Having a hard time choosing generator set.

[5picker]

Guess it's time...

[babock]

My take on the generator is...if you use the generator a LOT, get a Honda or a Yamaha. If you don't, get the Champion or the Harbor Freight or other Honda clones.

Personally, I have a lot of solar so the generator pretty much just comes along for the ride in case I get hit with nasty weather, I get a super shady spot or some sort of other failure. Even if using the heater, I can get 5 days easy out of my batteries which are lithium so I can have them discharged for a long period of time. I have a Harbor Freight Predator that gets run monthly just because I want to run it occasionally.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by babock

My take on the generator is...if you use the generator a LOT, get a Honda or a Yamaha. If you don't, get the Champion or the Harbor Freight or other Honda clones.

Personally, I have a lot of solar so the generator pretty much just comes along for the ride in case I get hit with nasty weather, I get a super shady spot or some sort of other failure. Even if using the heater, I can get 5 days easy out of my batteries which are lithium so I can have them discharged for a long period of time. I have a Harbor Freight Predator that gets run monthly just because I want to run it occasionally.

Based on personal experience you can add the Champion to the list of reliables.

15 years of regular use on a 3500/4000w unit for not only camping but backup house power (several days at a time) as well as several construction projects. Put a new spark plug in it about 5 years ago and that's it.

There's also a 13 year old thread running on another RV forum that deals with the 3500W chinese clones and the Champions have been proving to be just as reliable as the Honda's (only mention this because some think more money buys more reliability). I've also received PM's in the past from people in other countries that use their Champions as their ONLY source of power, sharing tips and tricks. (The early models had to be rewired to put all 30 amp of their output on a single two wire output so lots of "sharing").

Honda inverters have been around longer but the technology is sound and easily "cloned" into reliable units. Heck, even the Harbor Freight Predator has been tested and is proving to be a reliable unit. As patents expire more and more people start building the same items only for less money.

People should buy what they want but don't feel you have to pay twice the price for something that's been shown to be just as reliable.

FWIW, reliability is as much a result of good operator care as it is manufacturer. Having a decade and a half on a Champion generator surely speaks for it's reliability. It starts just like my Honda Lawnmower, on the first pull.

[babock]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Based on personal experience you can add the Champion to the list of reliables.

Or not...maybe on your list...not mine.

You have an hour meter on your Champion? It's the first thing I put on when I buy generators.

[bikendan]

TitanMike is correct. The RV.net thread has been going on for years and is a great place to se all the happy Champion owners. It's the longest thread in the entire RV.net forum.

I have owned a Honda 2000i for 13 years and love it. I also own a Champion open-frame 3500w generator that I bought for home backup power.
The Champion cost me $275 and has worked flawlessly.
The biggest reasons Champion is so popular with RVers, is not only a great product at a great price but that they listen to input from RVers and put the suggestions in their products.
They've had actual 30amp RV outlets for years, while neither Honda or Yamaha have them. You have to use an adapter to plug your RV cord in the H&Y units..
Champion has responded with numerous inverter generators aimed specifically for the RV market.

If I hadn't gotten a great Craigslist deal on my barely used Honda, I would've bought a Champion inverter generator and been a happy camper.

[aufinger]

I have a 13 year old Honda EU3000is and a 6 year old EU6500is. When I was shopping for my generators, my hot buttons were reliability and reliability. If I were to be camping (without a hookup) and I couldn't get my generator working, I would probably find myself heading to a Home Depot or Lowes to pickup something to get me through the camping trip. When you're camping in Alaska, I'm thinking you may not have the luxury to get your generator repaired or replaced easily. As far as cost, unlike some here, I do believe more cost translates to better reliability. Machining to tighter tolerances, better material, components and quality control along with a good warranty all cost money. In any case, the premium I've paid for my Hondas is just a drop in the bucket considering how much I've paid for my campers, trucks and all the other costs involved with camping over the years.

[Splashes3]

Go Blue - Yamaha 2000iS. I've had mine about 7 years....it Never needs more than 2 pulls. If I ever need a second, for extra amperage for running the RV A/C, it will be another Yamaha.

[markjamestx]

Thank you for bringing this topic up. We have been looking at the champion as well and that pretty much decided that's what we're going to get. We go to a lot of federal national parks and where you do not have full hookups available

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by babock

Or not...maybe on your list...not mine.

You have an hour meter on your Champion? It's the first thing I put on when I buy generators.

How much personal experience have you had with Champions? Not what you've heard but on ones you've owned.

FWIW, you dont need an hour meter if you keep track of fuel consumed. My 3500/4000 watt Champ has close to 3,000 hours on it based on fuel consumption AND oil changes every 100 hours.

The 3500w dual fuel inverter is only 2 years old and is living up to it's predecessor's reliability.

FWIW just about every Asian built portable generator in the 3kw "class" uses an engine based on the Honda GX200 (196cc) design. Only real difference is how it's packaged and the muffler.

Interesting thing I ran across recently. A YouTube video af a guy testing a Honda 3000 and Champion 2800 side by side. Yes, the Honda was 4 dba quieter @23 ft under a healthy load. ~5% quieter. BUT when the load was switched on the Champion maintained voltage of 123-124 volts. The Honda dropped to 114 volts. On the first run the Honda just stalled out under load (a PVC conduit heater for bending). The Champ just kep on running, maintaining voltage.

With these two units it appears you have a choice. A 5% savings in noise level but at the expense of an 8% voltage drop.

Again, how many Champions have you owned?

[babock]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

FWIW, you dont need an hour meter if you keep track of fuel consumed.

I just want to know how many hours you have.

I would have no problem buying a Champion for light use. After all, I bought a Predator.

Your list is different than mine. I don't need to write a novel to explain it.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by babock

I just want to know how many hours you have.

I would have no problem buying a Champion for light use. After all, I bought a Predator.

Your list is different than mine. I don't need to write a novel to explain it.

Not hard to track hours if you know your fuel consumption rate. Every 4 hours mine burn one gallon.

FWIW, hour meters only tell how long the unit has run. Doesn't tell how much work it's done. Heavy load, more fuel burned, more frequent oil changes needed.

[TitanMike]

A note on the Predator 3500w inverter generator. It uses the Honda clone 212cc engine which is extremely popular among go-cart racers due to it's reliability. Another Honda clone that's made good. In