Does anybody have the HarborFreight 2500 Inverter Gen?

otrfun wrote:

gmctoyman wrote:
The original question ... Remains unanswered !

FWIW, I posted a quote of an online HF review in which the reviewer commented that he was not able to run a rooftop a/c with his HF inverter generator. Post date/time: 03/26/14 05:28pm.

:R

ONE "sour grapes" review does not tell the full story..

The poster of that review, did not give any details on conditions and other loads which may have been on at the time while testing the gen..

Did not give SIZE of A/C, outside temps, elevation or if the converter was on and if on how much was it drawing, if fridge was on propane or did it switch to electric?

All of the above details are relevant to making some sort of determination if it might be possible to start and run the A/C with the HF gen...

With the HF gen having a run rating of 18.3 A (2200W) and surge of 20.8A (2500W) vs Honda run of 15A (1800W) and surge of 16.6A (2000W) it is not outside the realm that the HF gen could pull it off. The downside is the HF does not have Econo disable switch which is HOW some of the folks have managed to make the Honda 2000W gen work..

Like I have stated before, even the Honda 2000W gens ARE questionable at best. Some have managed to make it work and some did not and either bought a second Honda or sold the 2000W and got a 3000W..

If nobody comes forward that can answer the question then the OP could see how good HF is with returns. It is possible they might be willing to give his money back if it doesn't work for what they want to do..

Sometimes when experimenting you simply just have to take a leap of faith and jump into the pan..

gmctoyman wrote:
The original question ... Remains unanswered !

FWIW, I posted a quote of an online HF review in which the reviewer commented that he was not able to run a rooftop a/c with his HF inverter generator. Post date/time: 03/26/14 05:28pm.

gmctoyman wrote:
The original question ... Remains unanswered !

It doesn't matter. They're just here to talk.

The original question ... Remains unanswered !

It doesn't take long for any, and I do mean any generator to become annoying. Once they drive you into the rig they all become hums. It could be my champ or the quietest made, all that matters is that you can hear it.

The Champion 3100i sounds great, especially with electric remote start. For the same money I think the twin Champion 2000i will be quieter both charging and running the air.

dougx wrote:
I don't think one can even buy replacement parts for the Harbor Freight generators or for welders and most any other power tool.

:D

I don’t care who you are but that is a real knee slappin’ funny comment..

You obviously didn’t take a good look at the link I posted of Honda 2000W inverter gen replacement parts?

If your Honda quits making power you have several choices as to what the problem is.. One choice is the INVERTER (which is the “brains” of the gen), that part ALONE is $432 PLUS shipping and you are GUESSING whether that is the problem (the “stator” is the other half of the problem and is not listed on the replacement parts..)

Lets see.. Used Honda Gen with bad inverter is worth scrap since no one will be in their right mind to pay any substantial price for a broken gen and you most likely will not want to toss nearly $500 into a USED gen and “hope” it works..

New HF gen at $499 vs $423 plus shipping for a Honda replacement inverter on the hopes it fixes a USED gen?

$423 plus shipping is HALF the cost of buying a NEW Honda and basically about the same as a new HF gen..

Noise? For some reason lots of folks seem assume the worst case, thinking everyone looking at the lower cost gens are planning to camp in campgrounds..

I don’t, since I personally do not use my gen in that way..

My Chinese gen spends most of it’s life as my standby home gen and when I do go camping it is only used while on the road at rest stops or overnighting in a parking lot just long enough to cool down my TT..

I personally will not camp in any campgrounds which does not have commercial power AND ALLOWS the use of gens even with restricted hrs..

To me the thoughts of hundreds of gens running at the same time within a few acres of area gives me pause..

No matter how quiet a Honda might be, if you put hundreds of them together in even a few acres running at the same time it WILL end up sounding like a lot of lawn mowers running.

If you don’t like noise then perhaps you might want to skip camping in any campground.. Pretty much every campground I have been around even with commercial power IS NOISY.

A/C units on top of RVs are extremely noisy, kids running around screaming, dogs left alone in popups barking for hrs at a time, cars, trucks, motor homes moving about all day and add in the mix golf carts too boot, not to mention folks with booming car stereos and even the occasional owner of a popup turning their junky OEM stereo up to concert sound levels for hrs on end..

Even had the pleasure of a dozen highly intoxicated rednecks partying at one campsite about 20 campsites away from mine until 3 AM.. EVERY NIGHT FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK :M

My house which sits only 50ft from the centerline of a very busy two lane road is often quieter than many campgrounds..

If it wasn’t for wanting to take my kid to places like my Dad did when I was a kid I would say forget about camping altogether if I let campground noise spoil the trip..

For those who are concerned about no low oil sensor, well the schematic in the manual clearly shows a low oil switch, as to the function (shuts down automatically) the manual does not say..

The manual does however mention that the engine speed IS controlled according to the load, what is missing is the switch to disable that mode (might explain as to the comment in one of the reviews which mentioned it would not start their A/C)..

So to recap the differences.. The HF has a little higher power rating, does have Econo (although no switch to disable), does have low oil switch (not sure if that shuts down or just lights the low oil light), a little higher noise rating, no parallel capability, repair parts availability questionable (but keep in mind HF does have a pretty good return policy but read it first), HALF the price of the Honda (making possible lack repair parts argument null and void)..

If you are OK with the above pros and cons then go for it.. Just check HF return policy before buying if you are not sure if it will work for you..

Quad foldable particle board panels bonded with 1" thick soft foam. Near unbelievable noise suppression. Leave the top open.

I know what you mean on noise camping.
My New Yamaha 2800 is pretty loud and I am not very happy about that.
I don't what I would replace it with?
But, bottom line, I need something to run the 13.5 AC.
For the wife.... not so much for me.

mlts22 wrote:
There are three brands of generators to consider: Red, blue, and yellow. In that order. I'd place Honda a notch over Yamaha because of parts/service availability, but both are quite reliable. Nothing wrong with Champion models, although they tend to be somewhat louder than the red/blue ones.

I'd avoid the no-name brands like the plague, just because a Champion isn't that more expensive, and Champions have decent voltage regulation.

After quite a bit of personal trial and error, I have to agree with you.

A couple of years ago, I purchased one of the HF 3000/3500 watt generators. Although a bargain at $250 and distinctly quieter than the Briggs & Stratton variety, discovered very quickly it was just too loud for peaceful, co-habitation at any RV park. So, on to plan B, the Champion 3100/2800 watt inverter generator for almost 4 times the money. It seemed to be the most reliable, refined, Made-in-China, generator I'd seen to date. Picked one up thinking its 58db sound rating (at 25 or 50% load???) would be the ticket to peaceful, co-habitation. Well, after camping with it a few times I discovered it was a hit-or-miss affair. As long as the exhaust side wasn't pointed directly at a fellow camper, life was good. If it was, it wasn't long before you could see the irritation on their face. After much deliberation I moved on to plan C--red or blue. Very briefly considered the technical pros & cons of red vs. blue, but let that go quickly and just went with the popular majority--red. Recouped the loss selling the Champion when I got a great deal on a new, never used Honda EU2000 on Craiglist. Purchased a EU2000 companion online. Yup, both cost me twice the money of the Champion, but now I don't need to flinch or hesitate when I power up. In my estimation, the two EU2000's together are only about 3-4 db quieter than the Champion under the same load, but I have to admit in the realworld it makes all the difference.

FWIW, the Champion 3100/2800 watt inverter generator is obviously designed to compete (both cosmetically and specification-wise) with the Honda 3000 watt "Handi" generator. I believe the Honda "Handi" is the loudest, consumer-type, inverter generator that Honda sells. It's rated at 65 db at full load. So, it's not a slam against the Champion that I consider it too loud. I could have spent $2300 on the Honda "Handi" and had the same problem.

Replacement part? Heemoneez! One time I priced a voltage regulator from Honda. I left the parts counter with my knees knocking.