Champion generator
I've been saving for a Honda generator (2000i companion) for a while now because several people have recommended them. 1friend recommended a Ryobi and today I was looking at a Champion generator at Co...
Forum Discussion
I can give you a long winded answer as I have had all 3 of the generators the OP mentioned
Over the past 13 years I have owned a Honda 2000, Champion 2800/3100 and a ryobi 1700/2200.
I currently own a Champion 2800/3100 which I have had for about four year, and the Ryobi 1700/2200.
A little history:
The first genny was the honda 2000. Purchased it to power a fish house on Red Lake MN. It performed well was quiet and pretty good on fuel (8-10 hours per tank). WE did have some issues getting it started in -20 weather. It would run for 5 seconds then quit. this would have for 5-6 revolutions before it would run continually. We switched to synthetic and that solved the problem. The extended run fuel tank also solved the time issue. Most would say 8-10 hours is not an issue, but getting up at 6:00 am to refuel in -20+ was not enjoyable.
After 6 years the honda died. I started but would not produce power. WE had it rebuilt ($600) which honda covered $300 of). I next purchased a champion 3100 as an extra because the honda would not power my 13500 AC. Champion worked very well. It even bailed us out one time on red lake when the honda quit running in -30 with high winds. Pulled the champion out and it made it through the weekend with no issues.
When I sold the fish house, the person I owned it with also purchased the honda.
I purchased a different fish house on Mille Lacs the following year and started out using the champion. The 3100 champion worked fine but was a bit big and did go through more gas than the honda. A friend had purchased a Ryobi and was telling me how quiet it was. He brought it up to the fish house one weekend I was very impressed with how it performed. About 11 hours on a tank of gas and quieter than I expected. The next weekend I found Home Depot had an on-line sale and I believe I paid $399 for it and for another $60 was able to purchase a 6 year warranty. I used the Ryobi 5-6 weekends last year running it on average 30-35 hours per weekend with no problems. I would bring a 5 gallon tank of gas with and would come home with 2-3 gallons still in the tank. With the champion I needed to bring 2 five gallon tanks. One thing I liked about the Ryobi over the Honda was with the Honda, when we turned on the pizza oven (1,500 watts) the satalite tv would cut out for a few seconds and the dish would have to re-aquire the satalites. With the extra 200 watts on the Ryobi, this did not happen. I am assuming the new Honda 2200 would not have the issue either.
One annoying issue with the Ryobi is the that it has a retractable hand to use when pulling with wheels. The handle will sometimes rattle. A bungee cord does fix the problem.
I don’t know if I would be comfortable using the Ryobi 300-400 hours every year under heavy use and expect it to last 6 years or more where the Honda has a track record of running 1,000’s of hours.
It comes down to the kind of use and frequency you will be putting the genny through. I’m guessing you would never regret buying the Honda, but if finances are a concern, I would not hesitate to go with one of the other two you mentioned with the Champion ahead of the Ryobi
Over the past 13 years I have owned a Honda 2000, Champion 2800/3100 and a ryobi 1700/2200.
I currently own a Champion 2800/3100 which I have had for about four year, and the Ryobi 1700/2200.
A little history:
The first genny was the honda 2000. Purchased it to power a fish house on Red Lake MN. It performed well was quiet and pretty good on fuel (8-10 hours per tank). WE did have some issues getting it started in -20 weather. It would run for 5 seconds then quit. this would have for 5-6 revolutions before it would run continually. We switched to synthetic and that solved the problem. The extended run fuel tank also solved the time issue. Most would say 8-10 hours is not an issue, but getting up at 6:00 am to refuel in -20+ was not enjoyable.
After 6 years the honda died. I started but would not produce power. WE had it rebuilt ($600) which honda covered $300 of). I next purchased a champion 3100 as an extra because the honda would not power my 13500 AC. Champion worked very well. It even bailed us out one time on red lake when the honda quit running in -30 with high winds. Pulled the champion out and it made it through the weekend with no issues.
When I sold the fish house, the person I owned it with also purchased the honda.
I purchased a different fish house on Mille Lacs the following year and started out using the champion. The 3100 champion worked fine but was a bit big and did go through more gas than the honda. A friend had purchased a Ryobi and was telling me how quiet it was. He brought it up to the fish house one weekend I was very impressed with how it performed. About 11 hours on a tank of gas and quieter than I expected. The next weekend I found Home Depot had an on-line sale and I believe I paid $399 for it and for another $60 was able to purchase a 6 year warranty. I used the Ryobi 5-6 weekends last year running it on average 30-35 hours per weekend with no problems. I would bring a 5 gallon tank of gas with and would come home with 2-3 gallons still in the tank. With the champion I needed to bring 2 five gallon tanks. One thing I liked about the Ryobi over the Honda was with the Honda, when we turned on the pizza oven (1,500 watts) the satalite tv would cut out for a few seconds and the dish would have to re-aquire the satalites. With the extra 200 watts on the Ryobi, this did not happen. I am assuming the new Honda 2200 would not have the issue either.
One annoying issue with the Ryobi is the that it has a retractable hand to use when pulling with wheels. The handle will sometimes rattle. A bungee cord does fix the problem.
I don’t know if I would be comfortable using the Ryobi 300-400 hours every year under heavy use and expect it to last 6 years or more where the Honda has a track record of running 1,000’s of hours.
It comes down to the kind of use and frequency you will be putting the genny through. I’m guessing you would never regret buying the Honda, but if finances are a concern, I would not hesitate to go with one of the other two you mentioned with the Champion ahead of the Ryobi
