After some extensive searching I ordered the TG32P12 based on the value/price/review ratios found on AMAZON.
The gen arrived in about 5 days with no damage to the box. I pulled it out of the box and added the handle, wheels, oil, and gas. It started on the first yank, excellent! In my opinion, the oil filler plug and pull cord in their offset positions are not as big a deal as some have mentioned in their reviews. I let it run for a bit... wow, very quiet. The machine itself is satisfyingly styled with a nice blue and black color scheme. I tried to apply power but got nothing. I found that the GFCI would not test/reset. I tried grounding the generator, changing cords, etc., nothing worked. The GFCI was definitely dead and also while searching underneath I found that one of the engine foot mounts was broken. I've seen that damage described before in the online reviews. Since it was a Saturday afternoon I knew it would be a day or so before I could get in touch with ETQ or Amazon. I was VERY aggravated but sent off a short note to AMAZON letting them know what my problem was. I clearly stated that the generator ran fine but would not provide power and that a mount was broken. I asked how I could get a replacement or a repair authorized.
The next morning I was surprised to find an email from an AMAZON rep stating that he was sorry for the defective shipment and that a replacement had been ordered and would be shipped immediately (let me mention that in many years of ordering from AMAZON, this is the first item that I had arranged for a return). The email also stated that I had 30 days to return the defective item or I would be charged for it. A link was provided in the email to print a pre-paid shipping label when I was ready to send it back. All this made my Sunday better than had been anticipated.
Four days later the new generator arrived. This time the box was in tatters but after opening it up with the FedEx girl watching, the generator appeared in top shape with no damage noted. I added gas and oil and also swapped the wheels and handle from the first generator. Once again, it started up with the first pull. The GFCI tested good so I plugged in a weed whacker, held my breath and pulled the trigger... she ran like a champ.
Now that I had what I paid for I had to get the defective generator ready to ship back. While draining the oil and gas I sat down at my computer to print out the shipping label. I ran into a dead end when I tried to open the link to the pre-paid label that had been sent by the AMAZON rep. I was informed in writing that returns on this item were not allowed as law prohibited shipment due to the dangerous liquids involved. So now I had two generators, one working and one defective, and in the predicament of being charged for both if I didn't return one of them (which was prohibited by law) within 30 days. The dangerous liquids in my stomach started to bubble again so I got on the phone and called the fine folks at AMAZON. After explaining the situation to a rep I could sense him rubbing his forehead and I even heard him mutter, "Oh, boy". He then put me on hold for about 15 minutes to talk with his Big Kahuna. I had an inkling what was coming and sure enough when he came back on he cheerfully told me that I was allowed to keep the first generator free of charge. He said the second one was shipped in error and I should have been authorized a repair instead. He informed me I could junk the broken generator if I wanted to ("yeah, right").
Wrapping this up. The next day I took both generators and sat them side by side. I'm not an electrician but somewhat mechanically inclined so I took off the front panel and found wires on the non-working model did not match the set-up on the working one. I changed them around but once I fired it up (using rubber gloves to avoid killing myself) she still did not provide power nor would the GFCI test/reset. I then used an electrical wire checker and found that the wire bundle coming from the working generator beeped but the wires from the non-working one did not. I pulled off the air grate from the end of the generators and looked at both of the wirings. Sure enough I found they also did not match up. A cable with a (+) sign on the non-working engine was in a different location then on the working one. I swapped it around and put everything back together. Fired it up with gloves on, and BINGO. She purred like a champ, GFCI tested/reset perfectly and it powered up my weed-whacker like it was meant to be. Last step was to add a block of rubber under the broken engine mount to support it while running.
So now here I sit, with two perfectly working ETQ 4000 generators for which I paid a total amount of $349. I eagerly look forward to waves of summertime black-outs while my gleaming fleet of new generators sit patiently waiting in their backyard shed. Thanks all in part to a lazy Chinese factory worker and the generous folks at AMAZON.com.Get more detail about ETQ TG32P12 4000 Watt 7 HP 207cc 4-Cycle OHV Gas Powered Portable Generator (Non-CARB Compliant).
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