Honda Yamaha vs Kipor Generators Reliability

Reliable? I have a 2k Honda from 2002 that's still going strong. Had to have carb cleaned and replace starter rope. That's it.

Kipor isn't real popular.. on here.

Hi,

I had the 2800 watt Kipor and it served me well.

I'd go for the Champion 3500 watt with remote and electric start before any other choice today.

My personal choice for the money spent
Would be one of the two remote start champion inverter generators
The new 3400 watt
The 3000 watt original aka 2800w continuous 3000 surge
And the manual pull start 3000w inverter model, prices down to around $800 when on sale

I've got around 3000 hrs on this champion 3000w
Some day I'll upgrade to the new 3400 watt model

Occasionally on super hot days, I need a few more watts

Have zero experience with Kipor, and although we don't have a Honda genny we have had other Honda products and they are hardy, well engineered machines that deliver superior performance. Also have had Yamaha ATVs and motor bikes and they are well built as well, I'm certain their generators are properly designed to ensure reliable service.

Our experience is predominately with our onboard Onan which has provided great service over the last 9 years with nearly 1K hours on the meter. Knowing our next RV won't have an onboard genny, and wanting something that would power a 15K AC unit, I purchased a Champion 3100 remote start inverter genny earlier this year at a price too hard to resist.

To my complete satisfaction, it has performed above and beyond my expectations. Easily powers our rig's AC unit on eco-mode, tested at over 8K'. Owner's manual stated high elevation jet needed above 4K' although genny was running fine, called Champion and had a new jet few days later. Not missing a beat, remote start gives us the same 1 button convenience of our Onan.

Bill001 wrote:
How reliable have folks found generators in this approximate size range?

When deciding just which genset to invest in the issue shouldn't just be perceived reliability but also availability of parts, especially years from now. Buy Red, Blue, or Yellow and you should be able to get pretty well any part you may need for many years down the road, with any other brand it can be a **** shoot. Parts for those may seem to be available now but 10 yrs from now? I've always bought Red but there no question that Yellow offers a heck of a lot for the buck.

As to reliability, Honda has used belt drives in gas engines since the beginning of time, the EU2000i even has a plastic camshaft ... never had any issues with mine, doesn't seem to bother those living off grid full time who accumulate 10,000 hrs on these machines before a rebuild is even considered. :W

I have an older KGE3000Ti that always ran fine. I have to say I have not pulled the cord in a few years.

I have a 13+ yr old Yamaha 3000. The only problem so far is that I had to replace the battery once. Found out that the pull start was easy to use, but I'm lazy. I would like the remote start but they weren't available when I got mine.

Maint has been a lot of oil changes (less than a quart), cleaned the air filter at least twice, I think I cleaned or replaced the spark plug once. I could use a new muffler to help quiet it back down but after checking the prices and no one complaining about the noise decided to let it slide.

My 10 year old Honda 2000i has been trouble free, I did have to replace the starter rope. Oil change and filter cleaning every 80-100 hours and it is good to go. When not used for a while I do start and run it once a month. I did it yesterday and it took two pulls to start.

If I were to buy again, it would be a Honda or Yamaha. I like their quietness and reliability.

I have a friend who *HAD* a Kipor. It worked but was slightly nosier than my Honda. His favorite saying was "..it starts every time by the 27th pull - - unless it doesn't..."

The one thing that the Honda has going for it, even above the Yamaha, is it's surge capacity
It's ability to supply current even in an overload condition is monumental. This isn't something you'll notice when comparing gens but in use it's a great feature.
That being said, if I were to replace my Eu2000i it would be with the newest Yamaha 2800. It has just enough more capacity to make it better suited for camping or home backup use and it has improved surge capacity over the old 2800.

I have a yamaha 2400, have had it about 10 years. 1st off I would not buy it again, it was expensive, and it just shutting off out of the blue drove me nuts, finally figured it out that the "perfect" looking gas cap stopped venting. One of the biggest things I dislike is the price of replacement parts. The price yamaha wanted for the replacement gas cap was unreal.