I am going to purchase a new generator, Honda 2000 or 2000 companion with 30 amp conector. Which would be the best of the two. I plan to purchase either or for parallel hookup but am looking at the companion first because of the trailer plug.Any suggestions would be a plus.Thank you,Wayne

If it were me I would purchase the companion first.

X2. In fact I am considering installing the Companion outlet on my other one as well. I like the twist lock feature on the companion, and I have a really nice adaptor for it to the RV plug.

Just remember if you run the companion by itself you will not get 26.6AMPs out of it. Only 13.3AMPS. It will not run 26.6AMPS unless you have two 2KW Hondas connected together.I don't know what the difference in cost is between the two units but you can do the same thing with the standard EU2000i by getting a $12 RV30A-15A dogbone long adapter from WALMART and plug it into the 120VAC receptacle on the EU2000i... Might save some money until you get ready to have both units. Actually you might want someone else on here that has the companion to state if you will get anything at all on the 26.6AMP Socket if you are NOT running two connected together. You need to have one of the RV30A-15A adapters anyway to plug your 30A Trailer into a garage or some other 120VAC Receptacle somewhere in your travels.Roy Ken

wayne123456,I just went through some research on this as well, and I was ready to buy the Honda units. Upon research, the Yamaha units seem to be equally as popular, with a few features the Honda doesn't have (fuel gauge and fuel shut-off petcock). Then, I stumbled upon someone who recommended this Smarter Tools unit which uses the same Yamaha engine, has the fuel gauge & fuel shut-off. Costco.com has this unit for $599.99. So, I bought two of them and they just came in this week. I'll be firing them up this weekend. The cable to combine them was $59.99 (also from Costco.com).By the way, the only real complaints I heard of people about the Yamaha engine based generators is that there are not as many generator service facilities around. I guess that's something that's hard to put a value on, but considering I do my own servicing, it wasn't enough to sway my opinion. And I'm a long time Honda fan. I'll be testing them out this week. The great thing is if they don't seem to live up to expectations, I'll just bring them back to my local Costco.Just something else to throw in the mix for you to mull over. :) ~Rick

honda 2000 or companion | Good Sam Community

25 Replies

road-runner
Explorer III
May 24, 2015
The youtube comparison is maybe correct, but unless the test is run in the exact same atmospheric conditions (temp, altitude, etc.), with the same exact load, and same fuel, it's an apples-oranges comparison. In both cases the loads were a combination of resistive and motors, making the loads another apples-oranges factor. For the comparison to be valid it almost requires side-by-side testing, and the results should be stated in VA. With the motors in the picture, looking at watts is meaningless.
SoundGuy
Explorer
May 24, 2015
drsteve wrote:
It'd be nice to have a link to the video you're talking about--there are a LOT of Honda EU2000 vids on YouTube.

Yamaha EF2000is goes into overload and shuts down @ 1900 watts and just 19 seconds.

Honda EU2000i continues to run @ nearly 2200 watts continuous, well beyond it's surge rating of 2000 watts.

Make of it what you will. ;)
drsteve
Explorer
May 24, 2015
It'd be nice to have a link to the video you're talking about--there are a LOT of Honda EU2000 vids on YouTube.
MM49
Explorer
May 24, 2015
SoundGuy wrote:
ktmrfs wrote:
while I love my companion and regular honda 2000, great pair, great reliability and all If I was looking today the color blue would get a lot of my attention. When I got the honda in 2004, the blue ones (Yamaha) really didn't have an equivalent. Today that is a different story. I'd suggest the OP look at the Yamahas as well and then decide which he wants. Both have advantages/disadvantages but are very high quality units. Pick the one that suites your needs best.

I purchased a used EU2000i that I really put through the paces for a couple of seasons, including powering a 13.5K BTU A/C, and found that genset to be dead reliable, an excellent choice for any RVr who wants to not only re-charge batteries but also run the odd appliance - toaster, coffee machine, hair dryer, etc. When we sold the trailer we owned at the time I thought we'd have no more need for the genset so I sold it as well, recouping my entire cost, an easy task since the EU2000i over the years has become a cult machine that is very much in demand in the used market ... the Yamaha, not at all. Within a year we bought another travel trailer so I began looking for another used 2K genset ... yes, the Yammy does have a fuel gauge and separate fuel shutoff which the Honda doesn't BUT it also has a 20% smaller engine. Whether it's that or whether the inverter components may be less robust or BOTH the Yamaha's rated surge capability of just 20 seconds isn't anywhere near the Honda's 30 minutes. Since I won't ever have need to run an extended fuel tank I therefore opted once again for another Honda EU2000i as surge capability is a far more important factor for me in a 2K genset that at times will be stretched to it's limit in meeting the load demand, a task I'm convinced the Honda will meet much more easily than will the Yamaha. For any Doubting Thomas in the crowd there are a couple of videos on YouTube that demonstrate the Honda's extraordinary surge capability - the camera work is terrible but if you can suffer all the flash panning it does demonstrate the point. As expected, my second EU2000i has also met all my requirements, including running the Dometic Brisk II 13.5K BTU A/C on our current trailer ... it starts on the first pull every time and should the day ever come when I decide to sell it I'd fully expect to once again see a full return on my cost of purchasing it. Just a few days I ago I installed a 1000 watt PSW inverter in our trailer's front passthrough storage compartment, wiring it to power the trailer "whole house", so having my EU2000i to recharge the battery powering this inverter is a perfect match ... for dry camping it's a win, win no matter how I look at it. :B
Call me Doubting Thomas #1
"Yamaha's rated surge capability of just 20 seconds isn't anywhere near the Honda's 30 minutes"
mm49
wnjj
Explorer II
May 24, 2015
Huntindog wrote:
Chinolbz wrote:
Pretty sure the Honda fuel pump is vacuum operated. No need to run the carb dry, just drain the float-bowl with the provided drain screw. Chino

Those that have done the toggle switch mod told me that the on off swith controls both the ignition AND the fuel pump.

I think the large on/off switch on the Honda is the fuel shutoff. The problem is it also activates an electrical switch to kill the iginition. I think the mod is to disconnect the electrical kill (via a switch) to allow it to run dry.
road-runner
Explorer III
May 24, 2015
I've captured on the scope that for a short surge the eu2000i maxes out at about 43 amps. It will hold that only for a couple of AC cycles (i.e about 60 milliseconds), often enough to get a motor started.
SoundGuy
Explorer
May 24, 2015
ktmrfs wrote:
while I love my companion and regular honda 2000, great pair, great reliability and all If I was looking today the color blue would get a lot of my attention. When I got the honda in 2004, the blue ones (Yamaha) really didn't have an equivalent. Today that is a different story. I'd suggest the OP look at the Yamahas as well and then decide which he wants. Both have advantages/disadvantages but are very high quality units. Pick the one that suites your needs best.

I purchased a used EU2000i that I really put through the paces for a couple of seasons, including powering a 13.5K BTU A/C, and found that genset to be dead reliable, an excellent choice for any RVr who wants to not only re-charge batteries but also run the odd appliance - toaster, coffee machine, hair dryer, etc. When we sold the trailer we owned at the time I thought we'd have no more need for the genset so I sold it as well, recouping my entire cost, an easy task since the EU2000i over the years has become a cult machine that is very much in demand in the used market ... the Yamaha, not at all. Within a year we bought another travel trailer so I began looking for another used 2K genset ... yes, the Yammy does have a fuel gauge and separate fuel shutoff which the Honda doesn't BUT it also has a 20% smaller engine. Whether it's that or whether the inverter components may be less robust or BOTH the Yamaha's rated surge capability of just 20 seconds isn't anywhere near the Honda's 30 minutes. Since I won't ever have need to run an extended fuel tank I therefore opted once again for another Honda EU2000i as surge capability is a far more important factor for me in a 2K genset that at times will be stretched to it's limit in meeting the load demand, a task I'm convinced the Honda will meet much more easily than will the Yamaha. For any Doubting Thomas in the crowd there are a couple of videos on YouTube that demonstrate the Honda's extraordinary surge capability - the camera work is terrible but if you can suffer all the flash panning it does demonstrate the point. As expected, my second EU2000i has also met all my requirements, including running the Dometic Brisk II 13.5K BTU A/C on our current trailer ... it starts on the first pull every time and should the day ever come when I decide to sell it I'd fully expect to once again see a full return on my cost of purchasing it. Just a few days I ago I installed a 1000 watt PSW inverter in our trailer's front passthrough storage compartment, wiring it to power the trailer "whole house", so having my EU2000i to recharge the battery powering this inverter is a perfect match ... for dry camping it's a win, win no matter how I look at it. :B
Huntindog
Explorer
May 24, 2015
Chinolbz wrote:
Pretty sure the Honda fuel pump is vacuum operated. No need to run the carb dry, just drain the float-bowl with the provided drain screw. Chino

Those that have done the toggle switch mod told me that the on off swith controls both the ignition AND the fuel pump.
Chinolbz
Explorer
May 24, 2015
Pretty sure the Honda fuel pump is vacuum operated. No need to run the carb dry, just drain the float-bowl with the provided drain screw. Chino
ktmrfs
Explorer II
May 24, 2015
Huntindog wrote:
wnjj wrote:
RoyB wrote:
Does anyone know if you will get any 120VAC POWER out of the companion twist lock connector if the generator is running by itself. I know you will get 120VAC @26.6AMPS if you have two generators connected together. Since I don't own the companion I don't know if you get any power at all from the 26.6AMP Receptacle.

The OP states he might want to get the companion first because of this 26.6 AMPS receptacle and I am thinking it will be a completely dead receptacle unless you have two generators connected together.

In other words you will not get 120VAC @ 13.3AMPS out of this twist lock connector using the companion generator by itself.

I may be wrong with this statement - just don't know.

The OP might want to know this before making his decision on which one to buy first. If it is a dead twist lock connector then you will only have one 120VAC 13.3AMP receptacle that you can use on the front panel of the companion generator.

Was hoping a companion owner on here would answer this question...

Roy Ken

The schematic on page 69 here shows the 30A connected directly to the generator output.
Yes the 26 amp plug is always live. I really wish my non companion had that receptacle as well.

As for the red vs blue debate... I have the reds and use the extended run tank... Which works well with the Hondas since they have a fuel pump. The Yamhas do not have a fuel pump, so operation with an extended run tank is finicky.
I do not think it is possible to wear the Hondas out..
And at the dog trials I attend, Hondas outnumber the Yamahas by a VERY large number.. Never actually counted, but 10 to one would a close guess. I do know some who have installed a toggle switch to turn off the Hondas fuel pump so they can run it dry. I use mine so much that it is a non issue for me.

good point on extended run on red vs. blue. I agree, I also see more Honda's, but they also have been around longer, it's not been that many years since blue had a comparable unit. And folks with the blue ones have been equally happy.