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(More customer reviews)This is the second review I've done on this generator. The first one was somewhat positive, but now that I have more experience with it, I'm doing a re-write:
First, don't be fooled by the name of this generator, there's nothing "American" about it, but these days, what is? However, I do object to the blatant attempt to mislead buyers.
This generator is made by the Jiangdong Co. of China. Jiangdong is a large manufacturer of small engines and they attach those engines to any number of items e.g., pumps, generators etc.
The generator seen here recently underwent a name change from Gentron (still being sold at various outlets e.g. [...]) to 'All Power America'. I suspect this could be a re-branding due to image and on-going customer complaints. I purchased this generator from [...]. As stated above, mine is a Gentron, but it is the exact unit sold here.
First, this generator is shipped in an inferior container. The box that it comes in is literally the same dimensions as the generator itself. Any hit the box may take is transferred directly to the contents with negative results. Mine arrived with a dented panel, but the box showed no signs of damage. By the way, the driver of the delivery truck would not let me inspect the contents ON the truck. I had to remove the box from the truck in order to inspect it. (Once you do that, it cannot go back on the truck. Catch-22.) So, if you see any dent in the box, no matter how small, refuse the delivery.
The dented panel didn't prevent me from testing the generator, so I filled it with oil (they make it clear it has no oil upon delivery), attached a 5-gallon propane bottle and hit the starter. It fired up immediately with no issues. I called the service number (displayed on the generator) and after some unnecessary haggling about the responsibilities of the shipping company, they agreed to send a new panel. It took over 30 days to arrive.
The first thing you notice about this generator is that it is LOUD. If you think you're going to put this in your backyard and power your house during an outage, forget it. Your neighbors will be climbing your back.
Next is the manual. In a word: Terrible. Although it's not rife with 'Chinglish', it is very incomplete and lacks detailed information that an owner requires. Example: No information on spark plug cross-references and no information on how to change the oil. This manual needs a complete review and overhaul by a competent technical writer.
On to more serious problems. I installed this unit in my shop and vented the exhaust outside. I than proceeded to connect it to my 100 gallon shop propane tank. Note: A 5 gallon propane bottle, the one they recommend, will only run this unit for 6 hours. So, you either need to have many of these on hand or connect it to a larger source. Sound reasonable? One would think so. But, I encountered issues with my gas pressure (the generator wouldn't run properly) so I called the service number for advice. Before I continue, a word about the service center. This group (they give no name when they answer the phone) is an independent company that handles warranty and service calls for several manufacturers. As a result, they have little insight to technical questions about this generator and are working from scripts. You know where this is going....
Back to my call. After explaining my issue and asking how much gas pressure the regulator on my generator required to run properly, they could not help me. In a word: clueless. I ended up calling my propane provider for assistance. They installed a higher pressure regulator at my tank which supplied the proper amount of pressure to the generator. After the repair, the generator ran as it should
Another issue: After reading an on-line comment from another user about his factory (Chinese) spark plug failing, I decided to change mine to an NGK or other popular brand. I referred to the user's manual, but no luck. After several confusing calls to the service center I was completely frustrated with their inability to answer even the simplest question. I finally got an answer for an NGK plug. When I bought it, it was obviously the wrong one. I started the process all over again, and was finally told that "after consulting an outside source" they had found the correct plug. (They later admitted to me that their 'source' was the internet.) I bought it and it seems to work correctly. Whether it's the correct heat range or not, I'll never know until it fails. I bought several.
My next problem was the hour meter. This digital meter would not register the amount of time the generator was running. I called (several times with no call back) and finally got a new one delivered. It did not work out of the box. I decided to buy a $35 mechanical unit from Northern Tool. I installed it myself and it worked.
Next, the generator quit and would not restart while in the middle of a 20 minute by-weekly maintenance run (to exercise the unit). I checked everything with no luck. It would start, run for 2 seconds, then quit. Again, several calls to the service department with no call backs. Finally, a live Rep. took my call and advised me to, "Take it to your nearest repair facility." When I asked her where that was, she could not find one. I told her it didn't matter as I had no intention of transporting a 300 pound, still under warranty, generator anywhere. I said I expected someone to pick it up or repair it on site. She then asked me for the serial number, did some research, then said, "Disconnect the yellow wire to the left of the oil fill cap and try to start it." It worked. The yellow wire was to the 'low oil' sensor which was malfunctioning. She said to leave it disconnected, run the generator for awhile, then reconnect it and "it should be fine". This was done, but it still didn't work. She then asked me to provide proof of purchase and she would look for a repair center. To date (one week) I've still not received a call back.
I've had this generator for 6 months and it has only 2.4 hours of run time. In those two hours, I've had 3 issues that required service calls which have been less than satisfactory. As a result of the dubious re-branding, the poor manual, the unacceptable 'after sale' service and the maintenance issues, I've no choice but to rate this generator as unacceptable and I would not recommend it under any circumstances. I'll update this review as my current problems unfold.
Update 12-19-2010: So far, it's still running. I 'exercise' the generator every week for 20 minutes and have used it once for a recent 4 hour outage. It has started and run as it should.
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