Small Generator/inverters

There are a lot of brands that work fine, I've had a 2kW Champion, Honda's, and a Yamaha. All were fine, a lot of hours. The thing to me that I prefer Honda/Yamaha is parts availability and service availability.

 

And they discuss the same brands mentioned here, Champion, Wen, Harbor Freight, Honda, Yamaha, the new one I saw here is Powerhorse. The Chinese brands get good reviews. Heck, that Champion I had didn't have an hour meter on it but it had a lot, cleaned it up and sold it for $400, ran like new. Thing had been rained on, duststorms, still had the original sparkplug.

The Honda's and Yamaha I converted to dual-fuel, but stayed with LP after the breakin period. I like using LP instead of fooling around with gas cans, a 20lb LP tank is the equivalent of four gallons of gasoline.

 

After researching for months before purchasing my Champion I came to the same conclusion. Every thread on the internet boils down to the same conclusion, you really can’t go wrong.

 

The big deal is keep the carb and jets clean, fuel stabilizer, run it, drain the bowl. I got tired of that, went to a dual-fuel setup, but I use only LP after the breakin period (conversion kits recommend using gasoline for breakin).

One of the beauties of LP generators is high altitude you don't have to change the carb jets to compensate for the air/fuel mixture. The LP regulator has a load block that you adjust externally with an open end wrench. Need a richer mixture? Open the load block a bit. Need a leaner mixture? Close the load block a bit.

 

So right now I narrowed it down
There is a guy on craigs list with a new in box honda 2200 that im going to try to make a deal with.
If its the right price i'll get it.
My other choice is the champion. there is a Home depot a few blocks from my house so I could pick it up
If I have any problems will just return it.
I'm not going to use it that much but will just run it once in a while to make sure it works.
Which ever one I get will make sure I run the carb dry.

Of course tomorrow i might totally chance my mind.
Dam this is confusing.

thanks for all the input!

 

I have a Honeywell 7500W, had it about 10 years so its reliable but it is fairly loud.

 

Actually it sounds like you have it figured out pretty good. However, I'll still keep gushing about an LP conversion. Cheap and easy to install kit.

https://www.motorsnorkel.com/

I got tired of refilling 1 gallon gas tanks, keeping the fuel system clean, fuel stabilizer, gas cans. One 20lb LP bottle is the equivalent of four gallons of gasoline, burns cleaner, fewer oil changes, sparkplug and spark arrestor are cleaner, no fuel deterioration. Don't have to change the carb jets for high altitude, simply adjust the load block.

 

Just got this one
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Champio...-Portable-Inverter-Generator-100565/306113176

It was only $349 so i figured I cant go wrong
If i need more power I have my 5000w gen that sounds like a tank

Cant get it started till the weekend let ya know how it goes.

Went to Home Derp said they had 1 in stock of course the girl who helped me couldnt find it said they must have sold it.
Asked another guy to check at a near by HD. He told me it was a black friday deal and no longer available.
I showed him my phone and after a long search found 2 in front of store behind a bunch of displays.

 

We have a champion 2800watt inverter that we got at costco a few years ago. Starts on the first pull every time and doesn't seem to mind gas that is six months old. It is quiet compared to our old Kawasaki generator that wouldn't start if the gas was more than a couple of months old. It was relatively inexpensive as well. The best thing is it runs for about 8 hours on a tank of gas.

 

So I fired up the generator tonight
Very quiet in eco mode not to bad when switched off
Ran my worm drive circular saw and a few other tools, seemed ok

 

I researched small generators off and on for two years before buying the EU2000 Honda. I knew it had clean power and that is what I didn't have with my other generators: I have to run computers with it during hurricanes to do insurance claims for my customers. I priced them online and off and the best deal I could find in the world was right here in SE Texas. Cureton and Sons, Nederland, TX (409)722-5354. Only paid $849 for mine. I think they still sell them for about that price too. I took it home and ran a 5000Btu A/C with it, easily. Intrigued, I took the 5000Btu back and got a 6000Btu. Ran it easy. Took that one back and got a 8000Btu. It lugged it a bit when the compressor kicked off, but it ran it and does so on Eco mode at reduced rpm and sound. Amazing. So then I tried the 12000Btu A/C that I cool my garage with. It is old and well worn in with little start-up load. It ran it, easier than the 8000Btu. The guys at Cureton could not believe it so I made a video of it and uploaded it. The Honda is going in my Taco, or in a generator box on a swing-away on the rear bumper to run a 5000Btu window A/C to cool the cab. Going to have a rear seat delete bed in the cab and I am going to sleep comfortably. If I had to do it again I'd get the new

$1,199 EU2200 ITAN 2200-Watt 120-Volt Super Quiet Portable Inverter Generator with CO-Minder - 49-State

EU2200.

 

I really wanted the Honda but I will hardly use the gen went with the champion

 

After I posted above I realized two things. My WEN is old enough that it is black/yellow before WEN started using black/orange for their color scheme.

It's also longer than I thought since I ran it. Premium gas, no stabilizer about a year old. I'm guessing three months since it last ran. Dang it took 6 pulls to get it running.

Then I looked at my Honda lawn mower. I'm guessing 9 months since my wife has gardeners mow it now. Same gas 12 pulls and it starts but stalls. 5 more and the same.
4 more and the same. 3 more and it starts and keeps running.

I let them both run for 10 minutes. Honda smoked like crazy at first. I guess I need some stabilizer and fresh gas.

 

Maybe the Honda had been winterized...teaspoon of oil down the spark plug hole? That makes 'er smoke.

 

What are your criteria?

If noise is your main issue get a Honda.
If price is your consideration then don’t get a Honda.

I am currently replacing my 2000w Generac because of noise. Works fine and isn’t excessively loud but for camping it isn’t a Honda. So I am getting a Honda to replace a perfectly working generator that does everything I need but is louder than I am willing to live with (for camping).

 

I personally have 2 Honda 2000 invertor generators and wouldn’t cheap out on something like that.

I’m on various rv sites and this is always an on going argument. You have people pay 30k for a mansion of a trailer but cheap out on a generator. Cracks me up.

Anyway consumer reports I think it was did a comparison between the new Honda 2200 and the comparable predator inverter generators from harbor freight.

Thier results were both were as quiet as each other. Both put out good clean power. The Honda recovered faster from an instant load. Honda has a better warranty. So they are very comparable.

My only question is real world feedback of them long term say 5+ years or so. Honda feedback is out there all over. Predator not so much yet. I know where to get parts for my Honda. I know where to have my Honda repaired. Not sure how or if I can get parts for the predator. Don’t know who will repair a predator. Not saying the predator is junk. Just saying there is just no long term feedback on them yet. They may prove to be awesome but only time will tell.

 

It all comes down to application. A generator that is quiet for yard maintenance or construction may be insanely loud (comparatively) when camping. When at the racetrack my generator is quiet enough when you move it 50’ away and run 'one cords for my tire warmers. Yet the same generator when camping can be heard for what seems like miles away due to the quiet surroundings.

This has become a major issue at the racetrack. People show up in massive mega dollar rv’s and run their generators all night to run their AC and keep up everyone else. This usually results in someone shutting off their genny mid night. After it gets started up again the fuel gets shut off. If it gets started a third time I have heard of 2 inches of fuel line go missing right in the middle of the line. Those who buy Honda or other whisper quiet generators never have this issue unless left right as their neighbors door.

 

You mean like $35k 3rd gens here that folks are putting spacer lifts on?

Moving on. In our area thru the winter we have many 'street festivals' of arts and crafts, various foods that are seasonal, etc.

Tons of vendors show up with their portable tents, both to escape the northern climes and earn a few bucks. Naturally there are many types of food tents included.

For those that require electric for fridges, mixers, etc. I'd guesstimate that well over 95% are the small Hondas. Because compact, reliable and quiet.

 

Bottom line you pay for the quiet all of the small generators are about the same the Chinese cheap ones are a image of a Honda but not as quiet. The inverter types do not need to run 3600 RPM as others do to make 60 cycles but I can tell you this all of them pretty much are equally noisy at full load. I have a 20 year old open frame little 2000 watt (really more like 1500 watt) next to a 2000 Honda running full smoke it's had to tell the difference in noise level. Drop the load back the Honda is far quieter.