Harbor Freight Predator 3500

That unit has been getting good reviews. The engine is a Chinese clone of a Honda design, and the gen side is from the same folks that make the Champion, and many others. But ,,,, if your wallet feels too thick, you can go get the Honda.

I heard one running the other day and it was very quiet. At leas as quiet as anything I've heard. I have a Firman Whisper Quiet 3300/3000 and I think the Predator may have been quieter.....that's really my wifes opinion because she doesn't beleive our Firman is whisper quiet! It is 58db @ 20 feet........

The same generator is sold by Northern Tool as the Powerhorse and by Echo with their branding good generator at a great price. There is a FB group with good information.Just search for Harbor Freight Predator 3500

Stay on top of the service intervals. We've rescued a couple poorly running gens with a good cleaning of the crankcase and carb. They're really good, never mind the price difference between them and the blue blood units.

This chart is a little dated now - but still gives you some idea of the relative noisiness of various models:

Darryl&Rita wrote:
Stay on top of the service intervals. We've rescued a couple poorly running gens with a good cleaning of the crankcase and carb. They're really good, never mind the price difference between them and the blue blood units.

Those clone engines use cheap spark plugs. Swap it out for a brand name like NGK. Carry a spare ! Cheap insurance.

There a literally thousands of posts here, about that generator.
Bottom line is tnat most love the generator. But the 2000w version is not a good choice because of its much louder noise rating.

YEP, good ol copy-cat junk. Why not spend the $ for some quality???

We have the 3500 HF. It stays in the truck bed. Used it once when we had too much shade from tall pine trees for the solar to charge. With the genny running on one side of the 5th wheel, I could barely hear it from the other side of the RV. And it was VERY quiet in a tall pine forest - no traffic or wind noise.

I've had one for several years that I use at the house for running water and heat when power is out. Use it a lot for yardwork in the woods. Power quality is excellent. Regardless of load, the frequency is dead steady at 60.02 Hz. Shows a perfect sine wave on an oscilloscope. Great for electronics and my ham radio gear. My only complaint is that the ignition switch is in combination with the fuel shutoff. This makes it impossible to turn only the fuel off to run the gas out of the carburetor. I added a bypass switch for the ignition so it will run with the fuel valve closed. I always run the carb dry after use. It has never failed to start on the first pull of the rope. The original starter battery didn't last very long. You can easily have a conversation right next to it at full load. It's a bit hefty. Any heavier and I would ask for help lifting it into the pickup bed. Hope this helps.

Carl, WG2E