Sportsman 1000 Watt Inverter Generator Review - Buffalo Tools

[@somwrtlftur2367]

I have had one for about 4 years. Great little generator for what it is. I use it to run multiple items at the same time but nothing that has a heating element of any kind. And it works great at that. It is quiet and efficient. I love mine.

[@4u25out]

I need to keep 3 deep freezers going when power outages , will this inverter do the job ?

[@jimihendrix4376]

@@4u25out volts x amps = watts and these are not meant to run a full 1000 watts, they are light duty camping units that people often expect to much out of like this guy.

[@charlieburns1385]

What do you recommend as a reliable alternative?

[@ilovetacos210]

I think your killawatt is on the fritz. Low power heat guns are generally 750w low and 1500w high. Higher power ones do 1000w low and 1800w high.

[@urieaaron]

After reading your comment, I googled heat guns, and the results came back even higher then your numbers. Thanks for commenting. I just bought one of these, and I was thinking maybe I made a mistake.

[@crazymayne69]

I may be missing something, but I've had a number of inverter and traditional generators, and I've noticed inverter gens don't initially put out there full rating until they have around 30 hours on them. I had that a number of times when I first got my little 2kw predator inverter gens that it would trip with a skill saw and a fan running. Now that I have over 50+ hours on it it'll run the saw, 2 fans, lights and chargers if I need.

[@Stouttoutdoorslifestyle]

I'm sorry but I've tripped breakers at work with those heat guns they draw a ton of power. It's a camping hunting fishing sportsman generator not used to run heat gun or all that at once. Yes it does shut down but realistically when u gonna run two lights a fan and a heat gun in the woods lol. Good video tho

[@Quickened1]

You missed the point! The generator claims 800w continuous with 1000w peak operation, it only achieves 575... False advertising and a disappointment to the consumer... All would be good if the company advertised 575w continuous, with about 800w peak...

[@Wingnut353]

@@Quickened1 It's just tuned badly, this happens with any cheap generator... other people say these run 900W without tripping... there is also the issue of the fuel in question these were almost certainly designed for 93 octane straigth gas... not E85 or similar. Anyway it needs to be returned with the fuel you are gonna use at the altitude you are going to use it at most likely.

[@KA9DSL]

Must be an internal adjustment setting somewhere. I can draw about 800w out of my 1000i Sportsman. No problems. I use a Killawatt meter also. Runs my 5000BTU A/C just fine.

[@SOLDOZER]

Lies.

[@KA9DSL]

@@SOLDOZER Try it, it works. A/C uses about 550 watts of power. A/C also runs off my 1500 watt dc inverter. off of my 300 amp 12v lithium batteries for 5 hours.

[@electriccuts]

I just got one and it runs my heater on low. It is about 500 watts no overload light 💡. It is still in the break in process. I think I need to run it 20 hours for it to be fully broken in. It currently only has about 4 hours on it.

[@rcmafia2]

You closed the air intake on the heat gun when you set it down

[@Quickened1]

Look again, it's got side air intakes....

[@rcmafia2]

@@Quickened1 it is still being restricted

[@Quickened1]

@@rcmafia2 Nope, look at 4:35... you'll see the back end of the gun is closed off and flat, it's designed that way so it can be set on its end, just as he did in the video.🕶

[@BOB12349307]

BINGO!!! thats exactly what i thought

[@MusicVidsLife]

How bout a 12 V Mini fridge or a little 120 air conditioner I'm not gonna use a heat gun

[@CitizenOfBabylon]

I have 3 of these, 1 runs the 800w loads, the other 2 overload at 450-500 watts.

[@moto6657]

I bought this gen to run a 5k btu window ac and it handles it like a champ, runs it for almost 6 hours on a full tank

[@hungpham]

Thank you. Very helpful. I am stuck with the same generator not performing to specs.

[@grahamplumbing541]

I find this strange. Mine will run 800 steady. I think your generator might have an issue

[@deependstudios]

Brian Graham yep - I returned it. Definitely wouldn’t get anywhere near 800w.

[@IanJesting]

Thanks for this. I'm looking to get something to run a 600w charger for a e-bike and this thing is the best option I can find for the money. I think I'll give it a shot and update the post if it works or not. If I can get one from Walmart I shouldn't have a problem returning it if it doesn't work.

[@grahamplumbing541]

The E Bikes are amazing. I think you made a wise choice picking a small inverter generator to charge it while on the go. This generator has served me well while camping

[@elcompamartinez2647]

@@IanJesting did it work??

[@IanJesting]

@@elcompamartinez2647 I ended up getting the harbor freight predator 2000

[@OzySteiner]

Same problem with my Sportsman 1000i, shy above 600W let's it go into overload and shut down. Which renders it more or less useless for me as I need the 800 running watts.

[@tomzhang8675]

the start power for heat guns could be twice the rated power. any other similar electric heating applicances are similar.

[@Wingnut353]

For a split second on the fan ... the resistive element itself though is a very very constant load and would dominate the power use of a heat gun, the inductive load of a heat gun is extremely small... I expect it would have handled the heat gun without the other loads but he didn't attempt that. Also some devices you would think would be "clean loads" can be quite dirty like LEDs which can put really bad power factor loads on a generator (for instance because they will often only take power from the peak portion of the AC sine wave and other nonsense and the killawatt won't always see that). You'd need a multi thousand dollar power analyzer to test for those issues.

[@jameskoskinen6763]

Found this useful. Thanks for posting

[@scott1lori282]

I just ordered one by "Dirty Hand Tools" (same factory) on amazon. $201 right now. Labeled as 800 peak and 700 W continuous. Looks to be the same generator but now they are calling them what they really are. I don't even see an upgrade to 1000W. The next step up is 1200W so who knows if it's 1200 or a true 1000W. Anyhow, looks like they tried to claim 200W more to sell more thinking not that many people would return.

[@deependstudios]

This seems pretty plausible...

[@Wingnut353]

A fan is an inductive load... you always have to derate your generator for inductive loads. Its going to perform much closer to spec with a resistive load... and your unit might not have the carb tuned correctly... another consideration is altitude. the sticker specs are surely at sea level.

[@Andy-df5fj]

I wish this class/size of generator was more common. These aren't easy to find for under $300 anymore.

[@deependstudios]

I ended up buying a HFT Predator 1400. It’s very compact and runs nearly 1200w continuous which makes it a bit more practical all around. Fuel sipper too if you’re just using it to charge batteries and basics in a small rig.

[@Andy-df5fj]

@@deependstudios I just checked the price. $469. Ouch. HFT is overpriced before coupons and deals.

[@deependstudios]

@@Andy-df5fj yikes, I paid 269 for mine, I can confirm it’s not worth 470 bucks.

[@2wheeledrocket92]

Thanks for putting this out there. I thought I was the only one. Mine barely puts out 450 ways without shutting down and it’s only a year old. I can’t seem to run much but a few lights.

[@Andy-df5fj]

Make sure the vent on the gas cap is open.

[@2wheeledrocket92]

@@Andy-df5fj it is

[@Andy-df5fj]

@@2wheeledrocket92 Maybe the quality took a dump on these. Mine purchased about 4 years ago easily maintained 800 watts when I tested it new. Since, it's had no issues running a 5000 btu ac and other small loads like led lights and small electronics charging.

[@ColtTSMG]

Excellent test and review of actual vs advertised 'claimed' output. I also just bought one via the SD post. Quick question,, when filling/checking oil level, do you take the oil level reading with screw-in plug merely sitting on top of threaded hole (unscrewed) OR when fully screwed back in?

[@deependstudios]

I found the instructions quite confusing on the Oil. I've dealt with a number of these small engines though, so i added 8-9 oz of oil and that seemed to get it on the dipstick right about midway up.. I measured the oil on the dipstick with it screwed in on a level surface. Cheers!

[@ColtTSMG]

@@deependstudios Thx for replying. Tho it may have sounded like a goofy question, *some* of the small engines have actually said to measure with dipstick plug just sitting on top, unscrewed. I'm just gonna use ounces, as you did, and use dip screwed-in as reference.

[@scott1lori282]

Looks like 7.5 oz of oil is the new fill recommendation. I've only ran mine about 6 hours so far but it ran fine with 7.5oz of oil. No smoke.

[@JohnEasterling-e7b]

Instructions say screw it all the way in when checking oil level.

[@patriciam4123]

Just looking for something that'll run a regular full size fan and a regular coffee maker nothing fancy. Separately not both at the same time. I live in Florida and am looking for a gen for hurricane season. I appreciate your review.

[@elcompamartinez2647]

MINE WONT STAY RUNNIG IT WORKED VRery good for about 2 months and that eas it Any ideas?? anybodie??

[@deependstudios]

I'm not surprised, I'd advise against this model. Hope you find some help.

[@bsea35]

Your going from small gauge extension cord to a fat one then all those other cords, that’s equals a lot of resistance. But, yes it should still run all that.

[@Wingnut353]

at the the length of cable in question and loads... that is irrelevant. The issue here is probably non resistive loads... which are harder to deal with for generators. also its really more like a 700W generator that said you should be able to parallel 2 of these as well in a pinch for a heater... and fuel consumption would still be pretty good since this is a very efficient generator.

[@rosabeha8121]

Not everywhere where 1000 is written on it, there are also 1000 in it...

[@jackoneil3933]

Great test and info, and Thanks!. For the weight and cost it seems reasonable if a 500w generator meets you needs.

[@gogold1487]

My Sportman Generator 800 Watt Have The Same Problem Too. After Many Times Overload Now The Generator Can't Produce Electricity. What Can I Do To Fix This Problem??

[@SOLDOZER]

Do the Honda Fix.

[@punkin7144]

Mine ran a 5000 btu window unit. it did have some trouble getting it started though. I wanted it mostly to power my fridge and upright freezer in power outages and it can do that with no problem.

[@Christ-is-King-]

Mine does the same but when it stabilizes it will go to the eco mode and drop a little rpm. The book shows a break in time of 20 hours. I bet most people don’t follow the manual.

[@d.e.hewlett148]

My pull rope is stuck. Can you show how to fix that. Thanks for your very good video, Dan

[@electriccuts]

This generator is good to have during an emergency 🆘. It’s better to have something than nothing. Just ask people in Texas after winter 🥶 storm ⛈ uri.

[@jimihendrix4376]

Amen to that, his must have been a lemon way to many good testimony's online about this unit !

[@2010stoof]

Are you sure you had the heat gun on low? Ive reproduced this but my heat gun is 700 on low. Runs it no problem

[@SOLDOZER]

He showed the wattage. It was only in the 500s

[@2010stoof]

@@SOLDOZER I wanted a heat gun that ran at 500 on low but nowadays that I could readily find there was only 700/1400 ish heat guns

[@arriagada1957]

Hi There.!...TIP N.1....Be sure you put 7.5z of oil "ONLY".Do not overfill.! ..Will destroy the engine adding much oil.!...2..I did replace the original spark plug with NGK brand..! Run much better..! Huge improvement..! GAP them properly..!.3...Add a hr meter so you change the oil properly.. every 100 hrs or less....4...The Heater Gun Draw about 8.5 max amp...so you are at the max amp draw running for this BS..!...it will overload..!!....Comprende amigo..!! Chao ..!!...Tip N.5...Get (2) NGK so you have and spare one on hand..!!...###...I have the same genny with over 900 hrs..!! Great generator..!!! But not like a Honda 1000w wich is the best ...

[@Airflores322]

Thank you, glad I watched this video before purchasing this brand.

[@robertchall8576]

I have a Buffalo Tools 1000 wt. 2 stroke I have had it 15 years use it camping for fans and drop light . it will run a drill ..grinder..electric pole saw has a 10 amp dc plug to charge a battery well worth the 100.00 it cost.

[@BOB12349307]

i think the problem was you sat the heat gun on its intake blocking airflow

[@deependstudios]

I’ve seen this theory elsewhere in the comments but the heat gun is designed to tailstand while operating, the venting is such that it can draw air from the back as well as sides during vertical operations.

[@Christ-is-King-]

How many hours is on it? During this video.

[@deependstudios]

Details of the break-in and hours are in the description.

[@Christ-is-King-]

@@deependstudios manual states 20hours before running at full power

[@deependstudios]

@@Christ-is-King- fair enough, but I can tell you the problem wasn’t with the engine here. The engine ran awesome, this was a problem on the inverter side supporting the load

[@Christ-is-King-]

@@deependstudios thanks for the response. Mine runs good. Window unit will load it down and kill it, but eventually will start it and run it in economy mode.

[@deependstudios]

@@Christ-is-King- I love the size of this unit, I wish mine worked better. I was looking forward to adding it to my tailgating load out. Cheers.

[@JohnBaker3000]

Thank-you! Good demo!

[@motoslayermx5276]

U got a bad one because there are hundreds and hundreds of people that love them and say they work great

[@deependstudios]

motoslayer 25 - I said that in the video. I agree, perhaps you’ll get a good one, but I wasn’t willing to play the lottery.

[@jimihendrix4376]

yep!

[@Wingnut353]

@@deependstudios Who's playing a lottery... take it back get another. It's not like you are loosing money maybe just a little time on your next visit to the hardware store.

[@deependstudios]

Which is commonly referred to as the lottery in consumer goods.

[@jordanbeyer7607]

I just order one and it would run what I calculated to be 900 watts with the red light blinking. 950 kills it after about 8 seconds. Seems like you're isn't even getting up to rpms

[@Wingnut353]

Yeah I am thinking he needs to retune at his altitude... if you are far off whatever it was tuned for it isn't going to perform and you do loose some performance at higher alt.

[@BilgemasterBill]

Thanks for taking the time to put this up here. I suspect you may have got a "trippy" one, and hope you returned it for an exchange unit. I'd be curious to see the very same load test performed on one of those ultra-cheapo little 2-stroke 900 watt (claimed peak) Harbor Freight "TailGator" gensets. My hunch is that it would just put its shoulder into it and get it done. I don't have one of those Kill-a-Watt style plug in meters to confirm that hunch, but I've picked up a couple of those 2-stroke fussbuckets over the years, the TailGator's red predecessor "StormCat" branded ones, and they both seem to punch well above their weight before tripping out on overload...I'd guess at least 1,200 watts or more. The advantage of your 4-stroker inverter unit is that it's marginally quieter, though not as quiet as I'd have guessed, and nowhere near Honda "whisperness" territory, and its sine wave output is gonna be a LOT kinder to sensitive electronics than a 2-stroke hooligan.

[@deependstudios]

Definitely feel like, based on many responses this one was a dud on the electronic side. Interestingly, I feel like the engine on this one was very smooth compared to other cheap engines. It feels like the engine could have pushed far harder, but the inverter wanted to give up. I did end up returning it, I did not replace the unit, but I’d like a small 1000w down the road that would ride in the truck daily. It’s such a nice size. Regarding noise: no, it wasn’t quiet, I’ve owned multiple eu2000i gens and this one was loud in compare to load, but of course price factored in, not terribly so. Cheers

[@BilgemasterBill]

@@deependstudios Well, if it's just something you toss in the truck to push a power tool, it's hard to beat one of those TailGator 2-stroke fussbuckets from Harbor Freight. I keep one in the rear passenger side footwell of my old Durango Towbeast just for running stuff like grinders, sanders, and buffers in the state park boat lot where I keep my sailboat, and another to power stuff like my corded hedge trimmer, chainsaw and string trimmer around the house. My pair, about 4 and 5 years old now, are both still running strong. But I were to get another similar 2-stroker, instead of the Plain Jane Harbor Freight "Tailgator" I might search out one of the fancier variants on the basic model for just a few bucks more with the additional 12 volt DC outlet, which puts out about 4 Amps, which might be handy for jumping a weak vehicle battery. Some have an extra diagonal 2-prong outlet like this: ( \ / ) and a plugged cord with alligator clips, while others just have a cigarette lighter style port with a lighter-style socket and cord with clips. I think I'd prefer the former style. The brand name "Pulsar" has a reputed 1,200 Watt peak rating and also offers 2 regular 3-prong 120VAC outlets instead of just one, while one branded PowerPro by Wen claims 1,000 Watts peak and has an analog voltmeter on the panel. A Google search of "2-stroke generator" will scare up all sorts of slightly different options.

[@electriccuts]

That generator looks 👀 like it’s defective.

[@BKD70]

I think your heat gun is pulling way more than 450 watts on low. Most heat guns are in the neighborhood of 800 watts on the low setting. Kill-a-Watt's are also known to be somewhat less than accurate at times also. I think your problem is not your little generator, but that the Kill-a-Watt is lying to you.

[@deependstudios]

Must be a recent repost of this very old video, I've seen a few comments. This generator ran great, but my experience was illustrated. I think you can expect 500w out of it reliably. Other folks who have purchased this, and tested, have also said that it's not capable of producing the rated output. I also do fully believe that there is no quality control in these units, and one may very well work at the advertised specifications. For my money, this is a bad buy, and you can find better options at more reliable sources if you want to buy a chinese inverter. Cheers!

[@jamess2967]

Realistically, how loud is it? Videos are rather deceiving when it comes to audio.

[@deependstudios]

My opinion is that it's fairly quiet from any reasonable distance. It's a small engine, so the pitch is a bit higher than a slightly larger unit... for some reason, it makes it, at least to my ear to be more notable. At 20ft, I doubt you'd mind it at all though. I wouldn't buy this machine personally. It's junk, you can play the lottery for 300 bucks, or just buy a better unit.

[@dallasweaver852]

What is your altitude.

[@deependstudios]

930ft

[@1683clifton]

typical flat screens run 18 watts. a fan and an xbox is not bad for getting through a storm.

[@AreWeThereYet-2025]

R U above 3000 Ft. Elevation ?

[@deependstudios]

Nope, 930ft, roughly.

[@AreWeThereYet-2025]

@@deependstudios . After I bought mine is when I learned it's not suitable above 3000 Ft. . This is a back up for solar on a cloudy day or night to charge battery with inverter. some lights or 5000 BTU AC. R U using high octane fuel? Plug gap right?

[@dnguyen68]

I was going to buy it but not after watching this video. Thx

[@RoyBoyMX]

Sucks mine arrive tomorrow…lol but hey guess I can use it to charge my power tools out in the woods

[@tubemember21]

I think you've got a lemon, hopefully you can return it. I've got the same model generator and have had somewhere over 600 watts continuous without the overload light flashing.

[@deependstudios]

The consensus is this one was trip happy for sure. I dumped the gas out and returned it to WalMart without a question.

[@fundsfordad]

Nice video ! Thank u ! I was gonna buy that one to have to run an 800 watt heater for emergency’s , I guess I’ll keep looking !

[@deependstudios]

There have been other commenters that had better luck, but I wasn’t willing to play the return lottery to get a good one. Cheers.

[@fundsfordad]

I here ya ! Cheers !

[@Gratefulwon]

Well bummer. I was about to order one...

[@terremoto..6809]

I ordered one of these from Ebay for 130$ free shipping

[@jimihendrix4376]

Anybody that can afford a Corvette should have bought a Honda in the first place, Cheap Skate!

[@deependstudios]

Salty.

[@dl2.504B]

Dry and salty lol

[@coldera100]

Yea it can’t handle a desktop computer and monitor, nothing else. I was pretty disappointed

[@Wingnut353]

Desktop computer is a very broad description... soem GPUs by themselves will overload this little sucker all by themselves. Also PCs are often very dirty loads... which are hard for smaller generators to deal with that said you can probably run 2-3 laptops off this with no issues, or 1x 350W PC + 50W LCD monitor.... dont' forget to accout for your monitor as part of the load. If you have your generator tuned up probably it can probably handle a bit more than that.

[@ilovemyevo556]

should have done a voice over and got rid of that noise.. instead of talking over it.

[@deependstudios]

SMH.

[@SamsungGalaxy-ls8ys]

Throw it away to me.

[@turndavidgmail]

I just bought a dual fuel inverter sportsman inverter generator from Home Depot "HD". After watching this video I going to return it for credit as pro-desk will return with pro rewards 1 mo and HD credit card 1 year and finding an HD store that has to send by truck (not all) policy under maintenance policy it will exceed 30 days return, as it takes several weeks to repair. Nice looking but it propane vapor leak means it could not take the trucking from MO. long way to the west coast. Beside it prohibited in Ca, to use as EPA stopped it sale. I thought propane would be clean but you hear gas rushing out inside. TOo bad it will take a road trip as I would not want to be one who experiences the propane leak and fire. I called Buffalo Tool in MO and they did not specify which passed Ca specification. Too bad buffalo tools executive travel to china and if they do likely a s for a lot more money or seize if American business. Sears is a good example of how they changed policy to allow foreign businesses to own rather store or Mfg plant, than pay for kidnapping. See my video less min , I did not light the escaping the propane fuel as this is a residential area and I'll return it to retailer!! Do not buy Buffalo Tools