Cat RP7500E Gas Powered Portable Generator with Electric Start - 7500 Running Watts/9375 Starting Watts 490-6491

I always wait for a little bit before I write a review of a product especially something as expensive as this. This one took even a little longer since Amazon delivered it a couple days after I’d messed up my hand. Trying to muscle around a 200lbs plus hunk of steel was out of the question so the box just sat there mocking me for weeks.UnboxingWhen I finally got around to being able to play with my new little beast assembly took around eight minutes. The hardest part was taking all the cardboard to the trash. It came with everything needed to put it together including wrenches and oil. If I was in the woods with a can of gas and this showed up still in the box it could be running within 10 minutes of opening it. Even less if I didn't put the wheels on. Having the oil in there is a nice touch and what they give you fills it up. It took the whole quart which surprised me.StartingFired up 2nd pull and ran smooth. Everything new does that normally. No big surprise. I shut it down and tried the electric start and also fired right up as it should. The big test will be if I don't use it for a year and the gas goes bad. There is a fuel shutoff. I always forget to drain tanks and unless you run the tank dry there would is bad gas in there. I have/had boats, jet skis, leaf blowers, lawnmowers, snow blowers, weed eaters and always think it will be fine. Stuff like gas stabilizer helps but that even goes bad if it sits too long. Your engine will run like garbage until you can get ALL fresh gas.This happens to me a lot so the first thing I checked was can I get to the fuel bowl (stripped down my share of lawnmowers just to get to the carb) what is it made of, and how hard would it be to drain out stale gas. The fuel bowl is not plastic and right there for easy access. The gas tank is just high enough to put a gas can on the ground and let gravity do its thing to siphon out the old stuff. You would be surprised how hard this can be on some generators and other small engine machines I have owned in the past. I don't know if this was by design but it's all on my list of deal breakers when trying to figure out what to get when buying anything like this.Gas tank looks solid and should be able to take a beating and not crack. Time will tell and it does not leak at the time of this review. I put it in our garage all closed up tight with a piece of cardboard under it. I could not smell or see any gas or oil leaks. I have run it a couple times since and still good.Ease of UseIt a generator you plug stuff in. Not much to say but the LED readout is nice and I can read it easily from a distance. I had it setup outside and can see how it's running through the kitchen window from inside. There are stickers on it for how to start it which is great since if it sits for a while or the wife needs to start it she is not trying to find a manual in the dark in our basement.There is a little light on the panel so you can see the controls night without a flashlight. Have not used it at night so will update review later if it actually helps.I love electric start and really miss it on my snowblower. Since these things tend to sit a bit between uses I always have a heck of a time get them started. I know people say one pull and it fired right up after sitting for 10 years but I never had that kind of luck if it sits more than a couple seasons. The manual says the battery will hold a charge just sitting for a year but I put it on a trickle charger on it anyway. Last year we lost power and our sump pump battery backup was dead and the wife just watched the water rise and flood the basement since she couldn't get our old generator started. Now my 12-year-old daughter can save the day with one finger if we are not home and lose power in a storm.NoiseIt's not quiet but not loud either. I have had some quiet generators but they are more expensive or way underpowered in the same price range. I would not want it outside right next to my tent if I was trying to sleep but it sat right outside the closed kitchen window and was fine. MUCH quieter than my lawnmower which is what worried me. There are not a bunch of reviews so I didn't know what to expect. It just looked like it could be loud and I was worried. I do like the sound of it. Maybe it's just me but it "sounds good". Hard to put my finger on it. I will add more after I have to run it for a bit. Could be I was just excited with a new toy.CONSPlastic wheels. Not sure if it's a con or not they feel solid and I don't have to air them up like tires on a pressure washer I have. They just don't look right with all the steel and I am not a fan of plastic anything with this much weight.No lift eye. Probably not a big deal to most people but I would not have to pull out my ramps trying to get it into a truck. I can fix that but would have been nice.No rubber gasket on air filter cover. Not sure if this is an issue or not since I have not run it out in bad weather or extreme dust. It seems to seal tight so all could be fine it was just something I had noticed.ConclusionAt this point I LOVE it. It's exactly what I needed and a couple things more than I expected that made me really happy with the decision. I am still in the nice shiny new honeymoon phase, though. The test comes when the power is out and I am across the country on the phone with the wife and/or one of the kids has to start it in the dark. Next test is when I lug all the junk out to the back to build something off the honey do list. I know at least one of those WILL happen within next few months (the wife is already making her list). I will update as time goes on. Right now based on what I have personally seen its an easy 5 stars and I would recommend. If that changes at all I will be back with an update. It feels well built and solid. Base on all my research I got a pretty good bang for the buck. Price point seems to be right in the middle of the pack. Based on build and quality so far it could be priced with upper tier. Not sure if it's because they are a new player in the consumer market but I have never seen anything cheap either in build or price from these guys. Very happy quality without the higher price for a change. If one goes on sale I might get another one as long as it is over 150lbs. (see below)One last thing and it's about all shipping, not just generators. If they go regular shipping you might have a problem. The ones right at the edge of weight limits get damaged during shipping because people are trying to move them any way they can. I had a problem before and figured out a trend a few years back. I saw way too many things coming to me DOA across different manufacturers and different products. When I hit the forums I read the same complaints. It's highly unlikely that they all shipped that many broken small engine machines and the ones just a little bigger never had an issue. These are small machines that are pretty strong but break if you mishandle them. The one weight limit I saw before a product had to ship commercial was 150lbs. If you are getting anything close to that weight that might not work if it gets moved around by ANY means necessary to get it to its destination you have a chance it may come damaged. I am not trying to criticize anyone especially since they are working hard and just trying to get the job done. When I see a delivery truck in the neighborhood there is a good chance they have been by my house. Rain or shine they bring me stuff I am too lazy or busy to go to the store and get myself. But if it can be critically damaged (generator, lawnmower, table saw, snow blower, etc ) and it close to that weight limit you are always taking a chance. It MAY be the product but in my experience, I could trace it back to shipping and not the OEM almost everytime. Even the best packaging does not stand a chance. My solution was to get Prime and be over the 150lbs limit, even if I had to spend a couple more dollars for the next level up in the product class. If I can't I just cross my fingers and make sure I am home when it's delivered or find one local. Generators are just an engine and alternator with only a cardboard box for protection. It's easier to get critical damage than a snowblower or lawnmower. If they are over 150lbs they come on a truck and moved are with proper equipment like a pallet jack. That has just been my experience and what I saw in forums. Nothing scientific just opinion.

I am a manufacturer, I chose this generator to power my machine for several reasons. 1) The 7500 rated watts will run my machine with enough power left over for my customers auxiliary items. (When my machine is to be powered with this generator, it will be an emergency situation, likely at a remote location. The operators of my machine will likely need extra power for lights, radios, fans etc.) 2) The physical size of the generator, it seems small for its rated output. It fits within my machine with only a couple inches to spare, and it looks good there! 3) The name, this generator has an internationally known name which gives it creds for quality. I know that Caterpillar does not make this generator, but the CAT name makes me feel confident that it is built well and right. 4) The reviews. When I purchased this generator, it had 13 reviews. 12 were 5 star, 1 was 3 star. The 3 star review complained only of a non operating hour meter. I could find no other generator of this size and capacity that rated this well. 5) Price. I am surprised that a generator at this price point reviews so well. 6) The sound level of this generator. It is loud, it’s a job site generator. But it’s not as loud as you would expect a generator of this capacity to be. 7) Starting this generator. You have to choke this generator to start it, even using the electric start, but if you follow the start procedure, a 5 year old child could pull start it! Yes! It really is that easy to pull start! And the start procedure is easy, and everything is in the same spot on the front panel. Turn on the fuel, pull the choke, turn the start switch/pull the cord, push the choke off. I did not need any tech support, so I did not rate it. Setup was easy with clear instructions. As of this writing, I’ve had this generator on my prototype for two weeks, I am impressed with it. I have just purchased 6 of these generators to power my machines, time will tell if my customers have the same impressions I do, I am confident they will, this is why I chose this generator.