Since 1959 Generac has been known for building some good quality generators. Generally, I like their products, we went searching for a small portable quiet generator to power our electronics when we are in the field without breaking the bank and came across the iX800. The price was good and this unit looked exactly like what we needed. The iX800 includes an owners manual, a tool kit, oil and a funnel. This unit is designed to power small electronic devices, small low amp garden tools, chargers etc.
We received our iX800 from ACME tools within 2 days of ordering it. We pulled it out of the box and were impressed with its light weight and size. We took off the side cover and added the included oil then added fresh fuel. We followed the instructions and went to start the unit, after about 10 pulls it still did not start, so we checked all the fluids and for any anomalies reread the instructions and tried again. After about the 8th pull, finally “success”. The iX800 came to life for about 30 seconds then stalled. We then pulled another 5 times and it started, we repeated this fiasco through the entire first tank of fuel (yes the fuel was fresh). Once we were on the second tank of fuel, the unit started to run better, but still not 100%. We plugged in a light to this unit and hooray it worked, we had light! As time went on the unit ran better each time we fired it up, but still seemed to stall and run rough. The unit produces 800W which makes it good for powering electronics and small TVs. The inverter feature conditions the power so you get a good clean power source that will not damage your electronics.
Eric always boasted about the Honda Generators and how quiet they were. I would not say that the iX800 is “Ultra Quiet”, you can make your own determination from the video. Our iX800 also leaked oil when it sat unused , we have not looked into the source but have seen a few other comments online about the issue. You get about 3.6 hours of run time on a half gallon of gas in flex power mode running at 50% capacity. Basically Flex Power idles down the unit and raises the rpms under load. There are 3 LED lights on the front of the unit: power status, overload and low oil. The unit has 2 power outlets and a grounding bolt. Generac includes a 2 year residential warranty and a 6 month commercial/rental warranty.
Conclusion:
This is a perfect example of you get what you pay for. You are saving hundreds over a Honda or Yamaha, but you might have a few glitches along the way. The unit is sturdy and has some good features and a great price point, you could buy 3 of these units for the price of a Honda generator. I really wanted to like the iX800, but it just had too many mechanical issues for me.
🙁 I wish a low cost generator existed that worked well
I have a Generac ox 800 and I bought it new and it will not run a skill saw or a port a band. It’s for running a radio or a little bit of light and if I new is was that week I would have never bought it and every time I tried to use it for smaller things it’s a bitch to crank or the protector like won’t go off and for it to be new it smokes like a 2stroke. I wish I would have bought a Honda instead of this piece of crap