Can a Harbor Freight Generator Really Beat a Honda?

[Community Alumni]

From Consumer Reports

Can a Harbor Freight Generator Really Beat a Honda?

[spoon059]

GordonThree wrote:
Harbor Freight fan club, report back in twenty years if you're still on your original Predator.

I dunno, the more important metric might be for HF Fanboys to report back in 20 years about how much they have invested in their generator(s) compared to a Honda. I can buy 2.5 HF gennies for the price of 1 Honda. Figure a 20 year old Honda will need some maintenance (carbs, new fuel tank, etc), I might be able to purchase THREE of the HF's for the same cost.

Or, it might be more advantageous to buy a Honda. Who knows? But for someone that can't drop $2000 on a generator right now, the HF sure looks good. Why do you care how they spend their money anyway...?

[mountainkowboy]

My Champion 3500 is 7 years old now and still runs like a top, I'd have no problems using the HF jenny. But as others have said...there will be those that HAVE to have the name.

[austinjenna]

I bought my honda's back in the day when your choices were red or blue, and they have been fine for me but if I needed to do it now I would consider the other ones out there as well. Folks have had good luck with champions and others. My buddy bought a predator and its been great so far for him.

[Hammerboy]

GordonThree wrote:
Harbor Freight fan club, report back in twenty years if you're still on your original Predator.

Hondas are not bullet proof despite what owners want you to believe, mine puked long before 20 years and yes I maintained it. As I stated the repair was more than a new knockoff.

Hondas are great generators but they are not necessarily the best value depending on how often you use it.

Dan

[GordonThree]

Harbor Freight fan club, report back in twenty years if you're still on your original Predator.

[Hammerboy]

Dave H M wrote:
Personally I think the HF knock off stuff is the cat's meow.



There will always be dyed in the wool Honda folks that will defend their high cost choice just like i defend my choice of the HF motors and genny's. :W

I agree, lot's of people drink the name brand Kool Aid and I a guilty of that too when it comes to some things. If it were a generator I would buy the the Preditor or a Champion. I had a Honda 5500 watt Generator that I sold recently that cost more to repair before I sold it than what I could have bought a equivalent knock off for. They are not exactly cheap to buy or to repair.

Dan

[Dave_H_M]

Personally I think the HF knock off stuff is the cat's meow.

I put a predator motor on my tiller, have a 2" HF water pump, Stick home back up power is HF. It works great for me.

There will always be dyed in the wool Honda folks that will defend their high cost choice just like i defend my choice of the HF motors and genny's. :W

[Bumpyroad]

caver wrote:
AvE on youtube calls it Hazard Fraud. He tears apart stuff to see how it's built and often you get what you pay for. Sometimes the fancy name brands might cut a corner in one area.

well it surely sounds like one would get a fair/balanced/unbiased view point from AVE.
bumpy

[caver]

AvE on youtube calls it Hazard Fraud. He tears apart stuff to see how it's built and often you get what you pay for. Sometimes the fancy name brands might cut a corner in one area.

[Ralph_Cramden]

lucy6194 wrote:
We have two honda a 2000's and a harbor freight 3000. Love the push button start of hf. Hf is as quiet as the Hondas just heavier.

If the Harbor freight has an issue, where will you get it repaired? More accurately.....where will you, or your repairman or repair service of choice, get a part if needed? Especially so if its a select (proprietary) part. The answer is you may find it by scouring Ebay and the rest of the web, or you may not. Or you'll be trying to jury rig some generic part to make do. Where you won't get it is HF. All of the HF stuff is made for them in large lots under contract by different offshore manufacturers, so the one you bought 2 years ago, may not even be made by the vendor who makes them today, and has a slew of different components and parts.

With Honda they maintain dedicated service facilities and parts supply and distribution no matter who they contracted with for the supply chain. You can get specific parts for something they made 20 years ago with little effort. Any Honda equipment dealer, either sticks and bricks or online, will be able get anything you need with nothing more than a model and serial number.

That's one of the things you're paying a premium for with a Honda.

Bumpyroad wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

Padlin wrote:


The HF may well work out too, but you won't know till it either starts or doesn't. A 90 day warranty doesn't fill me with confidence.

And if the HF doesn't and is beyond the warranty, you most likely chuck it in the trash and go spend another $500.

one of the responders in that article said a 2 year warranty is available on the HF unit, full replacement.
bumpy

Yes you can......for $99 I believe. That way when it ***** the bed at 25 months you can toss it in the trash and go spend another $600.00

[Bumpyroad]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

Padlin wrote:


The HF may well work out too, but you won't know till it either starts or doesn't. A 90 day warranty doesn't fill me with confidence.

And if the HF doesn't and is beyond the warranty, you most likely chuck it in the trash and go spend another $500.

one of the responders in that article said a 2 year warranty is available on the HF unit, full replacement.
bumpy

[lucy6194]

We have two honda a 2000's and a harbor freight 3000. Love the push button start of hf. Hf is as quiet as the Hondas just heavier.

[Ralph_Cramden]

Padlin wrote:


The HF may well work out too, but you won't know till it either starts or doesn't. A 90 day warranty doesn't fill me with confidence.

And if the HF doesn't and is beyond the warranty, you most likely chuck it in the trash and go spend another $500.

[Padlin]

I use my Honda at home more then camping, when I need it, I need it to start. Like the power is out and the fridge is warming up. It's not like a lawn mower where I can wait a day or 2 to get it fixed.

I've got about 10 years on the Honda, it's started every time. I paid the $$$ for the perceived quality of a Honda. So far it's proved to be worth the extra.

The HF may well work out too, but you won't know till it either starts or doesn't. A 90 day warranty doesn't fill me with confidence.

[ScottG]

If you read the story, the Price of the Honda is 2X, not 4 times the HF and the noise levels specs were said to be about the same.

Isaac, your right. A three hour test is pretty much meaningless.