WEN 56200i 2000-Watt Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator, CARB Compliant,Black & Orange

I currently have a Yamaha EF2000is. I saw the WEN on hot deals recently and couldn't pass it up for the price. I could have bought two of these and had change for what I paid for the Yamaha. The reason that I purchased the WEN is that the engine is a Yamaha clone, it's very similar inside, and the wiring diagrams are virtually the same so that I believe I can parallel the two generators. It's made in China, but the Yamaha has a label inside that it's made in China also. Smarter tools also has the Yamaha engine but they lablel theirs "Powered By Yamaha". I don't know if WEN licenses this engine or if it's a knockoff. I'm betting that both units might be made side by side in the same Chinese factory.I've received it and have run it a couple of days and really like it. First of all it's very attractive. Inside it seems to have nearly the quality level of the Yamaha although there are differences. The engine is the same design but it has a dipstick whereas the Yamaha only has a plug. The spark plugs use different size wrenches. The inverter on the Yamaha is cased but the circuit board components are open on the WEN. One thing I like about the Yamaha that's missing on the WEN is the little door that allows you to access the oil fill hole without removing the entire side cover.I oiled it and gassed it and then pulled the starter rope a couple of times slowly. Then I pulled twice and it started. I ran it through several short cycles with varying load and then cooldown to break it in. Then I ran it side by side with the Yamaha testing it with the same loads. I believe the Yamaha is marginally quieter but not by much. When on autothrotte the Yamaha responds to load faster whereas the WEN would blink it's overload lamp for a few seconds while catching up to a 1,500 watt load from idle. But really there seems to be very little difference in the performance or noise levels of the two units. Also the WEN is a couple of pounds heavier.Update 04/01/2017 - A couple of years ago I gave away my Onan generator in my class C motorhome and replaced it with more batteries, a charger/inverter, and solar panels. I boondock always and never hook up. I don't want to start a generator every time I want to use the microwave or make a pot of coffee. I carry the WEN56200 in the coach for when solar isn't enough and I'm not driving enough to charge the battery bank from the vehicle generator. I fire up the WEN and run it at 90% load (I've added a tachometer) for a couple of hours. I never carry extra gas for it as I've never come back from a camping trip where I had used half of it's tank. After a year, the WEN still works great and starts right up every time. My Yamaha EF2000is has been gathering dust in my shop.I ran it several hours yesterday powering a 40 amp battery charger charging the two 12 volt batteries on my big truck. It purred away on 1/4 throttle and you could hardly hear it from 50 feet away.I just received the WEN parallel kit and spent yesterday parallel testing the WEN56200i with my Yamaha EF2000is. Both gensets paralleled with no problems. They shared the load well with almost identical RPMS. Both gensets held a nice steady 60cps standalone or paired. The max that I could load the paralleled gensets was 3,000 watts before the overload light came on the WEN. The Yamaha is just a bit stronger. See the attached picture. Ran them with two 1,500 watt heater at various settings as well as my air compressor. The little known secret is that any brand inverter generator that is parallel capable can be paralleled with any other brand. Honda, Yamaha, WEN, Smarter Tools, Etc.

I bought this several months ago, but only just had a chance to use it this past week while camping, and I couldn't be happier with it. I'll detail my thoughts below in an organized manner.Decision to BuyBefore buying, I compared similar units from Honda and Yamaha. All the units are very similar. All support parallel operation (pairing an identical generator for double the effective power), an Eco mode (throttling down to save fuel when the electrical load is low), and have almost identical panels: 2 3-prong 110v, 2-prong DC, and parallel jacks. The only difference being the WEN panel includes a USB port, which I liked.Physically, they are all very similar (again). The Yamaha is the lightest at 44 pounds (dry), followed by the WEN at 48 pounds, and the Honda at 48 pounds (I saw some specs where it listed 50 pounds, but I'm going off Honda's website specifications). All are approximately the same physical size (dimensions are rounded) WEN: 18"x18"x11", Honda: 20"x17"11", Yamaha: 19"x18"x11", making the WEN the smallest overall and the Honda the largest. But honestly, they are so close in size, it didn't matter to me.I found a great video on YouTube where a guy recorded each in identical circumstances and compared the sound. The Honda seemed the most quiet, but both the Yamaha and the WEN were only marginally louder. If they were not being compared side by side, I doubt most people would notice the difference.That leads us to price, where there is a clear winner: WEN. It's almost half the price of either the Honda or the Yamaha, giving it true bargain status.Given they are so similar, and the WEN includes a USB port, it was an easy decision for me.Criticisms / NegativesThe most common criticism/negative comments is around the filling of the oil. In my opinion, it could be easier, but it's not as big of a deal as some reviewers have stated. The panel comes off fairly easily after removing 3 bolts (they are nice bolts, not cheap ones). I put a rag around the fill port (just in case) and used a funnel with a flexible neck (rather than the included one). It went fine. I did spill a bit, but the rag contained the small mess easily. By the way, there is a reason the oil fill port is positioned like it is: It protects against overfilling (because the excess just runs out). If you follow the instructions, you will be fine.Some reviewers commented on shipping damage.packaging. I had no issues with shipping and/or packaging. Mine arrived in an intact box with absolutely no damage to the unit whatsoever.Other negative reviews involved claims the unit did not output the rated power. I did not place the unit under any significant load, so I can't comment on that (sorry!).What I'm Happy AboutI bought the unit mostly for camping and such, and to have on hand at the house in case of emergency. For the camping aspect, it worked flawlessly. It charged several phones and a tablet simultaneously, in addition to running a small music amplifier (~25 watts), and charging an RV battery. I ran the generator for at least 4 hours a day for 4 days, mostly charging the RV battery and small electronics - all on the single gallon of gas in the tank! I estimate the run time at 16-20 hours with the very minimal load I had on it. This is most excellent and exceeded my expectations. In fact, I may not replace my RV battery, and just use the generator instead.I found the unit to be very quiet overall. If I was within 100 feet or so, I could hear it, but it was not bothersome at all and ran very smoothly with minimal vibration.I also found the unit incredibly easy to start. Open the vent on the gas cap, turn the switch to choke, and it started within 2-3 VERY easy pulls every time. The only exception was the very first time I started it after adding oil, which took several pulls (probably to get the gas into the carb).ConclusionI love this unit and very heartily recommend it. My suggestion is that if you truly need a lot of power, either buy 2 and run them in parallel (which is about the same price as the Honda or Yamaha), or buy a larger generator. I say this NOT because I think the unit can't put out the rated power, but rather because running any generator close to the rated limit is just not a smart idea.

I have this little generator on my camper. dependable, quite, efficient, light and easy to maintain