Review: Firman Dual Fuel Inverter Generator

Continuous wattage - gasoline:  2900 watts

Continuous wattage - propane:  2600 watts

Starting wattage - gasoline:        3200 watts

Starting wattage - propane:        2900 watts

I ordered this on June 17th and it was delivered June 29th. The instructions say to first fill up the oil, which I did. Then I connected the battery. I decided that I will only run this on propane unless I need to run on gasoline. I cranked it up for the initial 5 hour break in period which is to be done with a load of 50% or less. I used a combination of items initially, but then got out a 1500w ceramic block heater to use as a load bank. I finished up the initial 5 hour break-in this morning. The built-in meter helps a lot in tracking this.

Then it was time for the big test:  Would it fire up the RPod's air conditioner? If so, could I run at least the refrigerator on AC at the same time? Test conditions were that I had been running the AC on shore power. I disconnected from shore power and then connected to the generator's 30A outlet and turned the AC back on. I have the Micro-Air EasyStart installed, so I did not anticipate any difficulty starting and running the AC, even though it was a relatively warm restart on a hot day. I also found that running the refrigerator on AC at the same time was no problem. The battery was mostly charged, so the converter was only putting out a couple of amperes. I don't know how well it would work if the battery needed significant charging. That would be a question for after I have had this a while and have had a chance to test it in varying circumstances.

Initial impressions:  I like this unit. It may not be as quiet as a Honda generator or the Predator 3500, but it is quieter than the Generac iX2000 which I have been using. It has one big advantage which is that it is dual-fuel which allows some flexibility in finding fuel for it. This Firman generator does not have a remote start,but electric start is very nice and works well. I saw a gasoline only model that did come with a remote, but I wanted this model because I wanted to run it on propane.

It is about 40 lbs heavier than the Generac iX2000, but it does come with wheels that are of a large enough diameter than they should work well on most surfaces. The handle folds down out of the way when it isn't needed. The generator has lifting handles on each end. Plan on having someone to help lift it or some way such as a hoist or ramp to load it as it is heavy. It did not come with a cover, but one is available. Plan on ordering the cover from Amazon because Firman's shipping charge for the cover is rather steep.

I think I will be pleased with this. It seems to be quite well made and the fact that it is RV ready is a plus since there are no weird adapters needed. By running on propane, I should avoid any fuel-related issues and it should last a long time. Firman recommends 10W30 oil but also specifies 5W30 full-synthetic oil can be used. The first oil change is at 25 hours. Afterward, it is 100 hours or annually, whichever comes first. This will serve as a back-up generator at home for those times when the power goes out. It should be able to keep our refrigerator and freezer running (with cords since I don't want to install a transfer switch).