Consumer Reports on Generators

[LandCruisin]

I have a Champion 3100 with remote start. It is amazing and in eco mode, as quiet as a Honda 2000.

[tbln930]

To be fair Consumer Reports recommended the Honda, the Westinghouse, and the Yamaha before they got to the Predator and Honeywell which both got the same but a lower rating. The main problem with this review which they acknowledge is the longevity of the engines. The engine repair guy I have used for decades says the Predators are lucky to go 500 hours and the Honda's run over 2000 hours before they needed a major overhaul. That was not possible to test in the CR study. I have subscribed to CR for decades but you have to be careful and interpret their reviews. In generators you still get what you pay for.

[marcfriedman]

Are most people who are "dry camping" require ac to camp? I understand if it's blistering hot. Otherwise if ac not needed and u didn't buy one which the fridge runs on 120 v , why not one or two good solar panels and a couple of decent Batts instead. I've similar ly adapted and leave my Honda 2000 at home. Who wants to listen to a generator, I don't care how soft. I assume you go out in a Rv to immerse yourselves in nature.

[nozzano22]

I just bought the Westinghouse 2500 and an EZ Start unit from Micro Air. I really liked the Champion Models but just cannot lift/move a 100lb unit easily.

I should have enough watts for AC, TV etc, but if I find I need more I can parallel another Westinghouse @ 50lbs and $599

Micro Air offers forum member discounts, free shipping and no tax unless your in NJ.

Mike

[TRW61]

Originally Posted by Walholler

I have since mounted them on the rear of our 5th wheel TT, inside of a lockable aluminum storage box for security. The setup allows me to operate the generators while locked in the box. I can run the AC while being towed or sitting still.

Would you be willing to share some details on your mounting? I'm interested in doing the same sort of thing.

[Firedude26]

Originally Posted by TRW61

Would you be willing to share some details on your mounting? I'm interested in doing the same sort of thing.

me also but i have a spot in the nose that is vented for a generator just need the wiring setup.

[shoe2728]

RECONUSMC, liked your video on the predator, I seen you had a fault code, I had one also when I first hooked my generator, mine was a bad ground fault and the surge protector would not let power go through. RV grounding is not like house wiring. you have to bond the ground to the neutral. What I did was to make my own 30 amp plug and inside it make a jumper wire from the ground to the neutral and all was well. You may want to check with the maker of your surge protector and if the fault code you are receiving says open ground then most likely that is your problem. They should tell you about the bonding procedure.
Just to add a disclaimer, I'm not telling anyone to do this, just what I did to solve my problem.

[jkoenig24]

I've NEVER seen ANY mention of DUTY CYCLE. I believe the DC for the Honda is 24/7 (as long as service is performed at the intervals Honda specifies, basically oil & filter changes). Yamahas are also famed workhorses. I've had "China-Bomb" no-name generators that were FAR less reliable and, failed in appallingly short time frames. Basically, you're going to get what you pay for. Spend more, get more.

[Hal]

I'm a Honda fan, and will admit that up front.

I had a 3000 and a 2000, and a non-Honda pairing kit that allows me to connect up to 3 different Honda inverter generators to provide higher total rating. Unfortunately, they were stolen (painful story) and I decided to replace them with a pair of the 2000 inverters.

Yes, they are pricey, but they are VERY quiet - I usually run them outside our slide out around 10 ft away, and have no trouble sleeping thru them when they run all night, or watching a movie (I'm at one end of the slide out and the TV is at the other).

A buddy bought 2 of the Champion 2000s and while they are not as quiet, they are fairly close.

If you plan to use them a lot, and especially if you plan to run them 24/7 in a hot climate for AC (I'm in TX), I also suggest that whatever brand you consider, you look for external tanks. I have a pair of IPI Industries Breeze system tanks, each 6 Gal, one per generator. While the 1 gal in the generator itself will run a LONG time (I've seen it go close to 14 hrs in cooler weather), the external tanks mean I can go an entire day in 100 degree weather with the 15K AC flat out and never run dry!

The Champions likely have something similar available, but I suggest you consider whether that sort of thing matters to you, and if so, add that to your research prior to making a buy decision.

Best of luck, and happy camping!

[kuzbro]

I have ran two Honda generators and both was and is excellent. First was the 2kw and I never did anything but changed oil, replaced spark plug, and inspected the spark arrest or and sir filter. On more than one occasion, in fact numerous times, I would run the generator all night. At below freezing temps the generator powered an electric heater, charged auxiliary battery and cell phones. I would manually control microwave, coffee maker, to prevent overload. In warm weather, it could run our small tv AC unit, but had to gain manually control microwave, coffee maker etc. Control means, turning AC thermostat up to shutdown compressor for load management.

We bought a 3KW Honda after buying a larger travel trailer that needed the extra KK. The biggest problem is rain. It would be nice to have lite weight water proof container that allowed generator to ur. In inclement weather.

Originally Posted by Bushfamily5

Just my $.02 from what I witnessed. Not trying to offend anyone

I was camping just last week at the beach and paid special attention to generators as I am in the market for one. Witnessed a few different ones:

Champion 3400 Dual Fuel - Not too loud. Certainly noticeably louder than the other inverter generators on this list but they were both 2k generators. I would say that while a little louder, the tone was not annoying at all.

Honda 2000 - It was a Honda. Very quiet. Tone was not annoying. It was positioned at the rear of of a 20-22ft trailer backed into the site. At the front of the site, it was almost unnoticeable. It was actually run well beyond the 9pm quiet time deadline for some reason without being an issue

Predator 2000 - It was very quite. Not as quiet as the honda but pretty darn quiet. The only negative thing I noticed was that the audible tone of the generator was tinny (that's not a word I know) and it bothered my ears.

Standard open frame generator - WOW! Someone set this 5500 watt open frame generator at the front of his site and ran it ALL day. It was obnoxiously loud and many neighbors took issue.

The Honda was the standout but as I will not spend that $$ on a camping generator, I am still looking.

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by kuzbro

<<snip>>

We bought a 3KW Honda after buying a larger travel trailer that needed the extra KK. The biggest problem is rain. It would be nice to have lite weight water proof container that allowed generator to ur. In inclement weather.

I have a great way to keep the generator dry, and it costs nearly nothing. The kit:
1. two knob bungees to wrap around the generator handle.
2. A fiberglass driveway reflective marker to serve as a ridge pole
3. 40 gallon leaf bag--good for a 2 KW generator...buy larger bags for a 3500 watt generator.
4. Three tent stakes
5. One rock

Attach bungees to generator carrying handle.
Slide driveway marker through bungees to make tent ridge pole. If you have a bigger generator with two top carry handles, make two ridge poles.
Drape trash bag over ridge pole/generator.
Stake down 3 corners...leaving the 4th corner free to give access to starter pull rope and controls.
Use the rock to hold down this 4th corner.

The ridge pole ensures lots of ventilation, free flowing exhaust, and ready access to the plug sockets.
Stake down the tent to give maximum width to the tent for air flow on either side of the generator, but closed inverter generators don't generally have air intakes on the sides. If you have a bigger generator, buy 65 gallon or larger trash bags.

I've used only one bag for 2 years, and I've run the generator during thunderstorms including hail.

You can buy a "generator tent", but this works at least as well.

Bonus 1: While it's not a great camouflage, a green or black trash bag does a nice job of somewhat disguising your nice red, orange, yellow or other brightly colored generator from casual observers.

Bonus 2: At home, I use the driveway marker as a marker on the tongue of my trailer...down through a hole in the hitch latch mechanism and through a clip in my tongue jack drop leg...I can see the marker when backing vehicles in the driveway so I don't accidentally back into the tongue.

[dbledan]

Originally Posted by marcfriedman

Are most people who are "dry camping" require ac to camp? I understand if it's blistering hot. Otherwise if ac not needed and u didn't buy one which the fridge runs on 120 v , why not one or two good solar panels and a couple of decent Batts instead. I've similar ly adapted and leave my Honda 2000 at home. Who wants to listen to a generator, I don't care how soft. I assume you go out in a Rv to immerse yourselves in nature.

AC keeps the wife happy. Without her I cannot go camping.

We are not all so lucky to have California weather. I can do 95 degrees with 90% humidity but it is hard to sleep above 80 with the humidity that high. AC keeps it civil. I use a 2k Yamaha if not running the AC and the 3400W champion if I am.

[nrkmann]

On my second year without any issues. Love the electric start. Run it in the bed of my pickup. I was worrird about resonant noise but have had no issues.

I use Mobil 1 0W-40 synthetic oil in all my small engines changed once a year and have never had an engine failure. A couple are 20+ years old on my roto tiller and chipper/shredder. We will see how the 3500 fairs.

[sajohnson]

CR rates the "Recreational Inverters" (Under 2000 Watts) as follows:

1) HondaEU2000iT1A1 $1,000

2) WestinghouseiGen2000 $480

3) YamahaEF2000isV2 $995

4) Predator62523 $500

5) Honeywell6066 $600

All 5 are "recommended". None are a "best buy".

#1/3/4 are all rated "excellent" for noise. #2/5 are rated "very good".

Overall scores are pretty close, ranging from 77/100 (Honda) to 72/100 (#4/5).

There are of course numerous differences between the 5 units.

As others have said:

* Usually (but not always) you get what you pay for. For light occasional use, one of the Chinese units might be fine. For regular use, esp under heavy loads, I'd lean toward the Honda or Yamaha. I'm assuming #2/4/5 are all made in China.

* Unfortunately, CR cannot do extended testing on all of the products they review. In many cases, by the time the 'service life' testing was over, the mfr will have come out with new models.

So I'd take that into account when looking at the overall ratings. They might be quite different if CR had a way of determining long term reliability.

About all we can do is go by each mfr's reputation.

[Boborc]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

I have a great way to keep the generator dry, and it costs nearly nothing. The kit:
1. two knob bungees to wrap around the generator handle.
2. A fiberglass driveway reflective marker to serve as a ridge pole
3. 40 gallon leaf bag--good for a 2 KW generator...buy larger bags for a 3500 watt generator.
4. Three tent stakes
5. One rock

Attach bungees to generator carrying handle.
Slide driveway marker through bungees to make tent ridge pole. If you have a bigger generator with two top carry handles, make two ridge poles.
Drape trash bag over ridge pole/generator.
Stake down 3 corners...leaving the 4th corner free to give access to starter pull rope and controls.
Use the rock to hold down this 4th corner.

The ridge pole ensures lots of ventilation, free flowing exhaust, and ready access to the plug sockets.
Stake down the tent to give maximum width to the tent for air flow on either side of the generator, but closed inverter generators don't generally have air intakes on the sides. If you have a bigger generator, buy 65 gallon or larger trash bags.

I've used only one bag for 2 years, and I've run the generator during thunderstorms including hail.

You can buy a "generator tent", but this works at least as well.

Bonus 1: While it's not a great camouflage, a green or black trash bag does a nice job of somewhat disguising your nice red, orange, yellow or other brightly colored generator from casual observers.

Bonus 2: At home, I use the driveway marker as a marker on the tongue of my trailer...down through a hole in the hitch latch mechanism and through a clip in my tongue jack drop leg...I can see the marker when backing vehicles in the driveway so I don't accidentally back into the tongue.

Do you have a picture of that set up? Would like to see

[ENE]

Not everyone is young and wants to go on a 5 mile hike. Different strokes for different Folks, some of us older RVer's find it the easiest why to get out and see the landscape and still be comfortable in our RV just like we were at home. We can BBQ outside, go on day trips and come home to our RV to watch our favorite shows just like home but still able to see places like state parks, mountains, lakes and rivers and old towns. You guess it, we never go boon docking but still always have a Honda 2000 gen with us just in case.
If you ever get stuck in traffic for 5 hours due to an accident and road it closed or a minor earthqake that shuts the power grind down even when your at a RV Park with fill hookups, you will wished you had a gen with you.

[rockinreel]

Originally Posted by nozzano22

I just bought the Westinghouse 2500 and an EZ Start unit from Micro Air. I really liked the Champion Models but just cannot lift/move a 100lb unit easily.

I should have enough watts for AC, TV etc, but if I find I need more I can parallel another Westinghouse @ 50lbs and $599

Micro Air offers forum member discounts, free shipping and no tax unless your in NJ.

Mike

I have a 6500 Honda that weighs 250 lbs. I use this to lift it in the back of the truck and run it from there.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/VIKI...6.uts?slotId=3
I mostly boondocks camp. I've used a friends parallel 2 X 2000 hondas and they were loud the whole time while camping in the summer (AC almost constantly on). Didn't seem powerful enough when you used he AC and microwave at the same time. Two 2000's do not provide a real 4000 watts.


Keeping a generator dry? I couldn't care less about that.

[GeorgeFries]

Since the four hurricanes hitting back to back here in Florida, (2004), getting a backup generator seemed appropriate. The “go to generator” for ease of carry was the Honda EU2000i. I bought two of them for their increased parallel output capability. Of greatest importance was their “PURE SINE WAVE” power output verses modified or square sine wave output. Many overlook this when powering sensitive electronics. Longevity and problem free performance was a key factor in decision making too.

Since then they have been adapted to ride the hitch platform on our Wildcat 29RLX. Hobbs meters were installed on each generator for oil change intervals of 25 hours. Each is fed from either a single or their own independent six gallon easy carry marine fuel tank, thus each can run continuously for 72 hours. Ethanol free fuel is all that is used. Briefly “boon docking” In Ontario last fall, one EU2000i handled all of our needs less the AC. (With both running, it was like a 50Amp hookup, whether AC was running or not.)

Imagined with user opinions read here, each will have their own experience. My neighbor ran his Honda EU2000i for 19 days, (24/7), non-stop, (adapting my extended fuel/runtime advantage), when his power was out due to Hurricane Irma. This demonstrated trouble fee reliability and longevity. He has since bought two more for ease of handling and storage.

The quality of the output, reliability of runtime, and progressively maintained longevity were what I sought. Each must do his/her due diligence. If it were necessary, replacement generators for me would be the exact same.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by kuzbro

I have ran two Honda generators and both was and is excellent. First was the 2kw and I never did anything but changed oil, replaced spark plug, and inspected the spark arrest or and sir filter. On more than one occasion, in fact numerous times, I would run the generator all night. At below freezing temps the generator powered an electric heater, charged auxiliary battery and cell phones. I would manually control microwave, coffee maker, to prevent overload. In warm weather, it could run our small tv AC unit, but had to gain manually control microwave, coffee maker etc. Control means, turning AC thermostat up to shutdown compressor for load management.

We bought a 3KW Honda after buying a larger travel trailer that needed the extra KK. The biggest problem is rain. It would be nice to have lite weight water proof container that allowed generator to ur. In inclement weather.

You can get as fancy... or as creative... as you'd like... some places it really won't matter!

[RACarvalho]

Bought a Champion 3100 last month and already overnight twice at Walmart with it running the camper with AC on - no problems so far.
I run it from the truck bed close to our bed front window and the noise level is really low.
In the living room the AC noise overtakes the generator and you can't hear the generator running.