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The Durostar DS10000E excels where many portable generators lack, and fail. With a powerful engine that’s housed in an all-metal body, it can perform in most environments and generates enough electricity to back up a mid-sized home. Learn why so many people swear by it.
Whether it’s a blizzard, hurricane, wind storm, or a flood that’s forecast for your town, you know you will likely be left without power. That’s almost inevitable with how violent these weather events usually are in most parts of the USA.
To keep your family safe and comfortable (or your business running) while they restore your power, you need an alternative power source – a flexible, portable power solution that is unfazed by anything. For most people that takes the shape of a portable generator.
We have reviewed a lot of generators here at Generator Tools. That experience gives us a pretty good idea of what a good portable generator should look like. This time, we dive deep into the features and specifications of the gasoline-powered Durostar DS10000E portable generator. Let’s dig in!
A Brief Overview of Durostar Portable Gas Generators
Durostar is a brand of portable generators made by the Duromax Power Systems company. It is part of a stable of brands under which the company markets a line of products that also includes engines, power washers, pumps, and a range of accessories.
The Duromax company’s headquarters are in Ontario, California, where its products are engineered. The company was founded in 2003 and is part of Dexin International Inc, which has been making generators since 1992. Duromax leads the market in dual-fuel portable generator technology.
Duromax’s generator business services the portable power market, making portable generators for home, work, and play. At home, Durostar generators provide safety and comfort during power outages. The generators enable work and play on remote job sites and outdoor recreational sites where grid power is not available.
Review of the Durostar DS10000E 10,000-Watt Gas-Powered Portable Generator
Durostar DS10000E Easy To Transport
The Durostar DS10000E is a portable, open-frame generator that runs on gasoline. The generator has a continuous power rating of 8,000 watts and surges to 10,000 watts. It has a rugged build that can handle the most demanding conditions.
As the Duromax company itself says in its literature, with the Durostar DS10000E, you will ‘be ready for anything’. So if you are prepping your house or place of work for power outages, this generator is one of the best options out there.
We have heard and reviewed feedback from people who have owned the Durostar 10,000-watt generator for a while (some for more than five years). While they aren’t all glowing 5-star reviews, an overwhelming majority strongly endorse it.
Is the Durostar 10000 the right portable generator for your situation? Let’s take a closer look at its specs and features to find out!
Power Output
The Durostar DS10000E has continuous (running) and peak (starting) power output ratings of 8,000 and 10,000 watts, respectively. What it means is the generator can handle a total load of 8,000 watts continuously, but it can surge to an output of 10,000 watts for a short time to meet the higher starting power needs of some electric machines.
Appliances that use electric motors need more power to start than they need to run. So when you first connect a power-hungry tool or machine, the generator may struggle a bit while the electric motor starts. Soon as that motor is running its power needs to drop and the generator will run more comfortably again.
What You Can Power With the Durostar 10000
In the home, the Durostar DS10000E can power most appliances. So the question should be, what appliances can you run at the same time?
Depending on the individual power needs of the load items, the DS10000E can run a sump pump, refrigerator, window AC, water heater, TV, desktop computer, modem, and charge your phone, iPad, and laptop concurrently, without breaking a sweat.
The generator should comfortably power computers, lights, AC, surveillance security systems, and communication systems for a small to medium-sized business. On a remote job site, you will have the power to run a few high amperage power tools concurrently. The trick is to calculate your total load before plugging everything in and starting the generator.
Tank Capacity and Runtime
The Durostar DS10000E is gasoline-powered and runs on an 8.3-gallon tank. Running on 50% load, a full tank will get an average size household through the night. Of course, fuel efficiency is influenced by many factors, including the condition of your generator and the quality of your fuel.
On the load side, fuel consumption is affected by factors like the age and condition of your appliances. To keep your DS10000E running smoothly and maintain its factory runtime ratings, you want to keep it in the best condition by servicing it regularly.
Dimensions and Portability
When fully assembled, the Durostar DS10000E measures 40 inches in length and 36 inches on its wide side, with a height of 26 inches. That’s a fairly sizable footprint but which is expected for a machine of its power output.
At a dry weight of 210 lbs when fully assembled, the DS10000E is heavy. As heavy as that, and as bulky as it is, it is hardly portable. It will take at least two people to load the generator onto a truck bed.
The generator is only ‘portable’ in the sense that you can move it around, which is made possible by the wheel kit it comes with. As well as the inflatable wheels, the generator has foldable handles that you can use to ‘cart’ it around. Getting it out of the garage and a safe distance from the house should, therefore, be fairly easy.
Durability
This is where the generator stands tall. With its open-frame design and all-metal construction, the generator is highly durable. It is so well made that none of the Durostar 10000 watt generator reviews we read complained about the build quality.
Open frame generators generally have a rugged toughness about them, with a roll-cage frame for ease of handling. Admittedly, most of the reviews we read were of people who mostly use the generator at home, which is not a demanding environment by any means. However, they did report that their generators are holding up well.
Owners have said their generators arrived without any dents or scratches. We also did not come across complaints of missing components. That shows a company that takes quality control seriously. It is a fair assumption that this quality control extends to the factory floor.
Engine Specs
A power output of 8,000 continuous watts for a gasoline generator is nothing to sniff at. At the very least, it requires a powerful, robust engine. The Durostar DS10000E uses a 439 cc, 4-Cycle Air-Cooled Spark-Ignition engine that runs at 3,600 rpm. The 18hp engine runs on gasoline.
The generator can be started one of two ways – using a manual recoil start system or an electric switch. The electric start is the easier of the two starting mechanisms but it requires an onboard battery that, fortunately, comes included. With some portable generators, you have to buy the battery separately.
A manual recoil start is not everyone’s cup of tea, mainly because it is a pain to use on some generator models. From our research, the DS10000E fires right up and runs like a champ, whether you are using the manual recoil or electric start.
One feature of this engine that we like a lot is the idle control, especially as gasoline is the more expensive of generator fuels. With this feature, perfect for applications where power is used intermittently, the engine reduces its running speed when there is no load to power. This reduces the noise level and, importantly, lowers fuel consumption.
How to Prevent Starting Issues
In the instances where the generator failed to start, the owners blamed it on carburetor issues. The generator would have been sitting in storage sometimes for over a year, with the owner having neglected to drain the carburetor of fuel.
That gasoline in the carburetor will gum up over time, blocking the carb’s jets as a result. The best way to drain the carburetor is to switch off the fuel supply and let the generator die down on its own. The generator will start without an issue the next time, no matter how long it would have been lying idle.
Outlets
The Durostar DS10000E has a large control panel with 5 AC power outlets. There are Duplex 120V 20A (5-20R) GFCI receptacles, a 120V 30A (L5-30R) twist-lock receptacle with which you can supply an RV via a TT-30R adapter, and the transfer switch-ready 120/240V 30A (L14-30R) receptacle through which you can feed your home.
There is also a 120/240V 50A (14-50R) receptacle for installations with 50 amp service. Lastly, there is one DC outlet – a 12V 8A that you can use to charge external batteries. The variety of outputs makes this generator a versatile power solution that can serve different needs.
Also on that control panel is a voltmeter that tells you how much power the generator is supplying at a given time. This is a convenient feature that helps you avoid exceeding the generator’s wattage limit.
Other Noteworthy Features of the Durostar DS10000E
Here are other features we feel makes the Durostar 10,000-watt electric start portable generator an enticing proposition:
Low oil shutoff
The easiest way to damage a gasoline engine is to run it without oil. Thankfully for an owner that inspects their generator every time they run it, that shouldn’t happen with the Durostar DS10000E. The generator has a light indicator on the control panel that flicks to warn you when the oil level drops too low.
Even if something happens to the light indicator or you hadn’t been checking it, the generator will simply shut off on its own when there isn’t enough oil to keep the engine’s internal components lubricated. That effectively serves you from buying a replacement generator.
Fuel gauge
We can’t imagine anything else as exasperating as having to unscrew the fuel tank’s cap to peek in and check whether there is enough fuel every time you start it. The simple fix, which some generators do not have and that this one has, is a fuel gauge.
The fuel gauge shows you from a mere glance how much fuel you still have in the tank. With that information, you can easily work out if you have enough to last you the night or whatever you need to do. The fuel tank itself sits right on top of the generator, where it is easy to refill with the supplied funnel.
Overload protection
You don’t want to make a habit of it. But you will be glad to know that if you ever asked the DS10000E to supply more power than it can generate, it would simply shut down. It does that to protect itself (and your investment).
Surge arrest
The Durostar 10000 has an in-built surge arrest feature that protects your appliances and electronics from damage caused by power surges. For any number of reasons, including the use of wrong or poor quality fuel, or low fuel levels, a generator can supply unstable power that surges and drops.
For a generator with a Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of 12%, a surge arrestor is an important feature to have. THD, which needs to be below 5 percent, measures the quality of power a generator produces. If higher than 5 percent, it can damage your sensitive electronic equipment.
Spark arrest
The Durostar 10000 is designed to perform in all environments, including forested areas where it is easy to start fires. The spark arrestor on the generator puts out sparks before they exit the muffler. These sparks have been known to cause fires where generators are used outdoors.
Noise level
Open-frame generators are notorious for their noise. Diesel-powered ones are particularly noisy. Though that’s still loud, the Durostar DS10000E has a noise rating of 72dBA. Not far from the house or your workstation, that should pass as a negligible low hum to you and your neighbors.
Besides the noise, you also should protect yourself from carbon monoxide poisoning by placing the generator a safe distance away from windows and doors. For the same reason, you should never run a gasoline generator indoors or in an enclosed place.
To protect the generator itself, run it under a tarp or enclosure with open sides when it’s raining. Moisture will corrode the generator’s frame and other metal components and reduce its durability.
Price
No matter how impressive the spec sheet and the actual generator look, the decision to buy ultimately comes down to whether you can afford the price. The DS10000E retails in the $1,000 range, depending on where you buy. That’s within the range of the generators in its class.
SUMMARY
Durostar DS10000E 10,000-Watt Gas-Powered Portable Generator
Pros
- Can handle demanding use conditions, thanks to rugged, all-metal construction,
- Dual starting system enhances convenience,
- Fuel gauge ensures you never operate it on low gas,
- Low oil shutoff and automatic shutdown features prevent engine damage,
- Idle control saves fuel and reduces noise,
- Multiple outlets ensure compatibility for more applications,
- Voltmeter tells you at a glance how much of the generator’s wattage capacity you are currently using.
Cons
- THD is too high and not safe for sensitive electronics
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Users’ Opinion About Durostar DS10000E
A home backup generator is not something that you use very often unless your area suffers many outages. So many homeowners want a generator that performs when called upon, even if that is after 6, 8 months, or even a year of inactivity.
Most people’s experiences with the Durostar 10,000-watt generator have been positive. We have noticed such experiences as:
- ‘ran like a champ, never hardly a burp… Turned on the central a/c and it would have taken more. Worth every penny’ – on Walmart
- ‘our rehearsals have been a blast. The unit is easy to use, relatively quiet – and the day after installation it was sleeting, and I felt SO worry-free!’ – Walmart
- ‘and fed the whole house for about a half-hour. Water heater, well pump, central air, oil heater + 2 freezers & 2 refers without breaking a sweat’ – Walmart
- ‘I did plug in my air compressor and it didn’t even flinch’ – duromaxpower.com
Comparing Durostar DS10000E With Similar Alternatives
The Durostar DS10000E compares favorably with its direct competitors on most features and attributes. Many of the competing models are dual-fuel, which means they will be more expensive on account of the convenience that specific feature offers.
The table below provides a summary of how the Durostar DS10000E stacks up against the competition:
FAQs
Durostar generators have an excellent reputation for reliable performance and durability. The Durostar DS10000E has a tough, all-metal construction that will guarantee many years of service. It comes with features that protect it from engine damage and others that save fuel and maximize power output.
The Durostar DS10000E, for example, generates enough power to run most household appliances concurrently. It can supply your refrigerator, sump or well pump, surface heater, lights, and a few home appliances and electronics at the same time.
Durostar generators are designed and engineered in the USA by the Duramax Power Systems company at its home in Ontario, California, but their production is outsourced to overseas factories. Durostar, however, manufactures the engines that power its generators.
A Durostar DS10000E gasoline generator on a full tank will run for 10.4 hours when supplying 50 percent of its rated load capacity. You will get longer runtimes if the tools or appliances you are powering run intermittently, thanks to the generator’s idle control feature that can reduce fuel consumption to as low as 0.55 GPH.
There is no real difference between Durostar and DuroMax branded portable generators. The generators are both products of the Duromax Power Systems company. The difference is only in the branding – the model names and the color. Technology and engines that power the generators are, for the most part, the same.
Final Word
After extensively researching the Durostar DS10000E, comparing its spec sheet against the competition, and seeing it in action, we have no issues recommending it to anyone looking for a backup power solution for their house, RV, office, or workshop. We also think it will do great on an off-grid job site, farm, or remote mining camp.
We share the opinion of the many preppers, homeowners, and small business owners that a reliable generator is a must-have outage preparedness essential. And gasoline generators don’t get much more reliable than the Durostar DS10000E. It has the build quality to perform in the most demanding conditions.