Generator Reviews

[Geronimo John]

A few years ago, generators were all over our forum. Nearly all portable generators were of standard Motor/Generator design.  I refer to them and my Dometic Penguin AC as "Hammer Mills".  Then Honda came out with their inverter line.  Super quiet, fuel efficient, and their EU 2000 watt unit with an EzStart would run our A/C units. The vast majority of us purchased the Honda inverter 2000 or 2200 units.  But they were, and are pricy.  

Time has passed and most of us still have the Hondas that you could not pry out of our dead hands. 

But much less costly Champion, Yamaha and Predator inverters (to name a few) have come into play.  With the OTT production rate acceleration, I suspect we have many new owners that likely would likely benefit from a revival of the topic.  This thread is intended to hear from our owners their thoughts about their generator.  Please touch upon the below as well as your experiences:  

• Generator Name and Model
• Cost of Purchase
• Power Output (Rated Full Load)
• Ability to handle our A/C cycling while switched to "Eco-Mode".  Please specify if you have an 11K BTU or 13.5K BTU A/C.
• Decibels idle and full power
• Ease of use
• Maintainability
• Reliability
• Durability
• Number of seasons used 

Thank you!

GJ

 

[Ollie-Haus]

I'm liking this a lot. Generators are advancing rapidly in tech and features and there are dozens of manufactures. Honda no longer owns the "quiet generator" market, and amazingly they seem to be getting smaller at the same time they are getting quieter. I have two linkable Sportsman 2200w inverter gens I bought several years ago. I'm willing to bet they are Honda knock-offs but they were really cheap, and they have turned out to be very reliable. They almost always start on the first or second pull of the cord. They are very quiet, the specs say 53 db, and of course very light weight at about 48 pounds. Looking them up I found they are now duel fuel for propane operation, and they are on sale at Tractor Supply for about $500 each. Wish I didn't already own two of the older ones. 

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sportsman-2-200-watts-dual-fuel-inverter-generator-gen2200dfi?cm_vc=-10005

[CnC]

After looking around at our needs for our Ollie's 2000 watt inverter and its lithium batteries, we chose the 2500 Champion dual fuel inverter based on price, weight and the fact that I never plan to use gasoline in it.  Note that propane wattage output is always less than that of gasoline.  It took us only a short time to realize the need for TWO regulators - the normal pressure regulator on the Ollie tanks AND the back-pressure regulator that comes with the unit for attaching it to a remote tank.  After some alternations, we were able to use propane regulator included with the Champion to hook up directly to the Ollie.

The propane-powered unit is reasonable quiet.  It runs our AC or microwave and it will provide our lithium batteries with about 28 amps of charge.  While you can buy two and link them together, we have had no need to do that.  We do use a null plug, which eliminates the need for grounding the unit.  Note that without it, the Ollie's surge protection won't like you!

We've had it over a year, but haven't had the need to use it much as our lithium batteries provide for most our needs.  But, we take it each boondocking trip and at 39# it is easy to load/unload into the back of the pickup.  At less than 18" high, it fits under the hard cover on our pickup.  We have made LP hose and electric cord so they reach our Ollie front connections without excess.

While our unit is a year old and Champion continues to change/upgrade them, it is similar to this unit, which can be viewed at https://www.amazon.com/Champion-Power-Equipment-200961-Ultralight/dp/B08L45W2V9/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2HQF8CA30OCBA&keywords=champion%2Bdual%2Bfuel%2Binverter%2Bgenerator&qid=1671671377&sprefix=Champion%2Bdual%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.c3015c4a-46bb-44b9-81a4-dc28e6d374b3&th=1

Last, but not least, I had the need to contact Champion's phone support.  It took a while to get through to a real person, but he was very helpful and supplied a part that I had screwed up when altering the back-pressure regulator to fit Ollie's LP connection.  He expedited the shipping and there was no charge for the new part.

In short, the Champion 2500 Dual Fuel Inverter works for us.

Charlie.

[Geronimo John]

REF:  Champion 2500 Watt Inverter:

• $484 Amazon Prime
• Dual fuel
• 38 pounds
• Super Quiet
• 2500 watts start and run rating

AMAZING!  🙂  It sure isn't a "Hammer Mill" like this grandpa's was!  

 

[Geronimo John]

Ok Owners, we still have not heard from you if you have one of these (and maybe others).  Likely some of the below are duplicates, and many appear to be knock-offs. Regardless they are options that did not exist a few years ago so an update is desired.

• General
• Generac
• GenMax
• Yamaha
• Cummings
• Westinghouse
• Wen 
• maXpeedingRod

Please chime if you have one of these, or others that may be out there.

Here is a link to a rather biased "review" (of sorts) by one author:  

https://www.bestproductsreviews.com/best-inverter-generator-for-rv?targetid=dsa-19959388920&matchtype=&device=c&campaignid=14938899091&creative=552785546059&adgroupid=131352087307&feeditemid=&loc_physical_ms=9032812&loc_interest_ms=&network=g&devicemodel=&placement=&keyword=$&target=&aceid=&adposition=&trackid=us_all_top_1_1&mId=407-132-4411&trackOld=true&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwJWdBhCYARIsAJc4idA_mIXoxat0WYNwsLz21nBgUkpw14WnLAE77N1nGfWewxzVZ-1agb4aArFUEALw_wcB

GJ

[Geronimo John]

On 12/21/2022 at 3:40 PM, CnC said:

We've had it over a year, but haven't had the need to use it much as our lithium batteries provide for most our needs. 

Charlie:  You are making a very salient point.  As Solar and Lithium technologies adoption and capabilities increase, the use of generators is being greatly reduced.  For our vintage of OTT, solar as a factory option priced us out.  So boondocking made having a Honda EU 2000 essential.  Now, in our case with 3 each 100 aH Battleborns, a 200w solar suit case, an upgraded PD converter, and an Orion DC/DC 30 amp charger we generally go 2 to 3 days without even unloading  our Honda or needing shore power.  This gives us much greater "power security".    

Point is that having a "Honda" is now very nice to have, not really essential.  This opens the door to purchase of less pricy generators.  A significant paradigm change.

GJ

[SeaDawg]

I will offer my comments on our Westinghouse 2500 (2200 running watts) with the caveat that we have an Elite with a 9500 Houghhton ac. We have only used the Westinghouse with the Houghton once, just to test it. Won't help anyone with a bigger ac make a decision. 

We normally use a Honda 1000 to recharge our 2x 105 ah agm batteries. Obviously,  that little gen won't run much of anything.

We bought the Westinghouse because it was on sale, ridiculously cheap, and we were building a pole barn on our property in nc with no power. We used it for an entire summer to run saws, charge drill batteries, and charge the trailer batteries. We didn't charge the trailer batteries with anything else in use. 

It's pretty quiet. Not as quiet as our now 15 year old Honda, which has also become louder,  but still pretty quiet. Meaning, you can have a conversation without shouting, without a long extension cord. It is a bit louder this year than last. Not a lot, but I  want to be honest. 

We rarely camp in organized campgrounds.  It's been fine, it's cheap, it has a number of nice features,  and if someone stole it next year, it wouldn't break my heart. We got plenty of heavy  use out of it, for two years. Yes, I'd be upset, but on sale, replacement would be around $400.

I can lift it in and out of the truck, and carry it up a hill, as a smaller but fairly strong woman, for my size,  and I can pull start it by myself. Those features,  I  really like. It can run most if the day on one tank of gas, even powering saws. And, it has a display to tell me low fuel, etc.

Edit to add, right now my Westinghouse is around $600. Watch for sales. But, even at $600, its a bargain, imo, for our purposes.

[CnC]

1 minute ago, Geronimo John said:

This gives us much greater "power security".

GJ, I agree.  Just in case the sun doesn't cooperate, the take-along Champion 2500 Dual Inverter is insurance as we cannot be deprived of our creature comforts.  I also take a 1000 watt Yeti AND a 300 watt Jackery.

After many cloudy days boondocking in Colorado a few years ago in a Sprinter Airstream, we actually NEEDED the 1000 watt Yeti as our Sprinter battery and four BBs ran "too low" to supply the needed 12.6 volts to kick in the solenoid for the onboard generator.  We plugged into the 1000 Yeti as if it was shore power and used it to boost to 12.6 so we could start the onboard gen to charge everything back up...  Damn, that old Onan was noisy 🤔

Charlie.

[Geronimo John]

46 minutes ago, CnC said:

Solar System, Champion 2500 Dual Inverter, a1000 watt Yeti AND a 300 watt Jackery.

Charlie: 

With a Solar System, Lithiums, a Champion 2500 Dual Inverter, a1000 watt Yeti AND a 300 watt Jackery (Power Station).... I think you take easily have mastered any concern for "Power Security"!  

Not that you would ever need it, but I bet you also have a set of 20 foot heavy duty jumper cables as we do!  

Well done.

GJ

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Geronimo John said:

This opens the door to purchase of less pricy generators. 

For us, the only reason to consider a generator is to run the air conditioner which might need a more expensive generator. The only reason we would buy one would be to power the AC to keep the dogs cool while we were on a long bike ride while doondocking . I’m not sure that this would be a good idea, but it is the only reason I can think of. So far, from what I’ve read, the new Honda 3200 would be the best to accomplish this. It would probably be easier and cheaper to just make sure we we plugged, but that’s not always possible. I will test our setup this spring and see how much run time I can get  out of our 640 Ah lithionics and our 3.6 kWh external battery on a sunny day in the low 90s and the AC set in the high 70s.  If I need more juice, I might consider the new 3200 Honda with a BERG external tank. 

Kirk

[Geronimo John]

8 hours ago, snakeriveridaho said:

So far, from what I’ve read, the new Honda 3200 would be the best to accomplish this

 

We have run our OE2 Dometic A/C for hours on our Honda EU2000.  Of course with an Ez start.  No need for a 3000 watt generator unless you want to be using the Microwave/Converter at the same time.

If going with a possibly "lesser quality" unit, then I would suggest a 2500 watt unit.

GJ

[ChrisMI]

We have a nice large Honda generator for the house and two cheaper knock off units for loaning to friends/family.  I find the cheaper units hit well below their weight class in performance and quality. The powerhorse 2300 I purchased from northern tool has an 80cc engine (vs the 120 on the Honda 2200) and spins pretty fast to barely run the microwave.  Voltage drops pretty fast when its worked as well. 
 

Going forward we’re installing a Truma AC unit and I see three possibilities for generators…

 

The new Honda 3200 

+ small, lightweight, high quality, just enough power, fuel efficient 

- spins faster so slightly louder and long term durability concerns? Expensive!

Dual Honda 2200’s

+ ample power, able to run AC at a lower idle? RPM, flexible 

- double the weight, double the maintenance, double the packing space, double the…

A single Honda 2200 and a Victron inverter/charger

+ small, light, easy, quiet

- constantly cycling the battery bank, added stress on the inverter/charger

I do not want the stress of always checking the voltage and micromanaging the loads.  When I need the AC, I need it.  No nonsense, all day if need be.

[Patriot]

We opted to roll with a Honda eu3000is Inverter. This past summer, we converted this inverter to Tri fuel (LP,LNG, gasoline), installing the HutchMountain LP conversion kit. I think we paid right at $2400 and change with my military discount at Northern Tool. I don’t have a lot run time since the unit is brand new. We did a shake down here at home this past summer and really were impressed with how super quiet the unit was in eco mode while running our OLE2’s 11.5 btu Penguin. The front quick connect made for an easy fuel source delivery from our 30# tanks. 
This coming May right before the rally, we are having the 13.5 BTU Truma Aventa AC installed by Oliver Service. Since the Aventa has no easy start available, we are glad we now have the eu3000is inverter. 

Pros - It’s a Honda and it is really whisper quiet and Hondas have a very long history of being extremely reliable, clean energy, electric start, manual cord pull back up, super easy to maintain. No more carrying, treating or dealing with smelly gasoline. With the LP kit it’s a much cleaner burning engine with regard to exhaust fumes/emmisions.
It’s not as portable as the smaller Honda inverters also meaning it cannot be just randomly picked up and stolen. So I list this as a Pro. (Yes I know if someone wants it bad enough, they will figure out a way). Our 1 ton TV cargo capacity can easily handle the weight of this inverter without any concerns. Strong owner reviews of the eu3000is and HM LP conversion kit. ✅

Cons - So yes, it is heavy weighing 130#. My bride/navigator and I can manage lifting this inverter off our TV tailgate into the gen basket relatively easy. It is on the higher end of cost for a generator including the LP conversion kit. 

A link to this LP conversion  - https://www.hutchmountain.com/products/honda-eu3000is-propane-natural-gas-gasoline-tri-fuel-conversion-kit  Note- installing the HM LP conversion kit you will loose the Honda warranty since it’s not a Honda product. The customer service at HM is 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 in my experience. I highly recommend this company.

A link to the Honda eu3000is - https://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/models/eu3000is

We also own a Honda eu7000is we purchased new which serves as our home portable back up generator. This pic is actually from yesterdays 3- hour power outage here in Western NC. We rolled out the eu7000is and it just purred along and kept us with all the power we needed to stay warm and continue on. It’s a Honda, super quiet, and extremely reliable in our 7 years of ownership. 
 

Edit 4/23/23 

We sold the below Honda eu7000is after having a 24KW LNG whole house generator installed.

The 24KW LNG standby aka last Jan.

 

 

[ChrisMI]

@Patriot the eu3000is is actually the ideal generator with it being quieter and having electric start. I just couldn’t get it up into the bed of our 1 ton. Do you find it vibrates the trailer while running it in the basket?  Nice setup!

[Patriot]

3 hours ago, ChrisMI said:

@Patriot the eu3000is is actually the ideal generator with it being quieter and having electric start. I just couldn’t get it up into the bed of our 1 ton. Do you find it vibrates the trailer while running it in the basket?  Nice setup!

Hey Chris,

First off thanks for the kudos! My wife and I both stepped into our trailer while it was running in the gen basket during our shake down and we did not feel any vibration at all and you could barely hear it.  Needless to say we are happy. We purchased a hydraulic lift table from harbor freight to initially load the gen onto the tailgate. It works great. From the tailgate to the gen tray we just both lean in, lift and set it in. 

-David
 

[Steve Morris]

1 hour ago, Patriot said:

We opted to roll with a Honda eu3000is Inverter. This past summer, we converted this inverter to Tri fuel (LP,LNG, gasoline), installing the HutchMountain LP conversion kit.

We've had our Honda EU3000is since 2011, and added the Hutch Mountain conversion in 2018. What a wonderful combination these make! We bought the generator for occasional power outages (with the consideration of an additional one for pairing if needed.) But have mostly used it for remote use of power tools.

We added the pneumatic tire kit to move it since it is a heavy beast. Maybe I can fabricate a tongue for it and tow it behind the Oliver when we get it! 🤪

(Surprisingly, with -5°F temps, -36°F wind chill, and up to 50 MPH winds, we have yet to have our power go out for more than a couple of minutes yesterday. Today, temps are up to zero, but winds are still high. Hopefully our luck holds.

[John and Debbie]

5 hours ago, ChrisMI said:

@Patriot the eu3000is is actually the ideal generator with it being quieter and having electric start. I just couldn’t get it up into the bed of our 1 ton. Do you find it vibrates the trailer while running it in the basket?  Nice setup!

Chris, somewhere I thought I read that Oliver doesn't recommend running the generator while in the basket.  Any concerns?

John

[Patriot]

@John Welte

Oliver actually calls the aluminum basket a “storage basket”. 😉 I personally don’t have any concerns about running our (LP fueled) Honda in the storage basket. When we do run it, it will be for a short duration to cool the interior down, recharge bats, and not for an extended period of time such as sleeping. Gotta use extreme care. 

Other owners may chime in and share a different point of view and their experiences. 

- David 

[topgun2]

31 minutes ago, John Welte said:

Any concerns?

I don't believe that it was vibration that caused Oliver to take this stance.  It has more to do with the exhaust from the generator being drawn into the cabin of the Oliver via the bath window and/or the bath fan or the vent.

Bill

[Geronimo John]

On 12/23/2022 at 11:28 AM, snakeriveridaho said:

 If I need more juice, I might consider the new 3200 Honda

SnakeRiverIdaho:

Interesting new generator.  Its 65 pounds packs a lot of power.  I could justify that weight in my basket; where as the traditional Honda 3K generator for my rig is just too much added tongue weight on our F-150 regardless of where I would put it. 

For those that need the power, I agree this would be a great choice.  However, it is certainly pricey.

GJ

[Patriot]

A pretty neat promo vid on the EU3200i.

 

 

[Patriot]

Coming soon the HM LP conversion kit for the 3200. 

https://www.hutchmountain.com/collections/propane-natural-gas-conversions/products/honda-eu3200i-propane-natural-gas-gasoline-generator-tri-fuel-kit

[CRM]

On 12/26/2022 at 3:54 PM, Patriot said:

A pretty neat promo vid on the EU3200i.

 

Thanks! I now know what I'm asking Santa for this year.

[LeBill]

I have a Generac IQ2000 inverter generator. It weighs 46 lbs, is as quiet as the 2000 watt Honda. I don't think it is a current product, but may be available on the secondary market. Mine works well, starts easily, only runs on gasoline. I have used it as a backup at home, where it powers both my furnace and refrigerator as long as they both don't start at the same time. In our OEI, it will recharge the standard batteries in about 1.5 to 2 hours.

[Patriot]

2 hours ago, CRM said:

Thanks! I now know what I'm asking Santa for this year.

As of yesterday according to the Manager of my local the Northern Tool warehouse in SC had 230 EU3200i gens sitting in their warehouse. Seems there should now be enough inventory for Santa to deliver you one. 😊