Customer Rating: - This Product Still Arrives Damaged
I read the other reviews, but ordered it anyway since my county had declared a state of emergency and 90% of electric customers were without power. I needed it fast, and I needed to use it right away. It was worse than everyone said. All the plastic underneath the rollbar was shattered and the roll bar itself was crushed in. I returned it (and it took over 10 days for UPS to come pick it up). Luckily the power came back on the day after I ordered it.

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Customer Rating: - Blue Max GEN 4000
I ordered three of these over a two day period for folks in Houston after Ike. All three were ordered on overnight delivery. Two arrived as promised. The third did not get picked up in Dallas and I had to call serveral times to get it moving. In the end the third came in late and was returned. I was given full credit, so + to Amazon for the credit, - to Amazon / FedEx for not getting it here on time.

After filling with oil and putting in gas the generators started easily. I put some load on each and they performed well. The oil fill is not easy to get to, but this seems to be common to similar gas powered devices. I have not had any feedback on the performace of these machines. One was taken to an area that got power back right away so it did not get much use. The other went to an area that was without power for at least 2 weeks. I have not had any feed back on how it performed.

I also ordered two sets of add-on wheels. For some reason the vendor did not support the order. Amazon credited my account and has since cancelled the order from the vendor.

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Customer Rating: - The jury is still out on the generator..... UPDATE: the verdict is in........
I left my review earlier in the week. But for some reason, it was not posted. Hopefully it isn't because of some of the comments I made about Amazon.com. To be honest, the generator is fairly well built, for the price. But although it arrived well packed, like so many other's have reported, it had some broken and/or missing parts. I contacted Amazon immediately and was told:
"I'm sorry to hear that the some parts for the "Blue Max 4,000 Watt 6.5 HP OHV Gas Powered Generator (Non-CARB Compliant) #3237" you ordered are missing or defective. Unfortunately, we don't stock replacement parts in our fulfillment centers."
I called back and asked about a replacement. And was told:
"We're sorry, but due to safety reasons, we cannot accept the return of any hazardous materials--these include items that are gas-powered, use propane or natural gas, or include a magnet--at any of our fulfillment centers. The risk of accident is simply too great."

So I had a brand new generator with broken and missing parts. And Amazon was "sorry". They couldn't get me the parts and wouldn't send me a replacement. Instead, they credited my account $50 and told me to contact the manufacturer. I didn't have the phone number of the manufacturer, as one of the missing items was the owner's manual. So I did an online search and found a company called bluemax.com. Although this company did not sell me the generator, I was able to buy the parts I needed to make it work. Hat's off to bluemax.com and the service they provide. Without their assistance, I'd have a $250 boat anchor.

I've had my generator for 4 months now, and haven't needed it in an emergency situation. However, I try to run it every couple weeks. Frankly, it is very difficult to start. Sometimes it requires 50 - 75 pulls of the rope to get it going. I've tried various choke settings, to no avail. I'd ask Amazon for specifications on the choke assembly, but I already know where that phone call would take me. I will likely take it to a local small engine shop and have them check it out. As well, I hope to find someone who makes an electric starter for the BlueMax 4000. If and when I find one, you can be sure that I will be installing it on my generator. And hopefully, I find one before I really need the generator.


Update..... I was unable to start the generator this past week. As well, I was unable to get any resolution from the manufacturer. Therefore, I took it to a local Certified Small Engine repair shop and they finally figured out the problem. The compression is less than 25% required to operate the engine. And the ignition is far less than required to ignite the fuel. In layman's terms, the engine will not run. The technician has determined that poorly adjusted valve rockers and poor assembly techniques created the situation. In his professional opinion, the generator engine was not assembled to proper specifications. I'm continuing my efforts to get the manufacturer to respond to my needs of a replacement, as the local technician indicates the engine is beyond repair. However, as it has been all along, they are more interested in sales than they are service. If I am unable to get this issue resolved, I will purchase another generator elsewhere, and let the real Court System work out the details with the distributor.
All I wanted was the product that was advertised here on Amazon. What I received is a broken generator with little or no support from the vendor or distributor. I wish I had never bought it.

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Customer Rating: - WOW!!!!
I tried it out and it works great. It took a little while to get here but it was in great shape when it did. No damage anywhere, be careful not loose any of the pins that hold the wheels on. The bag they came in had a whole in it. So a pin got lost but it only cost 29 cents to replace it at ACE.

As for how loud the generator is it very loud. Some reviews said it was not louder than a lawn mower. I guess it makes a difference what lawn mower you have. I paid over 1100 dollars for my lawn mower but it is a commercial lawn mower. It is not very loud at all so I had hopes it would be quieter. But that is a 1100 dollar lawn mower.

No problem starting it at all. I am so happy with how easy it is to moves around (once you put the wheels on it) and how great it looks. It the power goes out my beer will be cold and my ice cream will stay frozen.