which portable generators do people have

Garandman · Nov 5, 2017

goeduck said:
In some things heavier is better and an indication of quality components, anyone know if this is true with inverter gensets?

In this case it is apples to oranges to pears.

Briggs and Stratford Q6500: carburetor, manual start.
Yamaha 6300: carburetor, electric start (which means a battery)
Honda EU 7000: fuel injected, electric start.

Taking the super popular 2000W class:
The Honda EU2000 weighs 46 lbs
The Yamaha EF2000 weighs 44 lbs
The B&S Powersmart P2200 weighs 54 lbs
And the Harbor Fright 2000 weighs 47.

goeduck · Nov 5, 2017

Garandman said:
In this case it is apples to oranges to pears.

Briggs and Stratford Q6500: carburetor, manual start.
Yamaha 6300: carburetor, electric start (which means a battery)
Honda EU 7000: fuel injected, electric start.

Taking the super popular 2000W class:
The Honda EU2000 weighs 46 lbs
The Yamaha EF2000 weighs 44 lbs
The B&S Powersmart P2200 weighs 54 lbs
And the Harbor Fright 2000 weighs 47.

So I wonder if there is much difference in the electronics/power conversion weight. In lead acid batteries you look for weight as an indicator of lead. In old school generators more weight is usually more copper (I think). In this case it may just come down to quality of components and circuitry.

DK35vince · Nov 5, 2017

ultrarunner said:
I've been lucky in that all my small gas engines continue to provide good service....

So have mine.
I probably have a half dozen Briggs and Stratton engines here for years on generators, pressure washers, Toro personal pace mower, push mower, tiller, water pumps, Etc. They work fine.
Kohler engine on my 1978 Wheel Horse garden tractor, nearly 40 years old, still starts right up and runs great.

Garandman · Nov 5, 2017

goeduck said:
So I wonder if there is much difference in the electronics/power conversion weight. In lead acid batteries you look for weight as an indicator of lead. In old school generators more weight is usually more copper (I think). In this case it may just come down to quality of components and circuitry.

A lot of people who purchase inverters do so to run electronics. Think that’s more a function of the electronics than the hardware.

I was told “The Harbor Freight Inverters are not UL listed. “ is that a requirement?

Honda has there seasonal sale on. Bought a Honda EU2000i for my sister for $899.

ultrarunner · Nov 5, 2017

Garandman said:
A lot of people who purchase inverters do so to run electronics. Think that’s more a function of the electronics than the hardware.

I was told “The Harbor Freight Inverters are not UL listed. “ is that a requirement?

Honda has there seasonal sale on. Bought a Honda EU2000i for my sister for $899.

That is a great price and nearly what I paid for my Honda 1000 25 years ago!

Garandman · Nov 6, 2017

There is now a lot of competition in the 2,000 watt Inverter market. Home Depot sells Ryobi 2200’s for $550 and the Champion 2000 is about $500.

Yamaha had a big chunk of the RV market because a 2,000 wouldn’t run most of their AC’s and Yamaha had a 2400. Now Honda has introduced a lower cost 2800 to compete in that market, Champion has a 2800, Briggs & Stratton a portable 3000, etc.

KubotainNH · Nov 6, 2017

ultrarunner said:
What steps are people taking to secure/protect their generators from theft?

Mine is always cabled to something like a tree or my porch using a long extra thick bike type cable. Will it stop a guy that really wants it and is prepared with the right tools....no but it will make it take a bit longer. Maybe long enough for someone to look outside when the power goes out and scare the guy away.

That Honda 7000 is fuel injected? That's pretty cool, I hate carburetors or maybe it's that I hate the crappy gas we now have.

I would like to see a study on what the average household's power equipment puts out for pollution. How often do you hear a mower that you know is not running cleanly by the sounds of it or smoke coming out. FI would help some of that. I also like the idea of propane instead of gas.

Old Red · Nov 6, 2017

The Honda 7000 is a nice genset. Great that it is fuel injected. Wonder what the gas usage is per hour and what its surge capability is. Will it start a 3 ton air conditioner?

Oldpath05 · Nov 6, 2017

A guy at work bought this Generac 6500 last week, he called HD and they was sold out, called a local hardware store and they had several of these @$900.00 ea. and other sizes and all selling fast. He said he got it home and it was all ready to go just add gas, than ran it for a good 60 hrs and used 25 gal of gas, said it ran great and wasn't that loud.

Generac 6,5-Watt Gasoline Powered Portable Generator-594 - The Home Depot