WEN Model 3500 7HP Generator

After hurricane Sandy, I decided to upgrade my home generator. Not being independently wealthy I had to forgo the whole house automatic turn on generator. I want to power my sump pump, my fridge and my freezer. Anything else is a bonus. I researched generators thoroughly. (or ad nauseum according to my bride.)

My old Coleman generator worked just fine but the gas tank gave me one hour and 15 minutes of run time. Annoying during the day and highly annoying at night, I found my self looking for a generator that had a larger gas tank and a longer run time. This Wen has a 4 gallon tank that claims 11 hours on half load. It seems like a quality build.

The generator comes with a wheel kit which is an added expense in many of the generators in its price range. Assembly was relatively painless. The oil tank is a bit tricky to fill. I spent $2.49 at Kmart to get a flexible spout funnel. I also spent the money to get the synthetic oil. My small engine repair guy says it is worth the extra expense. I filled the oil, put a few ounces of gas in and the generator fired up on the second pull. I was amazed at how long it ran on the minute amount of gasoline I put in it.

The price on this was substantially less than many similar generators. $339.00 with free shipping at Amazon seemed like a steal.

I called customer service and I got a human being without any machine intervention. He was knowledgeable and pleasant. There is also a parts section on the web page for any needed repairs on the generator. WEN appears to be a company that has a positive attitude toward customers.

So this generator is ready to go for the next extended power outage and with any luck I will never have to use it.

FEATURES:

• 7 HP Engine
• 3500 Surge Watts, 3000 Running Watts
• 4–Gallon Fuel Tank
• Low-Oil Automatic Shutdown
• Two 120 Volt Receptacles
• One 240/120 V NEMA L14-30 Receptacle
• Voltage Indicator Lights
• Voltage Selector Switch
• 12VDC Outlet
• Hour Meter
• Wheel Kit
• 2 Year Limited Warranty

If reviewing a product, it may have been received free of charge. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Comments

Samsung FlipShot-ho hum

I just got the Samsung FlipShot aka SCH-U900. If you haven’t noticed by now, I am very family oriented, specifically focused on grandchildren. I frequently lament that I don’t have my camera on me. However, I always have my phone on me. Thusly I wanted a phone with a decent camera. The FlipShot comes close. Samsung claims it is a 3 megapixel camera with flash and zoom. The photos are not what I would consider decent from a digital camera but compared to my last phone/camera, they are much better. The phone has a slot for a micro sd memory card. I popped a 2gb card in there for saving my photos. I have not been able to find a way to default the photos to the memory card. You have to manually move them. I haven’t given up and perhaps in a software upgrade there will be a way to get them to the card without moving them manually. Getting them off of the phone is interesting. If you don’t buy Samsung’s charging/data cable, you can send them to yourself and get them on your pc that way. You ...

Troy-Bilt 2700 PSI 2.3 GPM Gas Pressure Washer Review

Troy-Bilt 2700 PSI 2.3 GPM Gas Pressure Washer Review Item #: 75140 | Model #: 20414 When I started this blog, I assumed I would be only talking tech. Well that led to philosophic musing and then comments on other stuff. I’m not sure where a pressure washer fits but regardless I am writing about it. I was power washing the mildew off the siding and thought the odor was the detergent I was using. When I looked over my shoulder and saw the grey smoke pouring out of the pressure washer, I realized what the odor really was. Considering the age of my venerable electric power washer, I concluded that discretion being the better part of safety and how water and electricity don’t play well, I trashed my old power washer. After much research, I found the Troy-Bilt 20414 was the best bang for the buck I could find. Keep in mind I am a consumer, not some testing house, so I make my purchases based on research and price point. I wanted electric but my boys who participated in the purchase, ...

3D Printing—Way, Way Cool

You may not be familiar with the term 3D printing but I bet you remember the replicator from Star Trek. Well kiddies, it is no longer just science fiction. Replication exists! Analog Science Fiction and Fact had a great article in the November 2008 edition called: “The 3D Train Wreck”. Thomas A. Easton, the author gave a great overview of the future of 3D printing. Simplistically, take your 3 dimensional CAD drawing and print it out on a laser printer that will print layers with some type of raw material. Each layer is adhered to the previous layer until you have a full three dimensional finished product. There are a variety of existing technologies that are doing this right now. Rapid-prototyping in industry is the biggest market right at the moment. Consider how incredibly convenient it would be to fabricate or replicate things right at home. My Polaris pool sweep needed a part yesterday. The part is unavailable, without the part the sweep doesn’t work. The alternative was to buy a...

Book Reviews and Money Saving Tips

Search This Blog