Generators-best place to buy?

[Beachbourbon]

What are some of the best places to get great deals on portable generators for RVs? So far Costco seems to have some of the best deals I’ve seen. Honda’s seem expensive everywhere, some places only carry specific brands and some have their own branded generators like etrailer(really a firman cheaper at Costco) What is everyone else’s experience?

[emm-dee]

I found the best prices for my Honda paired setup on Electric Generator Depot. They include some pricey extension cords, the parallel cable and covers. Fast and free shipping.

[RCW]

The best price I could find on my Champion last year was on Amazon.

[Rrickim63]

I know friends who have had great luck with inverter type at harbor freight tools. Very similar to Honda

[tomkatb]

Northern tools had a $200 gift card promotion on their site for purchases over$1000.

Got $200 gift card on a Honda 2200.

[pbcamper]

Also something to consider not to muddy the waters.... consider looking at propane generators...... gasoline units are often hard to start if they're not constantly maintained. When propane is used it can sit for months and months and never have a problem starting. Also you get a lot more run time per gallon.

I hate constant maintenance

Only some thoughts.....

[Evo2700]

Best deal I found on my Champion was Amazon.

[Msgtret]

If you are a Veteran you get 10% off at Lowe’s or Home Depot. I priced a Champion at Lowe’s and no one could beat the price. ( Dual fuel 3400 was just at $900).

[valleyduo]

Your best bet is to be a smart shopper. Deals can be found many places. We bought our Champion Gens from Acme Tools online with a 25% off coupon. I would have never looked if it wasn't for a yahoo search. Regardless of what anyone says, there is no best place. Just the best price you can find when you want to buy and that varies constantly.

[rsdata]

Regardless of what anyone says, there is no best place. Just the best price you can find when you want to buy and that varies constantly.

I agree... prices are a moving target... sight-in your prey and fire when you find the price you want to pay... compared to what you have been seeing

[TitanMike]

Honda prices won't vary much as Honda does everything in their power to control retail prices. If one of the retail dealers goes rogue and offers their product for less than what Honda wants it sold for, they'll have a hard time getting more product.

As for other brands (many of which are just as good as the Honda offerings for less money), shop around on the internet. Be sure to take ALL factors into consideration. Is the price cheaper but you have to pay for shipping? Will you be getting it from an out of state source that doesn't collect the sales tax levied by your state? (yes, quite a few of them remain).

When I bought my Champion 3500W Dual Fuel, at the time Camping World had the best price on this unit which at the time could only be purchased from CW or Cabela's. I had a CW "Coupon" so I used it to make the price even better.

For the record, I purchased the Champion because I am a very happy Champion customer from 12 years past. Not a single issue with my old unit and every single contact with Champion via e-mail has resulted in a response well within the 24 hour window they state. Good answers too.

[jtesta1]

Purchased my champion inverter thru Cabelas ,it was on sale and free shipping.

[Flapjackdenny]

The best generator on the market next to the Honda is the Inergy Kodiak Lithium Powered Solar Generator go thru Inergy online, lightweight but really full of features!

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Flapjackdenny

The best generator on the market next to the Honda is the Inergy Kodiak Lithium Powered Solar Generator go thru Inergy online, lightweight but really full of features!

I can see it's benefits but I seriously doubt it will carry the load of an AC unit like a gas/lpg powered Inverter Generator.

Yes, take the AC out of the equation and it could be a great unit -------- as long as one camps in areas with lots of sun.

[johntaylor]

Originally Posted by pbcamper

Also something to consider not to muddy the waters.... consider looking at propane generators...... gasoline units are often hard to start if they're not constantly maintained. When propane is used it can sit for months and months and never have a problem starting. Also you get a lot more run time per gallon.

Gasoline produces 114761 BTU/gallon. Propane produces 87664 BTU/gallon. A gallon of gas produces 31% more energy than a gallon of propane, and therefore runs the generator for 31% more time than propane.

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Honda prices won't vary much as Honda does everything in their power to control retail prices. If one of the retail dealers goes rogue and offers their product for less than what Honda wants it sold for, they'll have a hard time getting more product.

As for other brands (many of which are just as good as the Honda offerings for less money), shop around on the internet. Be sure to take ALL factors into consideration. Is the price cheaper but you have to pay for shipping? Will you be getting it from an out of state source that doesn't collect the sales tax levied by your state? (yes, quite a few of them remain).

When I bought my Champion 3500W Dual Fuel, at the time Camping World had the best price on this unit which at the time could only be purchased from CW or Cabela's. I had a CW "Coupon" so I used it to make the price even better.

For the record, I purchased the Champion because I am a very happy Champion customer from 12 years past. Not a single issue with my old unit and every single contact with Champion via e-mail has resulted in a response well within the 24 hour window they state. Good answers too.

X2.

When shopping for a Honda look for the extras included in the sale. When I bought my pair of 2000’s they came with three 12 gauge extension cords, a parallel cable and generator covers. The price was actually about the same as everyone else, but everyone else didn’t include the extra stuff.

[Flapjackdenny]

All valid points, but this generator has a quick charge function via AC voltage, 12v charger, solar, and you can add lead acid batteries to extend life of charge, really versatile

[emm-dee]

There’s several threads about differences in brands. This thread is about where to buy any/all brands.

[clarkbre]

We recently purchased a WEN 56200i directly from WEN and are very happy with it. It is an inverter generator with 2000w peak/1600w continuous. After lots of research, I felt this was the best for my application. These are the same as the Harbor Freight Predators; however, WEN provides better parts support in the U.S.

Is it a Honda? No. But, it fits the bill perfectly for my recreational use needs.

Amazon had it for sale for $431 + sales tax and free shipping. This would have been $475 to my door.

Searching online, I found you could purchase it directly from WEN products. $399.99, no tax and free shipping.

So far, it has been a great unit, starts easily and runs very smooth and quiet. I did purchase an hour meter, magnetic dipstick and went through the break-in process to a tee.

For the money, it's a very good, basic and capable generator.

Here's the link: https://wenproducts.com/collections/...nerator-56200i

[djemgoss]

This is where I bought my Champion 3400:
https://www.powerequipmentdirect.com...33/p67307.html


$799.00 and free shipping in the 48 states!