cajunfirehawk
Well-known member
I own 2 honda EU2000i's, one maybe 15 yrs old, runs great when I need it, the other is still in the sealed box if I ever need it, remember you can daisy chain these too...YMMV.
which Honda generator to get?
- Thread starter 87GN
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Generac GP8000e for $999. Fired up instantaneously with the flip of a switch and runs/performs great.
Not familiar with the EB model, but if the DC output is the only difference I wouldn't pay extra for it. Its more efficient and quicker to hook up a standard battery charger to the AC outlet on the generator.
The Hondas are a good example of buy once.cry once. Take care of it and it will take care of you. I probably have 500 hours on my 2000. I have read of some off grid people claiming they have close to 10K hours on them on solar forums.
The Hondas are a good example of buy once.cry once. Take care of it and it will take care of you. I probably have 500 hours on my 2000. I have read of some off grid people claiming they have close to 10K hours on them on solar forums.
decableguy2000
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Honda makes a good machine, an EU2000i will run a fridge no problem. Used mine for a few days to keep things cold. We use them at work as well. Fuel issues are the only thing we have had go wrong with them. They are quite, portable, and easily stolen. We had an EB5000 that had well over a 1000 hours on it with minimal maintenance.
Congratulations. You'll find that you can find people with good luck anywhere if you look hard enough. I've seen the positive reviews for the Predator.
When it comes to safety and emergencies I'm not trusting anything from Horrible Freight, ever.
Flashlights and disposable hand tools, sure. But no heat or hot water in the dead of winter? Absolutely not.
kctyphoon
Banned
Curious if you think the similar priced generac units are any better? Or any of the other Honda clone gensets.. I've honestly never heard a claim of someone being hurt by a generator.
kctyphoon
Banned
I hope people realize that part of the longevity stories on things like Honda generators is because if someone paid top dollar for anything - if something goes wrong - they fix it. Nobody is gonna sink $200 I parts into a generator they bought for $500 10 years ago.. it's not that they cant be fixed - it's that people don't bother cause it's not worth the time or money.
I have always thought about buying an emergency generator but in reality, we almost never have any power problems - maybe a handful of times in the last 12 -13 years for a couple of hours at most. Still, I could see owning one of the smaller, 2k watt units like the Hondas.
Now that Lithium Ion batteries are pretty much main stream, I see Costco sells a 1,500 watt "power station" for $1k. Anyone have any experience with something like this? Supposedly it can run a refrigerator for 1- to 20 hours
https://www.costco.com/Goal-Zero-Yeti-1000-Lithium-Portable-Power-Station.product.100338966.html
Now that Lithium Ion batteries are pretty much main stream, I see Costco sells a 1,500 watt "power station" for $1k. Anyone have any experience with something like this? Supposedly it can run a refrigerator for 1- to 20 hours
https://www.costco.com/Goal-Zero-Yeti-1000-Lithium-Portable-Power-Station.product.100338966.html
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Yes. Nothing like a bald 60+ year old driving a Buick with a measly V6 hand out *** kickings at red lights.
And, thanks to all for their replies.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Or they just last longer
You would have to buy a large gen to run an electric water heater and electric furnace, So the small 2kw gens we are talking about are too small for you no matter what brand you are looking at. OP was asking about the small inverter Gen sets, not a whole home Gen set.
If you are looking for a whole house gen Onan is the Best brand out there.
I have worked in the Power Generation field for 27 years now as a mobile field service technician.
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kctyphoon
Banned
Or they just last longer
I don't see many 68/69 station wagons up for sale, but I don't have to look far to find camaros.. was one built that much better then the other, or did more people just make an effort to keep the camaros around simply cause they wanted to?
Op should enjoy this..
84prerunner
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Ill add my 2cents and experience with small generators. Skip this if you dont want the story.
I have a cab over camper without onboard generator. Has an 11k AC unit, fridge, microwave etc. I have always been one to save money where i can so i picked up a chinese 2,000 watt generator off craigslist and was completely happy thinking about all the money i saved over the hondas id see on every camping trip. It was barely enough generator, would run the AC as long as NOTHING else was on and wouldnt run the microwave on 100% for more than 15-20 seconds. i made due with it and was mostly happy. Had to clean the carb once, air filter was a sad excuse but i still cleaned it every trip etc. One trip it was 110* outside, ran the AC for 20hrs that weekend. came home to find a melted plug inside the unit, it still worked but was VERY close to being a direct short on the wingdings. Fixed that issue and exactly a year later it died on me. It was over 100* again and without worning it went from running fine to no output at all. At this point the unit had 70-80hrs and was 3yrs old. I still had 2 more days to camp and in the extreme heat there was no way i could do without AC, even night time temps only got down to about 85. I will add that it was hot enough on this particular trip that even my buddies BRAND NEW 6500watt liquid cooled onan was over heating and shutting down.
I rushed into town and bought a honda EG2800i. it was about the same price as the e2000 but i liked the idea of having a little extra power and it had almost double the fuel capacity. Got it back to camp, fired it up and it ran 21hrs straight, only being shut off for a few minutes for refueling. never over heated even when the onan next to me did all day long. I LOVE this honda. since this trip i have only put a few hours here or there on it as i have not had a need to run the AC and i have solar that covers most camping needs. my ONLY complaint with the honda is lack of features for the price (no amp meter, volt meter, hour meter, etc). It has WAY more power than the little 2000 had. it will run my AC AND microwave at the same time, i didnt think it stood a chance for that task. 2 gallon tank is nice as well as it will run all night long keeping the AC going.
After the trip i tore the china unit down and discovered a bad AVR. Couldnt find parts for this unit anywhere, even from local craigslist "dealers". i ended up find an AVR on ebay that looked correct, but i had no way to know for sure. bought 2, waited a month for them to show up (from china) and its now back to running and BOTH AVRs only cost $5 shipped. At the end of the day i guess it makes a good backup generator but im still not happy it left me sitting in the hot desert with less than 100hrs on it even though i did better maintenance than i think most people will do.
At the end of the day i am happy with my honda purchase, but i can still see where the people who want to get more for there money are coming from. Time will tell how the honda holds up, but i do feel more confident heading out the desert with the honda than i do with any other brand generator.
I have a cab over camper without onboard generator. Has an 11k AC unit, fridge, microwave etc. I have always been one to save money where i can so i picked up a chinese 2,000 watt generator off craigslist and was completely happy thinking about all the money i saved over the hondas id see on every camping trip. It was barely enough generator, would run the AC as long as NOTHING else was on and wouldnt run the microwave on 100% for more than 15-20 seconds. i made due with it and was mostly happy. Had to clean the carb once, air filter was a sad excuse but i still cleaned it every trip etc. One trip it was 110* outside, ran the AC for 20hrs that weekend. came home to find a melted plug inside the unit, it still worked but was VERY close to being a direct short on the wingdings. Fixed that issue and exactly a year later it died on me. It was over 100* again and without worning it went from running fine to no output at all. At this point the unit had 70-80hrs and was 3yrs old. I still had 2 more days to camp and in the extreme heat there was no way i could do without AC, even night time temps only got down to about 85. I will add that it was hot enough on this particular trip that even my buddies BRAND NEW 6500watt liquid cooled onan was over heating and shutting down.
I rushed into town and bought a honda EG2800i. it was about the same price as the e2000 but i liked the idea of having a little extra power and it had almost double the fuel capacity. Got it back to camp, fired it up and it ran 21hrs straight, only being shut off for a few minutes for refueling. never over heated even when the onan next to me did all day long. I LOVE this honda. since this trip i have only put a few hours here or there on it as i have not had a need to run the AC and i have solar that covers most camping needs. my ONLY complaint with the honda is lack of features for the price (no amp meter, volt meter, hour meter, etc). It has WAY more power than the little 2000 had. it will run my AC AND microwave at the same time, i didnt think it stood a chance for that task. 2 gallon tank is nice as well as it will run all night long keeping the AC going.
After the trip i tore the china unit down and discovered a bad AVR. Couldnt find parts for this unit anywhere, even from local craigslist "dealers". i ended up find an AVR on ebay that looked correct, but i had no way to know for sure. bought 2, waited a month for them to show up (from china) and its now back to running and BOTH AVRs only cost $5 shipped. At the end of the day i guess it makes a good backup generator but im still not happy it left me sitting in the hot desert with less than 100hrs on it even though i did better maintenance than i think most people will do.
At the end of the day i am happy with my honda purchase, but i can still see where the people who want to get more for there money are coming from. Time will tell how the honda holds up, but i do feel more confident heading out the desert with the honda than i do with any other brand generator.
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finn
Well-known member
I think your story simply says that when running a generator in or near overload condition, upsizing the generator by 40% will result in longer generator life.
I fail to understand how you conclude that the Chinese Honda is a better generator than the generic Chinese generator, it’s just larger.
It’s just sized better for your application.
I fail to understand how you conclude that the Chinese Honda is a better generator than the generic Chinese generator, it’s just larger.
It’s just sized better for your application.
When buying portable generators, I used to think bigger is better. But many of us overlook fuel consumption. A neighbor of my brother tried to run his house during a localize outage. He was running through almost 1 gallon of gas per hour. If gas goes back to $4 a gallon. it might be cheaper to go get a hotel room and throw the food away in the fridge. The 2000 Honda will run a furnace fan (about 950 watts at my house) or portable AC, a few lamps, and my entertainment center. If you need to use the coffeemaker or microwave turn your furnace off for a few minutes. Most fridges today are very energy efficient, and only use high loads for the defrost/frost free feature. My chest freezer uses less than 50 watts.
The mid sized generators of 5000-8000 watts might be useful if you have a well pump or an electric water heater (4500 watts) but since they are not big enough to run a whole house A/C they might not provide much more usefulness if you have gas heat or water, but they burn a lot more fuel if they are not inverter models.
The mid sized generators of 5000-8000 watts might be useful if you have a well pump or an electric water heater (4500 watts) but since they are not big enough to run a whole house A/C they might not provide much more usefulness if you have gas heat or water, but they burn a lot more fuel if they are not inverter models.
vssjim
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Never going to tell somebody to not buy a Honda generator as they are excellent for sure.
There is not that much profit in a quality built product.........so.........if your selling a similar product corners are cut in materials and workmanship is the only way to make the price point.
Even if copy each part to skip the engineering and testing costs.........the clonehas issues. Yes ....fueling and related mixture is an issue with poor mixture control causing surging..........but generator winding and regulator issue are also a concern with the off brands.
If you think Honda is making $400-$500 profit on each EU2000 you are misinformed.
finn
Well-known member
Actual material costs may vary 10% on a high quality (Honda) vs a knock off, but a 100% increase (double) is a little more than than can be rationallized based solely on parts prices.
They all have the same number of parts, and weigh about the same.....shipping and distribution costs are similar, etc. There has to be a huge margin in the Honda price, as dealers aren’t allowed to deviate from msrp.
Again, I am not doubting Honda quality or anybody’s right to drink the koolaid, but to dismiss the alternatives seems foolish.
They all have the same number of parts, and weigh about the same.....shipping and distribution costs are similar, etc. There has to be a huge margin in the Honda price, as dealers aren’t allowed to deviate from msrp.
Again, I am not doubting Honda quality or anybody’s right to drink the koolaid, but to dismiss the alternatives seems foolish.
The thing I've noticed about a lot of the mid priced inverter gen sets based off countless reviews via camping forums/you tube videos is that it's extremely vital to change the oil early on and often, they dump a lot of metal shavings into the system. It's not uncommon for small motors to have some metal in the oil early, but some of the real time videos are not very inspiring based on the particulate size/amount even after a few oil changes.
I ended up buying 2 Hondas 2000 watt models when they had there rebate going on a few months ago. I was really going to go with the Champion 2000 models, but due to the Hurricanes and demand, even no name generators where knocking on Honda/Yamaha's pricing door. If was dead set on Not buying a Honda/Yamaha for fear of choking down the Kool aid that people seemingly want to reference all the time (don't worry it tastes good) I would probably go with one of the Yamaha powered units, Not a knock off, an actual Yamaha powered unit such as the A-iPower 2000 watt model.
My 2 cents...
I ended up buying 2 Hondas 2000 watt models when they had there rebate going on a few months ago. I was really going to go with the Champion 2000 models, but due to the Hurricanes and demand, even no name generators where knocking on Honda/Yamaha's pricing door. If was dead set on Not buying a Honda/Yamaha for fear of choking down the Kool aid that people seemingly want to reference all the time (don't worry it tastes good) I would probably go with one of the Yamaha powered units, Not a knock off, an actual Yamaha powered unit such as the A-iPower 2000 watt model.
My 2 cents...
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84prerunner
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That is a valid point.
One thing I forgot to mention, with the new AVR even the China unit runs the microwave now without tripping the breaker, I guess that old AVR was partly bad from day 1 and I never knew. New issue is the threaded portion of the gas tank (for the cap) cracked and I can not find another tank anywhere. Still works, but I know it is going to fully fail soon.
Without disclosing confidential pricing information this ^^^^^^is not even close to reality.
There are advertising printed price and internet sales and price restrictions........but in dealer pricing is up to the individual dealer. But let’s say there is a good reason dealer is not knocking $200-400 off MSRP.
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kctyphoon
Banned
Natural gas conversion is about $150-$189
DarrenF
Well-known member
I love my eu2000i. I have met many other Honda generator owners, and not one of them regretted spending the money.
Hilltopmasonry
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+1
Love mine too and wouldn’t hesitate buying another one
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rustyjames
Well-known member
Same here, I saw one in action and had to have one. What really sold me is how quiet they are.
trainer
Well-known member
I have a 3000 watt champion generator at camp that has approximately 1,000 hours on it.
The only thing I have had to do is replace the spark plug after 7 years and an annual oil change. I've used synthetic since the first oil change. It always starts first pull and runs about 12-15 hours on a tank.
They are currently less than half the price of a comparable Honda EP2500 ($400 vs $900 cdn.) The champion comes with a wheel kit and a 25' power cord, Honda doesn't.
The only thing I have had to do is replace the spark plug after 7 years and an annual oil change. I've used synthetic since the first oil change. It always starts first pull and runs about 12-15 hours on a tank.
They are currently less than half the price of a comparable Honda EP2500 ($400 vs $900 cdn.) The champion comes with a wheel kit and a 25' power cord, Honda doesn't.
finn
Well-known member
The margin is at the manufacturer level.
PelicanPines
ALLIANCE MEMBER
May have heard... storm came thru Jersey pretty bad. I have been toying with a whole house Natural gas system. Neighbor has one...
After reading many reviews online etc... I purchased a Honda EU2200i. Will be delivered next week. The parallel feature was a serious selling point. Along with its ability to drain the carb as part of the shutdown procedure.
Went with small to cover true needs instead of overkill that would rarely be used.
After reading many reviews online etc... I purchased a Honda EU2200i. Will be delivered next week. The parallel feature was a serious selling point. Along with its ability to drain the carb as part of the shutdown procedure.
Went with small to cover true needs instead of overkill that would rarely be used.
PiperCub49
Well-known member
I'm so closed to finally pulling the trigger on an EU2200i. Just looking for the best pricing.
It's a good strategy and what I did for a number of years until we had a major ice storm a few years ago that wiped us out for 9 days. Had the essentials but not life as usual. 20kW Generac went in the same winter. $7k installed with the ATS and I'll never even think about spending the money again. Was out a day one time since and it was incredible not worrying about it.
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AmericanMechanic
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Needs extra 3-year warranty = maybe good for liesure use, but for an extended power outage?
They are great for “essentials”. Mine hasn’t been used since Sandy. I dragged it out of the basement yesterday, filled it up and pulled the cord...again and again. I got worried for a sec, just took a little longer than I expected to prime the line, but she purred once she started. It was properly drained and stored after Sandy, so I was expecting no trouble starting.
I was surprised to learn the generator would run on eco mode with our new LG fridge (old fridge wouldn’t). That meant I was running about 7 hrs on a gallon of fuel. I had 5 gallons on hand. The obvious downside is running extension cords and timesharing a fridge and freezer off the generator. After a couple days post Sandy, inconvenient was becoming an understatement.
My neighbor has a 13kw beast. I think it burns over 10 gallons a day. Finding enough fuel to feed that thing during Sandy was a PITA!
I think if I lost power more frequently for extended periods, I would swing to the other end of the spectrum and get a natural gas back up generator. For essentials, you’ll be happy with it.
Indexmill
Well-known member
For a whole-house genny or for one larger than 10-12KW; Natural gas is far better.
seber
Well-known member
We recently used an EU2200 for ten days to run the house after a tornado took out the entire subdivision of 1500 houses. It ran 24/7 and I filled the tank once a day. If you need longer run time, you can get an auxiliary tank that combines the capacity. The Honda I expensive but as for value, it is hard to beat.
PelicanPines
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I added all the items I have or purchased for the next Power Failure... in an Album in my profile... added the link in my signature.
I looked into the whole house thing... I was quoted $15,000 turn key... including pouring the pad and running black pipe thru my basement to the "electric side" of the house. Neighbor went with it... I couldn't justify that coin.
I looked into the whole house thing... I was quoted $15,000 turn key... including pouring the pad and running black pipe thru my basement to the "electric side" of the house. Neighbor went with it... I couldn't justify that coin.
mngundog
Well-known member
If I were to by a Honda 2200 with it main purpose being to run my furnace in case of a power failure, would I want the regular one or the (companion) with the 30 amp output?
I would have other uses for it also, so looking at the size of the eu2200i.
I would have other uses for it also, so looking at the size of the eu2200i.
PelicanPines
ALLIANCE MEMBER
The companion is for running TWO EU2200i generators in parallel. In other words. The companion is the Second generator you buy.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
In general, I am a big fan of buy the SMALLEST generator that will get the job done ! A 2000W-2500W generator is adequate for most residents. The big problem is well pumps, which require 240V. Two ways to solve this problem.
1) Buy a generator that has 240V output (usually 5000W). Downside is they **** more fuel and are loader.
2) This is a bit tricky and unusual. Buy a pure sine wave inverter that is at least 220VAC (only!), 60HZ and enough power to start your well pump (another good case for a good "soft starter"). This is tricky for two reasons: A) you need a battery that must be "ready to go" at all times and B) you need to change the wiring of the pump to use the inverter when the power is out (a smart electrician and a relay can solve this problem).
The 30A outlet on a Honda Companion does NOT have a circuit breaker ! Overload it, and something is going to go up in smoke !
1) Buy a generator that has 240V output (usually 5000W). Downside is they **** more fuel and are loader.
2) This is a bit tricky and unusual. Buy a pure sine wave inverter that is at least 220VAC (only!), 60HZ and enough power to start your well pump (another good case for a good "soft starter"). This is tricky for two reasons: A) you need a battery that must be "ready to go" at all times and B) you need to change the wiring of the pump to use the inverter when the power is out (a smart electrician and a relay can solve this problem).
The 30A outlet on a Honda Companion does NOT have a circuit breaker ! Overload it, and something is going to go up in smoke !
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IndyGarage
Well-known member
I bought an old Honda Eu2000 a couple years ago. It's well used, and looks like it went through a war. Guy said he would use it to power his race trailer on race weekends and camper on camping weekends. I'd bet it's got hundreds if not thousands of hours on it.
It still starts and runs good. I didn't think it's as quiet as a new one. I bought a new side cover for it, because one of the tabs was broken off and it rattled, so that quieted it back down. I have the 12v jumper cable for it, and have used it to charge batteries in remote places, and also used it to run some power tools. It's a real nice compact generator.
It still starts and runs good. I didn't think it's as quiet as a new one. I bought a new side cover for it, because one of the tabs was broken off and it rattled, so that quieted it back down. I have the 12v jumper cable for it, and have used it to charge batteries in remote places, and also used it to run some power tools. It's a real nice compact generator.
I think that's a smart move. Enough to recharge battery packs, keep a freezer going, run the tv and lights. In California, electricity has become an optional feature of the landscape, so everyone becomes a master of the power outage.
I just assume that a full-house backup (which, admittedly, is a great thing if you need air conditioning) is going to fail after some years and can't be simply replaced by a quick order. They also use a surprising amount of $$$$ worth of natgas...and are too damn loud.
To me, the other overlooked angle to the 2kw-sized inverter generators is their low fuel usage. Given the tendency for our gas stations to be out of order during an outage, I'd sure hate to keep a 7kw gas generator fed every day.