Product Review: Eastern Tools & Equipment IN 1800i Portable Generator

Many of us love tailgating because it is a combination of camping with a sporting event or concert mixed it. The problem is that while you are “roughing it” you have to sacrifice many of the comforts of your own home. The main comfort that tailgaters typically do without is electricity. The cigarette lighter outlets in most cars, trucks and SUVs don’t put out enough wattage to power up appliances like a portable air conditioner, blenders, crock pots or even microwaves. But if you have a portable generator, you can bring your own electrical supply and power up all the home appliances you like. I recently had the pleasure to test out and review a portable generator made by Eastern Tools & Equipment, the ETQ IN 1800i. Cut to the chase, it met and exceeded my expectations for a lightweight yet powerful portable generator.

Eastern Tools & Equipment also makes power pumps, air compressors, power washers and a number of generators. The ETQ IN 1800i is ideal for tailgating because it is lightweight, compact and puts out a maximum of 1800 watts. 1800 watts is plenty of power to supply all types of tailgating electronics. Obviously you will need to check the wattage consumption on your electrical devices you would like to bring tailgating to make sure they do not combine to exceed the maximum 1800 watts of the ETQ IN 1800i. (It generally accepted that you need to budget for about 1600 watts in order not to overload the generator and suffer a shut-down.)

Most people will set up a flat screen TV along with a portable satellite system and satellite receiver/DVR while tailgating to keep abreast on the other games going on simultaneously. All these electronics will require power and the ETQ IN 1800i provides plenty of power for those. You can even bring a higher wattage accessory, like a blender to make margaritas, and the ETQ IN 1800i will handle that demand while maintaining consistent and uninterrupted power to your sensitive electronics. The 3% THD pure sine wave output ensures the safety of highly sensitive electronics will not suffer and break due to a power surge.

I tested out the ETQ IN 1800i portable generator to see how well it could handle differing levels of demand. I set up a mock tailgating party in my backyard (the only thing missing was my SUV with the Freedom Grill FG-50 attached to it) and hooked up a few highly sensitive electronics along with a high demand appliance, my bar quality 500 watt blender. Check out the video to see how the ETQ IN 1800i handled it.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TldFGpJzOm4

For those of you that need to know the nitty gritty details and specs on this portable generator, they are:

• The Eastern Tools & Equipment IN 1800i is equipped with permanent magnet alternator and an OHV gasoline combustion engine.
• Electricity is generated by turning the rotor outside the stator to change the magnetic flux thus generated DC and convert into AC output.
• The on-board circuitry controls air/fuel mixture and carburetor timing which results in 3% THD pure sine wave output.
• The ETQ In 1800i is enclosed and insulated for better noise reduction, less than 60 db.
• It weighs under 48 pounds without fuel and it can carry up to a gallon of gasoline.
• The 99.3cc 4-stroke engine has a low oil indicator, a throttle control for fuel savings and an engine output control when power is needed.
• The engine will idle down when no power is demanded to conserve fuel and lengthen run time.
• Expected run time is about four and half hours at 50% load.
• This quiet and dependable generator can provide 1,800 watts max and 1,600 watts running power.
• Measurements are 21″ x 11″ x 17-3/4 (LxWxH).
• Comes complete with a 1 year limited manufacturer warranty.

Tailgaters can get their own ETQ IN 1800i  portable digital inverter generator in stores at Menards and Northern Tools + Equipment. If you prefer to shop online, you can pick up the ETQ IN 1800i at Northern Tools + Equipment, SportsmansGuide.com, The Home Depot, Amazon.com and Sam’s Club. The cheapest price we saw online was on Amazon or HomeDepot.com and both had the ETQ IN 1800i priced at $499.

Make sure to check back in a few weeks as we will be testing out and reviewing another generator from Eastern Tools & Equipment. That one will be the ETQ Portable Propane Generator. You read that right. A generator that is powered by propane. The same type of propane tank you are already taking to the tailgating lot can give you pure electrical power while tailgating. Wait, I am already getting ahead of myself. Check back soon for the full product review or you can subscribe to get free updates via RSS or email to ensure you won’t miss the update.

To learn more about the ETQ IN 1800i or any of the other products Eastern Tools & Equipment manufactures, visit their official website, EasternTools.com.