My boat has a 6.5kW Phasor genset installed by the PO. It appears to be similar to the 8.0Kw unit in the OP. Not enough hours on it yet to form an opinion about longevity, but here are my observations after a few years of ownership – YMMV.
This is a pretty little generator with white paint and blue hoses. The motor is a three cylinder 1,800 rpm Kubota diesel; quieter than some, but still noisy without a sound shield. The main service items are on the same side as the (accessible) Oberdorfer raw-water pump. There is an oil drain valve with hose-barb on the bottom of the oil pan which makes oil changes easier. There is no coolant-level bottle, but one can be fitted.
I am not sure about the statement that there is no circuit-board. There is something that looks like one bolted to the inside face of the control box cover. It is encased in a block of translucent plastic and looks like a high $$$ item to me.
It is reasonably well thought out, but the execution in several areas is poor: A Facet lift pump that relies (unsuccessfully) on painted-metal to painted-metal contact for its ground. Hoses in contact with sharp corners of other components. Electrical wiring poorly secured, especially the birds-nest in the control box. A belt that runs within a hair of a coolant hose. The same belt wearing through its plastic safety cover. Masking tape partially blocking a port in the thermostat housing. I remedied these and other problems with time and without too much trouble. Left alone they were problems waiting to happen. Murphy is never far away.
This unit may have a Kubota engine, but the cooling, exhaust, fuel and much of the 12-volt systems are Phasor. The absence of a service manual, parts and circuit diagrams is a major drawback. IMHO anything more than minor servicing is fraught with peril without them. I have the operator’s manual which covers routine servicing and includes a generic “one size fits all” circuit diagram. Southeastern Power Products (see below) tell me that that is all there is - no workshop manual, parts or wiring diagram. Not that I can’t have them - they do not exist! The only thing they could offer was the page below which lists every spare part they can supply. Note that the circuit-board thing in my third paragraph is not on the list.
Immediately after purchase of my boat, I decided to buy a full set of spares for my little white generator. I expected to visit the manufacturer’s website where I could either buy spares or be redirected to the appropriate retail outlets. NOT - the Phasor website is basically a list of generators and a couple of links to Southeastern Power Products of Pompano Beach Fl. Maybe Southeastern manufacture Phasor gensets – its hard to tell. Their website, like Phasor’s, is a list of the generators that they sell and two phone numbers. Probably just my paranoia, but it struck me as odd.
Phasor may well make excellent generators; they are certainly less expensive than Northern Lights. I hope the above adds a little perspective.