Don't know crap about them and I'm looking  for something that I can take to my lease to power the lights, etc in the bunkhouse.  

I've got a Coleman at home, works O.K.  This summer I rented a Honda to do some work on our Alaska cabin.  I was very impressed with the Honda.  Quiet and nice "clean" power.

Hondas are very nice generators

Kinda depends on what precisely you want and the price range you’re interested in.  For starters, you need to decide how much power you need.

Honda supposedly makes really nice portable gas-powered generators – but they are quite expensive.

Anyway, the AR15.com Survival Forum has an awesome thread on generators.

No doubt generators are going to be in short supply right now due to Katrina.

I have a generac which I am happy with.

The two things I would advise to look for would be a low oil pressure shut down, so the engine doesn't toast itself if there is a problem, and a generator which idles when there is no electrical load.  I think honda engines are the best around.  Check out northern equipment online for some slightly more reasonably priced generators with honda engines.

First, all you need is a little plutoninum...

Makita makes some top-quality stuff, mostly based on Subaru-Robin engines. Their 1100 watt "suitcase" model is now being carried by Home Depot. Very quiet, according to published specs.

Yamaha is also top-drawer, although my favorite model (the compact, relatively affordable, very fuel-efficient YG2600) has apparently been discontinued.

IMO, a generator needs to be capable of reliably starting a full-sized refrigerator (or a decent-sized room air conditioner) - which means a model in the 2500 watt range. 2500 watts will also run most power tools, or an average water well pump. Anything larger tends to be overkill (which wastes fuel), and anything smaller won't keep the food in your fridge and freezer from spoiling.

Quoted: Lets make this simple. If it needs an engine, and Honda makes it, buy the Honda.

+1

I currently have 3 generators, all of them Honda.  I wouldn't  own anything else!

+1 for Honda.

Max

Depends on how much stuff you want to power, but if around 1500 - 2000 watts are enough, consider a Honda EU2000i.  Around $1,100.  Small, light, and VERY quiet.  I bought one a few months ago to use during sailing trips, but it really got put to use during the aftermath of Katrina... I put about 220 hours on it over a period of a week and a half or so, and it never missed a beat.  It sat right outside my door, and I could barely hear it running.  In contrast, my neighbor's teeth-rattling 6000 watt Coleman was so loud that conversation was difficult anywhere in its vicinity.  Of course, he can power an air conditioner (mine will to, but it would struggle a bit) and a lot of other stuff, but I got by just fine with this little Honda powering lights, fans, computer stuff, fish tank, etc.

Honda EU series generators operate quite differently than traditional generators.  I'm no electrical engineer, but I think I have a pretty good grasp on the difference.  Rather than having to maintain a constant RPM to provide the 60hz AC, the Honda actually generates DC, and inverts it to AC.  This enables the engine to run at whatever speed is necessary to meet the load placed on it, dramatically reducing noise, fuel usage, and presumably wear & tear on the engine.  In other words, when I first start the generator, it runs at idle.  If I turn on a few lights and fans, it still runs at idle.  If I turn on the microwave, it runs much faster to meet the load (but is still quieter than regular generators), then slows back down when the microwaving is done.  On top of that, the AC produced by these generators if very clean.  My old Coleman 3000 watt sometimes caused my wireless router to spontaneously restart, and other little problems.

For a little less $$$ you can get an even smaller and lighter EU1000i, but it has half the power (still plenty for lights and fans, but probably not a microwave).

However, note that just because the motor says "Honda" on it, it does not mean it's one of these super-quiet inverter models... only the EU1000i, EU2000i, and EU3000i.

The downside... these Hondas are significantly more expensive than traditional generators of similar wattage.  To me, after owning a big, bulky, loud, gas-hogging generator for a couple of years, it is worth every penny.

--Mike

Quoted: Don't know crap about them and I'm looking  for something that I can take to my lease to power the lights, etc in the bunkhouse.

Havent tried it but looks interesting.
Convert a Mower to a Generator

If you're going over 2500 Watts, be sure to get one with an electric start! You'll never regret it.

I reinjured my shoulder during Charlie last year pull-starting a Generac. I now have an electric start with a built in trickle charger and it's sweet. Besides my bride of 36 years can now start that sucker while I catch another fourty winks.

Survival Forum Generator FAQ

I've used Hondas.  They're very well made.  
Other than that, I'm no expert on generators, but I can tell you this, quiet is worth $.  Quiet is worth your sanity.  A friend of mine lives in Punta Gorda (remember Hurricane Charlie?).  Right now he's trying to decide whether to commit himself to a mental institution or just go on a tristate murder spree because of his neighbor's LOUD generator.

Quoted: I've used Hondas.  They're very well made.   Other than that, I'm no expert on generators, but I can tell you this, quiet is worth $.  Quiet is worth your sanity.  A friend of mine lives in Punta Gorda (remember Hurricane Charlie?).  Right now he's trying to decide whether to commit himself to a mental institution or just go on a tristate murder spree because of his neighbor's LOUD generator.

Not to mention that a loud generator is a security risk:

Jack Jones, a retired oil rig worker, bought a huge generator and stocked up on gasoline. But after hearing automatic gunfire on the next block one night, he became too afraid to use it - for fear of drawing attention.

The first name in generators is almost always Honda.

You can't beat a Honda EU2000i for what you want it for. It's very quiet, lightweight, fuel efficient and produces clean power. In times of emergency getting fuel will be you're biggest problem. Rotating stocks of stored gasoline is a PIA. On the negative side this generator is more expensive then other brands but is well worth it IMO.



www.mayberrys.com/honda/generator/models/eu2000i.htm

Honda!!!!

I've had them all and Honda is the ONLY one I would buy over again.

Quoted: You can't beat a Honda EU2000i for what you want it for. It's very quiet, lightweight, fuel efficient and produces clean power. In times of emergency getting fuel will be you're biggest problem. Rotating stocks of stored gasoline is a PIA. On the negative side this generator is more expensive then other brands but is well worth it IMO. www.mayberrys.com/honda/generator/models/eu2000i.htm

+1 on the eu2000 if it is enough power for your needs

People are raving about the Pep Boy's chinese licensed Honda's at $319.00 each. Haven't tried one myself. 3.5kw peak. 3kw normal.

M4-AK

Quoted: Quoted: You can't beat a Honda EU2000i for what you want it for. It's very quiet, lightweight, fuel efficient and produces clean power. In times of emergency getting fuel will be you're biggest problem. Rotating stocks of stored gasoline is a PIA. On the negative side this generator is more expensive then other brands but is well worth it IMO. www.mayberrys.com/honda/generator/models/eu2000i.htm +1 on the eu2000 if it is enough power for your needs

How much of one's home can one power with these?

6500w, husky,honda power, $1,300

Quoted: +1 on the eu2000 if it is enough power for your needs How much of one's home can one power with these?

Not much.  I don't think it will power a refrigerator, but it can easily handle a microwave, lights, fans, computer, TV, etc.  If I'm not mistaken, the EU2000i has a (continuous) 1600 watt rating.  So, you'd need to go around the house and take note of the power requirements of the various things you want to run off the generator, add them up, and see what figure you come up with.  As mentioned before, during Katrina I ran 4 fans, a table lamp, the aquarium, and some computer stuff, and the Honda was running just a hair above idle (in other words, it wasn't even close to approaching the limit).  With the microwave on, it ran at near full throttle.

The Honda's main benefits are portability and quiet.  If that's important to you, there are few other choices (the EU3000i will provide significantly more power and is still quiet, but is quite a bit bigger).  If you want to be able to run a lot of appliances, however, you'll need one of those 6000+ watt generators.

--Mike

Quoted: Quoted: +1 on the eu2000 if it is enough power for your needs How much of one's home can one power with these? Not much.  I don't think it will power a refrigerator, but it can easily handle a microwave, lights, fans, computer, TV, etc.  If I'm not mistaken, the EU2000i has a (continuous) 1600 watt rating.  So, you'd need to go around the house and take note of the power requirements of the various things you want to run off the generator, add them up, and see what figure you come up with.  As mentioned before, during Katrina I ran 4 fans, a table lamp, the aquarium, and some computer stuff, and the Honda was running just a hair above idle (in other words, it wasn't even close to approaching the limit).  With the microwave on, it ran at near full throttle. The Honda's main benefits are portability and quiet.  If that's important to you, there are few other choices (the EU3000i will provide significantly more power and is still quiet, but is quite a bit bigger).  If you want to be able to run a lot of appliances, however, you'll need one of those 6000+ watt generators. --Mike

Thanks, that's great info.  I see also that you can run two e2000i's in parallel for 4k watts, but you're going to spend $2k for a pair of 'em.  Did you just run extension cords or do you have a way to plug it into your home power?

Generac is the way to go.

I have two gensets at home, a Honda EB5000XK1 and a smaller EB2500XK1 to back up the larger rig. Both gensets are utterly reliable and produce clean dependable power. I have had zero issues with either and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to others.

If I had to do it all over again though I'd probably spend a bit more for an 1800 RPM diesel rig. They run slower, are quieter, and last longer. The 3600 RPM Hondas are great, but mine are pretty loud. The XK series is Honda's industrial/heavy commercial series-so they aren't known for being quiet.

Here is one of mine, the smaller 2500XK1:



I opted for the XK series on the smaller genset too because I needed a locking plug compatible with our hardwired transfer switch at home.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: +1 on the eu2000 if it is enough power for your needs How much of one's home can one power with these? Not much.  I don't think it will power a refrigerator, but it can easily handle a microwave, lights, fans, computer, TV, etc.  If I'm not mistaken, the EU2000i has a (continuous) 1600 watt rating.  So, you'd need to go around the house and take note of the power requirements of the various things you want to run off the generator, add them up, and see what figure you come up with.  As mentioned before, during Katrina I ran 4 fans, a table lamp, the aquarium, and some computer stuff, and the Honda was running just a hair above idle (in other words, it wasn't even close to approaching the limit).  With the microwave on, it ran at near full throttle. The Honda's main benefits are portability and quiet.  If that's important to you, there are few other choices (the EU3000i will provide significantly more power and is still quiet, but is quite a bit bigger).  If you want to be able to run a lot of appliances, however, you'll need one of those 6000+ watt generators. --Mike Thanks, that's great info.  I see also that you can run two e2000i's in parallel for 4k watts, but you're going to spend $2k for a pair of 'em.  Did you just run extension cords or do you have a way to plug it into your home power?

It's not designed to provide power to your house through a wired transfer switch. It' claim to fame is it's portability, dependability, clean power and fuel economy.  It's more of an emergency back-up  to your 10,000W standby dual fuel generator or as a bugout/RV/camping generator.  

It's rated "AC output: 120V 2000W. (2.0 kVA) max. (16.6A), 1600W (1.6kVA) rated (13.3A)" and in testing it around the house I haven't found anything that it will not operate including a 5300 BTU AC, med. refrigerator, med. freezer, 1500 watt heater etc. Obviously you can't have more then one appliance of this type operating at the same time. It's more of a back-up  to your 10,000W standby dual fuel generator.

 What do want to power?

 Do you want your household to function without missing a beat?


  I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be able to power a fridge off and on during a natural disaster  related power outage. In between, be able to run some simple lights and maybe a fan or two. The  Honda eu2000i fits the bill perfectly.

 Lights: Get the Bayco Fluorescent  work lights . They are only 13 watts and put the light out. At that wattage you can light the damn neigborhood if you have enough cord and lights!

 Fans: Wattage varies...mine is 135 watts.

 Fridge: 1900 watts to start and 675 continuous load.

 Window AC unit: 8,000 BTU and 850 watts.


  Honda has it all. Best warranty, the eu series is quiet as hell, and they run when you are at your most vulnerable.

  It was the best $1,067.79 I have ever spent.

 

 

Buy a quiet generator. Honda and Yamaha make the best.

A honda motor and a good genset head. Mine is a honda 11 horse 6000 watt. I alsohave  one of the lowes 10 Tecuseh(spelling) motor, 5250 watt  made by Devilbiss, not even close to the honda.

I have a Honda 3500 as well.  Get the largest one you can afford.  It really doesnt take too much to reach the full capacity of the generator.

Quoted: Lights: Get the Bayco Fluorescent  work lights . They are only 13 watts and put the light out. At that wattage you can light the damn neigborhood if you have enough cord and lights!

My Bayco won't start when powered from an inverter - which rules out running it on battery power during generator quiet hours. Apparently, Bayco uses a non-electronic ballast and starter that doesn't like modified sine wave power.

I ended up putting an ordinary compact florescent bulb inside a standard automotive trouble light fixture - starts just fine with an inverter, can be hung just about anywhere, and is very efficient.

Quoted: Thanks, that's great info.  I see also that you can run two e2000i's in parallel for 4k watts, but you're going to spend $2k for a pair of 'em.

You're right... forgot about that.  Some of the RV guys love that feature, since they can just run one generator when loads are light (no A/C for example), and only fire up the other one when needed.

Did you just run extension cords or do you have a way to plug it into your home power?

As others have mentioned, there's really no point in trying to connect a small generator like this to your home's distribution... I just ran extension cords to a few strategic locations.

A funny side note... a neighbor a few doors down who had evacuated to Texas came back with a brand new Honda EU3000i (pretty nifty... electric start). He was so proud of how quiet it is... but that benefit was pretty much nullified when his neighbors on both sides of his house ran their big teeth-rattling Colemans all night!  (my house is across the street, and far enough away from theirs so that it wasn't really an issue for me)

--Mike

Figure out what you really need.  You only need to run your refrigerator a few hours a day, freezer maybe even less depending on how smart you are on getting things out at only once or twice a day.  Add more oomph if you have meds that need to be kept cool

A big honking generator needs a lot of go juice.   And if things are really SHTF then you don't want to advertise your preparedness too much, and you don't need lights all night.

Now if you have a pool, get a generator big enough to run your filter pump or maybe a bigger pump.  Afterall, that water is pretty much only good for firefighting and flushing.  But running a hose to the toilets for flushing, soaping down the kids, etc??

Quoted: Quoted: Lights: Get the Bayco Fluorescent  work lights . They are only 13 watts and put the light out. At that wattage you can light the damn neigborhood if you have enough cord and lights! My Bayco won't start when powered from an inverter - which rules out running it on battery power during generator quiet hours. Apparently, Bayco uses a non-electronic ballast and starter that doesn't like modified sine wave power. I ended up putting an ordinary compact florescent bulb inside a standard automotive trouble light fixture - starts just fine with an inverter, can be hung just about anywhere, and is very efficient.

 Well, maybe you got a bad one?

 The Bayco lights I'm using are model  FL-506 (Wal Mart Buys). They light right up when I use my inverter. It's one of those 300 watt models from Cabelas.

  What do you think?

Quoted: Now if you have a pool, get a generator big enough to run your filter pump or maybe a bigger pump.

Why bother?   Toss some chlorine tabs in the bottom of the pool during an extended outage and SWIM.


That will circulate the water well enough for long enough - any longer and you'd be out of genny juice anyway.


I have NO intention of running my pool filter during an outage.

Quoted: Quoted: Now if you have a pool, get a generator big enough to run your filter pump or maybe a bigger pump.   Why bother?   Toss some chlorine tabs in the bottom of the pool during an extended outage and SWIM. That will circulate the water well enough for long enough - any longer and you'd be out of genny juice anyway. I have NO intention of running my pool filter during an outage.

Well if you'ld read the whole paragraph maybe you would get a clue.  Don't be so damn dense.


Now if you have a pool, get a generator big enough to run your filter pump or maybe a bigger pump. Afterall, that water is pretty much only good for firefighting and flushing. But running a hose to the toilets for flushing, soaping down the kids, etc??

Then again maybe the idea of flushing during a power or water outage during a disaster hasn't occurred to you but after a few days of conserving water you just might notice that your toilets are filling up.  And I bet you'ld be damned annoyed if a fire struck and you had that big bowl of water and no way to squirt it on the fire.