The Best Features:
- 7500 Watts rated, 9375 watts maximum output; outlets: 2- 120 volt duplex outlets, 1 - 120/240 volt twist lock outlet, 1 - 120v twist lock
- Powered by champion 439cc OHV engine with cast iron sleeve, electric start with battery
- Runs for 11 hours on full tank of gas at 50 percent load, engine oil included
- Fuel capacity 5.9 gallons; CARB compliant; frequency 60 hertz; single phase
- Weighs 231.6-pounds; measures 27.7-inches in length by 27.1-inches in width by 26-inches in height
Champion Power Equipment Generator - Model 41537 By R. Stoer
The first several paragraphs discuss things I've learned while shopping for generators in this price/power range. Each paragraph's heading describes the topic within. To skip directly to the review, go to: "My review of the 41537".
Made in China vs. Made in USA:
I did a lot of research on generators and transfer switches after hurricane Irene left us without power for five days. The first thing I discovered was that it's difficult (if not impossible) to find a generator this powerful, made in the USA, for less than $1,200.00. Briggs & Stratton and Generac make some models in the U.S., but their homeowner lines are made in China. I also learned that when a model boasts of an engine by one of several well-known Japanese manufacturers, that engine is often made by the Japanese company - in China. Since the reviews of the Chinese made units seemed no worse than their USA equivalents, and because I will only be using mine occasionally, I couldn't justify the premium for a U.S. made model.
Bottom line: American made generators exist. But if you want one, be prepared to spend at least 50% more.
Differences (and similarities) between Chinese made generators:
There are dozens of brands of portable generators being sold in the U.S. Most of them look nearly identical and have brand names you've likely never heard of. The companies behind these brands are apparently importers, with no manufacturing capability, who buy from the same Chinese factory and just slap their name on the side. Complaints regarding these generic models centered more on a lack of customer service and warranty support by some of these importers than on inherant problems with the units themselves. A few companies do have their own manufacturing facilities in China. This sets them apart as it gives them more control over the design and quality of the finished product. Although that product could be worse than the 'standard model' the assumption is they went their own way to be better than the pack, not worse.
What drew me to the Champion brand:
1) Reviews: I found nothing on this particular model, but their smaller units get mostly favorable comments.
2) Value: They were hard to beat on price vs. features/performance.
3) Warranty: One year labor/Two years parts. Not the best available, but better than many.
4) They were one of a handful of brands claiming to have their own manufacturing facilities.
5) They've been around since 2003 - not a lifetime but longer than many competitors.
6) They claim to pride themselves on their customer service. Since lack of support is probably the largest complaint against other brands, I looked into that claim. Here's what I found:
Like Sears, there's an exploded view and a complete parts list in the owner's manual. They also claim to keep a good supply of parts on-hand (I did not confirm this).
Before I made my purchase I emailed the company's sales department twice. Both times they got back to me in 3 or 4 days with satisfactory answers to my questions. Not really speedy but they did respond, and my questions were not service related. The technical department may be better (or worse). Hopefully, I'll never have to find out.
In the support section of their website, they have several technical bulletins and videos offering help with various issues people may experience with their products. These range from broken starter cords and choke levers to engine adjustments and dealing with stale gas. Some may see this approach as an attempt to shift the burden of fixing their broken equipment to the customer, but I like it. These generators weigh over 200 pounds so it's not easy to schlep them to a service center, even when under warranty. Plus there's the time involved and loss of service while it's in the shop. If one of these tips can get you up-and-running again quickly (especially in an emergency) why not? - better too much information than to little.
Specs:
The model 41537 has an output rated at 7500W continuous with peaks up to 9375W. It's powered by a 15HP, 439cc OHV engine with electric or recoil start and splash lubrication. It has a 5.9 gallon metal gas tank (coated inside to prevent rust) with a built-in fuel gauge. The fuel cap is chained to the tank to prevent loss and there's a removable strainer in the fuel inlet. It has a padded 'U shaped' drop-down handle at one end and rolls on a pair of 10" non-pneumatic tires. There's a low-oil shutoff and an over-voltage shut-off (Volt Guard). It has two duplex 120VAC outlets and one 240VAC 30A L14-30R receptacle. All outlets are protected by circuit breakers.
My review of the 41537:
The unit arrived undamaged and only took about fifteen minutes to assemble and fill with fluids. It looked well built and started up immediately (after I remembered to turn on the gas). The on-board voltmeter read 127 VAC (254/2) with no load and the frequency counter showed 63 Hz. I checked these readings against my own trusted meter and found that while the frequency was right on, the on-board voltmeter was reading about 5 volts high. Under a normal load these values fell to about 121 VAC (actual) and 61 Hz.
My first real use of the generator was to power an electric "JawSaw" tree pruner after a freak October snowstorm broke branches in several trees on my property. The generator was so heavy I realized I wouldn't be able to wheel it all over the property so I loaded it into a dump cart hitched to the back of my lawn tractor and drove it from tree to tree - I didn't even take it off the cart. It started right away every time and had no trouble with the small five-amp load. I admit that's not much of a test, but so-far so-good.
Pro's:
Comes complete with battery (Surprisingly, not all electric start generators include it), oil, funnel, spark plug wrench, glossy paper manual (though lacking some detail). It also comes with a 25', 10 gauge, 4 wire cord with an L14-30 plug and five 110 VAC receptacles. To buy this cable separately would cost $75-$100, so if it's something you can use it makes this an even better buy. I cut off the 110 VAC outlets and installed a L14-30 receptacle to create a cord I could run between the generator and the inlet box for my transfer switch.
It's easy to assemble. Bolt on the wheels & feet, connect the battery, add oil & gas and you're done. Speaking of wheels, here's a small thing I liked about this unit: Most other brands hold the wheels on the axle with cotter pins. I'm sure that works fine, but the nut, bolt, and sleeve used by this model just seems more substantial.
IntelliGauge: This digital display can be switched to show voltage, frequency (Hz) and hours-of-operation. Very useful, even though the voltmeter part may not be too precise.
Gas Gauge: Not an extraordinary thing. Most generators have it, but not all.
Volt-Guard over-voltage protection. This is a very useful feature that will shut down the engine in the event the Automatic Voltage Regular (AVR) fails, thereby protecting your equipment from receiving too high a voltage. It's not mentioned in the manual or the on-line specs but it says on the box that it has it. There's a video explaining it on Champion's website and U-Tube.
It has a brush type generator with copper windings. Some manufacturers avoid them because they add weight and cost, but they're more efficient.
Con's:
Nothing much so far, but if I want to pick nits:
It's loud, but I knew it would be. Inverter type generators are quieter but they're limited in output and cost more. Fixed [whole house] generators are quieter because they're in a box. They make enclosures for portable units but they're expensive and I don't know how well they work. Honda offers some relatively quiet non-inverter units, but none are as powerful as this and they're very pricey.
It's heavy and awkward to move. All generators this powerful are heavy but Ridgid has two models designed with the weight balanced over the wheels and a tall folding handle, similar to a hand truck. If you'll be moving yours often you may want to consider one of those.
The instruction manual could be more thorough (although much of what's missing is available on-line).
So far, I'm very happy with my purchase. My complaints are insignificant. If it continues to perform well I'll be a happy customer.
Update 12/9/11:
A note on pricing: When I said this generator was a good buy, I meant at the price Amazon was selling them for at the time, but when supplies are short some vendors have tried to take advantage by asking outrageous prices. At anywhere under $900.00 delivered I'd say this model is hard to beat.
Update 11/5/2012:
Well, we got hit again. This time Sandy left us without power for five and a half days. As I write this many are still without power and the temperature is dropping into the twenties at night. Without this generator (and the transfer switch) I don't know what we would have done. When our power went out the generator had 2 hours on the meter. When it came back on it had 133. During those 131 hours it ran virtually non-stop. I only shut it off once (at 110 hours) to change the oil. Then it was right back on-line. During that time it easily ran our gas furnace, gas hot water heater, well pump (220V), washer, gas dryer, 1100W microwave, a refrigerator/freezer, an upright freezer, pumps for two Koi ponds (600w total), numerous lights and misc smaller loads.
We started out getting about two hours per gallon but as the temperature dropped and the furnace ran more that dropped closer to an hour and a half. Load has a definite effect on fuel consumption.
All our appliances ran fine and suffered no ill-effects, including computers and TV's. The generator's output was relatively steady under varying loads but the output frequency was a little high, averaging about 61-62 Hz, which caused all our clocks to run fast.
There was one issue that deserves mentioning: When I first started it up, it shut off after a few minutes. It didn't seem to stall in the normal sense, as there was no sputtering or such. It would run smoothly, and then suddenly stop, like someone turned it off. It did this four times, each time running somewhat longer than before, but it was still quite annoying. The last time it ran fine for about half an hour before stopping. At that point I remembered a service bulletin from Champion's website that said the low-oil switch could stick if the generator hadn't been run in some time. They described it more as a 'won't start' problem but I figured I'd give it a try, so I disconnected the switch by unplugging the in-line connector and it never stopped again. Champion's bulletin recommends disconnecting it for about fifteen minutes, then reconnecting it, but mine took longer than that to resolve itself. In fact, I didn't bother reconnecting it until I changed the oil, but it was fine after that. I admit, for someone not mechanically inclined this could have been a bigger issue, but my friend's $3K Honda generator had a similar problem - shutting down for 'low oil' when there was actually plenty of oil in the engine. So this seems to be a 'feature' that causes more issues then it prevents. Other than that it ran flawlessly for the five-plus days we relied on it.
Lastly, a few people have written reviews here complaining of a DIFFERENT Champion generator (41532) leaking gas. Those units have been recalled but I don't feel this is the appropriate place to complain about a completely different model that was sold only through Costco. My 41537 has never leaked any gas.
I'd buy this again in a heartbeat.Champion Portable Generator - 41537 By Born Rich
I bought this generator after a passing hurricane and two tropical storms visited the Northeast (New Jersey) in 2011. Our basement flooded when the power went out rendering our sump pumps inoperable. An estimate for battery backup sump pumps was in the $800 range EACH. That made a generator very attractive, and I too began reading the reviews of generators and features that would be helpful if and when I purchased one (electric start, can be used in all 50 states (CARB compliant), solid wheels, high capacity, and long(er) warranty than most). The previous reviewers are absolutely correct about this generator being an incredible value for the capability you will buy vs the dollar spent. I had an electrician wire a 30a receptacle outside of the house to the circuit breaker box inside the garage with a breaker bar lock out for safety. I also bought a 1.5a battery maintainer ("floater") to keep the battery charged and ready for use (you can pull-start the unit if you desire to do so). I have tested this unit with my household load (two refrigerators, two sump pumps, lights, central heating fan, microwave, fans, etc.) and was very satisfied with the unit easily handling the electrical load. This generator started easily out of the box, came with accessories that other units don't, and has a large enough capacity to handle everything I would want to power in an emergency...with a substantial surge reserve if necessary. A great value and quite powerful. The next level of wattage capacity is far more expensive. Highly recommended, and these reviews indicate substantial ease of use and powerful performance with the Model 41537 Champion generator. Along with the 1.5a battery maintainer, I would also seriously recommend using a fuel stabilizer (StaBil)in your gas can and in the fuel tank of the generator). A value-added feature is lifetime technical support and delivery of the unit was quick (less than three days!) and careful. The delivery team placed it in my garage securely strapped to a wooden pallet.
UPDATE - 10/30/2012: There has been come concern about a recall notice affecting a similar generator made by Champion. The recall explicitly reads as follows: "This recall applies to two specific models within a VERY NARROW SERIAL NUMBER RANGE. Our 9000 peak watt 7000 running watt generator with remote start model 41532 SOLD EXCLUSIVELY BY COSTCO USA and our 8250 peak 6500 running watt generator also with remote start model 41332 that have serial numbers beginning with 11NOV or 11DEC." This information was copy and pasted from the "41532 & 41332 Recall Information Message (PDF)." on the Champion website at: [...] I have had my Champion 41537 for a year with absolutely no problems. The website gives customers three options: Return the 41532/41322 unit to COSTCO using the famous and very liberal COSTCO return guarantee, get the affected part(s) free and install yourself, or take the unit to an authorized Champion Repair facility. I have looked through and through the website and the only recall EVER were these two model numbers - NOT the 41537 listed by Amazon.Outstanding Generator! By Vincent L. Wilde
The last long power outage here finally convinced me that I needed an emergency generator. The generator arrived very quickly by FedEx Ground. Assembly was easy. Fit and finish is outstanding. Start up procedures are clear and easy to follow.
I wanted a semi-permanent installation so I went back on Amazon and also purchased a Reliance extension cord, a PB30 outside box and a Reliance Q310C inside transfer switching box. I had an electrician install everything and then optested the generator. Amazingly, it easily took the load of most of my 3600'sq home plus the 4-ton A/C system. I even shut down the A/C and then turned it back on to double check the surge capability of the genset. It worked fine. That said, I must add that my home is not mostly electric. That is we have a gas water heater, gas stove and gas heating. I don't have a sump pump and we are on city water so no well pump. We carefully selected those rooms and circuits we would need if the lights go out again...but as I said, the generator easily handles everything we need, including the home theater room should we want to use it.
A high quality generator. We are very pleased with this unit. The Best-Selling Champion Power Equipment 41537 9,375 Watt 439cc 4-Stroke Gas Powered Portable Generator With Electric Start (CARB Compliant) then to sell out very fast, if this is a must have product, be sure to order now to avoid disappointment.
