Here’s the list of products reviewed. More details in the video description. Thank you! Honda GX 200: amzn.to/3whQKNh Honda Clone: amzn.to/3HkseBq Briggs and Stratton: amzn.to/3HlCCJe Predator 212: Sold at Harbor Freight
100% Fantastic video. You should publish these on all the alternative accounts like patreon, bumble, X , locals, etc. there are millions of people on Truth social too.
The more we buy from communism, the faster we fall into communism. Free enterprise, (started with individual liberty protected by law) and communism (denies individual liberty) are not compatible son. You are not adding up all the factors, that last the rest of your life.
Carbon build up on a plug is not from burning oil. It is the carb jetting is rich, and not hot enough to burn the oil, (loses power too.) On a 2-stroke for example, you can double the oil mixed with the gas, and as long as you jett accordingly, the plug stays clean.
One huge reason why communist made junk is less expensive is because there were never any EPA type regulations put on the production of communism. So keeping emissions down is not about saving the planet. It is about advancing communism. Our cars (for example), cost about twice as much as they should because of the force of the EPA and other regulations that are not imposed on communism in the trade deals.
Pretty good testing overall, (but not adjusting jetting, if possible, will not give accurate performance results, for example). I have education in such stuff, and doing good testing is not as easy as 99% of the You Tubers think. I think you are close to a 1%er. :)
Genuine product vs knock-off is one of my favorite guilty pleasures on this channel. I love seeing if you can still get your money's worth if the discount is enough and not many people besides Project Farm cover this kind of thing.
I refuse to support IP theft with my money, but I agree it is still good to see someone doing these comparisons that show just how cheaply made the fakes are.
My 24 yo son who is just now getting into building things. Just bought several tools and told me he watched your videos prior to purchasing. Makes a father proud! Thanks for doing what you do 👍
@@us1fedvet I agree! I have a B&S 8hp generator from the 70's and it starts on the 2nd pull... it's like a American made Honda. Unfortunately I would not buy anything with a B&S engine today😢
If only all YT videos were like this... absolutely no padding or wasted time, just content packed with value. I'm not even that interested in engines and I still watched the whole thing.
I love his tight video editing and slight speed up of the audio explanation, it gets the content delivered quicker and is a more efficient use of the viewers / my time. The thought planning and execution of all of his videos has the inner geek in me grinning on some of the next level items he uses as testing statistics for his tests, always valuable and useful in giving a straightforward unbiased review. Good stuff!
Personally, I really enjoy the watching PF and not having about 20-45% of the video being all the stuttering, "Uuuhh"s and long pauses while trying to think of something to say because they didn't bother making a script and rehearsing, and filling up time with uses of things like "like, ..." and then not even making a comparison (for example, one video I watched with someone seeing a bedroom and commenting "they even got, like, pillows" when they were actual pillows, not something comparable to pillows).
I put a Predator 212 engine on a log splitter and never looked back the thing rocks. But what I really want to say is thank you for these entertaining and educational videos. I know you're making some money on these but the time , energy, and complexity you put into them has got to be the main reason very few if any other people are doing this level of comparrison videos. Really great. To an extent it has to be a labor of love. And i'm sure like many , its a major factor when purchasing. I can't imagine the amount of solicitation you get for products.
A lot of people saying thanks for what you do, and I absolutely agree; but the thing that makes me happiest is to see you doing these tests with joy. It's nice to see after all these years you've kept doing a service to us all but also still get joy from the work. I hope you're as happy as your videos let on, the content is terrific.
Repent to Jesus Christ “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV ht
Predator is a legitimate brand in the small engine racing community. Harbor Freight even sells a dedicated cart racing engine now with racing accessories (intake, exhaust, fuel pump, etc). That would be an interesting test to throw that one in the mix.
There's a dude who put a predator engine in his Honda and started tricking out the engine for more power using those racing parts.. edit: and yes it works and it works surprisingly well
Predator ghost racing engine isn’t nothing special nor worth the ridiculous price. If you know a lot about small power sports building and racing you know you could get way better engines for less than $500
I've been a Honda small engine fan since using my family's wood splitter with a Honda motor as a teen. I borrowed the splitter last year, which is now about 30 years old. Engine started first pull and ran without an issue through a couple of cords of wood. The engine gets little maintenance- typical splitter it is used a few hours a year then stored for the next year. I'm just amazed at the longevity of this thing. Last year I bought my own Iron Oak splitter with a Honda motor and it's been great.
I tell you what for $150 bucks you can’t go wrong with that Predator engine. What a great review you did. Absolutely the best review channel on TH-cam. Thank you!
Honestly it’s probably the better buy than the Honda considering you can buy 3 to 4 of them for the price of 1 Honda and they are pretty comparable to the Honda.
I've never and will never use half the things tested on this channel. Yet I see a new video come up and I'm like, cool project farm! 😁 Love your tests and the time and length of all your different trials of whatever you happen to be testing. Thanks Project Farm, keep up the good work. 👍
@@dlewis9760 that's what it's about. My bro in law was looking for a power washer. The brand he was looking at I saw on this channel. I said you'd better watch this, and sent him the episode. He bought the winner of the test instead of his original pick. 😉 There's also one more subscriber to this channel after that.
This man is a national treasure! We are blessed to have someone to provide us wrenchers with all this unbiased data. Cheers to you, and looking forward to many more videos!
Very Nice. I always use Honda. I am in the concrete business. I have 2 trowel machines with the GX160 engines. I just add oil when they turn off. One is 28 years old and the other is 25. Back in the day we only got 3 years off of Briggs. Havent gotten the opportunity to even test any other engines. They worth every penny to me.
I know this has to be a repeat comment but, my god, the amount of effort put into these videos is astounding! Not just on the mechanical testing side but content editing! It is appreciated!
Many, MANY years ago, consumer reports used to do testing like this. I haven't seen anyone do such a transparent, unbiased, complete analysis in decades. Really great work.
Really great core work here, and as an aside (but important to me) is that the cadence of the video is swift - saves me time, generally. Usually, I have to run most videos at 2X speed just to bare watching. Project Farm hits my comprehension comfort level at 1.5X. And, man, the thoroughness is impeccable. I bet manufacturers absolutely HATE this guy, LOL! Go ahead, try and cut a corner here or there, he'll bust ya wide open!
These are amazingly thorough videos. Todd probably makes cousin Eddie do all the farming by day and editing by night (he doesn't need a lot of sleep) so he can prep and perform all these great tests. Thank you Todd and cousin Eddie!
Just a few years ago you could get the Predator engine for just $99 with the 1 year warranty. We used to put them on our racing go karts and they held up surprising well with the governor removed. There's actually two different styles of engines and they look identical except for the valve cover. The hemi version is the one you were testing in the video with a rectangle cast valve cover. The non hemi version has a octagon shape valve cover. The hemi version seems to last longer than the non hemi version but you have more upgrade accessories for the non hemi version. I've seen guy get 25hp out of the predator with upgrades. Great video.
I got a Non-Hemi with a billet flywheel, jetted stock carb, governor removed, 22lb valve springs, billet rod, flat top piston, high compression head gasket, a straight pipe header and a mild stage 2 cam with a torque converter and it gets my BT200x to 52 mph. They're rockets
I've got a Hemi on my log splitter, and 2 non-Hemi's on a pair of pressure washers. The hemi definitely starts easier than the non-Hemi's. BTW... I think the Hemi is made by Loncin, and the non-Hemi is made by RATO, as best I can tell.
@@BKD70 same I replaced a worn out brig's with a 212 predator and the splitter works better than it ever worked just run it barley above an idle and it splits everything
As an engineer, I really appreciate your attention to detail and dedication to creating scientific worthy tests that can be repeated and measured with high precision. I picture you having a closet filled to the brim with testing instruments for all types of data like I do. It takes meticulous planning and organization to conduct these tests and I enjoy watching them.
*@Barry Thompson* Good god, aint that the truth? Of course, anyone who knows how things were made 70, 50, even 30 years ago can see how pathetically inferior most "consumer products" are now. So by that measure, you could be an "anybody" engineer & become great to your customers simply by making something that makes sense & lasts. Instead of a design philosophy of "noble simplicity," "what is simpler thicker heavier is better," its been "thinner lighter more plastic zero metal more electronic more sophisticated less reliable is most profitable"
Surprising results! Honda has been a rock solid small engine brand in my opinion. But I just assumed the clones were all about the same, pretty good for the price but a far cry from Honda. Great to know the predator is a viable option on a budget👍🏻
Speaking as someone that's worked on hundreds of small engines; the true Honda clones. The ones that are part for part copies of a real GX engine are usually about 98% as good as the real thing for a quarter of the price.
I have a 212 cc in my Toro single stage snowblower made by Loncin. I have read on forums that the Harbor Freight Predator 212 is a suitable replacement if you should happen to need one for whatever reason. After this video, I have no doubt about that being true.
It's impressive that for all the junk HF sells that the Predators are so good. I've got one on a kart that I absolutely thrash and it takes it like a champ
@@fredrhodes Indeed but they are slowly but surely creeping into the professionals space all my guys are switching over as stuff breaks. And I even used to say but yeah it's all Chinese made, and yeah it is for the most part but so is everything else outside of a few overpriced legacy brands and even that often is. Although if you want affordable American made look to the hammers Vaughan and Estwing they are still doing it right at least.
I have owned three of these engines, each quite a few years. Honda, Briggs & Stratton, and the Predator all for a well pump. The first motor, the Predator, lasted only 4 years before burning out. The Briggs & Stratton lasted 6 years. The Honda we have not replaced yet after 9 years. This test mirrors our experience with the motors. The Honda is the most expensive, but the most durable. When the motor dies (as we expect it will soon) we will just get another Honda. They are really unsurpassed in motor durability.
Last I checked, Thailand wasn't using their Navy to encroach on other countries fisheries and sending spy balloons to scope out our nuclear bases while planning to invade our allies and sink our aircraft carriers. With the other three Engines being made in China, the reliable Honda is an easy choice.
@Sam S At the 150 vs. 600 as per the video, you would be better getting the clones and replacing them. Assuming a failure rate of 10 years for the Honda and 4 years for the clone, you could purchase 4 clones equalling 16 years for the same cost as one Honda.
you never cease to amaze me.the time & expense to film these videos, plus the mountains of data to keep track of.your success is well earned for all the work & time spent behind the planning & execution of your short videos.well done todd.MUCH respect sir.
I've purchased dozens of predator engines, and have yet to have any complaints. Most of my swap outs were on garden tillers, mainly because they adapt better to different brands and their bolt patterns. Great little engines for their price.
Garden tillers get run on angles and even fall over running so they starve for oil. Use their oil up and keep going as it's only another row and not use it again for another year.
@daylongdriver1 one great thing about the modern predator motor is the low oil cut off. The only two times a tiller was brought back to me for not starting, this was the issue both times. Added a half a cup of oil, and they started right up.
Okay, okay, alright, you got me. I've been watching these for years, but this is the last straw. This one was so well done, and so useful, and so awesome that I'm signing up on Patreon right now to support this whole thing. You leave me no choice.
The 6.5 predator engines are quite popular among the Amish for their field implements like hay rakes. Very durable and at 1/3 the price quite the bargain where one can be kept in stock on the farm for emergencies. I haven’t heard of a failure yet.
@@dkis8730 Nah, they don't use electricity, but they use just about everything else. You should see some shops... they have some sick ass pneumatic systems you could only dream of.
Agreed, I live in an area where they're quite popular replacement engines, people use them for everything. As long as you don't severely abuse them and maintain them, they seem to be not only quite reliable, but also incredibly cheap to repair. I have a buddy that heavily modifies them for go cart usage, using big bore kits and such, and when he does break them, depending on what breaks, it's often cheaper to buy a brand new predator than it would be to replace a broken bottom end of a Honda or Briggs.
I use the 22hp Predator twin cyl only modified with electric fuel pump and better spark plug for replacement skid steer engine. 45 hours and still going strong after some pretty abusive use
But they are produced in China (Honda in Thailand). If it comes to a show-down between USA and China, I wouldn´t be sure, if I wanted Chinese products on the markets, as the sabotage risk would be high.
Great video! I bought the same Predator engine you tested three years ago and have not had a problem with it. It's nice to hear that it stacks up against the much more expensive engines for heck of a lot less money!
To second an earlier comment, you DO put a ton of effort into making your videos...and it shows! This is excellent data drawn from many very practical tests. I'm certainly going to check out your other videos. Thanks for this fine work!
For anyone new to the channel, this could be 14 days worth of prep-work, recording, analysing, and editing, boiled down to 14 minutes of what we want to see.
Excellent comparison as usual. To me, the most striking difference was the amount of vibration. For dependability over the long run, I'd choose a well balanced engine. Thanks for the information.
That was an awesome comparison. It's one of my favorites to date. There is no telling how much money you have saved people over the years with this channel. Anytime I buy almost any product, I go to your channel first to see if you've done testing on whatever it is I'm about to purchase. Thank you for the great work, brother.
Wow! Another incredible video. I've noticed over the years the value of the products you test is gradually increasing. You're obviously making a good (and much deserved) living off of your channel. I'm curious if it started off with a business model or just as a hobby that evolved on its own to what it is today. Either way, you have earned the trust of a lot of people and entertain 100s of thousands every week. I've bought two of your shirts and will soon sign up as a patron in order to help ensure your channel continues just the way it is. Thank you.
I've watched you for years and I just want to tell you that your videos are superb! Thanks for keeping it sponsor free! I base many purchases off of your videos.
You can't beat the Honda engines. Had two Predator engines on two different pieces of equipment, and both had cylinders that froze up from one season to another. Had to take the spark plugs out and put a wooden dowel down to freeze up the piston. Both engines war out after two seasons. Both burned oil, both always hard to start. Replaced both with Hondas and both working great after 5 years, and always easy to start, and no oil burning. Worth the extra money, no doubt.
Thank you, Todd. Close to 2.8 Million subscribers are a testimony to the great value of your content. Even if much of your testing applies to the North-American market, some of your testing results can be applied here in Germany as well. And Cousin Eddie is always welcome entertainment. This is one of two channels I support via Patreon and I can only encourage others to do likewise. This is really useful content. 😊
Absolutely love this “knock-off vs genuine” content! It’s scary to think that a fake looks so similar and can easily be made to look real with little effort. Great video!
That is what the scammers count on: the ten foot view has them looking near identical. It's not until it's in hand and they already have your money that you realize it's nowhere near the the same as the product they stole the IP of (at which point, the dents, dings, misaligned holes and that cheap China plastics smell are just bonuses they include for free).
@@Crotch_Goblin1 honda didn't do good in the QA and real world division on these little engines. not to mention all the metal shavings in the oil they left for the user.
Amazing comprehensive test. I've used predator engines for years. I had one that wasn't correct right out of the box but all of the others have treated me well. We're on a small farm that has a lot of gas powered equipment so we've had a bit of everything over the years.
@@T_gaming28 the statement included “if and or but” as a metaphor of how much the commenter enjoyed the work the youtuber put in their video. I jokingly asked because the and, and but were capitalized.
@@qwertykeyboard5901 given the price, pretty smart they don't claim to be something dumb like "80% better then a Honda" or some other nonsense like that
@@francisconikotian2326 sort of, I'm not sure I would trust my life on a Predator engine, I don't have any experience with them. However, I'm perfectly comfortable trusting my life on a Honda engine, I've used them in the past on equipment and they always performed flawlessly.
I am constantly impressed by the time for variety of tests that you perform. I would have never thought about testing the pull starter strength. And tell Cousin Eddie job well done.
Long therm the preditors dont' hold up as well as the honda though too much chineseum in there. If you need one for infrequent use and run straight gasoline insted of E10 .... probably will last well enough, my brother put one on a go kart that used to have a wisconsin on it, and it wasn't quite up to the ammount of vibration it had to endure IMO.
@@Wingnut353 They are ok as a utility engine but I would never use one for the minibike or go kart hobby. There are much better quality engines available for not that much more money. The Predator 224 that came out last year is made by Ducar and is a better quality engine than the 212's.
@@Deucealive75 Honda for Reliability every day!! I have a Honda mower I pulled from a neighbor’s garbage 10 yrs ago… changed the oil maybe 2 times since then, never put fuel stabilizer in it for winters and it runs like new… Even been stored outside a few winters…. I just spray a little starter fluid first mow of the year and top off oil if needed…. (Mowing season is short so not a ton of hours on this engine…and the oil still looks nice) Honda is awesome at making excellent reliable machines…
It'd be so cool to see a side by side of all four engines running 24/7 to see which one will continue to run longest until it completely wears out, but obviously would be such a waste of gasoline.. Great video!
The Predator GX clones are so close to the GX series that the parts will swap. The engine will blow up on you, but the parts will seem like they fit on the equivalent engine. I learned this the hard way when replacing the engine on a generator that came with a clone GX160 or GX200(can't remember), and the replacement Predator 212cc seemed identical. Because of the tapered shaft on the generator head: I was forced to use parts from both engines together. Last time we had a power outage it blew up on me and we ended up losing food. The 2020 Iowa Derecho was hell. We had no power for 4.5 days. Just long enough to lose all our food. Shame I didn't know those parts weren't quite identical though...
You should use the borescope to check the cylinder walls. I have a predator and a Briggs both with similar hours and the predator has worn away the factory honing marks and the Briggs cylinder wall looks brand new.
That's where the price difference comes in. Honda and Briggs have low power compared to predator but both have limited carbon built up. And we can assume that both would last longer compared to the cheap one.
An idea I had for a video is comparing permanent marker performance. It would be interesting to see if any has the edge in less than ideal environments like dusty or oily surfaces. Or if any of them last longer than the other. Thanks for all these comparisons by the way. Always excellent work
surely like to know. I write timing belt, and oil change stickers and it seems like most of what I write is gone or nearly gone when the car returns for service. Timing belt ones disturb me the most. I don't want to use an engraver. some customers have me engrave anyway, right on the valve cover big letters. date and next change mileage. Just timing chains and motor rebuilds. Writing with a marker seems to always be gone. Off road stuff that gets washed with a pressure washer, or the caked on dirt dries on and gets scraped off later. seems like nothing stays on those 4 wheelers. Inside of the back of the seats. even then those are getting gone also. Need to mark where it doesn't have to be out of sight, therefore out of mind and therefore the oil gets changed too late and they blow up.
Especially considering the "engineering" for the Honda clone and the Predator involved buying a Honda engine and having someone copy the design as closely as they could while using slightly less expensive materials! I have to give Honda engineers credit for designing the gold standard for small engines. It is always interesting to see various brands of snowblowers, lawnmowers, and pressure sprayers etc. which slap a "Powered by Honda" sticker in a predominant location. It seems people know what quality is and they are willing to pay for it. That said, I'm sure for most users the Predator engine would probably work very well and last for many years.
I've swapped those predator motors into different things for years. They're absolutely great especially for the money. I always shut down by turning off the fuel and it starts first pull no matter how many years it sits.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Todd you're channel is the absolute best channel/content on TH-cam. Long time subscriber and appreciate all the time and $ you have out in to the quality reviews over the years.
3:24 🤨! ! Respectfully, please dont misuse your words. Surely you know what a fuel cell actually does? What you replaced the original fuel tanks with for prolonged operation are simply external fuel tanks or reserve tanks. Dont get me wrong: I do appreciate what youre doing as consumer protection. I havent seen consumer reports on the magazine rack in so long I must wonder if they still exist? Especially since NAFTA & relocation of american industry to CHINA, weve been coping a business environment hostile & exploitational toward the domestic amrican customer Id be better off with a small machine shop & foundry of my own than to waste very hard-earned money on profiteers & exploitationists who have no sense of pride in product quality; nor do they know the meaning of the word. Pre-dominant corporate america makes me SICK. So, more power to the grass roots. Only by turning to each other & supporting one another will we be able to survive. We desperately need to take back our country & return to farm life
I've owned a few lawnmowers with Briggs and Stratton engines and one with a Honda engine. I'm not surprised by the results of those two. I am surprised by the Predator's performance. It's good to see HF is giving Honda some competition.
Yeah well... That's like saying Hyundai is giving Honda some competition comparing new cars. I've worked with engines for a while now, for every 10 Predators broken there's 1 Honda. So there's that. If you need something for a short task, Predator is your guy, but long term ownership go Honda
I helped a friend install a Dyno cam and billet rod/main bearing inside his predator, and the gear on the original cam was made out of plastic and I noticed that the old rod didn't have a bearing like the new one, it was just solid aluminum. The damn thing used to clunk and clatter like a rock tumbler.
Hello. I just wanted to say thank you. I am just about to order a log spliter, and can get a loncin engine, or a Honda for an additional $360 canadian. I think over the life of the engine and spliter, the $360 will be well spent. I think in the long run , you just saved me money. All the best, Ben
to add onto this, we have a go-kart place by us that swears on the predators and proudly rock them for most the karts rated for them. they are badass. never had one give out on me when treated right.
Have one of their generators, does great when I need it, never shuts off unexpectedly and starts up first pull every time and far cheaper than a Honda.
Best part about the power of the Honda clone is that it also says 4.0kW, which would be 5.4HP - so this engine has 3 different values for advertised power.
He said that the manual references a GX160 which is a 5.5hp engine A lot for these cheap clone engines actually has a 160cc block even though the sticker says it's a GX200. $150 is very overpriced though, these clones only costs $60-70 where I live (southeast Asia)
I can only imagine the hilarious sight of someone stumbling onto your farm and seeing a guy in a go cart towing a tractor with a mannequin on it lol. Always love seeing your videos. You are truly a godsend when it comes to TH-cam content creators!
Would love to see a follow-up on legevity. That is, how are the engines looking after 100 or 200 hours rather than just this quick test. Pretty sure the knock-off would fail, but Predator vs. Honda would be interesting in the long run.
You are probably correct...obviously, all the Chinese knock off engines are not the same quality wise..and sadly, the Briggs is basically just a Chinese knock-off with a "brand name"...
Ran my old Honda generator for at least 7200 hours in its 12 year life literally ran it 6 hours every night and im not even counting the several times I used it for running tools on jobs .
I built a predator 212 that spins up to 9,700 rpm. I put a billet connecting rod, cam, ported head, valve springs, 11.5:1 compression ratio. Ect. Put it on my mini bike and it goes 70mph and gets there quick. Amazing machines
I just love the content on this channel. Incredibly well thought out experiments, plenty of detail and its delivered at exactly the right pace that keeps it exciting. Doing a great job, so happy (and unsurprised) to see the channel blow up so much in the last 6 months!!
I think someone somewhere said that predator is made in same line than genuine Briggs and Stratton It would be interesting to take both apart and try to mix up the parts and put both together. But now I know what engine I'll use to replace genuine honda
@@felixchaus the Predator is another Honda clone. But remember it's not a real Honda. And whoa to the man who doesn't go out in the snow and start it up every 3 months.
YOU - make the most awesome, reliable and trustworthy review videos. Your video format has been copied by other TH-camrs because it is so good. Thank you for all the time you take to make these videos! I enjoy them immensely while at my dinner table. Great job sir!!
The Chinese specialize in 2 things. 1 very cheap no quality knockoff products 2 quality copie... euh local build products. f.e. the Chinese build and sell those cheap retro 50cc scooters with lots of bling bling in Europe. 6 months warenty and after 5000 Km max its totaly worn out. On the other side they build and sell 50 cc mopeds ( down graded 125/250cc motorcycles) who are almost indestructable. They cost 4 times the price of a retro scooter. Whats good for the Chinese farmer to go to and from his rice padies is good enough for the city commute.
Most of the portable generators on the market are honda clones (chondas) I've seen a ridiculous amount of engine failures, noisey/rattling engines, oil burners.. you name it. I haven't seen one with a power head failure in a good while. IMO if a chonda went up against a honda longevity wise, you'd probably save money by buying the honda instead of 5 chondas over the same period of usage.
I have bought numerous product based on this mans testing. I greatly appreciate his effort and diligence to produce a quality analysis of such a diverse number of products. Thank you good sir!
i work construction, always un heated and sometimes outdoors, those heated gloves are making a huge difference! i couldn't really afford the top of the line ones but the best VALUE ones were doable, i KNEW i had to hurry or theyd be gone, essentially most normal sizes SOLD OUT, luckily they had XXL which many do not, i bought immediately, they wearing out as they're NOT construction gloves so ill be taping gluing at some point
You're the best!! My neighbor has one of those Predator engines on his rototiller & that thing runs great!! I still use Engine Restore & just added some last night to my Grand Prix. It now has 285,000 miles & still runs great!! Thanks & keep making great videos!!
Great videos but afterward I want him to break them apart and see how they are made. I believe the Honda's use quality bearings on their cranks and pistons and have better attention to detail on the internals that mean longevity. Same with their generators, just better quality parts, like the old Maytag washing machines.
The surprise in this is just how well the predator and how poorly the briggs performed. Those Honda motors are great, but at the price it is hard to ignore those predators. Another great Project Farm test.
I'm not surprised by the Predator at all. They're good engines. I'm a little disappointed in the Briggs... Honda is THE standard... but the Briggs Vanguard (NOT the Briggs in this test!) engines may be getting ready to dethrone the current King. Time will tell.
I’d love to see you do this same kind of comparison but with a couple of old Briggs and tecumseh engines in the mix. Just to see if they hold up over the years. It would be cool to see if they stand the test of time in more ways than just reliability. Regardless, I’ve been watching your videos since you were doing fuel and cylinder head material comparisons on lawn mowers and I’ve never been bored. Please keep it up! These videos are the best
I never let him forget the glorious days of running engines with bacon grease. Ah, nostalgia.. It's so cool where the channel has gone today; we've always needed this content.
I have a mower that 45 years old and has a 150cc 4 stroke B&S engine. It uses no oil and fires on 3rd pull even after winter storage. I run it on E10 and it does not complain that it needs 4star leaded!
I loved the clear cylinder heads. they showed different thing ssnd you used a high speed camera to show the different problems. too bad it'd be too hard to do on an overhead valve engine. I had clear spark plugs used to tune high performance racing chainsaws on nitro. as they couldn't be run long or run on the wrong mixture it had to happen quick. Make changes and then run again for a few seconds as wrong tuning would blow the motors. I had 4 of them. don't even know how to get them now. Exhaust sniffers are used now. Plug reading s still used in the top fuel classes of funny cars and rails. Just a small change in the weather and those engines would blow if the change wasn't caught. I did some of that with motorcycles and was on one that blew, and threw me. I got way better at tuning after that.
Honestly, a spreadsheet shown at the end and linked in the comment section would help us compare. I love the simplicity and density of these videos, but 3 minutes in my head is spinning with fact after fact. A spread sheet to keep it organized would really help! Great stuff, thank yoU!
Excellent comparison. Oil analysis and driving the alternator for a load and fuel economy, and the vibration test, then measuring the oil consumption were great methods to test durability and ultimate value.
Such a deal.....! No extra cost for the dents ? Whoa.....Dude ! I don't blame you for jumping on it ! And those colors ! You hit this one outta the park, for sure ! 👍😉😳
Love your tests. One of my favorite YT subscriptions. Your choice of equipment to test is perfect, and test parameters chosen and processes are genius.
I think a longevity test is the next obvious step seeing as you already bought the motors. Still waiting for someone to give motorcoat some competition! Your testing is the standard I now count on for a lot of the products I buy, keep up the great work
I think my Briggs and Stratton lawn mower will probably put last me. It had such bad compression after sitting for a long time that we put really thick diesel oil in it and after a season of running that it works like brand new
Todd, thanks for this good information. It just wonders me if the difference in performance of the engines is the engine itself, or the carburetors. I would like to see OEM vs aftermarket carburetors tested on those engines to see if that matters any. Thanks for the work you put into these.
![ร้อยพ่อพันแม่ - WanMai [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XY2pNYASEbg/mqdefault.jpg)
Here’s the list of products reviewed. More details in the video description. Thank you!
Honda GX 200: amzn.to/3whQKNh
Honda Clone: amzn.to/3HkseBq
Briggs and Stratton: amzn.to/3HlCCJe
Predator 212: Sold at Harbor Freight
100% Fantastic video. You should publish these on all the alternative accounts like patreon, bumble, X , locals, etc. there are millions of people on Truth social too.
The more we buy from communism, the faster we fall into communism.
Free enterprise, (started with individual liberty protected by law) and communism (denies individual liberty) are not compatible son.
You are not adding up all the factors, that last the rest of your life.
Carbon build up on a plug is not from burning oil. It is the carb jetting is rich, and not hot enough to burn the oil, (loses power too.)
On a 2-stroke for example, you can double the oil mixed with the gas, and as long as you jett accordingly, the plug stays clean.
One huge reason why communist made junk is less expensive is because there were never any EPA type regulations put on the production of communism. So keeping emissions down is not about saving the planet. It is about advancing communism. Our cars (for example), cost about twice as much as they should because of the force of the EPA and other regulations that are not imposed on communism in the trade deals.
Pretty good testing overall, (but not adjusting jetting, if possible, will not give accurate performance results, for example). I have education in such stuff, and doing good testing is not as easy as 99% of the You Tubers think. I think you are close to a 1%er. :)
Genuine product vs knock-off is one of my favorite guilty pleasures on this channel. I love seeing if you can still get your money's worth if the discount is enough and not many people besides Project Farm cover this kind of thing.
Thank you very much!!
Wouldn't even call it a guilty pleasure, it's a legitimately useful service.
Awesome video! Can you make one of the best wood splitters! Thanks so much
@Don't Read My Profile Picture OK, I didn't.
I refuse to support IP theft with my money, but I agree it is still good to see someone doing these comparisons that show just how cheaply made the fakes are.
My 24 yo son who is just now getting into building things. Just bought several tools and told me he watched your videos prior to purchasing. Makes a father proud! Thanks for doing what you do 👍
You are welcome! Thanks for sharing.
PF sure saves from learning the hard expensive way.
@@ProjectFarm When you say lbs can you add kg into the text on screen?
Great test. I’m disheartened the Briggs has been cheapened up as it has. Used to be as good of small engines as you could get for a reasonable price.
@@us1fedvet
I agree! I have a B&S 8hp generator from the 70's and it starts on the 2nd pull... it's like a American made Honda. Unfortunately I would not buy anything with a B&S engine today😢
If only all YT videos were like this... absolutely no padding or wasted time, just content packed with value. I'm not even that interested in engines and I still watched the whole thing.
Thanks for watching!
This is the best comparison video on any product I've ever seen. No wonder he has 3.5 million subs.
I love his tight video editing and slight speed up of the audio explanation, it gets the content delivered quicker and is a more efficient use of the viewers / my time. The thought planning and execution of all of his videos has the inner geek in me grinning on some of the next level items he uses as testing statistics for his tests, always valuable and useful in giving a straightforward unbiased review. Good stuff!
I agree
Personally, I really enjoy the watching PF and not having about 20-45% of the video being all the stuttering, "Uuuhh"s and long pauses while trying to think of something to say because they didn't bother making a script and rehearsing, and filling up time with uses of things like "like, ..." and then not even making a comparison (for example, one video I watched with someone seeing a bedroom and commenting "they even got, like, pillows" when they were actual pillows, not something comparable to pillows).
I put a Predator 212 engine on a log splitter and never looked back the thing rocks. But what I really want to say is thank you for these entertaining and educational videos. I know you're making some money on these but the time , energy, and complexity you put into them has got to be the main reason very few if any other people are doing this level of comparrison videos. Really great. To an extent it has to be a labor of love. And i'm sure like many , its a major factor when purchasing. I can't imagine the amount of solicitation you get for products.
You are welcome!
I have one on a chipper I crack corn with and run it alot. It always starts on the first pull.
A lot of people saying thanks for what you do, and I absolutely agree; but the thing that makes me happiest is to see you doing these tests with joy. It's nice to see after all these years you've kept doing a service to us all but also still get joy from the work. I hope you're as happy as your videos let on, the content is terrific.
I completely agree. Todd is a class act 100%
Repent to Jesus Christ “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
ht
@@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist3 yea no… that’s ok. Religion isn’t for me. This isn’t the place for your propaganda.
Love that you went the extra mile and sent the oil off for testing.
As always, fantastic real-world reviews.
Thank you!
@Don't Read My Profile Picture
Don’t be an idiot. 🤦♂️
@Don't Read My Profile Picture why spam instead of constructive talk? You might learn something
I read some where that you are not to use Senti oil in an new engine.the rings can't seat.during break in
Good point, perhaps he should run the engines for another 500 hours and redo the oil testing.
Predator is a legitimate brand in the small engine racing community. Harbor Freight even sells a dedicated cart racing engine now with racing accessories (intake, exhaust, fuel pump, etc). That would be an interesting test to throw that one in the mix.
There's a dude who put a predator engine in his Honda and started tricking out the engine for more power using those racing parts.. edit: and yes it works and it works surprisingly well
@@TBPony project cantina
Predator ghost racing engine isn’t nothing special nor worth the ridiculous price. If you know a lot about small power sports building and racing you know you could get way better engines for less than $500
Harbor Freight has it's pros & cons that's for sure.
@@rosapercs4524 I can walk into my local HF right now and get a ghost race engine for $300. They are not $500.
I've been a Honda small engine fan since using my family's wood splitter with a Honda motor as a teen. I borrowed the splitter last year, which is now about 30 years old. Engine started first pull and ran without an issue through a couple of cords of wood. The engine gets little maintenance- typical splitter it is used a few hours a year then stored for the next year. I'm just amazed at the longevity of this thing. Last year I bought my own Iron Oak splitter with a Honda motor and it's been great.
Thanks for sharing.
Thats incredible, wow! 💪💪💪
I tell you what for $150 bucks you can’t go wrong with that Predator engine. What a great review you did. Absolutely the best review channel on TH-cam. Thank you!
Thanks so much!
Honestly it’s probably the better buy than the Honda considering you can buy 3 to 4 of them for the price of 1 Honda and they are pretty comparable to the Honda.
@@Back_door_bandit_98 a honda will last you much much longer.
and the predator in the video had more CC than the others
Will the Honda last more than 3x as long as the knock offs?
@@Dave5843-d9m absolutely
I've never and will never use half the things tested on this channel. Yet I see a new video come up and I'm like, cool project farm! 😁 Love your tests and the time and length of all your different trials of whatever you happen to be testing. Thanks Project Farm, keep up the good work. 👍
Thanks, will do!
Heck, I don't even know what a quarter of things sometimes are used for. I still watch. That's how you learn.
I most likely you will used a gasoline engine even if not a horizontal one. I wounder what that Brigs was use for.
Lot of knowhow in devising these tests and making it interesting. I love it
@@dlewis9760 that's what it's about. My bro in law was looking for a power washer. The brand he was looking at I saw on this channel. I said you'd better watch this, and sent him the episode. He bought the winner of the test instead of his original pick. 😉 There's also one more subscriber to this channel after that.
This man is a national treasure! We are blessed to have someone to provide us wrenchers with all this unbiased data. Cheers to you, and looking forward to many more videos!
Thank you very much! This means a lot to me!
Yes he is and he'd be even better / easier to understand
for an alien (like me) if he'd talk about 25% slower!
I’ve bought quiet a few of the products he tests simply because of the videos he puts out!!!! Thanks project farm. Keep up the great work….
@@johnlong384 There is a function on TH-cam that allows you to adjust the playback speed. (the little speedometer icon)
@@johnlong384 you can select playback speed of .75 by clicking the gear icon.
Very Nice. I always use Honda. I am in the concrete business. I have 2 trowel machines with the GX160 engines. I just add oil when they turn off. One is 28 years old and the other is 25. Back in the day we only got 3 years off of Briggs. Havent gotten the opportunity to even test any other engines. They worth every penny to me.
Thanks! Thanks for sharing.
This is nostalgia of original project farm, good to see an honest showdown. Please make more like this
100 yes! I think he had to stop those kind of videos. Think of how many push mowers he blew up that summer for us
Thanks, will do!
I know this has to be a repeat comment but, my god, the amount of effort put into these videos is astounding! Not just on the mechanical testing side but content editing! It is appreciated!
Many, MANY years ago, consumer reports used to do testing like this. I haven't seen anyone do such a transparent, unbiased, complete analysis in decades. Really great work.
@@bigbossimmotal Which magazine does.
Really great core work here, and as an aside (but important to me) is that the cadence of the video is swift - saves me time, generally. Usually, I have to run most videos at 2X speed just to bare watching. Project Farm hits my comprehension comfort level at 1.5X. And, man, the thoroughness is impeccable. I bet manufacturers absolutely HATE this guy, LOL! Go ahead, try and cut a corner here or there, he'll bust ya wide open!
These are amazingly thorough videos. Todd probably makes cousin Eddie do all the farming by day and editing by night (he doesn't need a lot of sleep) so he can prep and perform all these great tests. Thank you Todd and cousin Eddie!
Project Farm is the Gold Standard for testing. Consistent and thorough.
Just a few years ago you could get the Predator engine for just $99 with the 1 year warranty. We used to put them on our racing go karts and they held up surprising well with the governor removed. There's actually two different styles of engines and they look identical except for the valve cover. The hemi version is the one you were testing in the video with a rectangle cast valve cover. The non hemi version has a octagon shape valve cover. The hemi version seems to last longer than the non hemi version but you have more upgrade accessories for the non hemi version. I've seen guy get 25hp out of the predator with upgrades. Great video.
I got a Non-Hemi with a billet flywheel, jetted stock carb, governor removed, 22lb valve springs, billet rod, flat top piston, high compression head gasket, a straight pipe header and a mild stage 2 cam with a torque converter and it gets my BT200x to 52 mph. They're rockets
I've got a Hemi on my log splitter, and 2 non-Hemi's on a pair of pressure washers. The hemi definitely starts easier than the non-Hemi's.
BTW... I think the Hemi is made by Loncin, and the non-Hemi is made by RATO, as best I can tell.
@@BKD70 same I replaced a worn out brig's with a 212 predator and the splitter works better than it ever worked just run it barley above an idle and it splits everything
My hemi put that out its billetproof
A few years ago, just about everything was a half price, thanks to Bidenomics
As an engineer, I really appreciate your attention to detail and dedication to creating scientific worthy tests that can be repeated and measured with high precision. I picture you having a closet filled to the brim with testing instruments for all types of data like I do. It takes meticulous planning and organization to conduct these tests and I enjoy watching them.
Thanks!
I agree he has a very good sense of judgment and great detail explaining
I watch this guy at times he is pretty accurate.
Any engineer can design something to last forever! It takes a great engineer to design something to fail right after the warranty expires....:)
*@Barry Thompson* Good god, aint that the truth? Of course, anyone who knows how things were made 70, 50, even 30 years ago can see how pathetically inferior most "consumer products" are now. So by that measure, you could be an "anybody" engineer & become great to your customers simply by making something that makes sense & lasts. Instead of a design philosophy of "noble simplicity," "what is simpler thicker heavier is better," its been "thinner lighter more plastic zero metal more electronic more sophisticated less reliable is most profitable"
Surprising results! Honda has been a rock solid small engine brand in my opinion. But I just assumed the clones were all about the same, pretty good for the price but a far cry from Honda. Great to know the predator is a viable option on a budget👍🏻
Thanks for the feedback.
Speaking as someone that's worked on hundreds of small engines; the true Honda clones. The ones that are part for part copies of a real GX engine are usually about 98% as good as the real thing for a quarter of the price.
I have a 212 cc in my Toro single stage snowblower made by Loncin. I have read on forums that the Harbor Freight Predator 212 is a suitable replacement if you should happen to need one for whatever reason.
After this video, I have no doubt about that being true.
'made in Thailand' like many of their small equipment like generator , etc.
It's impressive that for all the junk HF sells that the Predators are so good. I've got one on a kart that I absolutely thrash and it takes it like a champ
Harbor Freight is just killing it these days. Also many thanks as usual for the amount of work you put in for us folks to guide us in the right way.
There stuff works just fine for most for sure!
@@fredrhodes Indeed but they are slowly but surely creeping into the professionals space all my guys are switching over as stuff breaks. And I even used to say but yeah it's all Chinese made, and yeah it is for the most part but so is everything else outside of a few overpriced legacy brands and even that often is. Although if you want affordable American made look to the hammers Vaughan and Estwing they are still doing it right at least.
HF has upped the products and the prices, and lack of 20 percent off coupons
@@alpham777 I use an estwing everyday for my own 30 years, plus however long my father used it before he died. They are amazing.
@@shystermagoo6823 You mean the recalled ones where the welds would break? Killer for sure.
I love how comprehensive and detail-oriented these tests are. I appreciate all this number crunching for the final results!
Thank you!
I have owned three of these engines, each quite a few years. Honda, Briggs & Stratton, and the Predator all for a well pump. The first motor, the Predator, lasted only 4 years before burning out. The Briggs & Stratton lasted 6 years. The Honda we have not replaced yet after 9 years. This test mirrors our experience with the motors. The Honda is the most expensive, but the most durable. When the motor dies (as we expect it will soon) we will just get another Honda. They are really unsurpassed in motor durability.
Last I checked, Thailand wasn't using their Navy to encroach on other countries fisheries and sending spy balloons to scope out our nuclear bases while planning to invade our allies and sink our aircraft carriers. With the other three Engines being made in China, the reliable Honda is an easy choice.
What went out on the Predator and Briggs, did you do any maintenance?
Just put up solar panels and electric pump.
4 years for $150, and 10 years for $400… works out pretty well
@Sam S
At the 150 vs. 600 as per the video, you would be better getting the clones and replacing them.
Assuming a failure rate of 10 years for the Honda and 4 years for the clone, you could purchase 4 clones equalling 16 years for the same cost as one Honda.
you never cease to amaze me.the time & expense to film these videos, plus the mountains of data to keep track of.your success is well earned for all the work & time spent behind the planning & execution of your short videos.well done todd.MUCH respect sir.
You're exactly right timkis! Todd deserves ever cent he earns bcoz he absolutely works for it $$$ 👍👍
Thank you very much!
I've purchased dozens of predator engines, and have yet to have any complaints. Most of my swap outs were on garden tillers, mainly because they adapt better to different brands and their bolt patterns. Great little engines for their price.
I am debating on swapping out the gas golf cart engine for one of these. (Predator).
Thanks for sharing.
@@paulpiatt5610 Predator is Lifan. They are good engines. The 224's are a different manufacture of lesser quality.
Garden tillers get run on angles and even fall over running so they starve for oil. Use their oil up and keep going as it's only another row and not use it again for another year.
@daylongdriver1 one great thing about the modern predator motor is the low oil cut off. The only two times a tiller was brought back to me for not starting, this was the issue both times. Added a half a cup of oil, and they started right up.
Back in the day thinking it was 1983 i use to send off my oil as well ...That was $20.00 back in the day ...Just to show the difference..Nice Video
Thanks! Thanks for the feedback.
Okay, okay, alright, you got me. I've been watching these for years, but this is the last straw. This one was so well done, and so useful, and so awesome that I'm signing up on Patreon right now to support this whole thing. You leave me no choice.
The 6.5 predator engines are quite popular among the Amish for their field implements like hay rakes. Very durable and at 1/3 the price quite the bargain where one can be kept in stock on the farm for emergencies. I haven’t heard of a failure yet.
Thanks for sharing.
Wasn't expecting to see a comment from another Lancaster viewer when I clicked this video!
I thought the Amish used horses n shit
@@dkis8730, they do use horses but many use small gas engines on equipment rather than ground drive.
@@dkis8730 Nah, they don't use electricity, but they use just about everything else. You should see some shops... they have some sick ass pneumatic systems you could only dream of.
The effort this guy has gone through just to make a 14 min video is amazing, keep up the amazing work
His test of motor oils was simply AMAZING. The detailed testing, had my head spinning!
its not "just" a 14 min video. its for millions of views and the associated income generated
Absolutely
This is a really great comparason video !!! Thank you for sharing your time and money...
Thanks and you are welcome!
Those Predator engines are a great value. Also crazy the amount of aftermarket there is for them.
Agreed, I live in an area where they're quite popular replacement engines, people use them for everything. As long as you don't severely abuse them and maintain them, they seem to be not only quite reliable, but also incredibly cheap to repair.
I have a buddy that heavily modifies them for go cart usage, using big bore kits and such, and when he does break them, depending on what breaks, it's often cheaper to buy a brand new predator than it would be to replace a broken bottom end of a Honda or Briggs.
I agree. I’m glad the Predator tested well since I have that on our go-cart.
Predator engines are pretty great. We gutted the one we put on my nephews go kart and it really cranks out the horsepower.
I use the 22hp Predator twin cyl only modified with electric fuel pump and better spark plug for replacement skid steer engine. 45 hours and still going strong after some pretty abusive use
But they are produced in China (Honda in Thailand). If it comes to a show-down between USA and China, I wouldn´t be sure, if I wanted Chinese products on the markets, as the sabotage risk would be high.
Great video! I bought the same Predator engine you tested three years ago and have not had a problem with it. It's nice to hear that it stacks up against the much more expensive engines for heck of a lot less money!
Thanks! Thanks for sharing.
Predator all the way 🤙
ok
Predator is the way to go for sure
The level of commitment for these tests is absolutely phenomenal 👌
Thanks!
When will he do a video comparing ex-wives or ex-girlfriends to new ones? :) :)
To second an earlier comment, you DO put a ton of effort into making your videos...and it shows! This is excellent data drawn from many very practical tests. I'm certainly going to check out your other videos. Thanks for this fine work!
Thanks and you are welcome!
For anyone new to the channel, this could be 14 days worth of prep-work, recording, analysing, and editing, boiled down to 14 minutes of what we want to see.
Thanks for watching!
ok
Great comparison
The host has a nice fast delivery without feeling rushed and the quality and professionalism is great!
this video is nothing short of amazing
Excellent comparison as usual. To me, the most striking difference was the amount of vibration. For dependability over the long run, I'd choose a well balanced engine. Thanks for the information.
Thanks for sharing!
another exceptional video
Thanks!
Nice
Nice
Super
Good job
I don't think i've seen such a thorough video in the realm of small engine testing. Excellent.
Thanks!
You never let the community down with these great tests and reviews. Thanx Bro.
Thanks and you are welcome!
That was an awesome comparison. It's one of my favorites to date. There is no telling how much money you have saved people over the years with this channel. Anytime I buy almost any product, I go to your channel first to see if you've done testing on whatever it is I'm about to purchase. Thank you for the great work, brother.
Thanks and you are welcome!
I agree. I do the same thing!
Yes!!! This has been a long debate! Thank you for doing what you do for the community.
Thank you!!
I love watching this guy even if he is explaining the most boring subject to me, there is some special charisma in him.
Wow! Another incredible video. I've noticed over the years the value of the products you test is gradually increasing. You're obviously making a good (and much deserved) living off of your channel. I'm curious if it started off with a business model or just as a hobby that evolved on its own to what it is today. Either way, you have earned the trust of a lot of people and entertain 100s of thousands every week. I've bought two of your shirts and will soon sign up as a patron in order to help ensure your channel continues just the way it is. Thank you.
Thank you very much!
I've watched you for years and I just want to tell you that your videos are superb! Thanks for keeping it sponsor free! I base many purchases off of your videos.
Thanks so much!
Really love your format, you don't waste any time and get right into the comparative results in every test!
Thanks so much!
and no head banging music...
@@AffordBindEquipment
Nothing wrong with the music, especially the head banging music !!!!! 🤘🤘
My thoughts exactly!
You can't beat the Honda engines. Had two Predator engines on two different pieces of equipment, and both had cylinders that froze up from one season to another. Had to take the spark plugs out and put a wooden dowel down to freeze up the piston. Both engines war out after two seasons. Both burned oil, both always hard to start. Replaced both with Hondas and both working great after 5 years, and always easy to start, and no oil burning. Worth the extra money, no doubt.
Thanks for the feedback.
I like how these videos have been made more efficient by getting right into the details we want to know, and some details we didn't know we needed. 👍
Then I watch them at 1.25x speed. Have to pay close attention.
Thanks!
Thank you, Todd. Close to 2.8 Million subscribers are a testimony to the great value of your content. Even if much of your testing applies to the North-American market, some of your testing results can be applied here in Germany as well. And Cousin Eddie is always welcome entertainment. This is one of two channels I support via Patreon and I can only encourage others to do likewise. This is really useful content. 😊
You are welcome! Thanks for being a Patreon and supporting the channel!
@@ProjectFarm And now you are soon a wealthy man thanks 2 TH-cam
Absolutely love this “knock-off vs genuine” content! It’s scary to think that a fake looks so similar and can easily be made to look real with little effort. Great video!
That is what the scammers count on: the ten foot view has them looking near identical. It's not until it's in hand and they already have your money that you realize it's nowhere near the the same as the product they stole the IP of (at which point, the dents, dings, misaligned holes and that cheap China plastics smell are just bonuses they include for free).
Thanks so much!!
Yeah, but they copied final product.... Honda needed to do R$D from scratch... Hence the price... People don't understand that
@@Crotch_Goblin1 honda didn't do good in the QA and real world division on these little engines. not to mention all the metal shavings in the oil they left for the user.
Look at the ‘90s Hyundais. They always tried to mimic the look of Camry or Accord. It’s the fake it until you make it theory.
Amazing comprehensive test. I've used predator engines for years. I had one that wasn't correct right out of the box but all of the others have treated me well. We're on a small farm that has a lot of gas powered equipment so we've had a bit of everything over the years.
Thanks! Thanks for sharing.
I always wondered how good the Predators were because they're real popular for go carts and modding. Now we know, for the price, they're a beast!
Thanks for the feedback.
Amazing how complete and neutral your testing is. No if's And's or But's about the results. Great Work.
Thanks and you are welcome!
Ifses and butses? Are you golum? 🤣
Why wasn’t the if capitalized ?
@@MagklJellyBeanPastelLucidDream why would it be
@@T_gaming28 the statement included “if and or but” as a metaphor of how much the commenter enjoyed the work the youtuber put in their video.
I jokingly asked because the and, and but were capitalized.
Given all the mods you can find for a Predator 212, I would probably choose that one for a go-cart.
They also don't claim to be more then they are.
@@qwertykeyboard5901 given the price, pretty smart they don't claim to be something dumb like "80% better then a Honda" or some other nonsense like that
I've built plenty of go karts predator engine are amazing for their price
I mean If there are a bunch of cheap easy to get parts to repair your engine its basically better
@@francisconikotian2326 sort of, I'm not sure I would trust my life on a Predator engine, I don't have any experience with them. However, I'm perfectly comfortable trusting my life on a Honda engine, I've used them in the past on equipment and they always performed flawlessly.
Love your no nonsense, non biased comparisons, helps me to make proper choices 😎
Thanks so much!
I am constantly impressed by the time for variety of tests that you perform. I would have never thought about testing the pull starter strength. And tell Cousin Eddie job well done.
The predator engines are an awesome value. I run them on generators and pressure washers. Add a bit of Lucas and they really last!
Thanks for the feedback.
Lucas oil rocks!
Long therm the preditors dont' hold up as well as the honda though too much chineseum in there. If you need one for infrequent use and run straight gasoline insted of E10 .... probably will last well enough, my brother put one on a go kart that used to have a wisconsin on it, and it wasn't quite up to the ammount of vibration it had to endure IMO.
@@Wingnut353 They are ok as a utility engine but I would never use one for the minibike or go kart hobby. There are much better quality engines available for not that much more money. The Predator 224 that came out last year is made by Ducar and is a better quality engine than the 212's.
@@Deucealive75 Honda for Reliability every day!!
I have a Honda mower I pulled from a neighbor’s garbage 10 yrs ago… changed the oil maybe 2 times since then, never put fuel stabilizer in it for winters and it runs like new…
Even been stored outside a few winters…. I just spray a little starter fluid first mow of the year and top off oil if needed…. (Mowing season is short so not a ton of hours on this engine…and the oil still looks nice)
Honda is awesome at making excellent reliable machines…
It'd be so cool to see a side by side of all four engines running 24/7 to see which one will continue to run longest until it completely wears out, but obviously would be such a waste of gasoline.. Great video!
Thank you for the video idea!
The Predator GX clones are so close to the GX series that the parts will swap. The engine will blow up on you, but the parts will seem like they fit on the equivalent engine. I learned this the hard way when replacing the engine on a generator that came with a clone GX160 or GX200(can't remember), and the replacement Predator 212cc seemed identical. Because of the tapered shaft on the generator head: I was forced to use parts from both engines together. Last time we had a power outage it blew up on me and we ended up losing food. The 2020 Iowa Derecho was hell. We had no power for 4.5 days. Just long enough to lose all our food. Shame I didn't know those parts weren't quite identical though...
Thank you for sharing!
You should use the borescope to check the cylinder walls. I have a predator and a Briggs both with similar hours and the predator has worn away the factory honing marks and the Briggs cylinder wall looks brand new.
Then do your own channel🤦♂️
Great idea,
That's where the price difference comes in. Honda and Briggs have low power compared to predator but both have limited carbon built up. And we can assume that both would last longer compared to the cheap one.
@@martinqizeaq Yeah, the cast iron quality is higher in the briggs and honda.
Could be the quality of cast iron they use in the sleeves...
An idea I had for a video is comparing permanent marker performance. It would be interesting to see if any has the edge in less than ideal environments like dusty or oily surfaces. Or if any of them last longer than the other.
Thanks for all these comparisons by the way. Always excellent work
Thanks and you are welcome! Thanks for the suggestion.
sharpie pro are better than sharpie.but not by much
surely like to know. I write timing belt, and oil change stickers and it seems like most of what I write is gone or nearly gone when the car returns for service. Timing belt ones disturb me the most. I don't want to use an engraver. some customers have me engrave anyway, right on the valve cover big letters. date and next change mileage. Just timing chains and motor rebuilds. Writing with a marker seems to always be gone. Off road stuff that gets washed with a pressure washer, or the caked on dirt dries on and gets scraped off later. seems like nothing stays on those 4 wheelers. Inside of the back of the seats. even then those are getting gone also. Need to mark where it doesn't have to be out of sight, therefore out of mind and therefore the oil gets changed too late and they blow up.
More engineering was put into this than the actual engineers who designed them. Great work.
Thanks!
ok
ok
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Especially considering the "engineering" for the Honda clone and the Predator involved buying a Honda engine and having someone copy the design as closely as they could while using slightly less expensive materials! I have to give Honda engineers credit for designing the gold standard for small engines. It is always interesting to see various brands of snowblowers, lawnmowers, and pressure sprayers etc. which slap a "Powered by Honda" sticker in a predominant location. It seems people know what quality is and they are willing to pay for it. That said, I'm sure for most users the Predator engine would probably work very well and last for many years.
I've swapped those predator motors into different things for years. They're absolutely great especially for the money. I always shut down by turning off the fuel and it starts first pull no matter how many years it sits.
Thanks for the feedback.
This was one of your most impressive videos yet! Honda is king as always, but the predator punched way outside its price point.
Thanks!
I agree
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Todd you're channel is the absolute best channel/content on TH-cam. Long time subscriber and appreciate all the time and $ you have out in to the quality reviews over the years.
Thanks and you are welcome!
3:24 🤨! ! Respectfully, please dont misuse your words. Surely you know what a fuel cell actually does? What you replaced the original fuel tanks with for prolonged operation are simply external fuel tanks or reserve tanks. Dont get me wrong: I do appreciate what youre doing as consumer protection. I havent seen consumer reports on the magazine rack in so long I must wonder if they still exist? Especially since NAFTA & relocation of american industry to CHINA, weve been coping a business environment hostile & exploitational toward the domestic amrican customer
Id be better off with a small machine shop & foundry of my own than to waste very hard-earned money on profiteers & exploitationists who have no sense of pride in product quality; nor do they know the meaning of the word. Pre-dominant corporate america makes me SICK. So, more power to the grass roots. Only by turning to each other & supporting one another will we be able to survive. We desperately need to take back our country & return to farm life
I've owned a few lawnmowers with Briggs and Stratton engines and one with a Honda engine. I'm not surprised by the results of those two. I am surprised by the Predator's performance. It's good to see HF is giving Honda some competition.
Thanks for sharing.
Yeah well... That's like saying Hyundai is giving Honda some competition comparing new cars. I've worked with engines for a while now, for every 10 Predators broken there's 1 Honda. So there's that. If you need something for a short task, Predator is your guy, but long term ownership go Honda
@@disco.lemonade That's good to know. Short term performance is easy to measure but long term reliability is more difficult. Thanks for your input.
@@disco.lemonade Because 10 people bought the Predator for $150 for every 1 stooge paying $600 for the same thing.
I helped a friend install a Dyno cam and billet rod/main bearing inside his predator, and the gear on the original cam was made out of plastic and I noticed that the old rod didn't have a bearing like the new one, it was just solid aluminum. The damn thing used to clunk and clatter like a rock tumbler.
Hello. I just wanted to say thank you. I am just about to order a log spliter, and can get a loncin engine, or a Honda for an additional $360 canadian. I think over the life of the engine and spliter, the $360 will be well spent. I think in the long run , you just saved me money. All the best, Ben
Thanks! Glad to hear!
Predator engines are awesome. Used by many to replace old classic snowblower engines. Love mine. Thanks for ya hard work as always.👍🙂
Thanks for the feedback.
to add onto this, we have a go-kart place by us that swears on the predators and proudly rock them for most the karts rated for them. they are badass. never had one give out on me when treated right.
I did exactly this. That poor 6.5 hp is doing what an old 10hp techumseh used to do!
Have one of their generators, does great when I need it, never shuts off unexpectedly and starts up first pull every time and far cheaper than a Honda.
Predeters never die we had one that would start every year on old gas.
Best part about the power of the Honda clone is that it also says 4.0kW, which would be 5.4HP - so this engine has 3 different values for advertised power.
Great point!
At the dealerships we call them “One Tank Wonders”.
He said that the manual references a GX160 which is a 5.5hp engine
A lot for these cheap clone engines actually has a 160cc block even though the sticker says it's a GX200. $150 is very overpriced though, these clones only costs $60-70 where I live (southeast Asia)
If you didn’t come from tiktok raise your hand 🤚🏽
I didn't start a tiktok account.
I like tic tacs
@@ProjectFarm I’ve seen your content on there from people reposting it.
@@ProjectFarm And that's why we love you man!
@@ProjectFarm those Chinese accounts getting lots of views by reposting your content I’m sure! We love you here!
Another great comparison!
Thanks for your videos
Thanks and you are welcome!
So happy to hear that a Predator engine is solid! I don’t feel bad anymore about buying them at Harbor Freight
Thanks for sharing.
They've been proven for years now...
I can only imagine the hilarious sight of someone stumbling onto your farm and seeing a guy in a go cart towing a tractor with a mannequin on it lol. Always love seeing your videos. You are truly a godsend when it comes to TH-cam content creators!
Thanks!
I was wondering if the chinese spy balloon caught this on camera and are wondering WTF is going on down there ? lol
My favorite was when you tested electric-heat jackets by having Cousin Ed ride on top of FARM-A-BAGO!
Would love to see a follow-up on legevity. That is, how are the engines looking after 100 or 200 hours rather than just this quick test. Pretty sure the knock-off would fail, but Predator vs. Honda would be interesting in the long run.
Thanks for the video idea.
You are probably correct...obviously, all the Chinese knock off engines are not the same quality wise..and sadly, the Briggs is basically just a Chinese knock-off with a "brand name"...
I've had a knock-off on my American Snow Blower for 8 years now with no issues.
Ran my old Honda generator for at least 7200 hours in its 12 year life literally ran it 6 hours every night and im not even counting the several times I used it for running tools on jobs .
@@bishbosh7728 Impressive...
No annoying background music to spoil things and gets straight to the point....nice....
Thanks so much Todd for all you do. This is not only super expensive, it’s very time consuming. Can’t thank you enough!
Love the Cousin Eddie cameo😂😂
But we never hear what Cousin Eddie thinks of the products
@basedwhitedevil so we should be less appreciative because of that?
Thanks and you are welcome!
@basedwhitedevil he has that many subs bc ppl love watching his channel.
ProjectFarm is a legend. Shows what 1 man can achieve if he puts his mind to something and works hard.
Thanks!
Very good morning I have a good mood in
1 man ?? Christ, what about Cousin Eddie ??
I built a predator 212 that spins up to 9,700 rpm. I put a billet connecting rod, cam, ported head, valve springs, 11.5:1 compression ratio. Ect. Put it on my mini bike and it goes 70mph and gets there quick. Amazing machines
Thanks for sharing!
You are like the America's Test Kitchen of tech. Your analysis of best quality vs. best value is always welcome.
You're killing it as always. Great analysis. The variety of tests is outstanding. Love your videos. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, will do!
Hell Yeah! Same! 🎉
I just love the content on this channel. Incredibly well thought out experiments, plenty of detail and its delivered at exactly the right pace that keeps it exciting. Doing a great job, so happy (and unsurprised) to see the channel blow up so much in the last 6 months!!
Thanks!
That Predator engine was very impressive! That's an extremely high value engine for the money right there!
cheap and very good!🐱👍🏿
I think someone somewhere said that predator is made in same line than genuine Briggs and Stratton
It would be interesting to take both apart and try to mix up the parts and put both together.
But now I know what engine I'll use to replace genuine honda
Thanks for sharing!
@@felixchaus the Predator is another Honda clone. But remember it's not a real Honda. And whoa to the man who doesn't go out in the snow and start it up every 3 months.
@@thisoldrelicyou mean woe?
YOU - make the most awesome, reliable and trustworthy review videos. Your video format has been copied by other TH-camrs because it is so good. Thank you for all the time you take to make these videos! I enjoy them immensely while at my dinner table. Great job sir!!
Thanks so much!
I've been watching you for a while, and I can truly say you have the best reviews anywhere. Thanks for the thousands you have saved me.
Thank you very much! This means a LOT to me and keeps me motivated to keep going!
The amount of work and time you put in these videos is insane. Great video .👍
Thanks for the sggestion.l .
love how knockoffs are getting better, especially for the price and what you use them for, aftermarket parts are out there in massive form
The Chinese specialize in 2 things.
1 very cheap no quality knockoff products
2 quality copie... euh local build products.
f.e. the Chinese build and sell those cheap retro 50cc scooters with lots of bling bling in Europe. 6 months warenty and after 5000 Km max its totaly worn out.
On the other side they build and sell 50 cc mopeds ( down graded 125/250cc motorcycles) who are almost indestructable.
They cost 4 times the price of a retro scooter.
Whats good for the Chinese farmer to go to and from his rice padies is good enough for the city commute.
Most of the portable generators on the market are honda clones (chondas) I've seen a ridiculous amount of engine failures, noisey/rattling engines, oil burners.. you name it. I haven't seen one with a power head failure in a good while. IMO if a chonda went up against a honda longevity wise, you'd probably save money by buying the honda instead of 5 chondas over the same period of usage.
what you're saving in costs you're losing in tolerances. the expensive one will run better when its older
You really do a thorough job. I appreciate how much work that goes into each test.
Thanks and you are welcome!
The value of your testing for providing information to us cannot be overstated! Real world, without the hype. Thank you!
I have bought numerous product based on this mans testing. I greatly appreciate his effort and diligence to produce a quality analysis of such a diverse number of products. Thank you good sir!
You are welcome!
i work construction, always un heated and sometimes outdoors, those heated gloves are making a huge difference! i couldn't really afford the top of the line ones but the best VALUE ones were doable, i KNEW i had to hurry or theyd be gone, essentially most normal sizes SOLD OUT, luckily they had XXL which many do not, i bought immediately, they wearing out as they're NOT construction gloves so ill be taping gluing at some point
Absolute respect on how thorough you are with the tests in your vids. Always entertaining and informative and thanks for doing what you do so well.
Thanks and you are welcome!
You're the best!! My neighbor has one of those Predator engines on his rototiller & that thing runs great!! I still use Engine Restore & just added some last night to my Grand Prix. It now has 285,000 miles & still runs great!! Thanks & keep making great videos!!
Thanks, will do!
Man, ı can see how much effort and time spent on these tests absolutely deserves a like and share
Thanks!
This guy is the "new" Mr. Wizard (Don Herbert), for those of you OLD enough to remember!
Great videos but afterward I want him to break them apart and see how they are made. I believe the Honda's use quality bearings on their cranks and pistons and have better attention to detail on the internals that mean longevity. Same with their generators, just better quality parts, like the old Maytag washing machines.
The surprise in this is just how well the predator and how poorly the briggs performed. Those Honda motors are great, but at the price it is hard to ignore those predators. Another great Project Farm test.
I'd take a Predator engine over Briggs any day.
Thanks!
I'm not surprised by the Predator at all. They're good engines. I'm a little disappointed in the Briggs... Honda is THE standard... but the Briggs Vanguard (NOT the Briggs in this test!) engines may be getting ready to dethrone the current King. Time will tell.
There are reviews out there how bad the Briggs portable generators are. Even the Chinese gens beat them.
@@jshepard152 what if the day was 1960 when they were still good?
I’d love to see you do this same kind of comparison but with a couple of old Briggs and tecumseh engines in the mix. Just to see if they hold up over the years. It would be cool to see if they stand the test of time in more ways than just reliability. Regardless, I’ve been watching your videos since you were doing fuel and cylinder head material comparisons on lawn mowers and I’ve never been bored. Please keep it up! These videos are the best
I never let him forget the glorious days of running engines with bacon grease. Ah, nostalgia..
It's so cool where the channel has gone today; we've always needed this content.
@@Erik_Swiger it just keeps getting better. He’s so unbiased in his tests; I’m surprised his channel doesn’t have even more of a following yet
I have a mower that 45 years old and has a 150cc 4 stroke B&S engine.
It uses no oil and fires on 3rd pull even after winter storage.
I run it on E10 and it does not complain that it needs 4star leaded!
I loved the clear cylinder heads. they showed different thing ssnd you used a high speed camera to show the different problems. too bad it'd be too hard to do on an overhead valve engine. I had clear spark plugs used to tune high performance racing chainsaws on nitro. as they couldn't be run long or run on the wrong mixture it had to happen quick. Make changes and then run again for a few seconds as wrong tuning would blow the motors. I had 4 of them. don't even know how to get them now. Exhaust sniffers are used now. Plug reading s still used in the top fuel classes of funny cars and rails. Just a small change in the weather and those engines would blow if the change wasn't caught. I did some of that with motorcycles and was on one that blew, and threw me. I got way better at tuning after that.
Honestly, a spreadsheet shown at the end and linked in the comment section would help us compare. I love the simplicity and density of these videos, but 3 minutes in my head is spinning with fact after fact. A spread sheet to keep it organized would really help!
Great stuff, thank yoU!
Thanks and you are welcome! Thanks for the suggestion.
Absolute, top of the line product test channel. Been watching for years, never disappoints, always informs and is delightful.
Excellent comparison. Oil analysis and driving the alternator for a load and fuel economy, and the vibration test, then measuring the oil consumption were great methods to test durability and ultimate value.
Glad you liked it!
This fellow is better than consumer reports.
CR is trash
I worry about cousin Eddie he looks a little stiff
he IS Consumer Reports
Such a deal.....!
No extra cost for the dents ?
Whoa.....Dude !
I don't blame you for jumping on it !
And those colors !
You hit this one outta the park, for sure !
👍😉😳
Thanks!
Love your tests. One of my favorite YT subscriptions. Your choice of equipment to test is perfect, and test parameters chosen and processes are genius.
Thanks for sharing!
Whats other valuable channels you follow?
I think a longevity test is the next obvious step seeing as you already bought the motors. Still waiting for someone to give motorcoat some competition! Your testing is the standard I now count on for a lot of the products I buy, keep up the great work
Thank you for the video idea!
I think my Briggs and Stratton lawn mower will probably put last me. It had such bad compression after sitting for a long time that we put really thick diesel oil in it and after a season of running that it works like brand new
Todd, thanks for this good information. It just wonders me if the difference in performance of the engines is the engine itself, or the carburetors. I would like to see OEM vs aftermarket carburetors tested on those engines to see if that matters any.
Thanks for the work you put into these.
Thanks and you are welcome!
Excellent vid as usual! Cheers from Australia
Thanks!