Does anybody have the HarborFreight 2500 Inverter Gen?

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

austinjenna wrote:
Hmm wonder if you can use that 25% off coupon with that, bring it down to 375

HF will often allow the 20% or 25% coupons to be used together with a sale price. However if you read the coupon you will see that generators are specifically mentioned as excluded.

When I bought my itty-bitty 800/900 watt HF generator I was able to use the percentage coupon. That was a couple years ago before they excluded generators. My itty-bitty generator only cost me $73.

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.

Hmm wonder if you can use that 25% off coupon with that, bring it down to 375

Any lower priced inverter generator is welcomed. At least it idles down for charging and would be better than listening to my Champion 3500/4000 in the next site.

NOT FOR SALE IN CALIFORNIA

BlindGuynAR wrote:
The rating on the HF of 63db is at 50% load. I think the Hondas 53db is at either no load or 25% so at least HF is being honest.

For my ears, anything louder than 60db (under load) in a crowded RV park gets irritating real quick

BlindGuynAR wrote:
I was at HF a while back and saw these. On the box was a sticker that said "warranty void if oil level not checked every two hrs while running". (Or maybe that was the gen next to this one of the same brand) Basically no low oil shutdown.

That worries me.

Good point. The Hondas (when new) have a yellow sticker attached to the pull-starter that says there's no oil in the engine. No warnings about damage or anything. Low oil--it'll automatically quit running; no oil--it won't start.

The rating on the HF of 63db is at 50% load. I think the Hondas 53db is at either no load or 25% so at least HF is being honest.

I was at HF a while back and saw these. On the box was a sticker that said "warranty void if oil level not checked every two hrs while running". (Or maybe that was the gen next to this one of the same brand) Basically no low oil shutdown.

That worries me.

stevekk wrote:
http://www.harborfreight.com/2500-peak2200-running-watts-47-hp-125cc-portable-inverter-generator-61169.html#.UzMRFIXTdpM

Wonder if it will start and run my 13.5 AC?

If you have one, how is it?

Check out this review for the HF inverter generator, dated March 15, 2014, at the Harbor Freight website:

"Just bought it, gassed it up,checked oil level, started on second pull. Description doesn't say but it features auto idle and adjusts load according to demand via an electric motor on the carburetor. Its quiet at idle but at full song it is a little noisy but I can deal with it. The only thing in my camper it won't power is the roof mounted ac system. Overall for the money its comparable to the Honda eu2000 inverter generator."

Look into Champion inverter gennys if you want something cheaper than Honda.