Champion generator

[1handyhubby]

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 Costco. $400 cheaper and 1db less than the Honda which is 59 db. Anyone here have any first hand experience with the Champion? It's rated at 2,800. Saving money is always good but I'm a bigger fan of reliability. Thanks.

[Billsten]

🙂

[Billsten]

skiles wrote:
We have the Costco Champion generator 2800 and so far I am quite pleased. It was purchased last October. We were loading up for a trip last week and I used it to run the AC as it was over 90 outside. It had no problems running the AC for a couple hours straight until the inside cooled off. A full tank of gas lasted just over 4 hours in those conditions. Next option is adding the external fuel tank. I would certainly buy another one if needed.

An ideal RV air conditioner generator will be able to be determined by analyzing a few factors, enough power consumption, level of noise, a remote control for your generator makes your life much easier. if Champion 2800 can't meet your requirements, I suggest that you can choose https://www.bestpowerstation.com/best-generator-for-rv/#_Best_Generator_for_RV_Travel_Trailer_Westin...Westinghouse iGen 4500 generator, it has a noise output of about 52 decibel and has a run time of up to 18 hours on a 3.4 gallon gas tank.

[road-runner]

If you want to go cheap, go Champion. If you want to go reliable, quiet and dependable, and the best- pretty much forever- go Honda. Reliability does go a long way...

As an eu2000i owner I have to say I have not heard or read any reports from Champion owners that give the slightest hint that they are any less reliable than the Hondas. Yes, I think the comparable Hondas have a couple of advantages, and it's just a choice if you want to pay for them or not. I also have a 700 watt no-name chinese generator that has been working great. It has maybe 50 hours on it, but even if goes belly-up tomorrow I feel like I've gotten the under $300 worth from it already.

[JiminDenver]

Champion makes a quality product and has good customer service. That said it is my belief that if you are going to need a generator all day long every day, get the Honda for the better piston sleeve. Otherwise the Champion will serve most people well.

That does not mean that Honda's are perfect. I have seen many needing repairs out here on the road including a two week old 2200. The shop charged him $185 for a tune up and told him that there was a recall on it but they did not have the parts. Poor guy is still waiting after 6 months. Luckily he now has 1079 watts of solar and doesn't care.

[TurnThePage]

I haven't owned a Honda, but I did have a Yamaha. Aside from the size of the gas tank, the Champion is superior in every way that I can think of. I think the engines are all made in China now, including the Hondas.

[jjrbus]

Range Maggot Bob wrote:

Boon Docker wrote:
If you want to buy over priced equipment go Honda. If you want reliability at a decent price go Champion. 🙂

Yeah, them Hondas- can't depend on them at all... :R

And the replacement parts are sooooo expensive. Well that is just what I have heard, never had to buy any:R

[Range_Maggot_Bo]

Boon Docker wrote:
If you want to buy over priced equipment go Honda. If you want reliability at a decent price go Champion. 🙂

Yeah, them Hondas- can't depend on them at all... :R

[2112]

I own 3 Champions. Two 4000/3500, one purchased in 2008 and the other in 2011. The third is a 3400 remote start inverter I recently purchased. The 2011 had a weak breaker and the 2008 had a frayed pull cord.

To prep for the upcoming hurricane season, I called Champion for replacement parts. I was pleasantly surprised to learn minor replacement parts are free of charge. Furthermore, they provided 4 new breakers, pull cord assemblies and fuel c0cks for both units (I asked for new c0ck filters). He said you might as well replace them all.

You can't beat the service.

[Boon_Docker]

If you want to buy over priced equipment go Honda. If you want reliability at a decent price go Champion. 🙂

[Range_Maggot_Bo]

1handyhubby wrote:
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 Costco. $400 cheaper and 1db less than the Honda which is 59 db. Anyone here have any first hand experience with the Champion? It's rated at 2,800. Saving money is always good but I'm a bigger fan of reliability. Thanks.

If you want to go cheap, go Champion. If you want to go reliable, quiet and dependable, and the best- pretty much forever- go Honda. Reliability does go a long way...

[KM_Rolling]

I've been using a Champion inverter generator (3500 watt continuous) for over a year. It is quiet, not as quiet as a Honda, but close.

I've run it over 500 hours. Change the oil, inspected the spark plug once.

Starts with one pull and does the job. Uses very little gas.

Used it from sea level to 8,000 feet.

Very pleased with it.

[mrad]

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

[jjrbus]

72cougarxr7 wrote:
Ive owned 3 Champion generators and all have been reliable machines.
The 1st one I bought was a 3500/4000 open frame contractor style, I use it for home backup and construction projects at hunting camp. All ive ever done to it is change the oil. Ive had it close to 10 years. While not wisper quiet, it is noticably quieter than the 4400 Briggs/Homelite my grandfather had.
My 2nd was a 2000 inverter that I used with my first small travel trailer. It always started 1st or 2nd pull. It was very quiet and pretty thrifty on gas. I only got rid of it when I upgraded to a bigger unit for my larger trailer to run ac.

My 3rd Champion is a 3400 inverter I bought last month. I needed more power to run my 13.5k btu ac unit, and this runs it great. It has wireless remote electric start, and was on sale on walmarts website for $799. A comparable Honda is over 3 times the price. It starts easily with the recoil, the start button or the remote. It is well designed with the wheels and folding handle. It has a 30 amp rv plug. It starts my ac in econo mode without any trouble and only runs at half throttle running the ac. The only thing I would change is a bigger gas tank for longer run time, but it does go for 4-5 hours per tank running the ac.

I have become quite the Champion fan over the years, I have been satisfied with the 3 gens I have owned, like their design, and appreciate that their reliability is on par with the red and blue gens for a lot less money!

There is an extended run kit available from Pinellas power in Florida for some Champions. Very little is worse than running out of gen gas for the AC in the middle of a stormy night.

[Range_Maggot_Bo]

BendOrLarry wrote:
I have used a Champion 3100 invertor generator for the last 3 years, had a Honda and it died. I would not go back to Honda. The Champion is a great generator, runs our AC at 6000 ft elevation and has never missed a beat. I see no reason to spend more than twice the money for a Honda or Yamaha. If you like status, or wasting money then buy a Honda or Yamaha.

Right. Just keep telling yourself that. :R

[72cougarxr7]

Ive owned 3 Champion generators and all have been reliable machines.
The 1st one I bought was a 3500/4000 open frame contractor style, I use it for home backup and construction projects at hunting camp. All ive ever done to it is change the oil. Ive had it close to 10 years. While not wisper quiet, it is noticably quieter than the 4400 Briggs/Homelite my grandfather had.
My 2nd was a 2000 inverter that I used with my first small travel trailer. It always started 1st or 2nd pull. It was very quiet and pretty thrifty on gas. I only got rid of it when I upgraded to a bigger unit for my larger trailer to run ac.

My 3rd Champion is a 3400 inverter I bought last month. I needed more power to run my 13.5k btu ac unit, and this runs it great. It has wireless remote electric start, and was on sale on walmarts website for $799. A comparable Honda is over 3 times the price. It starts easily with the recoil, the start button or the remote. It is well designed with the wheels and folding handle. It has a 30 amp rv plug. It starts my ac in econo mode without any trouble and only runs at half throttle running the ac. The only thing I would change is a bigger gas tank for longer run time, but it does go for 4-5 hours per tank running the ac.

I have become quite the Champion fan over the years, I have been satisfied with the 3 gens I have owned, like their design, and appreciate that their reliability is on par with the red and blue gens for a lot less money!