non-Honda generators

I have a dealer 30 minutes from me that did warranty repair work on my champion inverter for me. from drop off, ordering the necessary parts, and completed repairs 1 week.

A ruined carburetor (for any reason) can be replaced on a Champion for about a third the cost of a Honda. Local dealers wanted over $110 to rebuild my Honda carb and a new one was the same price. Champion charged a little over $30. This has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of noise either makes.

4X4Dodger wrote:
I see your point gentlemen, but please tell me where there has ever been any real world testing done to actually measure this supposed performance? To my knowledge no one has. This means that unless there has been a side by side test of different generators using the same loading profile any claims of better performance are just so much supposition.

4x4Dodger, please understand I'm not a Honda or Champion fan, per se. Both bring something tangible to the table . . . for a given price.

Here's my two cents:

Granted, I don't have any formal experience testing generators, but I did take time to make some technical observations a year ago. The following were my most significant observations based on several days of hands-on use of brand new units.

The Honda EU3000iS is quiet to a fault. Even at maximum load (rated 58db @100%), it is extremely quiet. In terms of sound level, the EU3000iS is THE gold standard IMO.

One Honda EU2000i under high load is relatively quiet. Two EU2000i's, paralleled, under high load, significantly louder (than one EU2000i) and approaching the same loudness as a Champion 75531i powering the same load.

The Champion 75531i (3100/2800) is capable of producing more inrush current than two, paralleled EU2000i's and/or single EU3000iS. Simply put, the Champion 75531i will sucessfully start/run more inductive loads (i.e., RV a/c units) than these two Honda configurations.

One (1) Honda EU2000i is capable of producing massive amounts of inrush current relative to its rated continuous output (2000/1600). It's obvious Honda's advertised specs for the EU2000i are very conservative. Depending on the situation, it's capable of producing "almost" the same inrush current as one Honda EU3000iS. Was very disappointed to discover paralleling two EU2000i's only increases inrush current approx. 10% (vs. one EU2000i)---even with the 10% increase it still produced less inrush current than a Champion 75531i.

Although not a technical observation, I do want to make a comment about warranty support. Nothing is infallible. Less than stellar warranty support has the potential to make even the best product a PIA to own. During my brief ownership of two brand new Honda EU2000i's, I quickly discovered technical and warranty support varies widely from dealership to dealership. I could find no central POC for warranty/technical issues at Honda itself, everything must go through the dealership. IMO, one of the reasons we hear so little about Honda's warranty support, either good or bad, is because Honda generators are, in fact, VERY reliable.

As for Champion, they offer a different technical/warranty support experience. Some of the folks who designed their generators, and their best technicians, are only a phone call away. For example, I incurred shipping damage to a new Champion 75531i a year ago. The "pan" on the bottom of the unit was cracked which required significant disassembly to replace. The lead tech at Champion overnighted all the parts, along with two specialized tools, and extended my warranty 12 months (total 3 years)---all because I elected to do the repairs DIY. Again, this was shipping damage, not a warranty issue. Yes, I could have returned the unit, but I was preparing to depart on an important trip in 5-days. No time for a return.

4X4Dodger wrote:
And while QUIET is a good thing in a generator it is not my first concern.

What is your first concern?

otrfun wrote:

2oldman wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:
and Honda has cynically decided that RV'ers will pay whatever they ask just to have that name.

Oh, it's a little more than just that name.

Agree, 2oldman, it's more than just the name. The Hondas do offer better overall performance than nearly all of their competitors.

But, 4x4Dodger still has a point. Is it worth spending 2 to 3 times more for this difference in performance? For some, yes. For others, no.

The EU2000i and EU3000iS have been in production close to 10 years with very little change. Honda long ago recouped their initial R&D costs. At this point and time, odds are high that Honda's per unit production costs are probably as low as some of their MIC competitors that offer less performance. Bottom line, Honda is charging what the market will bear . . . and making an absolute killing in the process.

Hey, that's capitalism at its best. Good for Honda and their stockholders.

I believe the frustration that 4x4Dodger expressed is based on why a hungry, industrious company somewhere hasn't seen fit to make a more serious effort to grab some of this windfall profit from Honda during the last 10 years. The Dream Machine(s): As quiet or quieter than the EU3000iS, with proportionally the same or higher inrush current capability as the EU2000i.

We'd ALL benefit if Honda had more serious competition.

I see your point gentlemen, but please tell me where there has ever been any real world testing done to actually measure this supposed performance? To my knowledge no one has. This means that unless there has been a side by side test of different generators using the same loading profile any claims of better performance are just so much supposition.

You are correct about the competition but that has now changed and Honda is in for some loss of market share.

And while QUIET is a good thing in a generator it is not my first concern.

Honda is a great company and they make some very good products but in this case I believe they are overpriced to the point of greedy because they have dominated the market for so long.

Thankfully that is changing.

I spent the extra money because I believe my Yamaha will be a 30+ year product (the way I use it). I didn't believe the Champion would be.

JiminDenver wrote:
It's true the 3100i isn't as quiet as the EU3000is but for those that can't afford the Honda, it's a quieter option than the Champion 3500/4000.

AMEN to that!

It's true the 3100i isn't as quiet as the EU3000is but for those that can't afford the Honda, it's a quieter option than the Champion 3500/4000.

2oldman wrote:

otrfun wrote:
Is it worth spending 2 to 3 times more for this difference in performance? For some, yes. For others, no.

Whatever floats yer boat.

I'm camped next to a guy who has both a Honda 2k and Champion 3100. It's not hard to know which one is running. The Champion sounds like a jackhammer.

The Honda vs. Champion sound level differences are common knowledge.

All things being equal I rather doubt anyone would purposely choose a noisy generator.

My post (in its entirety) was trying to get beyond the obvious.

otrfun wrote:
Is it worth spending 2 to 3 times more for this difference in performance? For some, yes. For others, no.

Whatever floats yer boat.

I'm camped next to a guy who has both a Honda 2k and Champion 3100. It's not hard to know which one is running. The Champion sounds like a jackhammer.