Side by Side Comparison of: WEN vs Poulan vs Briggs & Stratton

great product. have used it several times and starts right up. not too loud. good power able to connect multiple devices with no problem.

So far so good I start it every week to make sure it runs . 2 or 3 pulls sparks right up very happy with it bought in case the power goes out to run our fridge. Never had a power outage but plugged some other it into it worked fine . A little noisier than I like but not bad.

Works great, have 20 acre farm and multiple electric devices and output is sufficient enough to operate all of them including the electric mower.

Does exactly what it's supposed to do, whenever I need it. Light enough to be picked up and moved as necessary by one person. Generally used for basic camping, with loads of a few hundred watts maximum. Excellent fuel consumption.

I ordered the WEN 1800 because I wanted a generator that was no heavier than 50-55 pounds, yet one that would be rated at at least 12 amps. I also wanted a generator with US based customer service. At 51 pounds, 12.5 amps, and a toll-free customer service department with US English speaking tech support folks, this generator suited me just fine. The generator arrived well packaged and without any damage. If you follow the instructions regarding keeping the generator level, getting the oil in can be a bit of a hassle. Once I decided to use a long, transmission oil funnel the oil went right in. I measured out 13.5 oz of 30W oil in a measuring cup and that saved some time.I then put in some 87 ethanol-free gas, turned the on-off switch to "on," turned the choke to "start" and turned the fuel shut-off valve to "on." The generator cranked on the 4th pull. I wanted to run it for about 1/2 hour without a load just to get the engine somewhat broken-in. I figured the little bit of gas I put in would run out in about 1/2 hour. Wrong. After about an hour of running, I turned the fuel shut-off value to "off" and let the gas run out of the carb. Once it shut down, I checked the fuel tank and it still had most of the fuel I had put in it. So, I am inclined to go along with the company's claim of 7.5 hours on 1/2 load. While running, the noise level was about what I expected. Not super quiet, but not so loud that you have to raise your voice when talking around it.

By the way, the 30W oil for small engines is in the lawn and garden section at Wal-Mart. Don't look for it in automotive where you normally look for oil. Wal-Mart had one brand of 30W small engine oil that had the SL API service classification - one of the three recommended service classifications referenced in the owners manual.

Be sure to print out your Amazon order details and put them with your owners manual. That will serve as your proof of purchase in the event you need to have any repairs made during the 2-year warranty period.

I also purchased the WEN 56406 cover, but it was way too large for the 1800 generator, While it looks to be very durable and well made, it was simply not made for this generator.

Overall, this is a sweet little generator. I highly recommend it if it meets your power requirements.

UPDATE: Since the Wen 56406 cover didn't work out because it was too large, I decided to try a plastic tote like container. I carefully measured the generator dimensions and went to the store with my tape measure. After measuring a number of containers that looked like they might work, I settled on one that seemed to be the perfect size. It cost $5.47 plus tax. See attached pics. I like the advantage that I can use this container to haul the generator around in my van and the container will keep any oil or fuel from leaking onto the van interior. So far, this is a better "cover" than the Wen 56406.

Wen it arrived the end cap over the generator was very badly bent, other than that it started right up after oil and gas

Awesome little generator. Gets the job done. I typically run it once a month loading it with my deep freezer for a few hours to see how it responds and it does a great job.

Louder than expected but works very well. Certainly would not use in campground or tailgate. Good value for the price!

It's loud sure but not too loud and works like a dream so far for me

This generator performs good for general use. Using it to power all kinds of equipment all with various loads for 4-5 hour runtimes only stopping for brief cool down periods or to refuel. High power draw devices make it chug a little but it works. Sound is loud when close but you should expect it to be. I really recommend getting one of these if you can.

Update:

Had to send in my unit as one day after roughly 3 months it failed to start. It actually had showed signs of failing that day, it wouldn't stay running more than 15 mins then cut off, then less and less time until it would not start. The unit was well maintained, unfortunately all of the troubleshooting couldn't pinpoint the issue and WEN support suggested sending it in. They sent me back a new one and so far it's been running great.

Fuel tank / on/off valve leaked so I sent it back.

I wish I would have bought the next bigger model, when it comes to generators always buy one up, this one will charge the batteries on my camp trailer but wont even run the microwave, it is small and compact but also noisy and puts out Smokey exhaust

Really loud. It's fine if you use it for a short time...will brew your coffee or charge your cell phone. Not for heavy duty stuff

I bought the 1500/1800W generator for use on my sail boat. I wanted to be able to store it below, and run it up on deck. I have a 48v electric drive motor for the boat when it can't sail (about 20 minutes in and out of harbor), and a 15 amp, 48v charger for the battery bank. I run the generator after every sail (about once a week) to top off the batteries.

I was never able to run the generator without at least some choke (even after the warmup period). Each time I run it, it seems to need a little more choke to run. I have always run the carburetor dry after each use. Research tells me the carb needs to be cleaned. I will try removing and cleaning the carb. Since it was like this from the start, I suspect there was something in the gas tank, fuel line, or carb from the factory.

It has done the job I asked, but I have only 2 complaints: 1. The choke problem mentioned above. 2. It's a little louder than I was lead to believe from other reviews.

Oil and gas all over the genarator and packaging. Started up first pull after adding oil, warmed up and let it run this is pretty loud going to build a sound box otherwise my family and neighbors will be up all night and in an emergency situation for survival someone may hear it and steal it.

loud, loud, loud. power output fluctuated greatly in volts and frequency. however, it did run strong.

Came to my house with broken sparkler plug housing. Since the damaged ignition coil attached to the plug was right below the gas tank, decided to return it for safety reason.

Over priced currently. Since I bought mine the price shot up. The power supply gets hot fast. In about 10 minutes touching the generator housing burned my hand. Electrician looked at it and determined the muffler should have a heat shield between generator housing and the muffler. A heat shield was installed and a 12 volt fan blowing fresh air has stopped the overheating The wiring inside the power generator is insulated windings heat can melt it. Hopefully I caught the engineering flaw in time Heat damage may already have shortened its life. Installing a heat shield should have been done at the factory.

Runs good ,but air cleaner housing was cracked.

Loud and string get stuck

Lasted exactly one day on our camping trip. The pull start inexplicably jammed the retractable teeth that grab and engage the gear causing the pull start to move freely which meant no ignition. After fixing that then the 5 cent plastic on off switch literally just disintegrated at its hinge which meant no closed circuit to turn the unit on. Calamity of breakdowns that left us putting the thing together with chewing gum and ducktape to get the thing started. A nightmare in the wilderness for a week.

Will not run and is in repair has only ran 3 times and will not start

it wont operate a livestock blower good enough i would like to send it back

I got a bad one. Ran for about 15 minutes and died. I started it again a few minutes later and it ran for less than 30 seconds before dying again. After that it wouldn't start at all. It seems like quite a few people have had good luck with this particular model while a few ( including me) have not. I've owned a 1850 Powermate for the past 10 years and have never had a problem. I wanted something quieter, a little lighter and one with a spark arrester. The price on this model is really good so I thought I'd give it a try.

Total junk. Bought one for use on a Christmas parade float. Didn't even last the whole hour. Something metal came loose inside the engine and it had to be shut down. The cord wouldn't even pull to start it again.