Buying A CHEAP Generator

[LowGear]

Ryobi?  Quality?

Good Grief.  No wonder China will be the largest economy in the world within 10 years (or 9 days depending).  They buried Japan a couple of months ago.  OK, the earthquake put them two years ahead of schedule.  I do not shop at Harbor Freight because I'm too damned lazy to learn Chinese.

Casey

[BioHazard]

I do not shop at Harbor Freight because I'm too damned lazy to learn Chinese.

Unfortunately they sell the same things as everyone else, it is unavoidable. Pick your favorite brand of tool, it's probably made in china now. The expesnive ones just have more expensive decals and better translated manuals....

[LowGear]

You know I've wondered about my rant for a couple of hours now.  To those that were offended; I apologize.  I had forgotten that watching the news is a bad habit.  Like I don't have a bunch of cheesie tools in my garage.  I have ended up resenting most of them. 

You're absolutely correct about so many things being built in China.  Obviously that's why they're doing so well economically.  Nice stuff costs more no matter where it's manufactured.  The few expensive tools I have are really great servants.  I used to think I was getting better at building or repairing stuff as I've aged but I've come to realize that I'm now using far better quality tools.

Best wishes with your generator dilemma. 

Casey

[BioHazard]

It's interesting really, most of us complain about all the cheap chinese crap these days, but where would we be without it?! I know I wouldn't own seven angle grinders. Or 10-15 drills. Or an extra hammer to keep on every workbench. I just couldn't afford it. I certainly wouldn't have specialty tools like an A/C fin straightener, or even a torque wrench..........

Not that Chinese tools don't cause their own problems, I have a HF air compressor that is going back for the FOURTH time now...thank god I bought the warranty for $10. They always give me a new one with a smile...

I do gotta say, I am thoroughly impressed with every chinese engine/generator I have come across to date. What you get for the price is pretty hard to believe, even if it does only last 200 hours. Better than renting......

[Carlb]

here in the northeast we get some pretty big snow storms, many people never service their snow blowers and after a few years they need to buy a new one because they blew up the engines because they never checked/chaged the oil. i have picked up many a 3 to 4 year old snow blower for less than 50 dollars with a bad engine and the people in most cases were happy to get any money for their 4 year old junk .

On the snowblowers that were originally 5 or 6hp i use the harbor freight 6.5hp ohv engine and on the larger ones the 11hp harbor freight engines. 

I was ordering online and  getting the 6.5hp engine for 75 dollars delivered to my front door.  I have resold all of these machines (even a few to people i know) and they have performed flawlessly.

I currently have a 26" mid 80's Cub Cadet with a true posi-traction axle that i put one of the 11hp engines on and even 2' of snow is no challenge for this moster.  I suspect that i will keep this one.

I have never had a problem with any of these engines. while they may be honda clones they only cost 1/5 the price or less.

[wiebe]

Some of the clone,s are ok ,the indoor gokartracing track where i work they are worked hard very hard .
When they survyve the first 3 rounds its ok .
Some 5% blows .
But when used with normal tools there ok for the money .
A honda wil survyve longer run somthing better but thats only useful if the tools are used many houre,s a day.

And what is that with no service given by the owner of power tools .
They give a usefull motor a bad name .chekking oil seems the least tot do .
Thats the wy honda put oil allert in there engine,s .

Greetings wiebe.

[LowGear]

How about this for wild and crazy:

Folks buy nice equipment for higher than the cheapest stuff.  Because they've made a bit of an investment they:

1.  Properly store the stuff.
       a.  Run it out of gas.
       b.  Squirt just a bit of oil into the spark plug hole.
       c.  Wrap it up with a garbage bag or two.

You're right.  This is a dream.

       d.  Never Loan Your;
           i.   Guns *
           ii.  Tools
           iii.  Lover
                *  Just in case your stupid enough to to do "b." or "c.".

As you were,

LowGear

[wiebe]

Hihi nice lowgear .

Never loan youre 2stroke tools .
Wy is it that its normal to get a telephone from loaner that the 2 stroke dont work anymore .
Cilinder and piston gone .

[WStayton]

Hi, All!

  I could swear that I posted to this message thread yesterday - maybe I injured something other than my hand?  <grin>

  Anyhow, I made the pilgrimage to the hand treatment center and they were suitably agast/surprised that I had nothing broken - I have been remanded to two more weeks of idleness and given three pages of hand exercises  to do 3 X a day and told to come back in a week. Healing is/was, supposedly, progressing.

  I'm still trying to get some pix that are viewable and look like something other than a multicolor blur, but, so far, no luck

  Thanx everybody for the kind words and rcavictim, please be careful - I'm here to tell you that these things can get "out-of-hand", so to speak!  <smile>

About the change of labels/prices:

  When I worked for Ford there was a battery dealer in Dearborn who would sell you a battery anywhere between 12 months guarantee and 60 months guarantee, and the only differance between them was the label that they stuck on them in the back room!!!  Completely, absolutely, the same battery EXCEPT that the longer guarantee came with a suitably higher price!  Must have been an interesting project to figure out how much to charge for a longer warranty based upon the failure rate!   And, if it works for batteries, it must also work for generators!  <grin>

   Anyhow, thanx again for all the kind words - I AM healing and will be back to normal, or as close thereto as I'll ever be, soon!  <smile>

Regardz,

Wayne Stayton

[LowGear]

Hi Wayne

I could swear that I posted to this message thread yesterday - maybe I injured something other than my hand?

Your confused?  I read it yesterday and asked for photos to substantiate the claim.

About the change of labels/prices:

Water heaters too.  But they don't cover R&R or the trip back to the store for returns or the project not getting completed in the right year or ............... 

I want you to take your hands off the mouse for a minute.  Many products that cost more are better made.  Be careful out there.

When doing heavy loads always pick up the cheapskie cotton or bamboo gloves.  That leather may add $2 to the price.   

Casey

[WStayton]

LowGear:

  About the missing post(s):  Maybe we've both been drinking the same kool-aid?? <grin>

  About the gloves:  I have a perfectly good pair of LEATHER (thank you very much!) gloves that I carry around in my truck - therein lies the problem - I've gotten so used to not using anything that the gloves are just along for the ride!  Also, at the moment, my right hand wouldn't fit into a glove without some serious modification to either the hand or the glove!  <grin>

  At least I can nw look at my bruised and battered hand and laugh - the first couple of days, I was more apt to cry!  <smile>

  Oh, and I'm beginning to almost like the cute Michael-Jackson glove, with no finger tips, that they gave me in rehab - is that a bad sign???

  Again, thanx for the words of concern!

Regardz,

Wayne Stayton

[vdubnut62]

 

  Oh, and I'm beginning to almost like the cute Michael-Jackson glove, with no finger tips, that they gave me in rehab - is that a bad sign???

wayne, it just means that you have some really good pain meds!

Ron