ETQ Portable Generators Category:

ETQ TG32P12 – Best Basic Portable Generator

by Greg on June 23, 2011

A generator is a much needed appliance in a power hungry world, as the local power company might not have a little socket waiting for you at your favorite camp site. A portable generator is a great choice for outdoor usage, and here we are looking at the ETQ TG32P12.

ETQ TG32P12

ETQ TG32P12

Good for the Money

The ETQ TG32P12 retails for about 400 dollars, and that’s not a bad price for a portable generator, so I picked it up and created myself a little review about it here. I have gone through a large amount of generators, I use them and I recommend them, and I know what makes a good generator, also for what uses exactly.

First for the simple things, this unit comes with a fold able bar handle that drops down and remain out of sight for until you want to haul it somewhere else, this don’t mean much to me but I guess its bonus for those planning more versatility, and referring to mobility you are also provided with wheels typical of any large portable generator. The whole setup, wheel, frame and handles are self assembled, and the nuts and bolts weren’t top grade, they felt like department store offers, those that never have a 100% fit, but nothing much of a concern since it won’t affect your generators performance.

No High Powered Stuff

So now the technicalities that one should be concerned of before buying a generator, the watts produced are 3250, given the two sockets that’s a good amount for about 3 hair dryers going on high, or maybe 30 desktop computers. The 4000 watts highlighted refers to the surge watts produced.

There is no regulator or any sort of converter that can change the volts produced, it’s a standard 120V output, and at its best 33.33 amps over the regular 27.08, so that means you have to start reading the appliances you will be using this on, anything over 30 amp is not recommended just to be safe, but for all your camping needs it should not be a problem (no high powered hair dryers).

Shocking electrical terms aside, let’s give it a run shall we? So after using this I have found so much more to talk about, let’s go through this step by step from the filing of the gasoline.

Simple and Basic

Filling the gasoline is a real no-brainer to be writing about it, well maybe I should state that you should only use gasoline, I pour a little additive to make the engine run better, this also prolongs the life of the engine, and increases efficiency. The pull start is basic, just flip the on switch to “ON” obviously, and pull it like you would a weed whacker, not straight but at an angle that would cause the rope to rub against the hole, and I am always expecting to have to open up the recoil starter to replace the rope thanks to this. There is a low oil shut off function which will cut the generator off when the engine oil runs close to empty, this stops your engine from destroying itself and possibly the entire unit.

The generator is not that loud, it’s a humming sound typical of generators, reminds me of an old AC unit I used to have that makes a rumble and buzzing noise. The oil reservoir for the engine is a pain; you need to use a funnel, not to mention a really narrow and long one at that.

So overall I would say this ETQ TG32P12 generator is a definite buy if you are using it for camping or anything that is “on the go”. A 4 gallon tank will last you more than 13 hours of continuous usage, those who need light in a dim garage, or power tool users who are far from civilization would find this a handy tool.

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