I got this mainly for charging our boat’s batteries at anchor but I also wanted the ability to run power tools. The lighter 1000-watt inverter generators could easily handle the charging application but not the more power-hungry tools. Having the extra power also means the eco-throttle will likely kick in earlier and the unit will operate quieter. The number-1 purchase criteria was “quiet” because I don’t want to be distracted by incessant noise or be a bad neighbor in anchorages. The Honeywell was not quiet enough in my opinion.

An appeal to other boaters and to campers: Please don’t settle for “cheap”. Get a better quality inverter-generator unit that’s quieter so you minimize noise pollution in get-away places. (Leave your “contractors generator” at home!!!) Also, please be considerate of neighbors and limit running it to times/places you aren’t as likely to disturb others… and don’t leave your boat or campsite while it runs and runs. We all like our electric conveniences, but if you really need 120v power more or less constantly; you should stay home or get a dock/parking space where you can plug into “the grid”. It’s rude to disturb others who are trying to get away to find some peace and quiet. If generators are abused it will lead to regulations banning them.

Negative: The unit ships without engine oil, so you need to buy a quart of standard 4-stroke engine oil and fill it. You will also need a funnel, and a pan to catch excess oil. There is no dipstick; you need to fill to the level of the bottom of the filler hole until any more runs out. It uses less than 3/4 quart. I think they should have included the required amount of oil, and a plastic filler container with a spout, marked to show the proper amount of oil to use.

Rated 4 out of 5 because does not include cable for DC charging, that seems to me real cheap, having to go and purchase a cable to charge batteries when is setup for it.
Actually the more I think about the angrier I get.
Otherwise Amazon met their end of the deal, prompt shipment, no problems.
Overall is a nice looking unit, started right away and powered my 600 watts microwave oven that installed in my boat without significant drop on motor activity.Plan to have it aboard when cruising to power the oven as well as a backup for the start battery (yes, will have to buy the cord).
Weight is reasonable and does not tax my back, the size is about perfect as it fits right on a cockpit locker.
Will have prefer a Honda but the difference in price is quite significant, as for durability time will tell.

Overall this is a nice little generator but the main purpose of this review is to let people know that this generator DOES NOT HAVE A DC OUTPUT. In reality it does have a DC output but you’re not supposed to use it. The DC output is unregulated which did not pass certain licensing so rather than remove the DC outlet Honeywell decided not to ship or sell a plug that will fit the DC outlet. I think this is a very unprofessional solution and they should do a better job of telling customers what happened. I wasted several hours and trips to multiple hardware stores trying to find a plug for this thing.

I’ve used the generator for about 5 hours now and the thing I notice most is that this is the easiest starting generator that I have ever used. It starts on the first pull every time and has been very reliable. It is a gasoline engine so it is fairly loud but compared to my 5500 Watt portable generator this thing is incredibly quiet.

I have only used the GP3250 once in the 3 months since we bought it as a backup power source for temporary power outages. But that one time alone confirmed my hunch that this unit would be a great low-cost solution for increasingly frequent temporary power outages. Last winter, we probably lost power due to storms at least 3 or 4 times, each time lasting about 2 to 6 hours. I concluded we could do much better than candles and always hoping the power company would do the repairs before our frozen food was ruined. After receiving our GP3250 and preparing it for service, it only took 2 weeks before an unexpected power outage occurred that even forced 2 local school districts to close. I immediately tried starting it, and nothing. Then I opened the fuel value, and after one pull, it ran without a hitch for 4 hours. I alternated 1 power cord between 2 freezers, and another between our satellite TV and computer systems; and most important, I made a pot of coffee from our Mr. Coffee. The unit grunted a little when I made the coffee but worked great, easily powering all those units. With woodstoves for heating air and water, and a few 5-gallon buckets of water for flushing toilets, we now have everything we need to weather the normal outages for under $500.

I received our unit from the shipper with an obvious oil leak through the packing material. I opened it to find the bottle of oil leaking, the choke lever broken off and some other minor dents. I immediately contacted Amazon, and within 10 minutes, they made all the arrangements to pick up the damaged unit and send a replacement unit in one trip by another carrier. Yes I would have preferred the first unit arrived in perfect condition, but I have no complaints after the great job by Amazon making it right.

I purchased this unit due to maneuverability, ease of starting, low oil shutoff, and published run time of 12.5hours. Additionally, I like the idea that I was purchasing something “made in the USA.”

While most of Generac’s units are made in the USA, the smaller units use “generic OHV” engines which they “outsource” which translates to China! Further investigation, after purchase, I discovered that these engines have a plastic camshaft which does not bode well for longevity.

The literature on this indicates 20Amp receptacles, yes they are, however, the breakers which feed them are 13.5A!! e.g. I have a large “side by side” frig/freezer which I will power during outages, it has a startup current of 14.2Amps, then a steady state of 1.2Amps. The GP3250 is able to start it as it has a “surge” capacity which allows the breakers to handle 15.6Amps for a short duration. I had to research and discover ths for myself as Generac tech support was seemingly unaware that their units have a “surge” capacity beyond the stated breaker capacity.

My complaint is that the literature is very misleading. Calling Generac is a waste of time as all they will do is state whatever the manual does-period. Beyond that, “please return the unit to the place of purchase and buy a bigger one.” I purchased this from Amazon and it came by truck. To return it, I’d have to repack and arrange truck pickup and pay freight-would they help me with this as their literature led me to purchase a generator which was potentially too small? “ABSOLOUTELY NOT!”

If you’re shopping for a generator, do a realistic assessment of the loads you plan on powering so a realistic evaluation can be made.

Realistically I suppose this is a fair value for the $$$. It is easy starting, very quiet, and runs a long time on a tank (4 Gal.) of gas. Longevity of a chinese built engine with a plastic camshaft is of concern. The “cadillac” of portable generators is the Honda. However, they are designed and built to run 24/7 for extended periods and cost 4-6 times as much. My needs for this unit are for emergency power for a duration of 4-7 days every year and a half or so, based on history. Spending $3,000 for something to sit in the barn for years at a time didn’t seem a prudent use of $$. Guess, “you pays your money and takes your chances.” as the old cliche goes.

In conclusion, the literature is misleading, not all generac’s are made in the USA, and I found myself educating their tech support on how the machine actually worked.

Great Generator. Fired Right Up out of the Box. Even comes with adapter to use 30amp RV Plug. Pretty Quite. Nice Muffler.

Was Damaged in shipping just like everyone else says. Took over a month to arrive. only 2 days with FEDEX Amazon took 3.5 weeks to package and ship. Not sure about that???

BUT!!!!!!!

Could not even run air on my RV. This thing should easily handle 30 amps but it is Circuit Brteakered at 13.5amps. Pull more than that off it and you pop the breaker. Whats the use of 3200 -4000 watts if it is breakered at 1500watts???????? I just uped the breaker.

The generator was delivered on the date expected, there was no damage with the exception of a slight dent to a support bar underneath the engine. As noted in previous posts, you will need a long neck oil funnel. After adding oil and gas it started on one pull, it ran smooth and the noise level is less than a lawn mower. My plan is to change the oil after 5 hours and again after 10 hours. The machine looks and works great, time will tell. A volt and hour meter would be nice additions….a great unit for the price.