Pulsar 1,200W Carrying Handle, PG1202SA Gas-Powered Portable Generator, 1200W, Black/White

The media could not be loaded. Update 1/20/2024** I'm updating this review because after 7 years this little Pulsar 1,200W generator is still reliable (I originally paid $143). So this past week we were expected to have a winter storm with temperatures in the single digits, so I got both my generators out of the shop and made sure they would start. I last started the Pulsar generator about 6 months ago. This past week I did have to clean the spark plug, but once I did that with just a few pulls of the cord it started right up! Simply amazing. As mentioned before, I only use gasoline that is free of ethanol and I always treat the gas with a fuel stabilizer AND TURN THE GAS OFF AND LET THE ENGINE RUN UNTIL THE CARBURETOR IS EMPTY for best restarting results. I really don't use this little generator much anymore since I have upgraded to a duel fuel generator that I only run on propane, but it really is impressive how long and how well this generator has worked.Update June 9th 2018 (I give it 5 stars now), I've had this little gen for around 10 months now and it has never let me down, not once. I do make sure and cut the gas valve off each time I'm finished using it and let it run until the carburetor is empty (completely). I haven't had any problem starting this generator after it has set for over a month. Just make sure and use good gas (no ethanol unless you use a stabilizer in your gas ** just avoid ethanol in all 2-stroke engines***please*** you'll be glad you did) and always run the carburetor empty after each use. I recently (last weekend) had to use this generator to replace a broken hinge on the entrance gate to our property. It was sure nice being able to run this out of the back of my truck while it powered my electric tools. *** I received the Pulsar PG1202s 1200 watt 2-stroke generator on August 22, 2017. I bought this generator hoping that it would be an inexpensive power backup to our Renogy Solar Panels. First off, I paid $138 and change for this unit, but I took advantage of the Prime shipping and standard delivery (received about $6 off the purchase price for the delayed delivery option, which turned out not to be a delay after all!) The generator was packaged well with foam inserts within a retail box packaged in the Amazon box. Overall the quality looks to be really good. The finish is good, all instructions were well placed, written, and made sense. I added a little premium unleaded gas and 2 stroke engine oil to the tank at 50:1 ratio as recommended, switched the choke lever to choke, pulled the recoil starting rope a few times and the little generator started right up. I have ran this generator for about 6 hours now simply breaking it in. I applied a few light loads, a few heavy loads, and ran it some with no load and it performed well each time. Note; I did notice that the voltage fluctuated a lot at low rpm/load levels (my lights were dimming and getting bright). It's not real loud-depending on where you are standing and I really didn't notice much of a noise increase during heavy loads. Time will tell if it will last, but right now it seems like a very good product and an excellent price for backup power. Items I powered up with this generator. Drill press, large shop fan, band saw, bench grinder, angle grinder, radio, and 3 fluorescent lights. I ran all these at the same time, basically it powered my shop. However, it would not start my pancake compressor (13 amp) and I don't think you need to run anything to sensitive with this generator unless you clean up the (power) sine wave.

The Pulsar generator arrived intact as described and started almost right out of the box on the 2nd pull. I am completely pleased, and would buy it again without hesitation. It is somewhat quieter than I expected. It appears to have a larger muffler, which helps the exhaust noise, but also has other noise from occasional misfires and noise from the engine casing itself that a muffler can't help with. Note that this generator is rated at 900 watts continuous, and 1200W for short duration. I tested it with a Kill-A-Watt meter and a 450 watt load. Under no load, the voltage was about 122V at 62 Hz, under 1/2 load (450W) it was 120V and about 60 Hz. This is acceptable performance. It is an attractive unit. The instructions are relatively terse, but mostly adequate. The only assembly required was mounting the handle with the 2 supplied screws using a standard phillips screwdriver. It comes with a 12V cable leading to alligator clips to charge a 12V battery. It also comes with 2 110V plugs, not sure why these would be included since the owner will already have plugs on whatever you want to run. It comes with a spark plug wrench. Gas/oil mixture is 40:1. There are no specs as to what 2-cycle oil should be used. I used the standard Briggs & Stratton 2-cycle oil. I also added Sta-Bil gas stabilizer to the mixture in the gas can to minimize gumming if the gas is not used right away. After running a few minutes, I stopped it and restarted the generator with no problem. The recoil starter pulls fairly easily, but the compression is high enough that the string does not pull super smooth, as on some lawnmowers made special for easy pulling. The recoil cord can get caught at the top of a stroke and kick back a bit, so don't hold on too tight. This is all normal for small engines. The owner's manual is available online from the Pulsar website. I read the manual before ordering the unit.