alternatives to honda and yamaha generators

[lloyd cicetti]

when one buys a generator, does everyone agree that the best for the money is a Honda or Yamaha 2000? Are there any alternatives for say $700 or less?

Thanks, Lloyd

[Jim Bennett]

The Honda 2000 is a proven good performer, and I would bet the Yamaha will be too as all their other offerings are good. If you pay less, you will get less, if not in performance, then in reliability or longevity. Myself, I would stick to Honda or Yamaha. The Kipor is one that a few use, though I really don't know how well they last, I am sure a few folks here have used them.

[Steve Dunkel]

I just sold the Honda EU2000iac that was purchased a month ago. Put it on Craigslist for roughly the same purchase amount and it sold within a couple of hours. I suppose that's one of the reasons for choosing a Honda over the less expensive brands.

[Ed Harris]

I have a Troybuilt 1000 watt generator that I bought several years ago for around $100.00 as a returned item from Lowes.
Right about this time of year when the storms blow through people buy Generators and then return them,making for some good deals.
I have used it for years and still do and I am very satisfied with it especially considering the price.
When my power goes out as it does every year during Tornado season I reach for this one first if all I need is a fan and a few lights.

I found a Honda 2000 last year and picked it up and I really like it too.
The Honda is actually smaller than the Troy and twice the output!
It is also quieter and with Eco-Mode more fuel efficient.

The Hondas are great but I would buy another Troybuilt in a heartbeat if given the same opportunity again.

I also saw the Kipor line at a few dealers this week and they were more money than the Honda,not less go figure?

[pjanits]

Ask and you shall receive.
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/MIL2132-1.html

I figure another year or so and gensets will be even cheaper

[Ed Harris]

Ask and you shall receive.
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/MIL2132-1.html

I figure another year or so and gensets will be even cheaper

Nice find Pete!
Is this what you use to power your Spark Gap Xmitter on Field Day?

HH
Ed
KC0UKR

[pjanits]

Nice find Pete!
Is this what you use to power your Spark Gap Xmitter on Field Day?

HH
Ed
KC0UKR

Ha , I couldn't resist.

[Alexandra B]

hey web site does not open.

I want to know what is the deal.

Alexandra

[Tom Trostel]

Cheaper Than Dirt link is a Chinese army surplus, hand cranked, generator mounted on a bench. Maybe this link will work for you.

http://www.armyradio.com/arsc/customer/pag...d_generator.htm

[Alexandra B]

OMG thats funny

[ronsmith100]

If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
I'm almost free
Take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you've got some place to go, if you're broken down
If you need some juice and the neighbor's gone
I'm almost free
Take a chance on me
Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie
If you put me to the test, if you let me try
$299.99
Harbor Freight
<span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%">Apologies to Abba </span>

[Darwin Maring]

I thought I could do better with a less expensive model only to be disappointed.

If you want one that meets the camp ground quiet specs and will do the trick, do the Honda because there are dealers everywhere so you can get it serviced if the need ever arises.

If you want cheep and loud, BJ’s Wholesale club sells a 2500 normal load and 3000W Max Startup load for $199. It’s not on their website however it is in the warehouse in Fredericksburg, VA.

It is too loud for campgrounds.

[MikeCM]

I purchase a knockoff Honda last year at an RV show. 1250 Watts, same noise rating, heavier though. Worked great all season, a neighbor broke the plastic pull starter off during the ice storm in December (I had owned it for 11 months at the time). Called the distributor looking for parts, they offered me two options: a warranty exchange, or full credit towards a larger one. I chose the same model for replacement. The new one has a metal housing on the starter.

Very happy with my choice, and the service and support from the distributor. I was not expecting a lot for the price, but am very happy with the $157 investment.

Mike

[Greg A]

Cheaper Than Dirt link is a Chinese army surplus, hand cranked, generator mounted on a bench. Maybe this link will work for you.

http://www.armyradio.com/arsc/customer/pag...d_generator.htm

I have a friend who lives "off the grid" and is a Libertarian writer. That is the one he uses to recharge his laptop so he can post his writings.

[lloyd cicetti]

Ron, do you own one of these from Harbor Freight? Is it quiet enough to run after 9pm in a campground? Can't believe it is that cheap. If you have one and like it and it has lasted a while,,,I live right near a Harbor Freight place. Thanks for the tip....Lloyd

[ronsmith100]

Ron, do you own one of these from Harbor Freight? Is it quite enough to run after 9pm in a campground? Can't believe it is that cheap. If you have one and like it and it has lasted a while,,,I live right near a Harbor Freight place. Thanks for the tip....Lloyd

No I dont own one... the Abba lyrics were just a joke. I wouldn't take the chance.

[Casita Greg]

With generators or anything else you care to buy...caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).
When you buy stuff like these scrap iron chinese surplus bargain junk gensets, you get surplus (read: you won't be happy with it) bargain junk. It's really silly to entertain the thought that you can pay for a Yugo but expect to get a Lexus. Junk and quality are two separate issues, and never the twain shall meet. Save your money until you can afford a good one, you will only regret doing otherwise in the long run.

[ronsmith100]

With generators or anything else you care to buy...caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).
When you buy stuff like these scrap iron chinese surplus bargain junk gensets, you get surplus (read: you won't be happy with it) bargain junk. It's really silly to entertain the thought that you can pay for a Yugo but expect to get a Lexus. Junk and quality are two separate issues, and never the twain shall meet. Save your money until you can afford a good one, you will only regret doing otherwise in the long run.

Pretty much my thinking in the 60s. No one in their right mind would buy a Mitutoyo micrometer. Pure junk they were.

[Pete Dumbleton]

When you buy stuff like these scrap iron chinese surplus bargain junk gensets, you get surplus (read: you won't be happy with it) bargain junk. It's really silly to entertain the thought that you can pay for a Yugo but expect to get a Lexus. Junk and quality are two separate issues, and never the twain shall meet. Save your money until you can afford a good one, you will only regret doing otherwise in the long run.

I believe it is inaccurate to class the Kipor, et al, inverter-generators as plus junk -- IMHO, they aren't as good as the Honda-Yamaha sets, but they aren't all that bad. They are just pretty good copies of the Japanese designs (Ironic, indeed), slightly over-priced for what they are because they stand in the reflected glory of the better H-Ys and don't seem to have anywhere near the support networks. There are some bad ones, but many more good ones, just as there are bad Hondas and Yamahas, but the bad Kipors seem to get more press on groups like this.

[Kurt & Ann K.]

This pretty much goes under the heading "you get what you pay for"!
Like the lesson one of my sons experienced. He needed a specialty tool for a job. Thinking he'd only need it for one job, he bought a cheap one. Half way through the job it broke. Now he had to take a couple hours off to obtain a replacement, ...yup, you guess it, he bought a second "cheapy". It broke just as he finished the job.
A couple of days later he needed that tool again. Time is money, and the time he'd wasted replacing the original tool, & the cost of the 2 broken ones more than made up for the price of a new Snap-On tool, and he did not yet possess a working tool! Lesson learned even if it did cost him more than twice the cost of buying the good tool from the beginning.
If your contemplated purchase is something you are going to have to depend on, save your time and money, save up for another season, (and let your friends and relatives collectively contribute towards a great birthday, Father's Day or Christmas gift). It's much more enjoyable to give towards a gift that one knows is truly desired.

Food for thought today...!
Kurt & Ann K.