Looking for a decent generator.. 5000 watts

BrianDT · Jan 3, 2016

I am looking for a good quality generator that will be close to 5,000 watts. I need it to run a refrigerator, open garage doors and maybe run a few tools if needed. This would not be to run a full home! Just our cabin that is pretty rustic.

I need one that will work when needed and will put out clean power as we have sensitive devices that we use once and a while and power is only working out there 75% of the time.

I am looking at this Subaru.... but question if it is better than others.... Here is the only review I can find on it.

dfkrug · Jan 3, 2016

How do you figure you need 5000W?

Motors do need a lot of power to start, and any kind of heater will take gobs of power.

But, if you don't run a lot of things at the same time, and you don't have any big motors,
you may be happier with something smaller.

I have a 5000W (6250) and I hate it. Noisy and thirsty. It is a flathead Generac, and it IS
much noisier than any OHV unit. I need 2000W to start my reefer, but it only needs 100W when
running. Something like a table saw will take more, but I don't use them in an outage.

So I am going to get a 2000W inverter genset, like the Honda EU2000, or the equivalent from
Yam or Kaw. I might even try one of the Chinese 2000W units, like the Ryobi or Coleman.

dragoneggs · Jan 3, 2016

Look at Honda 3000iS. Very very quiet. Electric start. Has Eco throttle mode so very conservative on fuel. Plenty of power for my occasional power outage needs and somewhat portable. A bit spendy though.

4570Man · Jan 3, 2016

Depending on what kind of power tools you have in mind you won't need 5,000 watts. Also electric heat will take loads of power. I would look at a 3000 watt Honda or piggy backing 2 2000 watt Hondas. Picky backing them is cheaper and provides more power.

dragoneggs · Jan 3, 2016

4570Man said:
Depending on what kind of power tools you have in mind you won't need 5,000 watts. Also electric heat will take loads of power. I would look at a 3000 watt Honda or piggy backing 2 2000 watt Hondas. Picky backing them is cheaper and provides more power.

Not really cheaper for the two about the same I think ($2000) but you do get some more wattage. The 3000 is quieter than a 2000 and you have one machine vs. two to maintain... the two reasons I went with the 3000. One advantage going the 2 by 2K route is you can grab one of them and take with you much easier (weight) than a 3000.

4570Man · Jan 3, 2016

dragoneggs said:
Not really cheaper for the two about the same I think ($2000) but you do get some more wattage. The 3000 is quieter than a 2000 and you have one machine vs. two to maintain... the two reasons I went with the 3000. One advantage going the 2 by 2K route is you can grab one of them and take with you much easier (weight) than a 3000.

Only if being portable isn't important to you. They make another 3,000 watt that weighs only 73 pounds vs 130 pounds, but it cost $2,500. I already have a whole house generator, so my little 2,000 watt generator must be easily portable.

bigdeano · Jan 3, 2016

Maybe the OP has a well pump and needs the 5kw. Sorry I haven't had personal experience except my 10kw diesel homemade.

zzvyb6 · Jan 3, 2016

Honda EU6500IS. Quiet, efficient, electric start, uses the starting battery for the surge off of idle mode. Remote control start option. You get what you pay for.

reb · Jan 3, 2016

FWIW, my daughter works for a large equipment rental company. Their Subaru generators apparently hold up well. I would have bought one a few years ago, but I thought the price was a bit high for my application.

newbury · Jan 3, 2016

OP - How important is $$?
The one you are looking at seems to run about $1K

4570Man said:
Depending on what kind of power tools you have in mind you won't need 5,000 watts. Also electric heat will take loads of power. I would look at a 3000 watt Honda or piggy backing 2 2000 watt Hondas. Picky backing them is cheaper and provides more power.

This is a $2K up solution, and if he REALLY needs 5KW at one time he'd need two of the 3KW for about 4 grand.

reb said:
FWIW, my daughter works for a large equipment rental company. Their Subaru generators apparently hold up well. I would have bought one a few years ago, but I thought the price was a bit high for my application.

I had a small Robin/Subaru and it was great, until one of my son's "borrowed" it.

OP - Your choice looks good if you really need 5KW

IslandTractor · Jan 3, 2016

If you keep your eye out there are good used generators on the market through CL. I picked up a 6000watt liquid cooled Honda that makes no more noise than an idling Accord when someone upgraded to a permanent automatic LP generator. Also, many people sell generators because they need the carburetor cleaned which takes about half an hour. If you need something right away and are on a budget, the HF Predator generators are good deals. Not necessarily the very best or quietest generators on the planet but the price is hard to beat (and they do work fine). Subaru/Robin engines are great too. I'd personally stay clear of the high priced Yamaha/Honda inverter generators unless you are using it for an RV or camp.

3930dave · Jan 3, 2016

Equipment rental operations can be a good resource:

1) You may be able to rent, or get a demo on, a unit you are interested in. Useful, unless you don't mind loud.

2) A good shop will keep up with maintenance, and many will turn their rental stock over fairly often. You may get a shot at buying a higher-end generator with a scratch or 2, at a reasonable price.

Others are paying a bit more attention in recent years, but Honda and Yamaha are two lines I'd also check out if I wanted quiet performance, w/o additional modifications. Inverter gens are neat to have in one package, but there are other options.....

A good quality UPS will clean up the power from most generators. If your grid power is bouncing around that much, you probably should run a UPS on your critical items regardless if a generator is used.

Just my :2cents: .....

Rgds, D.

Larry Caldwell · Jan 4, 2016

I have two generators. The one that gets used most is a 1100/900 watt 2-cycle camp generator that is very quiet. It's not an inverter model, it's an interruptor model that just cuts the spark when voltage gets too high. It will run 4.5 hours on a gallon of mixed gas, and besides camp use it will run either the freezer, refrigerator or satellite TV, but only one at a time.

I paid $149 at Coastal Farm about 15 years ago. Don't leave fuel in it.

My other generator is a 5000/4500 watt Harbor Freight cheapie that I paid $279 for in 1997. It will run the well pump, which is not very relevant since I have a 2500 gallon gravity feed cistern. It will also run the water heater, which is a real luxury. Even so, we can take a hot bath by heating a laundry tub of water on the wood stove and mixing it with cold water in the bathtub. The generator has a spark arrestor, not a muffler, and is so loud it will give you a headache if you are in 100' of it. I also used it for building an addition to the barn. Since 1997 it probably has about 70 or 80 hours on it. It will run about an hour on a gallon of gas (90 minutes on a 1.5 gallon tank). When I put it away I drain all the fuel, fog the cylinders, bag the intake and exhaust and store it in a dry barn. It will sit for a couple of years and still start fine. The only modification I have made is to weld an axle and handles to the roll cage and install wheels. I should install a muffler too, but have never got around to it.

newbury · Jan 7, 2016

Well even though the OP has not returned I thought I'd throw this into the thread -
Costco has the

Champion 3500wt Running / 4375wt Peak Portable Generator, 5% THD, CARB & EPA Certified

on sale for $350.
Big point about this one is that it's good for sensitive electronics.
Champion 3500wt Running / 4375wt Peak Portable Generator, 5% THD, CARB & EPA Certified
doesn't do 240V

kcflhrc · Jan 7, 2016

I bought this one at Sams when it was on sale for $299 a month or so ago

Black Max 3,600-Watt Portable Gas Generator - Sam's Club

buickanddeere · Jan 7, 2016

For power with no concern about noise, Champion is a good as any. As others have stated the sound insulated Invertor generators .

GPintheMitten · Jan 7, 2016

Why not use a power surge protector for electronics?

dragoneggs · Jan 7, 2016

GPintheMitten said:
Why not use a power surge protector for electronics?

I think it is more about signal noise and waveform than a surge or spike.

GPintheMitten · Jan 7, 2016

BrianDT said:
I am looking for a good quality generator that will be close to 5,000 watts. I need it to run a refrigerator, open garage doors and maybe run a few tools if needed. This would not be to run a full home! Just our cabin that is pretty rustic.

I need one that will work when needed and will put out clean power as we have sensitive devices that we use once and a while and power is only working out there 75% of the time.

I am looking at this Subaru.... but question if it is better than others.... Here is the only review I can find on it.

Seriously, garage door openers can be released to work manually. Just pull the cord to release it from the drive track. Refrigerators, lights and a few tools don't use much.

As to sensitive electronics, get a UPS like this for less than $60.
Object moved

Then clean power won't be so critical and you can get a cheaper and smaller portable generator.