Generator, Honda vs Champion and Predator

[pontzdav]

I am happy with my Generac iq2000. Very quiet, service available practically everywhere in USA And it’s made in USA.

[Roadtech]

Originally Posted by Rain

One of the campers had chosen the genny on price versus acoustic rating (a champion in this case) and literally ruined the experience for dozens of people.

But was it a Champion contractor style unit? The Champion invertor generators are just as quiet as a Honda or Yamaha.

[captainkirk]

I have a Honda 3000is and a Yamaha 2000 dual fuel and my friend has the Champion 3100 and side by side the Honda is the quietest then the Yamaha then the Champion which is noticeably noisier in both mechanical noise and exhaust noise.
The Honda 3000is is a beast to handle and takes two people to load it, the Yamaha is easy for one person to load the Champion is lighter than the Honda but still to much in my opinion to be easy to pick up by one person.
That's just my experience, but if you look at all the posts and average out the advise it always seems to come out that the Honda is the best then Yamaha then Champion and only because it is cheaper.
Long after the money is gone you will wish you had bought the better tool...

[sctinman44]

Originally Posted by Larry C

I'm sure this has been cussed and discussed before, but I'm looking for a 2KW generator, Honda, and Yamaha, are about twice the price of the Champion and the Predator......

Can anyone give the pros and cons of each? Thanks for the input.....

Larry C

I have a 2,200 watt Honda that I got from C.W. March 2018 they put it out in Jan. to replace the 2,000 watt. I had/have a 3,000 watt Honda. Bought it in Sept 2006.Never any problems. I had the Easy-Start installed April this year. So now can run 15,000 heat-pump when we're on the road. It's about 112l lbs. lighter than older unit was main reason I got it. It was $1,100. +/- . I installed an hour/tachometer on it so as to keep better service records. It has a 3 year factory warranty. I know few people with Yamaha's that very satisfied with their units. I have no personal knowledge of the 2 other brands you mentioned. I know both of my Honda's are very quite and reliable. Then the old saying "you get what you pay for" might be more important than what less expensive.

[sctinman44]

Originally Posted by sctinman44

I have a 2,200 watt Honda that I got from C.W. March 2018 they put it out in Jan. to replace the 2,000 watt. I had/have a 3,000 watt Honda. Bought it in Sept 2006.Never any problems. I had the Easy-Start installed April this year. So now can run 15,000 heat-pump when we're on the road. It's about 112l lbs. lighter than older unit was main reason I got it. It was $1,100. +/- . I installed an hour/tachometer on it so as to keep better service records. It has a 3 year factory warranty. I know few people with Yamaha's that very satisfied with their units. I have no personal knowledge of the 2 other brands you mentioned. I know both of my Honda's are very quite and reliable. Then the old saying "you get what you pay for" might be more important than what less expensive.

correction 112 lbs.

[pteck]

If one follows many of the generator threads, there's always a significant number of people that go from a 3000 class generator, to 2x2000 class generators on account of weight and more easy handling. 50lbs is the threshold for the majority to be able to handle something. Beyond, which a 3000 class generator is almost twice the weight of, takes a younger/fitter person to manage.

The difference today is that 2x 2000 class gennies is no longer required. One can just use 1 Honda eu2200i, and still run the A/C! Game changer.

I sold 2x 10 year old Honda eu2000i's on craigslist for $700 each. Then purchased a single new eu2200i for $950 no tax not shipping. How's that for a deal on an upgrade!

[chdeatley]

I have a Westinghouse iGen 2200. Basically an 1800w gennie with surge capacity. I installed an Easy Start on my Dometic 15k a/c and in hot, humid conditions it ran the a/c fine. Nothing else running but it was cool and comfortable inside. Half the price of Big Red/Blue and I have used it for all kinds of projects where power was not available. Looking to get the 2500w model next season and tie them together for heavy use. Quiet and not too thirsty. I have noticed many YouTube folk get lots of their stuff free for promo. I paid for mine and it has served me well throughout last season. Shop around and know what you are buying. All gennies are not created equal.

[Daquenzer]

I considered buying the Yamaha. The generator company guy that sells both and were the same price basically said get the honda. The honda has more people that service them if something goes wrong. But I really like mine. I bought 2 to run in parallel. Expensive. But they’ll last forever. And they are easy to handle and lift. I like them just for using around the house for my electric tools.

[xyzabe]

Everyone talks about 1 make being louder than another. But have any of you actually measured the sound output with a sound meter? I purchased one several months ago and tested my Champion dual fuel 3200/3500, Yamaha 2000, Honda 2200, and Predator inverter. The measurements were taken at 25 feet from each unit, under the same load (standard sound measurement is at 25 feet) and sitting at the same spot (swapped out after testing).

The Honda and Yamaha were about 52dB, the Champion, running on propane was 53dB and the Predator was 56dB. I run my Champion on propane as it's burns quieter and cleaner. Admittedly, power output is slightly lower than gasoline. Using propane it runs all appliances including AC without an issue. Plus I don't have to clean the carb to put it in storage.

So basically, the Champion dual fuel, running on propane, is not any noisier than the Honda or Yamaha inverters. The Honda and Yamaha units were loaned by a local dealer, the Predator by a neighbor. The load was an air compressor which was set to run continuously by bleeding air.

Draw your own conclusions, but I found actually running tests with proper equipment gave me numbers to work with.

For anyone interested, the test instrument was a GALAXY AUDIO Mini Size Value Priced Check Mate Spl Meter W/Low Battery Indicator and Backlit Digital Display available through Amazon. Lets you run your own tests, check noise level in your vehicles, be able to prove your kids run their music too loud, etc.

[captainkirk]

I'm no expert in sound, but a quick search overview of the subject turned up a good statement about it.

"Avoid using the psychoacoustical terms loudness perception and volume.
This subjective sound-sensation is not clearly measurable without ambiguity.
The term "loudness" or "volume" is a problem because it belongs to psycho- acoustics and this personal feeling is not correct definable.
Loudness as a psychological correlate of physical strength (amplitude) is also affected by parameters other than sound pressure, including frequency, bandwidth, spectral composition, information content, time structure, and the duration of exposure of the sound signal. The same sound will not create the same loudness perception by all individuals (people)."

There is a big difference in the perception of "Noise vs. Sound" and basically it divides into two areas....do you like it or do you not like it?

Decibel levels are not the entirety of the story as two generators can produce the same db levels but elicit totally different responses by people.

Your favorite singer does not produce "Noise" as much as he produces "Sound"...but your favorite singer isn't my favorite singer and to me what comes out of the guy is definitely "Noise".

Back to generators...the Honda might produce the same db reading on a meter but the tone isn't as grating as say the Champion might be and this might be why your neighbors Honda doesn't bother you but that Champion just grates on your nerves in short order.

I propose that instead of just talking about exactly how much volume in db is coming out of the object you instead also take into account the "aggravation factor" and you will start to see the pattern I suggested in my prior post emerge from a group of people rather than a single meter reading.

Another way of looking at this complex issue is that your camping neighbor could rake his fingernails across a chalkboard up to a 49db level for a few hours or run his Honda 3000is at the same noise level...now which do you pick as your camping neighbor?

Perceptions are complex issues and it is best to use the largest group possible when trying to determine buying decisions like camping generators. Truthfully this subject is not really about what you like in a generator, but what your neighbor might be most likely to find objectionable.
Does your neighbor think that the extra money you spent on the higher end unit was worth it?

Now you might be the type of person that is right now saying "I don't give a hoot what the guy next to me thinks or feels"....well I'm not talking to you in this post as your issues are way bigger than your generator choice.

Having said all that....one brand seems to always be OK with most neighbors and that's the Honda with the Yamaha coming in second...why that is might be a really big subject to define as you can see in all these posts.

Long after the money is spent...your neighbor will be very happy you bought the more pleasant one....even if it cost a bit more.

As always this is just my opinion....and darn well worth what you have paid for it.
P.S.
sorry for the long post it's a big subject.

[Roadtech]

Originally Posted by captainkirk

Back to generators...the Honda might produce the same db reading on a meter but the tone isn't as grating as say the Champion might be and this might be why your neighbors Honda doesn't bother you but that Champion just grates on your nerves in short order.

Having said all that....one brand seems to always be OK with most neighbors and that's the Honda with the Yamaha coming in second...why that is might be a really big subject to define as you can see in all these posts.

Point 1 above: The Champion has a lower frequency (deeper bass) sound than the Honda or Yamaha which is much more pleasing to my ears. I have heard the same thing from many other Champion users.

Point 2 above: There are, of course, many, many more Hondas and Yamahas in service due to the longer length of time they have been around than the Champion. That explains why more people respond.

[pflack]

If you have excess space and don't mind driving around with gallons of gasoline in your vehicle, go the Honda route. If you want to tap into your existing propane supply the Champion dual fuel is the way to go. Note the Champion ez start works for about an hour and a half before it breaks down, so don't count out it. It is also a bit noisier however, if you don't want petrol sloshing around your rig, do it.

[kittmaster]

Originally Posted by pflack

If you have excess space and don't mind driving around with gallons of gasoline in your vehicle, go the Honda route.

Or you can modify the Honda's to run on LP on the low pressure port, or buy them pre-converted for a premium so no gasoline is required.

[Roadtech]

Originally Posted by pflack

Note the Champion ez start works for about an hour and a half before it breaks down, so don't count out it.

My Champion Dual Fuel 3400 is two years old and my electric start still works great. Starts every time.

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by Roadtech

But was it a Champion contractor style unit? The Champion invertor generators are just as quiet as a Honda or Yamaha.

The specs all around on my Champion 3100 Watt Inverter generator are almost identical to the Honda for a lot less investment.
I don't waste my time discussing that with the Honda/Yamaha crowd, its a waste of time.

[RossiRiveter]

We purchased two Honda EU2200i regular and the companion . We have used it while camping and a at home. There have been zero issues. I have nothing bad to say about it. It is quiet and dependable and when in parallel it powered up ours AC system with no problem. Little expensive but well designed for easy maintenance, super quiet 🤫 you pay for good quality.. as you know you have an Airstream.....

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by pontzdav

I am happy with my Generac iq2000. Very quiet, service available practically everywhere in USA And it’s made in USA.

I have the Generac 3100. I camp with full hookups so the only time I’d use it is if a storm knocks out power; in which case noise is usually a secondary concern.

No way am I going to spend 3 grand on a Honda 3000. And I can afford it. I do have a water cooled Es6500 for the house if power goes out. If it wasn’t so heavy I’d take it camping.

[Mollysdad]

I have an old (2004) Honda 3000 which runs flawlessly. I always thought if I didn't have it, I'd get a Champion 3500, because their customer service seems to be good.
However, in scouring Craig's list, a 2017 Honda EU3000is with 7 hours came up for sale and I couldn't resist.
I'll either sell the older unit or buy the parallel kit and keep both for home backup.
I guess I'm a Honda fanboy.

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by xyzabe

Everyone talks about 1 make being louder than another. But have any of you actually measured the sound output with a sound meter? I purchased one several months ago and tested my Champion dual fuel 3200/3500, Yamaha 2000, Honda 2200, and Predator inverter. The measurements were taken at 25 feet from each unit, under the same load (standard sound measurement is at 25 feet) and sitting at the same spot (swapped out after testing).

The Honda and Yamaha were about 52dB, the Champion, running on propane was 53dB and the Predator was 56dB. I run my Champion on propane as it's burns quieter and cleaner. Admittedly, power output is slightly lower than gasoline. Using propane it runs all appliances including AC without an issue. Plus I don't have to clean the carb to put it in storage.

So basically, the Champion dual fuel, running on propane, is not any noisier than the Honda or Yamaha inverters. The Honda and Yamaha units were loaned by a local dealer, the Predator by a neighbor. The load was an air compressor which was set to run continuously by bleeding air.

Draw your own conclusions, but I found actually running tests with proper equipment gave me numbers to work with.

For anyone interested, the test instrument was a GALAXY AUDIO Mini Size Value Priced Check Mate Spl Meter W/Low Battery Indicator and Backlit Digital Display available through Amazon. Lets you run your own tests, check noise level in your vehicles, be able to prove your kids run their music too loud, etc.

So my neighbor running his gold plated red clad overpriced Honda looks over and sees my cheap yellow plastic clad Champion and is immediately offended. That cheap son of a so and so should have bought a Honda that Champion is too loud and driving me crazy.
Never mind that the champion is no louder than the Honda.
Perhaps these Generators should come with Bass ans Treble knobs to dial in just the right sound .
Then of course how do you please every one if on the other side the neighbor is running his overpriced blue clad Yamaha :-).
I know, I will paint my Champion Red on one side and Blue on the other.
That should work, no ?

[Rain]

Originally Posted by Roadtech

But was it a Champion contractor style unit? The Champion invertor generators are just as quiet as a Honda or Yamaha.

Not sure which model, it was sad to see though since it reflected poorly on Airstreams being for the “rich insensitive showboats”.That comment is a quote from one of the more perturbed campers, and honestly, it sure seemed that way. Airstreams are clearly overpriced on a feature by feature comparison with other units and beyond the reach of most people trying to experience nature with their families. We buy them because they’re cool and iconic. As such, keeping a low impact profile helps dispel that showboat image. If image doesnt matter, why buy an Airstream? I could care less about genny brand, like the campground hosts earlier comment though, I care greatly about my impact of using it on others and the genny is likely the highest impact accessory in the kit. Remember the be kind rewind slogan for rental video tapes?, this is more like be sensitive, be silent. As an aside, I would’ve been mortified if my family was the subject of the ire of our fellow campers over a genny. This thread sought advice about gensets, noise for us, is the only consideration. Opinions vary but if your family is ever the subject of ridicule (or campground complaints) over a genny, righteous indignation over the price differential isn’t likely to enhance your relaxing vacation. This is a comment based on experience and offered up for the consideration by the original post - happy camping,