Champion Ultralight Portable Generator

This will be a running review and I will update as I discover more about the product. I haven't received any compensation for writing this. The generator I got is a gas-only model with a pull start, 2000 watts peak, 1700 watts continuous. Model 100692. I got this in July 2021, primarily for emergency power backup but also for "boondocking" in my small homebuilt camper (you can see it in the background in some of my pics). I followed the break-in procedure as closely as possible. The generator smoked during the break in, especially when loads were applied or RPM's changed. This prompted me to call customer service, which did not inspire confidence. As others have reported, I waited a long time on hold before I got an answer. When I did, the person on the other end said, "Hello?" It sounded exactly like when I call my son and interrupt his video game session. Awkwardly, I said, "Is this Champion Power Equipment?" He replied in the affirmative and I told him the issue. He said I should continue the break-in period and see if the problem ceased. Which is kinda what I thought I would do anyway, lol. The smoking decreased throughout the 5 hour break-in period, but didn't actually stop until a little after the first oil change. I talked with others who had experience with Champion generators and their experiences were much the same. Now, there's just a little puff upon startup, not uncommon in small engines, which I fully expect to go away altogether soon. One possible factor that may have exacerbated the situation was the oil. The manual calls for 1/2 quart. The included break in oil is 1/2 quart. But, if you actually fill it to 1/2 quart, you will overfill it. I did this both on the break in oil and the replacement oil. Despite measuring carefully, it was too much. Best thing to do is to add a little at a time and use the dipstick. Stay toward the top of the "textured" area of the dipstick, and you'll be right on. I don't know how much at all that might have contributed, but it's easy to do and you need to take care to avoid it. So far, I've used this to run some power tools (an angle grinder that I needed to use out of "extension cord range" of my house) for running a fan as I sat on the front porch (I needed a load during the break-in period) and running my camper for a few hours here and there as I worked in it (it has a 5000 BTU 480 watt AC unit in it, along with some lights and fans). The generator has done admirably for all of those things. When a load is applied, the generator spins up to the appropriate RPM in Eco mode, keeping things quiet as much as possible until then. And it is super quiet in Eco mode. A little louder in full power mode, but not obtrusive at all. From 20-30 feet away, you question whether or not it is even running. I had it hooked to my camper running the AC when I showed it to my neighbor. He thought it was some kind of battery pack and that the small amount of noise was coming from the AC unit itself. That's how quiet it is. I've thrown a few heavier loads at it, probably max 1000 watts total, and it was never a problem. I fully expect to be able to run at least a window unit and possibly my fridge off of it should there be a power failure. Maybe a few LED lights, too. The small footprint and lightweight is great for portability. I can put this, an extra quart of oil and three gallons of gas in a storage tub and haul it in the back of my SUV, no problems. I wouldn't want to carry it far, but just moving it around is not a huge problem. One thing I did was to add an hour meter to it in order to make maintenance easier. There's a ton of these available for cheap on Amazon and they're super easy to install...just run one lead from the back of the meter and coil it around the spark plug wire 5 times, then tie it off with zip ties. I used double stick tape to mount the meter itself, and as shown in the pics, it fits neatly under the cover and out of the way. I ran it for almost an hour like this and it worked great. I'll find some way to make a note of the hours inside the generator so I can keep track of it easily. Stay tuned for more updates.