Portable Honda Generator Alternative

[S/V Illusion]

Regardless of which you chose, use av-gas only in it and you will avoid most of the problems people encounter. Stabilizers also help.

[W32PAMELA]

Most of the new 2200 watt generators have an engine displacement of around 80cc while the Honda has 121 cc. IMHO there's a reason the Honda is known for starting heavier loads.

[a64pilot]

I don’t think you will find that the Honda is made by Honda in Japan either.
The Yamaha is a 79 CC engine as well.
I believe the Generac is actually quieter than the Honda, at least in Eco mode.
Generac is a major manufacturer of generators, is Wisconsin based and has I believe three manufacturing facilities all in Wisconsin.
However I doubt they build the little ones. In this day and age almost nothing is manufactured by the designing business, Apple products are for example I’m pretty sure not manufactured by Apple, but for Apple.

[Lepke]

One thing to say for propane powered engines is you don't have the gasoline stability or contamination problems. I have a friend with a duel fuel engine that's run only on propane. Sometimes the engines sits for months or years and still starts right away. But propane isn't as efficient as gas.

[Pete17C]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I don’t think you will find that the Honda is made by Honda in Japan either.
The Yamaha is a 79 CC engine as well.
I believe the Generac is actually quieter than the Honda, at least in Eco mode.
Generac is a major manufacturer of generators, is Wisconsin based and has I believe three manufacturing facilities all in Wisconsin.
However I doubt they build the little ones. In this day and age almost nothing is manufactured by the designing business, Apple products are for example I’m pretty sure not manufactured by Apple, but for Apple.

Isn't it the designer that sets the build to 'spec'. I don't think Honda just says 'make me a 2200w genset with my label on it', they spec each component.

The same factory may produce gensets for other companies, but they may also be 'spec'd' to a lower quality/cost.

[Pete17C]

some what dated, but I found this..

https://www.consumerreports.org/inve...ter-generator/

conclusion

"On points and performance, the Honda wins by a narrow margin, largely because of its ability to deliver power constantly and reliably—it works without tripping its own internal circuit breaker as we added to its load, right up to the generator’s claimed capacity. But the Predator is the clear winner on price. Were the warranties identical, we’d certainly crown the Predator as the better buy. But with a 90-day warranty, there’s no guarantee it will survive even a single season.

Our advice: If you’re going to use your recreational generator for camping or tailgating, consider buying the Predator. But if you also want to be able to rely on the generator as a source of backup power for your home (to keep the refrigerator and lights on during an outage), the Honda makes more sense and is a worthy investment."

spend you money wisely

[john61ct]

Yes lower quality brands can be very very quiet these days.

Of course, that's not the only factor that defines quality.

Yes propane conversion is very worthwhile, if you already have decent tank storage (much heavier than petrol)

No one is saying the top brands aren't building Chinese factories, even contacting outsourced manufacturing.

No one is saying Chinese inherently = bad quality.

Up to the brand owner to put proper QA standards in place to verify production is within specs, scrap the units that don't pass.

That of course drives up costs of production a lot.

[Mahaila]

No mention of the Champion 2000w. I got one at Home Depot for $350 and it’s excellent. Great service if needed. Wouldn’t buy any genny w/o econo mode. I also heavily use a Predator but nothing comes close to the Champion on price.

[stnick]

When you need a generator You expect it to work. Honda will do that .You can buy another model and save 200 or 300 hundred. But when it wont start its waisted money !

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Pete17C

Isn't it the designer that sets the build to 'spec'. I don't think Honda just says 'make me a 2200w genset with my label on it', they spec each component.



The same factory may produce gensets for other companies, but they may also be 'spec'd' to a lower quality/cost.

Of course and we had many Chinese manufactured flight control surfaces when the plant I worked at reopened, and the workmanship was outstanding, the metal to meet FAA requirements was shipped from the US and all the work however was done in China.
Chinese can be excellent quality, I suspicion that Timken bearings etc are Chinese made now, but the specs and quality control is good, so the parts are too.
It’s when a manufacturer seeks price above all else and shops in China that they can get absolute junk, cause they are paying for junk, so they get what they pay for.

However while I know absolutely nothing about the little Generac, they are a well established name and a US manufacturer that goes back decades. I’d hope that they won’t trash their reputation with a junk little generator, although sometimes that happens.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generac_Power_Systems

[FlyingScot]

I know the OP asked for alternatives, but I'll chime in and say buy the Honda. They last for many many years and they have excellent resale value if you choose to get rid of it. I own a 2000 and 2200. No regrets at all. I've left them running in the pouring rain with no ill effects. Some places are better to save money than others.

I'd buy a used Honda over a cheaper brand, except for maybe Yamaha.

[john61ct]

Yes, when the hedge fundies other "financial" players buy up a company, focus on short-term results, it's often disastrous for quality and the company long term.

Not saying that's happened here, but the fact they went public is not a great omen.

Wonder who makes their engines in these portables?

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by Mahaila

No mention of the Champion 2000w. I got one at Home Depot for $350 and it’s excellent. Great service if needed.

Do you mean you've found local engine shops can easily get parts, e.g. doing an overhaul?

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Regardless of which you chose, use av-gas only in it and you will avoid most of the problems people encounter. Stabilizers also help.

Av-gas is leaded gas. We only use leaded gas in airplane gas engines because they can't run on anything else for some very specific reasons, exactly none of which apply to a small gas generator. We got rid of leaded gas everywhere else for a damn good reason, lead is a toxic heavy metal. I can't imagine why you would expose yourself to that as an unproven method to avoid some nebulous "problems", and given that the "problems" aren't defined in the first place its very unclear how lead solves them.

[model 10]

Av gas also evaporates and leaves no residue at all and it smells good. If I could buy some at the fuel dock in Guatemala, I would. They are coming out with no lead Av gas so it don't matter anyway.