Champion Power Equipment 2500-Watt Ultralight Portable Dual Fuel Inverter Generator

Update: Had our first power outage since purchasing this generator. Have not cranked it up since break-in. This time it actually started easier than during break-in. Maybe the 5W-30 Full Synthetic oil helped. I connected the propane tank and turned the dial to choke. Pulled the cord quickly 5 times and smelled propane. (This is good since To indicated that the propane has reached the carburetor). Switched the dial to propane and it started first pull. The generator ran for 6 hours powering the security system, one lamp, an LED TV and sound system, cable box and modem, router, computer and monitor, and refrigerator. No problems. The oil level after six hours was unchanged. Again, so far so good.2500 dual fuel portable generator.Today I ran through the break in schedule with a few modifications. A total of six hours on propane. I was expecting a significant amount of metal debris but I was pleasantly surprised.Here was my break-in schedule and results: After adding the included 10W-30 conventional oil, I ran the generator for one hour (after I got it started. More on that later.) alternating between no load and 1/4 load after running on no load for the first 15 minutes. When I emptied the oil, it looked very clean with only a small amount of VERY fine metal dust on the tip of the magnetic dipstick that I had purchased for this generator. I added fresh conventional 10W-30 oil and ran it for two hours alternating between no load, 1/4 load, and 1/3 load. Again emptied the oil. It was still only slightly dirtier than the first change and again only a small amount of metal dust. I added fresh 10W-30 again and ran the generator for three hours alternating between no load, 1/4 load, and 1/2 load. I then drained the oil again. It was considerably dirtier than before but little observable metal debris. Finally I filled the generator with 5W-30 full synthetic oil and ran the generator at 1,500 watts for 30 minutes. No problem. My break in schedule was a little work but I think it will make a difference in performance and longevity in the long run. While maybe a little overkill, for a $6.00 quart of oil and a little time, it was worth it to me. During all the break in, I used the ECO mode for up to 1/3 load and then ran on full throttle for 1/2 load or higher. It ran smoothly in both settings. There was very little oil usage during the break in runs. So far I am very satisfied with this generator so far. I can’t speak to long term reliability.Now to starting: The temp was 75 to 86 degrees with moderately low humidity during the break in period. You will read a number of comments about difficulty in starting the generator on propane and ways to help. They are mostly right except the generator WILL start with a little patience and some elbow grease. After starting the generator for the first time, it was very easy to start after that. Getting it primed is the issue. Some folks indicated that they usually started the generator first on gasoline, then switched to propane. I’m sure this would work but I am trying to use only propane except in an emergency for obvious reasons (No treating the gas then draining before storage. I know first hand how quickly a carburetor can gum up.) I also considered giving the air intake a little spritz of starting fluid but decided against that. Maybe in very cold weather. I’ll have to do some research on that. The trick is to get the propane out of the tank, through the regulator and hose, and into the carburetor. With the dial set on choke I pulled the rope about six times then turned it to propane-nothing. Back to choke and pulled it another six times. This time it fired up after three pulls when I turned to propane. After that when the engine was warm, it started on one or two pulls without choking. I’m a little tired but satisfied. I will have to see how it goes in cold weather. By the way —I’m 76 years old and in terrible shape. If I can start it, most anyone should be able to.Misc: For load testing I used an oil filled type radiator space heater. It allowed settings for 600W, 900W, and 1,500W. I only plan to run the generator continuously on up too 1,500W so these settings were close enough and didn’t require me to keep changing appliances. The generator does not have an hour meter but there is a place inside the service cover that looks like it was made for one. Following the advice of another reviewer, I bought a cheap induction meter on Amazon (Magicalmai) and used a couple of zip ties to secure it in the place I mentioned before. No drilling. Works great. Be sure to wrap the induction wire at least five times around the spark plug wire as close to the plug as possible.I hope that I do not encounter problems with this generator as the other reviews are weighed heavily toward the lauded tech service being awful and beyond useless. Nothing galls me more than calling “expert” tech service and find out that I am speaking to someone in another country whose resources are nothing more than the same owners manual that I have. We’ll see!I guess I can’t offer any more comments at this time but I will come back after I’ve had time to evaluate the generator during actual usage. It’s getting to be storm season here in the southeast followed by winter ice. I’m pretty sure I will need the generator. I wonder if Amazon will post this long review? Hope it is helpful.

I bought this 2 years ago and did not need to use it until May 2025. It worked perfectly. Great for non-experts like me because it had easy to understand instructions and took only a few minutes to get started.I've read other reviews that it is hard to start using propane. I did not have a problem. And on one regular tank it ran our refrigerator and hot water heater for about 30 hours.

This inverter generator, as the title says, far exceeded my expectations! In the past I have used comparable Honda generators, which are only able to use gasoline (no duel fuel option there), and the noise level on this Champion is as quiet if not quieter than the expensive red generator. At roughly a quarter of the cost and the dual fuel option for the Champion, well, it’s a no brainer!Prior to pulling the trigger on my purchase, I did a lot of research and read a number of reviews. It seemed like the most common complaint was people couldn’t get it started using propane. I’ll get back to that in a moment.When this bad boy was delivered I was excited and couldn’t wait to get it started. But I did wait, a solid week before I even added the oil! It was excruciating but during that week I made it a point to study the owners manual forward and backward, LOL. The reason for my wait was because I had ordered a replacement magnetic dipstick. As I’m sure you know, a new motor will create metal shavings which accumulate in the oil due to rings seating and such. When my magnetic dipstick arrived, needless to say, I added the oil that was supplied with the unit, installed the magnetic dipstick and was ready to get down to business.Now getting back to the seemingly major complaint in the reviews I read, starting this unit with propane. My plan all along was to supply power to this generator using propane only. As you may or may not know, propane virtually has no shelf-life, (well, up to 30+ years if your container/bottle is in good shape), where as gasoline, even treated with a stabilizer only has a shelflife of up to a year. Not to mention the fact that propane will keep the entire fuel system completely and totally clean with no residue buildup whatsoever! Now, back to busting this myth that some people can’t get it started attempting to use propane. As I stated earlier, I studied the owners manual while waiting on the magnetic dipstick to arrive and watched several YouTube videos. Really it’s just complete common sense, (in this day and time I’m not sure is a gift or a curse LOL), which is horribly lacking today. Well, commonsense would tell you that this is a new product and the fuel system is completely void of any fuel whatsoever. Duh, I had better prime it first. Here’s a commonsense tip for those that are lacking in that area; after attaching your propane bottle, regulator and fuel line to the generator make sure your propane bottle is open, next step is to turn the easy start dial to choke, next step is to gently pull the starting cord about seven times until the generator acts like it wants to start. Don’t get all excited at this point and think all you have do is put the easy start dial in the propane position and start your generator. No, three or four more “priming” pulls on the rope while the easy start dial is still in the choke position and then placing it in the propane position, mine started on the first pull! Shazam !!!! That easy 😎As the owners manual advised, I ran the generator for the five hour break in. Varying the loads as suggested as well as switching it back-and-forth from eco-mode to standard mode several times. After the five hour break in period was over, I changed the oil and I am super glad I waited that week for that magnetic dipstick to arrive before initially adding oil!I have no doubts whatsoever that this inverter/generator will last me for years to come with proper care and maintenance and will power my needs at any particular time.I can, without reservation, highly recommend this product and I also highly recommend the addition of the magnetic dipstick in the very beginning.