I am looking to purchase a portable generator to power some of my home during a power outage. While I don’t lose power very often, storms are getting more unpredictable and I would rather be prepared. With that said, I looking at a Honda EM6500S and a Honda EU 7000. I know the 7000 is fuel injected and an inverter but is it worth an extra $1300 ? I literally have lost power approx. 48 total hours in 10 years. Any input would be appreciated.

you need to decide if you need 240vyou need to decide if you care about fuel economyyou need to decide if you care about noise levelyou need to see if you have sensitive electronics that require cleaner THD.only you can make that decision.

What will you be powering? That's a big generator. You can probably get away with something smaller. You don't need to run all your appliances at the same time.Personally, I would spend the extra money and get the inverter generator.

If you are really worried and have natural gas at the house a stationary generator would be the best. Remember, its not just the basic generator you need. You MUST have a transfer switch installed. Otherwise you run the risk of killing someone. Doing it right is not going to be cheap no matter how small the generator is you pick, so if your going to do it, do it right up front.

I have the Honda EU7000, earlier version with carb. However, I outfitted it for propane from the get-go and have never run gasoline through it, just propane. I had a plumber run a line from my house propane to where the genny sits near the meter and panel. The purpose of this is so I never have to store gasoline in quantities that would make owning a genny for power outages practical. Gasoline gets old and stale. Especially this alcohol laced ****. Propane never goes bad. I tapped into the main panel and run the whole house off this generator. Since I heat with propane, in winter I could never max out the genny's capacity even if I tried. In summer I MIGHT be able to if I ran both house air conditioners (I have 2 AC's to split the house chilling in order to cut down on ducting and it's paid off) Recently here in California, the electric company, PG&E, purposefully shut off power to homes in my area due to fire hazards. They were found to be responsible for several major fires here in California and now just shut down the grid when the fire danger is high and won't turn it back on again until the danger has passed AND they inspect every inch of overhead lines for any damage. This resulted in power off for 2 days. As the temps were mild, I didn't need AC, but the writing is on the wall; expect many more power outages in hot weather when fire danger is high. Our community lost a lot, considering all the stores, businesses and homes that had food needing to stay chilled. A few hours is one thing, a few days is gonna destroy a lot of food. Spend all you want, but remember; if you do have extended outages, will the genny you buy last through the outage and save you from losing food or other stuff. We don't notice any difference when we have outages. All I have to do is watch for neighbor lights to return in order to know when to switch back to the grid. Oh, the Honda is quiet. My neighbors never knew I had power or else I'm sure they would have asked to run extension cords to keep their fridges running. I'm not a jackass, I'd be happy to help them set up a genny if they wanted, but I'm also not going to risk my own need after doing all the work and spending all the money to do so either.

donn0128 wrote:If you are really worried and have natural gas at the house a stationary generator would be the best. Remember, its not just the basic generator you need. You MUST have a transfer switch installed. Otherwise you run the risk of killing someone. Doing it right is not going to be cheap no matter how small the generator is you pick, so if your going to do it, do it right up front.so extension cords don't work with this generator? news to me.will he prolly use the twist lock prolly, but to say he has to use a transfer switch is incorrect.

Portable generator advice | Good Sam Community

falconbrother
Explorer II
Nov 30, 2018
For years we had a 7800 open frame generator. We ran it in every kind of weather there is, driving rains that lasted all day, snow, burning heat, etc.. It worked awesome and never failed to start. I sold it a couple of years ago. Now I have a 4k open frame. As soon as the power goes out around here you hear peoples generators fire up. It's pretty cool when the power outages are wide spread to have lights, heat or AC and TV -n- such. It's cool because you remember when you didn't have it for years running and how much that sucked. So, the noise of an open frame is a non-issue. We had a 4k on the motorhome and a 4k seems to meet our needs now. Plus, it's good on gas. I just pull a couple of extension cords with power strips through the doggie door.

One word of caution. Before I retired from the PD we had a public accident/found body case where a guy on a construction site had a generator sitting in a mud hole running. He walked over there, stepped in the water, touched the generator and the shock killed him right there. Use some good common sense when using a generator. The amps coming off of even a fairly small generator will kill you but quick.

The 4k will power the travel trailer as well. We only use it in situations where everyone else is living off of generators as well. Open frame generators are relatively loud after-all. It's un-cool till it's cool..
Ski_Pro_3
Explorer
Nov 09, 2018
Others here have advocated cheaper generators. It is those I was addressing.
Hedgehog
Explorer
Nov 08, 2018
Ski pro 3, I wouldn’t consider either generator I’m looking at a cheap one.
3_tons
Explorer III
Nov 08, 2018
Hedgehog wrote:
I just wanted advice on selecting a generator. The house wiring is already done. With the interlock, the generator can’t physically be turned on without the main breaker being shut off. So, can we get back on track with the original question. Like I originally posted, I am leaning towards the Honda em 6500 but also like the Honda eu7000. I just don’t know if I can justify the extra cash for the eu7000. Thank you

Whats even more expensive is a case of morning after sickness after having bought the wrong genny...
Ski_Pro_3
Explorer
Nov 07, 2018
In an emergency, do you really want to count on the cheap generator or one that is designed to reliably start and run? If you never use it, great! If it sits and deteriorates to the point it won't run when you need it and under the adverse conditions you may face, then why have it at all?
For emergency, buy the best money can buy and PRAY you never need it.
2naEagle
Explorer
Nov 07, 2018
As I type this my power has just gone off. Running on standby generator. :B
Dave_H_M
Explorer II
Nov 07, 2018
I am with Lynmore on this one. The only time I used my Predator is on the test run.

Last thing i would do is spend a pocket full of gingle on something that hopefully would never be used.

Open frame is good enough for something that may never be used. :W
road-runner
Explorer III
Nov 06, 2018
Hedgehog wrote:
I just wanted advice on selecting a generator. The house wiring is already done. With the interlock, the generator can’t physically be turned on without the main breaker being shut off. So, can we get back on track with the original question. Like I originally posted, I am leaning towards the Honda em 6500 but also like the Honda eu7000. I just don’t know if I can justify the extra cash for the eu7000. Thank you
I think only you can answer this question for yourself. Both of your choices are likely to have excellent reliability. For the extra money the eu7000i will be quieter and use somewhat less fuel. The eu7000i power output is likely "cleaner", yet the output from the em6500s is probably good enough to do your job. For some people, the eu7000i advantages are of little value, and for others they are well worth the extra cost. It's your priorities that should make the decision, not somebody else's.
Lynnmor
Explorer
Nov 05, 2018
Hedgehog wrote:
So, can we get back on track with the original question. Like I originally posted, I am leaning towards the Honda em 6500 but also like the Honda eu7000. I just don’t know if I can justify the extra cash for the eu7000. Thank you

I have a cheap open frame generator that sells for about $1000 and paid $400 for a used one years ago. It will do the same thing that the proposed Hondas will do, plus provide serious noise to make the neighbors jealous. In my opinion, you cannot justify either purchase for limited use.
Hedgehog
Explorer
Nov 05, 2018
I wish I could post a picture of the interlock but I seem to be having trouble posting pictures