Any Predator Generator reviews?

I am original poster and funny how 2 years old topic has been brought back to life.
I did not buy Predator, becouse I had Honda 3000 sitting at home, so I just rerouted my long vacation to make another stop at home.
There is video linked on HF site, showing that 3500 Predator is way quieter than Honda 2000 in all range, so we can compare reliability.
When I bought my Honda 3000 about 15 years ago it come with factory defect.
It would power smaller load, but inverter would go into overload when AC started. That did put dent on our Mexican vacations at the time, so nothing is bulletproof.

Approx 3 years old, no issues. Runs about 8-10 hours on full tank, is heavy. Find it pretty darn quiet. Ours does not have a fuel gauge. Have read both good and bad reviews, much like anything bought these days. May not be as good as a Honda, don't know having never owned one but at approx a third of the price a decent buy for us. I've never tried it on large power tools, but didn't buy it for that purpose. Last, it starts quickly even after sitting for a couple months. Maybe we have just been lucky, but if I had it it to do over, I'd buy the Preditor again.

I have that Predator 3500
Got it around 2005
Guzzles gas
Noise of a jet engine
Weighs a ton
The fuel gauge disintegrated sometime last summer
Can’t seem to kill it
It does not run the large saws
My predator 8750 runs those
Electric start (happily)

If you're interested in exactly the Predator brand generators, then feel free to read link I provided, the latest models reviewed.

Old Islander wrote:
I bought a new genny this spring for our 9' camper. We don't have A/C so didn't need a 2000+ watt machine. I looked at Honda and Yamaha, and balked at the price. Finally bought a 1500 watt Firman from Home Depot on sale for $249 (Can) which included delivery to the front door. It has a 3 year Home Depot warranty. I could buy four of these for what one equivalent wattage Honda or Yamaha would cost in Canada...

After bragging up this genny earlier this year, I am now eating crow. The third time we used it in late October, it ran for a few minutes and I heard it 'hunting' and wanting to quit. Discovered gas running out the bottom of the tank's off/on valve, and being sucked into the air cooling intake just below. About a half gal had leaked out. Turns out one of the machine screws on the valve was stripped. So the entire inside of this genny is now coated in gas -- it's lucky it didn't catch fire and turn into an inferno. It'll be going back this week, and that's the last cheap Chinese machine I ever buy....

jimh425 wrote:
And yet ... the consensus is Honda is better for RV use by almost everyone. Nope, I don't have a portable.

Does anyone have a reference other than a internet chat board that says Honda uses the Yamaha method? Honda's website doesn't imply it as far as I can tell. http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/inverter-generator-advantages Just wondering if this is internet lore or a fact.

...and I have neither. I have a Chinese Champion with a Lifan motor.

Honda is not giving any credit to anybody

Honda site wrote:
In 1998, Honda developed the Microprocessor-controlled Sine Wave Inverter, allowing electricity with a waveform clean enough to power ordinary electric appliances, to be supplied according to the load.

http://world.honda.com/powerproducts-technology/generator/

And yet ... the consensus is Honda is better for RV use by almost everyone. Nope, I don't have a portable.

Does anyone have a reference other than a internet chat board that says Honda uses the Yamaha method? Honda's website doesn't imply it as far as I can tell. http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/inverter-generator-advantages Just wondering if this is internet lore or a fact.

GeoBoy wrote:
Flip, this is not aimed at you personally. I agree with you that a lot of our automotive products contain cheap imported items. The new world economy statement is BS, it is just an excuse to buy cheap.

Maybe yes, maybe no. I'm sure it has alot to do with the P&L statement

Like old Ollie says... Buy em cheap and stack em deep.

mkirsch wrote:
Where do people get off saying the Predator is a clone of the Honda? They look NOTHING alike. Clearly the cases are completely different shapes. Is it because both of them are primarily red?

That's like saying a Ford is a clone of a Dodge because they're both painted white.

In as much as Yamaha came out with the first Inverter based genny and holds the design patents on the 7 pole head and associated electronics, I guess that Honda (and all the rest) are Yamaha clones.....:p

Yamaha gets a slice no matter what you buy... 'Made under license of Yamaha Motor Corporation.

Where do people get off saying the Predator is a clone of the Honda? They look NOTHING alike. Clearly the cases are completely different shapes. Is it because both of them are primarily red?

That's like saying a Ford is a clone of a Dodge because they're both painted white.