SDMO Perform 3000 Petrol Generator

SDMO is a name that means most to professionals: the company has designed and built generators in Brest since 1966, up to 3,300 kVA units for industry, and today belongs to the Kohler group. The Perform 3000 is one of its entry-level models, but it inherits an approach aimed at hire fleets and job sites rather than at big-box retail.

At the heart of the machine sits a Kohler CH270 engine, an air-cooled four-stroke single cylinder of 208 cubic centimetres holding 0.6 litres of oil. It drives an alternator rated at 2,800 watts maximum and 2,400 watts continuous, single-phase 230 volts. Two 10/16 A sockets, each protected by its own breaker, distribute that power. Starting is by manual pull cord, eased by a summer/winter setting that spares you rope-pulling sessions in cold weather.

The detail that really sets this generator apart is its Quad Clean air filter, with four stages of filtration. On a generator, the air intake is the Achilles heel: concrete dust, sand or blades of grass end up choking the engine and wearing the rings. An effective filter improves delivered power, consumption and service life all at once, which matters more on this kind of machine than three hundred extra watts on the spec sheet.

On runtime, let us be clear: the 4.1 litre tank gives 3.2 hours at three-quarter load, around 1.3 litres per hour. That format suits jobs of a few hours, not a continuous day without refuelling. On noise, guaranteed acoustic power is 96 dB(A), with 67 dB(A) measured at seven metres: normal for an open-frame generator, but enough to rule out use right next to housing.

At 45 kilos and 65 by 51 by 46 centimetres, it is carried by two people or loaded into a van without difficulty. If you want something lighter and quieter for leisure, look instead at an inverter generator such as the Scheppach SG2500i. If you need three-phase power or several hours of runtime, our page on the Scheppach SG5200D diesel covers the step above.