2oldman wrote:
. . . The 3k is absolutely one of the quietest gens I've ever encountered. The only problem is, and one I have previous thread(s) about, is how it *may* have a problem starting an air conditioner, whereas the 2-2ks have an additional thousand watts . . .
Visited my local Honda dealer yesterday. They were gracious enough to start their floor units up and put a load on 'em for me. Have to say, that EU3000iS is wicked quiet with little load--it's almost ridiculous! For my ear, the two EU2000i's were always just slightly louder than the EU3000iS from idle to moderate load. Nothing significant by any means. The EU3000iS is heavy--there's no way I could lift that thing into a truck bed by myself without hurting myself. FWIW, I could carry both EU2000i's at the same time with very little drama.
I was favoring the EU3000iS 'cause it's so quiet. I'm now starting to favor the two EU2000i's for one major reason--the additional 1000 watts of surge capability. RV's are very popular in this area and this dealer sells a lot of generators. Both salesman said on occasion they've had customers that weren't able to power their rooftop a/c unit with their EU3000iS. One EU3000iS outputs 2800/3000 watts, two EU2000i's paralleled, output 3200/4000 watts--that's a big difference in surge capability.
Originally, I was putting a very high priority on sound level. However, a potential go, no-go situation with the very quiet EU3000iS may be deal-breaker for me. I'm not sure I'm willing to take the chance an EU3000iS may or may not power my next TT's a/c unit, or my current a/c unit when it's 110 degrees outside.
It's looking more like two EU2000i's may be a better fit for my needs.
