Portable Generator Solutions

Do NOT discount the person that needs to down size to two smaller units. You may be there someday too.

On a different tangent, I'm one that did upgrade from a Yamaha to a Champion. The Yamaha was reliable but just didn't have the grunt. Went from a 2800 to a 3400 watt model that barely notices the a/c cycling on. And it has that most awesome remote start. And costs less.

They're all made in the same general place with many interchangeable parts. Red and blue really have no real advantage any more.

You guys are right. These generator threads always end up the same. The Honda guys will always defend their point of view about buying 2 units, but there are many out there that think as I do. They spend $2k for 2 units, I spent $700 for one. They are happy and I'm happy too, so who cares? I just don't agree with their way of thinking...it's okay to disagree, right?

mikakuja wrote:
I love these Generator threads, they always end up exactly the same, ...

Long.

SoundGuy wrote:

mikakuja wrote:
I love these Generator threads, they always end up exactly the same, a measuring match...As already said, just like the Ford, GM, Ram threads..

I would be curious to know how many Honda/Yamaha gen owners have actually owned a Champion or other offshore brand generators.

Or how my "other" brand genset owners have actually owned a Honda or Yamaha ... what? - not curious enough? :R

Have owned 3 different brands, all open frame
Honda 4500 watt $1100 had it 16 years died in service
Generac 4000 watt $249 had it 5 years, still running when sold
Champion 3500 watt $269 still have it at 4 years old.
Annualized????? they have been a wash. No appreciable difference. The Honda because of age, at 6-8 years started needing repairs, recoil starter, carb etc.

Now looking at an inverter unit, and am going Champ because I want the remote start.

It's funny, I'm having to deal with my prejudices now as well. I have been a Ford person all my life, and had a basic "tolerance" with some distaste for Ram. Now I am about to stoop so low as to purchase a GM product. My father would be rolling over in his grave, but I am determined to get past this.
I am bigger than these brand prejudices.

Atlee wrote:
Meet one of the few people who actually run their twin Honda's to power their AC.

I do too. It's just that I see very few others doing it. I also don't see very many twin Hondas. The last time I did it sounded like the guy had them both running with Eco throttle off. People mostly just tough out the heat or go somewhere else during the day to escape the heat. I posted mainly for the OP's benefit, if he returns.

I'm in the Las Vegas area, and saw hundreds of RVs parked at the racetrack north of town in sweltering heat on asphalt. I bet they were running theirs!

mikakuja wrote:
I love these Generator threads, they always end up exactly the same, a measuring match...As already said, just like the Ford, GM, Ram threads..

I would be curious to know how many Honda/Yamaha gen owners have actually owned a Champion or other offshore brand generators.

Or how my "other" brand genset owners have actually owned a Honda or Yamaha ... what? - not curious enough? :R

Atlee wrote:
There are times down here in Virginia, and Atlanta, GA around Labor Day weekend when running the AC 24/7 is almost required, especially so in Atlanta. Being in Ontario, you probably don't know what it's like to be in 95 degree heat and humidity in the 60's plus.

Why would you ASSume that just because we live in Ontario that we don't travel and camp elsewhere and therefore don't appreciate why A/C is so important to some? Answer - we do. If we're somewhere where A/C is something we feel we need we seek out an electric site rather than drag around a genset and gallons of gas to feed it. :)

Meet one of the few people who actually run their twin Honda's to power their AC. We RV'ers who follow a particular football team in the fall, absolutely need to run the AC in the early part of the season, beginning with Virginia and heading throughout the south.

And in the deep south, AC's are needed late in the football season.

At my university, the RV parking is in lots that have no hookups, whatsoever.

2oldman wrote:
Fact is, few people actually run their air with a generator, except maybe the Class As. If it's that hot peeps end up in the RV park.

IBcarguy wrote:
.. I could never understand why people would buy TWO expensive smaller units... I don't get it.

You've been here 8 years, so I'm thinking you won't ever get it.

I have never owned a Champion or other Honda knockoff?
Why, you ask? Because Champions didn't exist when I bought my first Honda. And since that Honda is still running, I don't need to buy a new Champion, etc.

And when I needed a twin generator to run my AC in the TT, didn't make sense to me to sell my used Honda and then buy two new Champions.

mikakuja wrote:
I love these Generator threads, they always end up exactly the same, a measuring match...As already said, just like the Ford, GM, Ram threads..

I would be curious to know how many Honda/Yamaha gen owners have actually owned a Champion or other offshore brand generators. The Red and Blue are definitely great generators and no one can dispute that, but like it or not they have some worthy cheaper alternative competition these days. I have run my Champion 3100 up against similar Yamaha and Honda generators and the differences between them were minimal, I would actually say from experience that the Champion was marginally quieter than the Yamaha, but not as quiet as the Honda.. Power wise under comparable conditions with average loads on a 30A powered single A/C trailer, they all performed well.... Choose any of them and you won't be disapointed.
I don't have experience with other brands in the 3000w range, so I won't discount them.

As far as the 2000w inverters go, there is a huge pile of offshore inverters out there, and they are definitely not equal to each other..... I own a Generac IX2000 inverter and I can honestly say it is a disappointment.. It works, but doesn't even come close to living up to it's 2200w peak power rating. As a direct comparison to the Champion 2000w inverter, the Champion out performs it in every way. The Generac IX2000 inverter is way louder than the Champion 2000 inverter (and also quite a bit louder than my Champion 3100w inverter). I would say the Champion 2000w inverter is only slightly louder than the Honda EU2000i which is probably one of the quietest 2000w inverters out there.
My brother in law owns a BE 2000 watt inverter (not sure who actually builds it). I would compare the BE to my Generac, really not that impressive, not that quiet, and not that reliable.. He has had more issues with his than I would like to mention.

Overall, I would say that Honda has the 2000w market cornered as far as power and noise levels, but from the cheaper alternative side, Champion is a close second IMO.

Anyway, these are the generators I have personal experience with...