Harbor Freight/Honda smackdown....

RSD559 wrote:
How did this turn into a Honda Love-fest? I'm excited about the new Predator and hope and wish that they have a long and trouble free life. The more choices, the better, for everyone

I agree with all of that except for the love-fest part. I'll try to explain. I've had an eu2000i for over 10 years and have the whole time been incorrectly predicting that somebody would soon offer an equal or better generator at a lower price and the Honda price would have to come down. Over those years many promising models have come and gone, and when considering the whole package of noise, reliability, power quality, and surge capability, I've not seen one that equals the Honda eu-series. Maybe there's a new one out there now that will finally prove to be equal or beat the Honda. I'm just burned out from all of the false promises and false starts, and the Hondas still justifiably command a premium price (along with the same age-old Yamaha inverter models). Robin-Subaru generators look to be equal, and Kipor came close. Both of them have largely faded from the marketplace.

How did this turn into a Honda Love-fest? I'm excited about the new Predator and hope and wish that they have a long and trouble free life. The more choices, the better, for everyone. And, basically, if any of the inverter type generators are too loud for a given situation, they all are. If the Champion is too loud, you shouldn't run a Honda or a Yamaha or a new Predator. Noise wise, they are all too close to say one can run, but the others can't.

Honda-Smonda...lol

I sold my 12 year old Yamaha 2800I, not because it had any issues but because at 12 years old, I figured at some point in the future, the electronic end would expire and cost a large buck to repair, so, I offed it on Flea-Bay and got 3/4 of what I paid for it new and webt and bought a (much cheaper) Champion Inverter, with...new electronics and put the remainder of the funds in the bank.

No biggie with me.

I run my inverter about 3 hours every evening when I'm making dinner for the crew. Just enough to recharge the batteries. Shore power don't work when you camp a couple miles off the pavement.

I like it dead quiet at night in the woods. Like listening to wildlife. crickets and bull frogs, not any generator.

I consider a generator a long term consumable anyway. Nothings lasts forever, not even me....

Searching_Ut wrote:


I haven't seen a generator yet that can't be heard in a neighbors campsite when used in a formal campground. In fact, last month I talked the neighbor next to me into plugging into my electrical system and charging off my solar system rather than running his 2000 watt honda. They are less noisy than open frame when run at lower power settings, but still quite noisy in a nice smaller forest service campground. As we sat around the fire that evening drinking a couple brews and enjoying the night he was asking all sorts of questions about my solar system as he planned on getting his own so that he would have to run that **** generator as much. Generators are noisy, .and even the with inverter models the noise level goes up rapidly as the load on the generator goes up. Running one of any sort in a campground is not being respectful of your neighbors. Just being "less" annoying doesn't mean you're not annoying.

X2. Hum, rattle, or roar, all generators make noise. I know some of us think "Ours doesn't" but "Yours does", but we are just fooling ourselves. I like quiet when camping and use my batteries or shore power. Both are truly quiet. If I need a generator to run my AC, I am in the wrong place. That is why God created mountains and men invented shore power.

I'd rather have no power at all than use a generator that can be heard outside my campsite.

Does such a thing exist? I want one! The eu2000i certainly doesn't qualify. Please don't tell me about solar, I know about that.

Stefonius wrote:

Crabbypatty wrote:
It always mystifies me that we have 40-50k in a tv plus that in a rig, then folks go blind when it comes to generators.

Two years a go the park ranger to tell my neighbor to turn off his loud clunker, thankfully. My honda was running as well, they never heard it....

Happy Trails

This right here is the whole issue to me. I'd rather have no power at all than use a generator that can be heard outside my campsite. Spending a few extra dollars to get something that won't annoy the neighbors is worth it to me, and I think the world would be a much better place if everyone thought about their neighbors' comfort a little more than their own.

I haven't seen a generator yet that can't be heard in a neighbors campsite when used in a formal campground. In fact, last month I talked the neighbor next to me into plugging into my electrical system and charging off my solar system rather than running his 2000 watt honda. They are less noisy than open frame when run at lower power settings, but still quite noisy in a nice smaller forest service campground. As we sat around the fire that evening drinking a couple brews and enjoying the night he was asking all sorts of questions about my solar system as he planned on getting his own so that he would have to run that **** generator as much. Generators are noisy, and even the with inverter models the noise level goes up rapidly as the load on the generator goes up. Running one of any sort in a campground is not being respectful of your neighbors. Just being "less" annoying doesn't mean you're not annoying.

"If it's 'Hencho Mexico, it's reliable lol"

Ummmm, it's...

"Hecho En Mexico"

Some stuff from down here is important. Like, you would be eating NO SALAD OR FRUIT, from November to April. Better wash that lettuce again now that you've learned!

Some stuff is good - like the LTH Batteries from Monterrey. When I tested the LTH verses Johnson Controls, like 200 batteries control group each, the Johnson Controls had +5% failure, the LTH had 0% failures.

Course you folks could have lucked out and got Syria to the north and Vladamir to the south. Oh wait, how about Sri Lanka, or The Balkans, or Pakistan, or Yemen, or Bolivia...you do not appreciate how fortunate you are. Wait I forgot El Salvador and the Christian do gooders of MS 13.

Some folks if given a new Rolls Royce would whine and pout "But I wanted a ZIL!" A ZIL was the car of choice for Soviet CCCP big shots, and was built entirely by hand. The machining and winding inside a starter motor would impress a NASA engineer.

Anyway things will happen and sooner or later the "Wanted" and Unwanted, down here will be kicked northbound. Be ready.

Crabbypatty wrote:
It always mystifies me that we have 40-50k in a tv plus that in a rig, then folks go blind when it comes to generators.

Two years a go the park ranger to tell my neighbor to turn off his loud clunker, thankfully. My honda was running as well, they never heard it....

Happy Trails

This right here is the whole issue to me. I'd rather have no power at all than use a generator that can be heard outside my campsite. Spending a few extra dollars to get something that won't annoy the neighbors is worth it to me, and I think the world would be a much better place if everyone thought about their neighbors' comfort a little more than their own.

bucky wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
IMHO if an inverter 2,000 watt cost $5,000.00 and gave 50,000 hours of service it would be worth every penny.

Also my opinion that a Tecumseh, motor makes a Briggs Stratton, look like a BMW.

BMW isn't the best choice for reliability comparison :)

If it's 'Hencho Mexico, it's reliable lol

Please look me up in 13 years and let me know if its still running. My Honda 3000i is on its 13th year and other than one spark plug and annual oil changes no other work has ever been done. You get what you pay for and some how I doubt that I will hear from you. In addition I can sell my 3000i now for not much less than I paid for it. It always mystifies me that we have 40-50k in a tv plus that in a rig, then folks go blind when it comes to generators.

Two years a go the park ranger to tell my neighbor to turn off his loud clunker, thankfully. My honda was running as well, they never heard it....

Happy Trails