Dead Kipor Generator

I've contacted the retailer Nudie. They will 'get back to me'. At least they didn't say 'tough luck' straight off.

I won't identify them until I know what their response is.

This is similar to a recent experience I had with a Fullriver battery that died a few months out of warranty. On that occasion the retailer (Fridge and Solar) replaced it with a new one despite the warranty period being over. Great service on that occasion, but unfortunately a bit rare these days.

I can only hope.

even if that is the case it doesn't mean they have the same quality componentry.

G'Day John,
Yep, at the moment they are not quite the same, but he was assured that the difference in quality was getting smaller by the day, they predict to soon be equal in componentry, and the build quality is identical
Regards
Rolande

Rolande, it is a point I was making last week to someone on Chinese bikes, they are catching up quickly indeed on quality control issues. Components not there yet, but getting there like the Japanese manufacture of the late 50s early 60s.

Scary isn't it? Cheap labour, quality parts and on a short-track to quality build as well.

Not hard to imagine them being the No.1 world manufacturer in less than 10 years.

They are already beginning to make a mark in dairy also, something we would not have believed 10 years ago. Buy bulk milk powder from Australia / New Zealand, which we usually sell at close to cost, transform into sweetened condensed milk - sell back to Coles under the Home Brand label, straight profit!

Rolande

Mate, you have an interest in dairy or have you noted I have? Company I work with hasn't exported anything there as they haven't wanted to pay high enough prices. Just about to start but with cheese at good values - they need to be as they won't get it otherwise. Bit different with our Kiwi counterparts. Quit it at any price it seems.

G'day John,

Mutual industry? I work for the kiwi's, took over last year.

I can tell you that regardless there is no money in powder. Retail comes first, export second, what is left becomes powder.

regards

Rolande

Sorry,

Should have noted, if you would like to reply off-list E-Mail address is

UHUFORREST at YAHOO dot COM dot AU

Rolande

Have sent an email Rolande, but I have an email addy at the bottom of my rig pic if you don't get it

It was very windy when we were there Beatit. I got one at 740mm. There were a couple over a metre caught while we were there, but a few people had spent between 1 and 2 weeks without getting any.

With less wind and warmer water you might do OK.

Thanks Norm, will be up there later this month. Taking my dad to do the 4 dams (Monduran, Awoonga, Pete Faust and Tinaroo). We are leaving Wednesday and will really only have 1 day at each location so very little time for trial and error.

Hope the Kipor problem works out OK for you.

Kind regards

You'd have to work a lot harder to ruffle my feathers Signman. In part, I agree with you.

My gennie never runs before 10.00 AM and never after 4.00PM. And then only if we are camping in the same place for more than 3 days, which is not often. It charges the deep cycle batts and the camera, laptop, boat and other batteries mostly.

Well I ran a 2kva Kipor to "all hours" of the night down at Boyup for the weekend (it wasn't mine I borrowed it of a relative) but I'll tell you what, in that situation it really doesn't matter as everyone is running around "yahooing" to early hours of the morning anyway and they had a big diesel lighting tower going until 2 o'clock in the morning each night. The lighting tower would have been at LEAST 500m away if not more and it still drowned out the sound of the Kipor. To tell the truth I walked off from our little camp site a couple of times to do my "business" and each time I paniced becuase I thought it had stopped for some reason. No, I just couldn't hear it! We had it about 4 meters away from where we were sitting and it didn't bother us at all (there was a group of about 10 or so of us). If we had john williams playing on the stereo we coulnd't even hear it and could still have a normal conversation!

So I think people just need to be a little careful making statements such as "the only good generator is a dead one". Personally, I don't use one, don't have the room in the car and I don't really want to have to carry ULP around when I run on diesel, seems pointless to me when I can just carry bigger batteries, but in saying that those sinewave gennies are incredible and to be honest it had be re-elvuating my choice not to have one.

I also think that one Kipor that has had an electrical component fail after 18 months is not a reason to say OH you get what you pay for, if there were 3 or 4 or more reports of that same problem, perhaps you could make that comment. Hell my supercrappy compressor fridge is still going strong it's 34c outside at the mo and it is at -1c under the back patio (where it sits while not in the car, runs 24/7) and it has been all kinds of places with us in some rough tracks airborn on sandunes etc etc etc and for $299 mate you gotta argue the point that even if it only lasts another 6 months $299 for 2 years is pretty good! Hell a smaller engel would cost me prob $1200. Even if I had to buy a new one every 2 years it'd take me 8 YEARS to make up the price of the engel! And that's if it DOES die it 6 months, who's to say it will??

PS I should clear up that Boyup Brook was the Harvey Dickson's rodeo, hence the all hours of the night thingo.

Cup Weekend,on the Murray Set up Friday at 5pm. All is great in the World. Small amount of space next to us. Come 9.30pm 3 families arrive and set up on this site. 9.45Pm 3 Generators all GMC start up to power domestic type fridges,cooktops,kettles,toasters etc. Extension cords snaking everywhere. !0.30 PM mentioned that the noise was unacceptable. Got told they had no alternative for keeping perishables and drinks cool for the weekend. 11PM Overheard mobile conversation,another 2 families still an hour away. Setting up lasts till 1.30AM. How can people be so insensitive to others that have arrived and set up early .
The whole weekend then sounded liked a 3 day episode of Kath and Kim and The Wedge combined. All washed and shampooed in the Murray. Dishes also rinsed in the river. For us a disappointing weekend to say the least.

1. You cannot compare the noise generated from a GMC to a honda/kipor type product, they are very very different.

2. We had fridges running off battery's so the generator could be switched off before bed, so perhaps these people you mention should be a little better prepared, not a fault of the generator.

3. What the hell does shampooing and washing dishes in the murray have to do with generators?

I am just commenting on that with certain generators being made available to the masses via Bunnings etc very cheaply they see it as an easy way of making camping easy to the detriment of us that are in the know about the benefits of quality equipment.The bit about washing in the Murray has nothing to do about generators but I just felt it needed mentioning to remind people of their responsibilities to the environment.

Not as good as the toilet tent set up on the bank next to the Murray that I saw!!

Leroy

re - environmental damage, c'mon guys, you know what to do.. take down the regos and give the bush telegraph a call, let them explain the right way to treat the environment to these numbnuts.

Ps - yeah i was invited up to the murray myself, but learnt a long time ago that any holiday time its just a magnet for imbesciles, especially jet skis and wake boats.

you can't escape the jet ski's and wake/ski boats especially when you are fishing.

Leroy

Not ready for solar yet Mainey. When we eventually move our camping habits to longe term (several days) in one place I'll certainly go solar. But I'll probably still want a gennie. I run an electric trolling motor on the boat and it would take too long to charge on solar.

Norm,
Yes, would be true if you use the battery each day you could then charge it each night between fishing trips.
Another choice is have two batteries, swapping them over each day!!
Beauty of a 'good' solar system is you don't have to set it up or connect anything to it, it sits on the roof and does it's job daily without any human intervention.

Yes, solar may have some limitations
but after using it for ten years I'm not sure what they are yet :-)
I've never used a gennie.

Yep real good if your camped somewhere for several days in cool cloudy weather,
What a load of crapp, 10 years and you have never camped under heavy cloud? WA doesnt have any cloudy weather?
Sorry I get a bit sick of these solar people who are the experts!
Reality is that yes some places are ok for solar and some need more than this can produce, so a genny is mostly the only answer.
Yes some moron's spoil it for the majority but there are thousands of considerate genny users out there.
If spending $1500 for a system to recharge your setup my money is on a decent genny, before some bulky solar panels.

Cheers pesty

Yes, in 10 years I have not run out of battery power due to cloudy weather....

You have to remember that 'quality' solar panels will work in cloudy weather, what I'm saying they don't need direct sunshine on the panel to work.

As with all things, if you buy cheap elcrappo equipment you get the same results.

I have an agm battery bank in excess of 200a/h so I don't have to worry about lack of power for a many days, as I said I have never run out of battery power.

To read your statement "so a genny is mostly the only answer" implies to me you have never used a 'decent' solar system as I have never used a genny.

With a "quality" Solar system the power is going into the battery bank continuously during the day, replenishing the power as it is being used, remember the Engel/Waeco use about 3a/h max and a decent solar panel, (100w panel rated @ about 7a/h) puts in at least 3a/h, (a 80w panel @ 5.1a/h delivers ~2a/h) even on a cloudy day so the fridge is using about the same or less than the solar panel is putting into the battery on a cloudy day and the battery bank is being continuously recharged at the same time during the day, yes the a/h numbers are much higher on sunny days or with low white clouds.

At days end the battery is still fully charged, each morning the battery bank is re-charged because the lights and fridge etc, used just some power during the night from a fully charged battery.

I reckon it had 50 to 60 hours of use. That's the frustrating part. We didn't use it a lot. But when you need it, you need it.

We stayed at the Boynedale Bush camp. It was set up by the GAWB. Only facility is a hybrid toilet, but there are nice shady trees, garbage bins and fire rings. The boat ramp is just dirt and currently about 2 km from the camp ground with water being low.

It is a free camp and very good, though a bit dusty when we were there. Bit of rain since might have solved that.

Hope you are well set up with fishing gear. 50 lb braid and 80 lb twisted leaders seem to be the go if you are after the metre+ barra, particularly if casting lures around the trees.

Hope you and your dad get a barra. But be prepared for a lot of hours between fish. One guy we met had been there for 2 weeks without a fish.

Sorry to hear about your dilemma, Norm.

The thing is, some businesses want you to come back, ie F&S. Others don't give a rats.

One point well known in marketing circles is how people report service standards. For good service, they might tell 1 or 2 friends. For poor service, they tell at least 10. And that was before the advent of the net!

The net significantly amplifies the poor side of the equeation. Lets face it, most people go to the net for help when they have a problem with something.....

Now I'd say quite a few people here are having second thoughts about buying a Kipor.

I'm getting solar on the new van, and also getting a 2Kva gen down the track. I was all but sold on a Kipor until today. Now if, lets say you wrote back and said "jeez, the importer was fantastic! They're gonna replace the inverter out of warranty as a goodwill gesture" I would have probably been even more swayed towards the Kipor.

A replacement inverter would have cost the importer bugga all. The goodwill will cost 'em heaps more! :-)

Guess what generator I'm NOT buying?

Thanks for the heads up, Norm.

I meant EQUATION.

We need an edit function!

It's not over yet John. I'm dealing with the importer at the moment. Don't want to do or say anything that might prejudice those discussions. I didn't make any comment on the retailer until I had their response. I'll do the same with the importer.

Perhaps I can come back and sing the praises of the imorter and how they stand by their product!! We'll see.