Dan
Timberville, VA Type of use: Home Back Up, Camping, RV Power, Tailgating, Hunting/Fishing, Other [farm]
We have owned 2 of these generators for about 7 years.
They have been used individually and in parallel with another unit. Used for camping, home backup, and farm use. Now that I bought an EU6500is it doesn't get used as much.
Several things this generator does GREAT at:
- Sips gas and very quiet.
- Lightweight and easy to move around.
- 1 pull to start (when gas is in the system - see below).
- Can truly provide the power the documentation says it can. Other manufactures I tested can not (obviously I've not tested all of them).
- I like that it has a fuel pump so you can set up an aftermarket external fuel tank for LONG run times. This was handy during power outages and when we only needed stuff with 120 Volt such as at night when you only want a few lights, clock, and fan.
- Clean power (sine wave). Safe for sensitive electronics! I checked this with a scope and it did show to be better than the power company. I've checked other generators and all non inverters have some degree of "dirty power" or noise in the sine wave. The older non Honda generator I had was very bad!
- Frequency output - how close to 60Hz is it and does it maintain 60Hz throughout it's load range? This is almost perfect!
- How long can it operate between rated and max load? Honda's site and owners manual says 30 minutes maximum time the generator can be run above the rated load. I haven't seen this info from other manufactures. I even called several manufactures directly and none would state exact time. Several did say "only said a few seconds".
- How available are parts, service, service manuals, etc. Several generators I looked at only had an owners manual no parts or service manuals. Yes, I called their service depts and asked at locations that were "qualified" to service them. Honda makes it easy to get all of them!
- Does have easy access drain for the carb.
- Can parallel with another generator to power heavier loads such as the A/C in the camper.
Now the things that would be nice to have or change.
- An hour meter would be nice.
- Changing oil is a pain to not get oil in the case or all over the place. A simple drain would be nice.
- A fuel shut off to run it out of fuel w/o having to drain the carb for short term storage.
- It would be nice to have a way to connect 2 EU2000is for 240 volt low power applications. I know it's possible since you do it with the EU6500is. I'm guessing it isn't done due to making it dummy proof.
- Load meter. I use a kill-a-watt to verify I am not above the rated load.
- A way to prime the fuel system when it is out of gas so you don't have to pull the starter rope as much to prime the system. I've found it primes easier with a full tank of fuel and let it sit a minute or two after you fill it.
Additional comments:
- Some folks say this will power (fill in the blank of a high load item) and if they look at what the power consumption is, it is above the 13.3 amps. They will ruin their generator and then blame the manufacture. An example of this is my EU2000 will power the A/C in my camper. However the draw is more than 13.3 amps, so I NEED 2 generators to not hurt them. So use an ammeter, watch what you are doing, and you should get thousands of hours out of these bad boys.
Now that I've said what I think could be changed let me make sure you all understand that this is the BEST small generator I've ever owned - and I've owned quite a few. These suggestions would just be icing on the cake - chocolate cake is my preference.
- 43 people found this review helpful, did you? Yes
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