OT: portable generator advice sought :OT

RRP

I'm in the market for a portable gas fired electric generator for quite limited useage. I just want one that can power a HD wet/dry vacuum, or a pancake compressor, or a pressure washer - with none of them running at the same time. I'd like to stay in the range of $200 to $350 tops. I know Harbor Freight sell cheap ones, but I prefer to stick with a brand name, like Honda.

northGAcock

Ron....the Honda 1000w (should meet your requirements) runs around $800. I have the 2000, and love it. Honda’s are workhorses and worth the money, if you use them frequently.

For limited use as you have described, perhaps a Yamaha would be better on point...cost wise. Not sure where they land...but believe they are at a lower price point than Honda. 

I see that energizer (battery company) has come out with one at the $550 price point. It throws out 1600 w. 

I sure others will weigh in....I don’t have personal knowledge of what is available at your target price point....Honda ain’t gonna hit it though. 

milesvdustin

The harbor freight generators get great reviews. I wouldn't hesitate 

Woodchunk

Home Depot has the sportsman 2000 on sale for 199$. 2 110 outlets

Botch

You missed the market flooding with preowned/unused generators in January, Year 2000, huh?  

DoubleEgger

If it’s being used infrequently, get the one @northGAcock recommended. At least you know it’ll start after sitting around for a long time. 

alaskanassasin

Run the gas out of it if you’re going to let it sit

SaltySam

I got a Wen 2000 Watt inverter generator off of Woot.com a few years ago for about $350.  It’s quiet and ran my AC unit in my camper all night.  It paid for itself during a three day power outage after a windstorm.  I’d compare it to a Honda

northGAcock

alaskanassasin said:

Run the gas out of it if you’re going to let it sit

....and burn only non ethanol gas as well. 

chabs

Honda 2000 would get my vote, the price difference between the 1000 and the 2000 is minimal. Have had one for awhile and love it, Always reliable and most importantly to me quiet. If you ever intend to take it camping, tailgating etc. The quietness of the Honda will be appreciated by all.

If available in your area I'd second the recommendation on non-ethanol fuel if you can find it.

OhioEgger

I have to agree that if noise matters to you then definitely get a Honda. There is a big difference between their portable generators and everyone else's.

GregW

I have a 3kw Honda generator. It is the inverter model. It is safe to use to power electronics.

I used it to power my home after the April 27, 2011 tornado in Alabama.

It ran for 7 days continuously 24hrs per day. I refueled it while it was running.

It was quiet and the neighbors never complained. It probably helped that I ran cord over to keep their refrigerators going.

You would be surprised at how much fuel a generator consumes under these run conditions. I think it used 15 gallons per day if memory serves.

It's been a good investment.

odie91

I'm curious what all your opinions are on ethanol treatment for small engines.  I use Startron additive fwiw...

milesvdustin

I use the blue sta bil for marine use, and sometimes a little marvel oil 

Toxarch

Look on YouTube at the comparison of the quiet Hondas to the quiet Habor Freight models. For occasional use, the HF models are pretty quiet, nice price, and get good reviews. 

For gas treatment I use marine stabil or seafoam. 

fishlessman

i would be tempted to go with the dual fuel 2200 sportsman inverter, its about 500 bucks but you can run propane and not deal with this cruddy ethanol gas.  i run all the small gas engines dry now after use, not really the best thing to do but this ethanol is always a problem with the small engines

JethroVA

Can't go wrong with a Honda.  But if budget is tight, the cheaper ones are fine if you start them up once a month.  I have decent access to non-ethanol gas and I try to use that. 

HeavyG

Ethanol free gas can be difficult to find at gas stations in some areas. However, if you really want to buy some go to a local small airport and buy some avgas as it is always ethanol free.

fishlessman

have resorted to buying the homedepot gas for 24 bucks a gallon for the ice auger, nothing worse than working on an ice auger on a sub zero day in the wind.  luckily a quart lasts me a season

RRP

fishlessman said:

have resorted to buying the homedepot gas for 24 bucks a gallon for the ice auger, nothing worse than working on an ice auger on a sub zero day in the wind.  luckily a quart lasts me a season

A mere quart lasts you for a full winter season? Excuse my stupidity...I have a tiny 35 year old ECHO grass trimmer that runs like striped *ssed monkey" that uses more non-ethanol gas a summer than a quart!

alaskanassasin

Can you drill a hole in ice with it?

RRP

alaskanassasin said:

Can you drill a hole in ice with it?

Hmmm - guess I'll have to go to our local ice rink tomorrow and see

OshawaDave

milesvdustin said:

The harbor freight generators get great reviews. I wouldn't hesitate 

I'm on a couple of RV forums and there were recent posts for how good HF Predator series generator are. The guy couldn't say enough good about them and he used them commercially. I've read good things about the Champion series available at Costco.

alaskanassasin

If you are considering a off brand make sure you know where to take it if it needs repairs. Along those lines consider parts availability 

OshawaDave

fishlessman said:

i would be tempted to go with the dual fuel 2200 sportsman inverter, its about 500 bucks but you can run propane and not deal with this cruddy ethanol gas.  i run all the small gas engines dry now after use, not really the best thing to do but this ethanol is always a problem with the small engines.

In Canada our premium gas (91-93 octane) is ethanol free. I run them dry at end of season only.

pgprescott

OshawaDave said:

milesvdustin said:

The harbor freight generators get great reviews. I wouldn't hesitate 

I'm on a couple of RV forums and there were recent posts for how good HF Predator series generator are. The guy couldn't say enough good about them and he used them commercially. I've read good things about the Champion series available at Costco.

We have a couple Predators at work including the small 2000w. No complaints. Especially for the money. They are no Honda, but unless you need the Honda.......

fishlessman

RRP said:

fishlessman said:

have resorted to buying the homedepot gas for 24 bucks a gallon for the ice auger, nothing worse than working on an ice auger on a sub zero day in the wind.  luckily a quart lasts me a season

A mere quart lasts you for a full winter season? Excuse my stupidity...I have a tiny 35 year old ECHO grass trimmer that runs like striped *ssed monkey" that uses more non-ethanol gas a summer than a quart!

i run the auger blade by hand til theres about 20 inches of ice, that way im not carrying the auger motor all day.  the new augers are incredibly fast, an 8 inch hole thru 14 inches of ice is 20 something seconds by hand. withe the motor 30 holes in 5 t0 10 minutes depending how far i space them.  what really keeps the gas use down is alot of lakes here have a two trap limit

fishlessman

OshawaDave said:

fishlessman said:

i would be tempted to go with the dual fuel 2200 sportsman inverter, its about 500 bucks but you can run propane and not deal with this cruddy ethanol gas.  i run all the small gas engines dry now after use, not really the best thing to do but this ethanol is always a problem with the small engines.

In Canada our premium gas (91-93 octane) is ethanol free. I run them dry at end of season only.

it screws up the gas lines on the boat, engines run dry at the end of the weekends, run the whole system including tanks year end.  almost never let the ethanol gas last more than a few weeks even with stabilizer in it, i have some old ethanol just for lighting fires and it doesnt even burn good for that

AB1234

A 2000 watt generator should service each of those individually.  The Honda 2000 watt inverter generator is nice but will cost you $1,000.  The Harbor Freight Generators are nice and inexpensive.  Check the HF website for coupons they go on sale often.  

Run ethanol free gas if you can. Use the pure-gas website to check for gas stations in your area with ethanol free gas.

https://www.pure-gas.org/ 


I add seafoam to my gas as a stabilizer.  I try to run the generator several times a year for about 30 minutes.  Once a year I drain the gas and top it off with fresh fuel.  

MaskedMarvel

We finally bit the bullet and bought a generator last hurricane. Glad we did. 

We got the brand our local generator RENTAL COMPANY uses. We always know where to get service and parts, now. Cost me about $600. Got a great deal. 

We only run non ethanol in all out small engines. The generator has a fuel shut off that gets turned and then runs the line out. The backup tank and generator have stabilizer in it, as well. Ready to go. 

Costco has a REALLY NICE generac generator i saw the other day. They were running a $200 off on it. If I had seen it without owning a generator already I would buy it. Still might. $700 IIRC

I dont think anyone has asked how portable you need yours to be? Mine does not have wheels. A real PITA. Get a wheeled generator. Trust me. 

Let us know what you decide!

OshawaDave

fishlessman said:

OshawaDave said:

fishlessman said:

i would be tempted to go with the dual fuel 2200 sportsman inverter, its about 500 bucks but you can run propane and not deal with this cruddy ethanol gas.  i run all the small gas engines dry now after use, not really the best thing to do but this ethanol is always a problem with the small engines.

In Canada our premium gas (91-93 octane) is ethanol free. I run them dry at end of season only.

it screws up the gas lines on the boat, engines run dry at the end of the weekends, run the whole system including tanks year end.  almost never let the ethanol gas last more than a few weeks even with stabilizer in it, i have some old ethanol just for lighting fires and it doesnt even burn good for that

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I agree with you completely and I won't use ethanol in any small engines for the reasons you've cited. I only use premium fuel (ethanol free)