WEN Super Quiet 3800-Watt RV-Ready Portable Inverter Generator with Fuel Shut-Off and Electric Start (56380i)

For those looking for the quick bottom line review: I am extremely happy with this generator. It has more than enough power to keep my family of 6, with 4 tech dependent children, relatively calm and comfortable for days without power. It is also reasonable sound level wise to run through the night, living in a housing community with neighbors very close. No, I would not attempt to power an air conditioner. Power output: 5/5 Noise: 5/5 Portability: 4/5 Easy of use: 5/5 Easy of care/maintenance: 5/5 Overall look: 5/5 The only 2 cons I can come up with: - It's heavy - I can lift it myself to get it into my SUV, but I could not carry it far. It does however have wheels and a pull out handle to make rolling it around quite easy. - after using for about a day an a half, it began leaking a VERY small amount of oil from around the oil drainage tube. No noticeable amount when checking the dipstick --------------------------------------------------------- For those looking for an in-depth review with details (like I was) to help make a purchase decision... here ya go.. Background: I am a mid thirties computer programmer, living with my girlfriend and our 4 kids (ages 8-17). We live in a townhouse that's part of a very stereotypical upper middle class housing community. Our 4 kids are very technology and internet dependent, spreading across streaming services, gaming, and social media. Additionally, I work from home and am dependent on my full setup (monitors, laptop, switches, etc..) for my job. I purchased this generator after losing power for 5 days as a result of a bad thunderstorm with lots of downed trees (and wires) in the area. At the time, I didn't have one at all, but borrowed an uncle's 3400 watt portable generator for the last few days. It was a typical, cheap, "camping" style generator with an open caged design. It was incredibly loud, resulting in countless mean looks and nasty comments from neighbors. It also produced "dirty" power, so we were only able to use it for the freezers and fridge, not any of the electronics. It was also notably lacking in information output, like power consumption, fuel level, etc.. After that experience, I did a bunch of research and landed on this Wen Inverter Generator. I purchased in mid May 2020, and got my first full usage in July 2020 when another storm knocked out power for 3 days. Used the generator basically non-stop for 3 days without issue. Power: Most importantly, this produces "clean" power that is safe to use for whatever, electronics or other. While using this generator, I never used even 50% of its available output. Much of the time using less than 25%, depending on freezer/fridge compressors being on/off. With that, I was able to power the following (at least): 2 deep chest freezers, a standard refrigerator/freezer combo, sump pump, dehumidifier, cable modem, 3 routers, several laptops, a 24" monitor, 8 large stand/box fans, 6 lamps, as many as 10 phones/tablets, plus a toaster and coffee pot as needed. I also successfully ran a 65" TV without issue, but did not keep that on, just because. Overall, plenty of power. Noise: This is the big one everyone is worried about. Being honest, I was rather shocked and pleased at how quietly this runs. To be clear, this is not silent! It's a generator. If you're expecting no noise, or similar to a small fan, you're kidding yourself. However, my general assessment from walking around my neighborhood in the evenings (something I do regularly, power or no) is that it produces slightly less noise than a typical outdoor central air unit. Standing directly next to it, you can hold a conversation without yelling. At 15+ ft away, it's background noise and overall "not irritating". Standing about 10ft away from it, I could hear my neighbor's generator (about 100 ft away) overtop of my own. At one point when coming back from a walk, I was convinced it had shut off for some reason because I couldn't hear it until I was quite close. I had no reservations about noise level when running this all night. Fuel Consumption: The tank is admittedly smaller than I was thinking I'd like when I bought it. However, it has turned out to not be an issue. I was refueling about every 12 hours, without ever running out. I expect (with the load noted above) it would last about 14-15 hrs on a full tank. And a 5 gallon gas can is perfect for two fillings (plus a little extra). Look/Feel: This generator looks gorgeous (as far a generators are concerned). It's has a modern, clean look, especially compared to it's competitors. It feels very solid, sturdy, and well built. It also feels very intelligently designed, with easy of use/care in mind. It has a fuel level and power consumption gauge, presented as LED bars at 25% intervals. Doesn't give exact values in the display, but enough to be helpful, and more than many others. Starting: Since this generator contains a battery, after the first start (once the battery has power), it will start electronically by simply turning the dial. On the first start, the pull cord starts it with ease, requiring very little pulling effort/energy. It is NOT like starting a lawn mower or weed wacker that takes a very quick, strong pull. Care/Maintenance: This is where I was quite pleasantly surprised. This generator is clearly built with ease of maintenance in mind. Which stands out compared to other generators I have interacted with. Most notably, when you are done using your generator and ready to store it longer term, you need to drain the gasoline from it to keep it in good working order. I have taken screenshots of me doing this process to showcase just how easy it is. Remove 2 screws to take the side panel off. Pull the pre-attached tube out to the side and direct towards gasoline container. Loosen a single screw and let drain. Then turn the starting dial to "run" and let drain again. That's it... The oil dipstick and access is not fantastic, but equal to any others I've seen. I also note that there is an easy drainage tube for the oil as well, when changing the oil is necessary. There is also easy access to change a sparkplug. Also worth noting that I purchased a 10 gauge RV cord (pictured) that converts to a 3-way standard 3 prong plug. I also purchased several long 12 gauge three way extension cords to plug into that RV cord. That is how I connected everything. No cords were even warm to the touch. Overall, I would strongly recommend this generator to anyone, including my own family (which I have already done). I would definitely buy another one myself, if I needed it for some reason. Hope this proves informative to someone else.

In Econ mode (which you use constantly except for starting, shutoff, and >1600w activities): Noise: a little louder than an air conditioner. Slightly louder than an idling car. Nobody complains. Duration idling <500w: nearly sixteen hours. >Running a single (standard 600w window) A/C unit on high: ~10 hours >Running a 1000w electric heater: ~8 hours >Running a 1500w electric heater: <6 hours Over a year later, she's still kicking just fine. It's been a year, but over 10,000 operating hours. We work her hard. It's actually easier starting her now than it was before winter. (Of course, I did the long-term storage procedure). The auto shutoff and push-button start have made using her a breeze. Kinda wish I still had a ripcord backup - I had to use vehicle jumper packs a few times last year, due to loose battery connection issues. Maybe it would be better if the thick rubber battery band was still intact, but I found it impossible to work with. It made the battery effectively inaccessible. I considered the four stars rating because it does have some issues. The battery connections shake and loosen, which can cause difficulty starting, recharging issues, and possibly damage the battery. The ripcord broke with a single bad pull (I pulled at the wrong angle, since it was my first time using it). Dirty oil will give you great difficulty in starting. The spark collector can't be removed for cleaning, the screws strip. The beaded chains on the gas cap and oil drain are flimsy and will definitely break. It's not light. I've gotten stronger from lifting it so often, and my honey refuses to lift it at all. Overall: it's pretty great quality despite the low price. It's been very reliable (some exceptions) and done its job well. Noise review: It's often a huge concern with generators, and this is competitively quiet with anything on the market (I've been to enough festivals, I've seen them all). Actually, quieter than most harbor freight inverter gens. Pop out your favorite little bluetooth speaker and you won't hardly notice it. Walking through parking lots, many times I've failed to notice its sound until I could see it. If you listen carefully, you can notice... but you won't. Better white noise than traffic sounds, but rather intrusive noise in quiet spaces, like suburbs and farms. Will I purchase it again when this one dies? Maybe. Will I buy this brand? Yes, almost certainly. I'm considering a pair of linked "suitcase generators" for redundancy and the ability to run power in two places. The total runtime is the concern here. No one wants to wake up halfway through the sweltering night to fill gas and get the A/C running again... but with our new batteries, that might not be a concern.

I have owned this generator now for almost 5 years. It will be 5 in December, 2026. I have used and abused this generator more than the average person. I boondock camp almost every other weekend and this generator is used to run AC and appliances all the time. I have 770 hours on the meter as of writing this review. I currently own a Brinkley Z2900 and can run both AC units, charge phones, fans, TVs and whatever else all night on 1 tank of fuel. I did a break in period when I intitally purchased it, but then change the oil after each season (summer/winter). I don't do it when it says to. If i did it every 25 hours, I would be doing it almost every weekend in the summer. The generator is quite and strong. It reacts quickly to power surges and I have never had any issues with sensitive appliances. I used it at one point for 8 days straight during a massive hurricane power outage at my house. After about day 4, it died for the first time ever since purchase. I put a new spark plug in it, changed the oil, and fired it right back up. Ran it for another 3 straight days afterwards. When we have the windows up in the camper, I cannot hear this generator running at all. Even when it kicks into high RPM mode, it is very Quite. My next purchase if this generator ever fails, will be 2 smaller Wens that I can carry around and parallel together. Would love to give the 2800 watt version a shot but can't justify it because this one is just so awesome. Really my only compaint is the weight, which I knew before purchase and have dealt with just fine. I toss it in the "garage" of the 5th wheel while traveling and it fits great. The size is perfect in that aspect. Honestly, I cannot say enough good things about this generator. It has been rock solid. I almost bought a super expensive Honda because of the "last forever" reputation but I am so glad I didn't. I imagine that I will give this to my neighbor or something when I finally decide to buy the 2 smaller ones that I want.

I’ve experienced with different generators over the years and this is by far the best I’ve encountered. For the size it’s the quietest. It’s an absolute workhorse. The reliability is off the charts. I went two years without even turning it on and when I needed it, it started right up. My favorite feature is the automatic shut off, which sucks the fuel out of the carburetor. The number one reason for generators not starting after long term storage is fuel buildup in the generator makes them go bad. I’ve had this for over four years and never an issue. I’ve been very impressed.

Ok, so to preface this, I bought this generator last for Hurricane Season here in Houston, TX. Up until now I had not had a need for it but this week during the unusual winter storm in Texas that left us all without power, we were the lucky ones because of this generator. A few notes I'd like to share: 1. I had my fridge, gas furnace and blower, a couple TVs, internet, lights, etc. hooked up and even with the heat blowing the capacity never broke the 20% mark. Plenty of power for all of your needs during a winter event. I do not believe there is enough power in the 3800 Watt unit to power an AC system, but that was of no concern during this event. 2. It ran without issue for 30 hours straight and used just over 2 gallons of gas. With the low demand of my uses I kept it in eco mode the whole time. 3. It was barely audible on my back patio. Very quiet unit. 4. I left it outside before actually needing it for two days in 10-20 degree weather and it started right up. Needed to pull it because the battery was weak from the cold, but having both options is great. A couple thing to note: When it first arrived it would not start at all. The service and parts people were outstanding AND they were Americans who knew their stuff. He had my solution and emailed me repair procedures at my request because I have basic tool skills and was willing to make a quick fix. The spark plug cap broke during shipping, which is apparently more common than it should be, but they sent a replacement out right away and it arrived in just a few days. To be on the safe side I was able to buy one for $4 at a shop and put it on myself, which was easy. SO, if yours doesn't start out of the box, take off the side and check that. Easy fix. My conclusion: started, worked perfectly for a couple days, sips gas, is quiet, and customer service is outstanding. What's not to love? I'm going to be adding their bigger model as well to run my A/C during Houston heat outages, but I'll be sticking with WEN. One other note: I highly recommend, if you're using this for your home, buying a generator transfer switch for your house so you can just plug it in directly to the box and run pre-selected parts of your home. Have a licensed professional do the work.

Had this generator close to 6 months now. Very pleased with it. Can easily have a conversation next to it while its running full throttle. Starts very easy with the electric start, and pull start is very smooth. Runs my 13,500btu air conditioner on my camper at 50% load. Moves easy with the built on handle and wheels. My only recommendation for Wen is to put bigger wheels on it as they will drag in rough terrain. Also, the decals have already started peeling off in a couple places. Overall, great product for the price! P.S. Follow the care instructions and you wont have any issues.

I have the very large though mobile Generac units to run well pumps at the farm, etc. For the barn, I’d like something whisper quiet so I can play a stereo connected to Bose outdoor speakers. When I first got it, I thought what a tiny little cube. It is a tiny little cube comparatively but is it ever a reliable little workhorse. Ergonomically the fold down handle is wonderful. It’s not one of the split wheelbarrow type handles and it folds fully back into the cube. And the wheels on the back make it easy enough for a person of any size to pull it up on a trailer bed or even across hay covered barn floor. Every single time I’ve pulled that cord, it starts on the first pull. Rotate the primer knob to Start position, pull and Whoala! It runs and runs and runs for hours. No 93 octane required. I had to laugh when my Chinese unit was needed to jump start my Genera’s dead battery, started in the first pull, did its job and the well pump worked. The only thing I’d tweak in engineering is the whisper. It’s whisper is kinda like a 6 year old grand daughter in a movie theater that everyone behind you and in front of you hear. Don’t get me wrong. It’s quieter than a larger generator but it is no floor fan. 55db is questionable with one Nakakixhi amp plugged in yet wuiet enough that you can sit with a small glass of bourbon in a rocking chair overlooking your orchard and not have to turn the steep up to 75db. This product gets 5 stars. Price wise. Operationally. Reliability. Ergonomically. A great little unit.

So here is my personal experience with WEN 56380i Super Quiet 3800-Watt RV-Ready Portable Inverter Generator. Also, we live at 3,000 m/10,000 ft in the Colorado Rockies so we bought the High Altitude Kit (6000 - 8000 Ft) from the WEN website to ensure proper gas consumption and emissions (part #56380i) First things first, they say that it was pre-ran, or at least they lead you to believe it was run prior because they warn you to keep the machine level so that leftover "oil" does not leak from the unit if tipped upside down. With that being said, I would highly suggest starting this generator, as if it was being started for the very first time [with proper protocols in place]. Here is what I've always done [being mindful that I am an aerospace engineer who has started many engines for the very first time]: Steps that should be taken on: Auto parts Store items that should be purchased prior to starting: 2-Liters of 5W-30 Full-Synthetic Oil, 1-Bottle of STP Oil Additive with Zinc [ZDDP], Funnel with Bendable Stem/Neck, Loctite Thread Lock (red), small bottle of WD-40 1) Use a 10mm wrench to remove the Red Mounting Plates and Nuts from the underside of the generator 2) Add 16oz (1/2 Liter) of 5W-30 Full-Synthetic blended with 2oz of STP Oil Additive to Oil to the crankcase using a funnel - you will know the right amount was added when you look at the threading of the you will see oil about halfway up the threads where the cap is screwed in. 3) Add about 2+ gallons of 91 Octane Gasoline 4) Pull Battery Door Off (use a coin) and attach the negative cable using a phillips head screwdriver - be careful pushing the battery back in place so that you do not crush the power lines between the frame and the battery 5) Pull Engine Door Off (two phillips screws at the top) and remove the spark plug cable and remove the spark plug - use WD-40 and make a quick spray inside of the cylinder housing (1-Second Spray) to coat the cylinder walls 6) Use the hand crank to light cycle the piston several rotations (with the spark plug removed so that you do not compress the cylinder) - I pulled the hand-pull lightly about 10-times (this will lubricate the cylinder walls with the WD-40 7) Screw spark plug back in (first by hand and then with a socket wrench) (reattach the spark plug cable. Reattach the housing door after you know the spark plug is firing upon start up) 8) Start-Up Sequence: Make sure "eco-mode" is switched to off; turn selector dial all the way clockwise to "start"; Start the Generator (I used the pull-start considering the battery is probably at 1/3 charge - but you can use the orange button located on the "Dial" Selector) ------ DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING PLUGGED INTO THE GENERATOR AT STARTUP 9) Run in "start" for 2-3 minutes without anything connected 10) Turn knob/selector to "run" - let idle for 45-mins to 2-hours 11) Plug in something to draw energy and cycle the generator at slightly higher RPMs for a few minutes 12) After a few hours of low idle turn off and change the oil in the crankcase ----- Replace with the same mixture of 5W-30/STP (8:1 Mix or 16oz of full-synthetic oil + 2oz of STP with Zinc [ZDDP]) 13) Start-up procedures 14) Finally, you are probably wondering about the Loctite, well, I learned that the rear wheels are not properly fixed and they will fall off from the vibration of the generator, so I used Red Loctite on the threads and screwed them back into place so that they would stay fixed [you will thank me later] This machine is quiet, very quiet actually. We have an Airstream Basecamp 20X and its run all of our needs easily. The heater barely draws any load on this generator at full blow capacity (1-Green Dot on Load Meter). The A/C unit draws about 1/4 Load (2-Green Dots on Load Meter). We are planning on having a port built directly into our house so that when power goes out we can use this to keep the house powered (we live at 3,000 meters in the Colorado Rockies).

la fiabilite reste a voire pour un prix assez eleve

Excellent. Great when we are out of power.

Great inverter for your money very little noise, 100' away you can't even hear it Less than an outside air conditioner running, Light weight for the size of the generator inverter And the power stability is great no searching no altercations in the power being fed to your unit.

Do not buy this item. Bought last year and used it for 30 hours. This year won't work. Inventor shot. Took it to local repair show instead of sending it back to the United States that costs a fortune. Repair cost $800.00 from a trusted repair person. I thought this item was from a good manufacturer that I could trust. NOPE

Got Generator in ,box damaged and so was product . Neither Amazon or Wen will do anything about it. My suggestion is not buy from here