Customer Reviews

Magna 3000 (2600 Watt) Portable Inverter Generator - New 2011 4th generation, Quite, Lightweight, Portable

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I recieved the generator in a timely and everything was in good shape. The manual was fun to read with the descriptions appearing to be computer translated from Chinese. The generator feels a little tight when starting but a few pumps to the primer bulb seemed to do the trick and it started right up. I used it the first weekend I got it to power my rv, especially the AC unit. It would start the AC if everything else is turned off at the breaker panel and my AC unit was vented for "waterfall". (My deep cycle battery was very low and the converter had to be turned off.) I ran it HARD for two days in a Tennessee field, temps 96 degrees F and 60% humidity, after starting the AC I turned the breakers back on to everything but the microwave (I didn't want to risk it or produce any heat inside the RV). I ran it 6-8 hours a day for two days with no problems. Make sure you don't push the choke handle back too far, it will get stuck behind the rear cover.
It used about 50cc of oil during tha first weekend. this was enough to make it more sensitive to it's being out of level causing the low oil condition to shut it off. ALWAYS BRING THE SPECIAL OIL DISPENER WITH YOU!
The unit ran well during the weekend and if the AC was to finally shutdown, always after dark, we could watch tv and dvd player with plenty of 12 volts items (3 lights, 2 fans, stereo playing to the outside) and the generator would idle down very low and make very little sound.

The first Generator I received was defective - motor would not run consistently. The support concerning this matter was outstanding. The second generator arrived the day of my vacation. It performed as intended, but the Magna 3000W gen will not handle even a newer, 2004 13.2 Unit. with Hard Start installed. So be aware the claims made are somewhat mis-leading per my experience. Overall the unit is cheaper than the Honda EU2000 and appears to be a good choice for the basic RV uses. It's compact and quiet. The lack of a parallel kit option is something to consider if you quest full RV capability. One annoyance is once the over-load trips the only way to re-set the unit output is to shut it off.

First off this unit REQUIRES ALCOHOL FREE GAS!! This can sometimes be hard to find, and with time your only outlet might be marinas. To protect your investment get a dedicated gas can for your generator and mark it . Thanks to my fellow reviewers. I would not have bought this unit without your sage advice. Also Exciting Products did a good job with price, handling and prompt delivery.
Now to the product. Overall construction is good. I did a quick nut, bolt screw tightness test and found no problems. The choke lever will get pushed under the cover if you are not careful. Oiling up is not much of a problem. Just measure out .9 liters to start with and remember the dip stick is read after holding it in the fill hold...not screwed in. I did some comparing to the honda 2000 on engine size and it appears the Magna has plenty of engine to meet the generator needs. The Econo setting is great ffor low steady loads. Really holds the noise down.
With all due respect to my neighbor in Monteagle, the manual is well written and goes into more details than the honda 2000's. A lot of detail on output is included. I wish the full explanation of output was included in the product writeup. Bottom line, for purely resistive loads this unit will produce 3000 watts for 30 minutes and run continuously at 2700 VA. What is confusing it that the manual also states that the AC output at unity pf is 2500 W. Last time I checked VA = Watts at unity (1.0)power factor . So what gives?? As for starting air conditioner with induction motors, I can't help. I will say it runs power tools very well including a 15 amp planer. But it will not start my radial arm saw rated at 12 amps. My guess is the radial is an induction motor and the others are universal (have armature brushes). This confusion is why I rated this product 3 stars. Oh yes. I plan on using this as a primary source of power at my farm office and occasionally on my 26 foot 1993 Bayliner (no A/C) when we go up to Knoxville with the Vol Navy. Good luck to all, and I will check back to see how everyone is doing.

Received unit looks good out of the box but that where it stops.
Electric start works sometimes and not others. The unit will not run with or without a load more than 3 minutes with out cuting out. This unit was a replacement for my honda eu2000 that was stolen. I should have sucked it up and spent the extra money. I guess my next review will be about the service or return policy.... The lesson learned stay with proven products... Now it looks like I will have another weekend blown.

I purchased this unit less than two years ago. Work great at first but started to trip on high current. Was not under a large load. To reset you have to turn the unit off and restart. It will not reset and have been unable to get parts or support to fix the problem. looks like I am out of luck and will by the Honda this time.

This item is made in China by FME Magna.
http://www.asia-hardware.com/xg/ecpzs1.htm

There was slightly used oil in the crankcase and odour of gasoline so don t know whether it was tested or an open box return. The pull cord retracted very slowly for the first few times it was used but eventually sorted itself out.

Low oil shutoff works and you will know this if the unit isn t on level ground.

Econ setting is about 2/3 of normal rpm and runs a touch unevenly. This is good value but only time will tell. Haven t tested the unit with computer or other electronics to say that it produces a clean power.

Worked good for about 4 months. Then crapped out and won't start. Emailed seller but is giving me the runaround.
Don't buy and don't buy from this seller. I will change if they correct this problem.

We purchased this generator about 4 years ago for our camper when the 3000W units first appeared on the market. The generator has been reliable and we have used it on all our camping trips (about 5-6 a year). We have a 13.5 BTU air conditioning unit we wanted to run and also we camp near other people so we wanted to be quiet. In eco mode it is quiet and adjusts throttle as power needs change. When we run our AC we have to take it out of eco mode, which is a little louder. It runs the microwave, lights, and a small TV without any issues but it does struggle when first staring our 2005 AC unit. We sometimes have to try a few times before the AC will catch and run but once it gets going and the AC cycles off and on the generator handles it no problem. When the AC does not catch on the first start up the generator shuts down on overload and we have to restart, which can be inconvenient.

When starting the generator you have to push the gas primer about 30-40 times and it will start on the first pull. It seems like a lot, but I learned that the hard way...on a cold night. I have not noticed any oil consumption but regularly change the oil. I also run a fuel stabilizer because it may be a few months between camping trips.

This is actually my second generator. The first one smoked badly when it ran (especially under power) so I returned it. It was a local purchase from an importer. The guy was also a generator mechanic from the Air Force so he knew how to fix them. I asked about the reliability and he said that a few of the 3000W units had been returned due to electronic board failure, but they were easy to fix. Mine was the first he seen that smoked. He added that if the boards fail it's usually within a couple of months. He did mention that the 2000W units are ultra reliable and had not received any returns so perhaps by now any design issues with the 3000W units have been worked out. In any case, I have not had that problem with mine and it has been running reliable since I picked it up. I only mention this to provide some additional information should you experience something similar.

Bought this last year (2009) to use on our boat after much research. It had been compared favorably to Honda but much cheaper. Used it once on Labor Day weekend, actually did the job but kept sounding like it was ready to die and several times, it did. Earlier in this year we tried to start without any luck. After taking everything apart, got it started but would die after a half hour. Still havent used it this year, but tried again today. Started up and died after 30 minutes and will not restart. Has gas, oil, everything is ship shape but does not work. Now we try to find a dealer? There are none!! And the website that one reviewer here put up that makes this product asia-hardware, is no longer in existence. Save your money!!! Cheaper is not usually better. Lesson learned!!!

I have had this generator for a little over a year. It was advertise as a good generator for campers. It was stated that it would run a 13,000 btu ac unit. During the summer I used it for that purpose. It stopped running. I could not get it started again. I had trouble finding a repair shop that would work on it. I did find someone. They determined that the inverter is not producing power. The repair shop is unable to find repair part for this unit. I have emailed different outlet that sell this item. I either get no response or a response that they don't sell parts just the entire unit. Magna 3000 (2600 Watt) Portable Inverter Generator - New 2011 4th generation, Quite, Lightweight, Portable