Generators? Best bang for your buck?

[kokomoto]

My vote is for the Honda. Reliable as an anvil, sips fuel, dealer/parts support everywhere should you need it, and a very quiet way to convert petrol into electron flow.

I have a solar setup, but could easily throw the Honda in the back of the Jeep if conditions required it.

I need to look into this carbon nano thing, and maybe a flux capacitor to go with it.

[tony.latham]

I need to look into this carbon nano thing, and maybe a flux capacitor to go with it.

They're cheap on eBay. Probably Chinese, but who knows?

T

[Bill n Robi]

oops, it was aluminum nano material but pretty awesome IMHO;

https://www.army.mil/article/191212/arm ... rgy_source

and o'reilly carries the flux capacitor if you know how to use the search function.....

https://www.oreillyauto.com/flux-capacitor

[low277]

Back in the 19990s and early 2000s the company I work for partnered with Suzuki on a couple of items. They built generators with our name on them. The generator guy at the time claimed that there was only one or two of the actual generator head part in Japan and that all the big names used the same head and attached it to their engine, frame and packaging.

Not sure if this is true or not. I've owned a 1980s vintage John Deere 1800 watt with a Kawasaki engine and a Yamaha EF2000. Both good units. I would like to hear from anyone with a Generac like the one in the first post?

[DWT77]

Back in the 19990s and early 2000s the company I work for partnered with Suzuki on a couple of items. They built generators with our name on them. The generator guy at the time claimed that there was only one or two of the actual generator head part in Japan and that all the big names used the same head and attached it to their engine, frame and packaging.

Not sure if this is true or not. I've owned a 1980s vintage John Deere 1800 watt with a Kawasaki engine and a Yamaha EF2000. Both good units. I would like to hear from anyone with a Generac like the one in the first post?

I am interested in them as well. Northern Tool had them on display at the state fair one year but they didn't have them running. They looked liked good units and they are manufactured in Wisconsin.

[Bill n Robi]

I forgot to post one
The Westinghouse unit is used by a couple folks with littleguy trailers, they seemed happy with them as to quiet and price.

http://www.westinghouseportablepower.com/

[booyah]

I have the wen you posted first, got it from woot, and for what i paid for it I couldn't be happier

I think it was $350 on their site that day. Quiet, powerful, compact and easy running/starting.

Well reviewed as well

[Wildfire]

WEN is the same as Harbor Freight, I think. Heard good things, thinking of picking one up if a hurricane ever comes my way again.

[mustangcats]

I have a Yamaha EF2000 inverter generator. Easy to start and very quiet. I chose it over the Honda because the Yamaha had a gas gauge and also had a fuel line shut off to the carburetor so you can run the carburetor dry (I don't know if Honda has those features now). I had a camper ask me recently what type of generator I had that was so quiet. He was camped across from me in a teardrop and said he could hardly hear it.

[Bill n Robi]

So we are prepping for a 18 day off road/boon dock trip. Pulled the generator out of the shed where it has set since September of last year. Hooked it into the mount, OMG it took two pulls to start it..... and a slight adjustment to the mixture since it was set for 8000 feet.

Synth oil still as good as the day it was changed, day after after the break in run two years ago. No stale fuel, no carbon build up, no clogged spark arrester.

You can't go wrong with a propane conversion.

propane hank.jpg (163.86 KiB) Viewed 1960 times

[Pinstriper]

Was talking to the store manager at HFT, he said they can't keep their new 3500's in stock. Run great, quiet, great price. He just about told me straight up not to get their 900watt 2-stroker. Said they are very noisy, go through gas real quick. The only thing they have going for them is cheap ($88) and light (35#). Says they get great feedback on their 2000's.

[DWT77]

So we are prepping for a 18 day off road/boon dock trip. Pulled the generator out of the shed where it has set since September of last year. Hooked it into the mount, OMG it took two pulls to start it..... and a slight adjustment to the mixture since it was set for 8000 feet.

Synth oil still as good as the day it was changed, day after after the break in run two years ago. No stale fuel, no carbon build up, no clogged spark arrester.

You can't go wrong with a propane conversion.

propane hank.jpg

[Pinstriper]

Regarding propane, there is a weak spot - a use case that argues against propane. Cold.

I have a Champion 7.5k dual fuel what I got from Costco with the intention of never feeding her gasoline until the Zombie Apocalypse or the NorKo invasion.

But this past winter we had a major ice storm event and power was out for several days. No problem, I've got more generator capacity than transfer switch capacity. I can light up everything but the oven and hot water heater.

But extreme cold - and "extreme" is relative, in this case around 20F - and propane doesn't want to stay running if the tank and engine are outside. So I had to resort to gasoline for a day.

Point is, propane isn't the complete panacea. Nothing is.

[Bill n Robi]

I purchased an extra QC for mine as it will run on natural gas too, but not too much of a worry in San Diego of freezing, hooked it up for emergency use. They are saying that with all the solar generated power we have that there might be a power shortage during the eclipse. Go figure.

As you say, nothing is a perfect solution, there is always a weak point somewhere, in some situation.

[NorthEGPhoto]

I got one of these guys:

https://www.amazon.ca/King-Canada-KCG-9 ... =generator

I've had my dad's hunting cabin running on it, laptop, lights. I wouldn't push it too far but it is light, about as quiet as a small chainsaw and can even run a vaccum in a pinch (just don't run it for LONG..) the power is a bit brown, but if you want you can stick a pure sine inverter on the DC port and solve that.