Quick review of Kipor sinemaster IG1000P
This unit was sent to me for review, by the good folks over
at Kipor Power Systems North America. I wanted to give them a special shootout,
because without them and companies like them, I wouldn’t be able to do many of
my reviews for you guys. With that being said, this is not a paid review, I
don’t work for Kipor, I don’t own any stock in the company and I am not being
forced to say nice things about this unit. I’ve only been provided a sample
unit for testing and evaluation.
The IG1000p is an inverter style suite case generator, with
900 running watts and 1000 surge watts. It features a 53.5 cc 4 cycle, engine,
which is kept inside of a double walled sound enclosure to keep the unit
between 54 and 59 db when running. It also features a 0.7 gallon fuel tank,
allowing the unit to run for up to 4 hours at the maximum 900 watt rating. It
produces clean sinewave power, similar to that of utility power and comes in at
hundreds of dollars less than its popular competition (I’m speaking of Honda
and Yamaha). Like its competition, it features a high quality proven design,
that’s been around since the early 2000’s, it has the ability to be paired with
other units in its series via a parallel kit (ig2000p ig2600p) and comes with a
2 year warranty for residential use and a single year for commercial. The unit is C.A.R.B. and EPA compliant,
allowing it to be sold in places like Canada and California (which usually have
the toughest emissions standards, resulting in a lot of generators being banned
from sale there). Safety features
include a low oil shut down and inverter overheat protection
This unit was mainly designed with portable power in mind,
with a dry weight of only 30.8 lbs. I found it interesting that the unit
actually weighs nearly a full pound less than 5 gallons worth of gas (31.5 lbs).
It lasts longer, provides more maximum wattage and is still lighter than most rechargeable
type power packs and many mobile solar solutions. It’s possible uses includes
camping, tailgating, power outages, yard work, powering small power tools ,recharging
small solar systems during storms or low sun months and can even be used
for small outdoor parties.
The IG1000P comes with a few accessories, including a brass
spark plug tool, dc charging cable, oil filler cup, spare bosh spark plug as
well as the owner’s manual.
As far as the exterior goes (go over exterior features)
drain hoses on front going from carb
Hidden is the inverter unit, the main difference is no
surging, variable rpms clean power.
Like having 2 generators in one
When I first got the unit, the first thing I noticed was it
was covered in oil. I thought the worst
and was ready to contact kipor, but I decided to do a google search first and
found that this was a common issue. The
unit was shipped via ups (known to throw around a damage packages) and apparently
was placed upside down long enough for any residual oil left from factory
testing to leak out of the exhaust and or intake. The issue did not affect
functionality, but did require me to clean up with paper towel before I could
safely operate the unit. After the cleaning, I added conventional 10w-30 oil,
filled up the gas tank and took the unit outside for the first start. The unit to my surprise started with the
first pull (after a series of primer pulls, with the ignition off to get fuel
through the pump and into the carburetor bowl). The unit ran smoothly, but
initially was quite noisy. I took my
phone out and measured a db level of 82 right next to the unit and around 75,
23 feet away (this was in the normal running mode).Running the unit in the
smart throttle mode didn’t fare much better, with a difference of just a few db
at the same ranges. This was far off of the manufactures claim of 54 – 59 db,
but after a few hours of running, the unit seemed to quiet down. Further running seemed to decrease the sound
level even more. I can only assume that the exhaust portion of this unit needs
to be broken in before reaching the desired level for a few hours. My last measurements came in as low as 73 db
right next to the unit, 61 db 23 feet away and as low as 56 db around 43 feet
away. I’m sure the unit would have produced quieter ratings if it were tested
as the manufacture does in an open field. I do real world testing, with objects
in close range that would allow sound to be bounced around. Overall the unit is
still very quiet and will be around 40 % quieter than a traditional generator.
As far as voltage and Hz, I plugged in my p3 meter and found that the unit was
outputting a steady 120 – 125 volts and 59 – 60 hz. Running AC items between 1
and 300 watts, the unit seems to like to stay at its idle speed. Anything high
will result in increasing rpm’s depending on load. The DC function only provides 5 amps, so the
unit will pretty much stay at idle. The manual states that the unit needs to be
in the full running (non smart throttle mode) in order to charge a battery, but
I found that the unit still produced enough voltage to fully charge in the
lower mode. You might charge slower, but that may be a good thing, since the
full output mode brought a nearly dead 100 amp hour battery to nearly an
overcharged level in less than 3 hours.
As far as issues, I didn’t notice too many, just that the
gas filler neck is a little narrow, requiring the generator to be filled slowly
to avoid spills. The unit is also somewhat high pitched, thanks to the tiny
53.5 cc engine. While it is quiet, the high pitch ness seems to carry sound
further than a larger displacement unit of similar sound ratings.
After running loads for the first 10 hours an initial oil
change is needed. This is known as the break in oil change, because it allows
various bearings, seals and other components to be properly lubed for long
service life and also gets rid of any contaminants left over from the
manufacturing process. I should also
note that the manual specifies that the unit should not be run more than a 50 %
or 450 watt load for the first 20 hours during this period. Subsequent oil
changes come in at 100 hours of use.
I’ve been reviewing this unit for close to a month and a
half, putting a total of 23 hours on it. The first 20 hours was spent with
light loads, such as small fans, laptops, CFL light bulbs and battery chargers.
I also ran larger loads, such as a 25 cu in side by side fridge and a few
others, but only after the unit was properly broken in and the oil changed
around the 10 hour mark. Running the test loads resulted in a total fuel
consumption of only 2 gallons worth of fuel.
The AC loads were measured with a p3 kill a watt meter and dc loads with
a standard multi meter. Sound measurements were taken with a free cell phone
app and also a calibrated db meter in A weighting. All of the fuel run through the machine was 87
octane, containing up to 10 % ethanol, which is the maximum allowed according
to the manual. No fuels containing methanol are allowed. I treated my fuel with
a special stabilizer, specifically designed for fuel containing ethanol, which
is something that Kipor and many other manufactures recommend.
As far as overall likes and dislikes
Likes
Fuel savings (like having 2 generators in one with low idle)
Low sound output
Light enough to be placed high on a shelf for storage or
during an emergency (Detroit flood). Also allows people who previously put off
buying a generator because of high weight.
2 year warranty
Overall reliability (easy starts, consistent output, no
weird quirks)
Dislikes
Narrow fuel filler neck opening…..most modern epa certified
gas containers glug and will cause a fuel spill
Dc charging voltage is fairly high, when compared with other
units and the alligator clips provided too small.
Besides that, no real problems with this unit
I know I have a lot of first time generator buyers who may
be viewing this video and are looking for a few tips to get started
Get a fuel can of at least 2 gal, get regular 10w-30 oil,
find something to drain oil and run the unit at least 15 feet away from house
and other structures also don’t run near open windows.
Other tips include
Tips
Use automatic battery charger for unattended use
Use high quality synthetic oil after the break in period is
over
Run the unit out of fuel for long storage, as the fuel shut
off on this unit also acts as a spark interrupter….this allows fuel to possibly
gum up the pump and carb and also rot fuel lines.
Also change oil as recommended
Use carb drainage screw and tube to get rid of all possible
fuel
Get battery operator co2 detector
Buy power usage meter to figure out which of your items will
run on this unit…..keep from overloading it…look for startup wattages. This
will also help you check the health of the inverter unit.
Get a good heavy duty extension cord.
So in closing, this unit has been totally reliable for me,
no real issues to speak of. I find it to be a great value compared to the more
expensive units, because it has the potential to last just as long as them.
After running it through its paces in 90 degree weather for over 1 month and making sure it did
exactly what the manufacture said it wood, I can confidently recommend this
unit for you guys.
As far as additional videos, I’ll post a few demos of it
running various loads at the end of this video, but I have already posted the
initial unboxing / setup and the first oil change video available in the
description below.
So as always guys, I hope you enjoyed this review, peace!
