Craftsman generator vs Yamaha

[L8TBIRD]

Does anyone use the Craftsman 3000 Watt generator? We are trying to decide between possibly the Yamaha 2200 or Craftsman available at Lowe’s. We boondock maybe 20% vs hookup but would like the capability to run one AC when needed, which is not too often. Do you think we would need to install a soft start with this Craftsman generator? Any thoughts about the Craftsman 3000 would be appreciated.

[JMynes]

I’m not familiar with the Craftsman generator, but my experience with other motorized Craftsman equipment has been less than stellar. Lawn tractor, mower, high wheel trimmer, chainsaw, all junk.
I’ll buy Craftsman hand tools, but, other than ratchets, nothing with moving parts.

[JonDNC]

Not in the same class,

Honda/Yamaha are the best of the bunch in terms of reliability and sound levels. After that pick your poison but the champions seem to be a reasonable lower cost alternative.

Note I have 2 Yamaha 2200s

[azflycaster]

It is hard to find any published sound level for the Craftsman, but in several reviews it was estimated in the mid 60 db range which is well over the National Park level of 60.

[L8TBIRD]

It turns out to be their Generac 3000i generator. Anyone using this?

[gypsydad]

Single Yamaha or Honda 2200's are known to run your AC with Easy Start installed. Yes, they are expensive. Several folks also use Champion Dual Fuel 3400 or the new 2500 Dual Fuel also. Lot less money for the Champion line. Several folks also use the Preditor models from Harbor Freight. Pick your favorite price point...weight is a key factor; also propane vs gas. Money is, well, also important to some. I know my first Champion 2000 model would not run my AC...my second Champion Dual Fuel 3400 was great; just heavy...thats why I moved to the new Honda 2200 with the propane conversion from Genconex...$1400~ but it works, is quite, and half the weight of my 3400 Champion!

[Doc Foster]

Originally Posted by JMynes

I’m not familiar with the Craftsman generator, but my experience with other motorized Craftsman equipment has been less than stellar. Lawn tractor, mower, high wheel trimmer, chainsaw, all junk.
I’ll buy Craftsman hand tools, but, other than ratchets, nothing with moving parts.

Craftsman quality has definitely decreased in the last 10+ years. I have had several motorized Craftsman items fail before expected lifespan, I refuse to buy anything Craftsman any more. I do have a lot of Craftsman hand tools, most purchased in the 70's and 80's before they started manufacturing in China. I won't buy Craftsman hand tools any more either.
I do love my Honda 2000 generators, been running strong for 6 years.

[mojo]

I bought a Craftsman pole chainsaw from Lowes. It quit running after 6 months. Called for warranty service and guy says that they are hard to keep running, take it to Phoenix for service, 600 miles away. I returned it to Lowes where manager replied all there Craftsman motorized tools are junk and wished Lowes would drop the brand.

[trilink5]

I have the Craftsman 3000 and it works great. Able to run the AC on my 2020 Bambi without softstart. This is a rebadged Generac. It is also very quiet! I bought it from Lowe's at a great price, and for the amount of time we use it I couldn't see paying an extra $1300 for the Honda. The 30amp port was a nice bonus too. Happy camping!

[Andy Squared]

Given how much RV'g costs, I'd rather buy once since I get to replace almost everything on the AS. The reason Honda cost more is because its worth more. Six years on with 2 Honda 2000's and only annual maintenance, starts 1st or 2nd pulls and one of the quietest generators out there. The 2000 does run the A/C with a soft start, just barely. The Yamahas are just as quiet, perhaps quieter. The generator isn't just for you, when you are inside it's hard to hear your own generator since it's oriented away from your trailer. Buy it for the camper next to you as well.

[Mollysdad]

With the closing of Sears, the Craftsman name is all that remains of the respected company. The Lowe's Craftsman are made in China, I believe.

[jaybauman]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

With the closing of Sears, the Craftsman name is all that remains of the respected company. The Lowe's Craftsman are made in China, I believe.

In Sears' heyday, their brands were the key to their success, including Kenmore appliances and Craftsman tools. Sears never manufactured their own stuff, relying on private labeling and contract manufacturing. Kenmore had different manufactures, but for the bulk of my adult life the household appliances were rebranded Whirlpool units. Craftsman battery-powered tools (e.g. drills) were designed and manufactured by Ryobi. The transition to offshore manufacturing for Craftsman tools (both hand tools and battery-powered) started over 20 years ago.

In 2019, Sears sold the Craftsman brand to Stanley / Black & Decker. So now, Stanley sells the Craftsman brand through their existing sales channels. The brand is the same as it ever was, with a combination of rebadged products and contract manufacturing. The only real difference is you can purchase from many places other than Sears. The warranty still seems to be strong (including the lifetime guarantee on hand tools), but I am suspicious this will continue.

[L8TBIRD]

So we went ahead and bought the Craftsman 3000 at Lowe’s. It is the same generator as the Generac version. We will see if our 13,500 AC runs without soft start. It is definitely smaller generator and lighter than the Yamaha 2400 we have used for the past 7 years on another SOB with soft start. We don’t boondock that often but wanted AC if needed. Our experience has been one AC in our 2018 28 ft FC isn’t enough if it is super hot anyway so it seemed the soft start might not be worth the investment. If it’s hot , we hook up. This is for the unexpected hot days. Hopefully this fits our needs.

[L8TBIRD]

The Craftsman 3000 was able to start either AC 13,500 or 15,000 without the necessity of a soft start installed on either AC. We only ran it for a few minutes since we had no need to keep it running but it appears to run 1 ac just fine. Just reporting back what we have found out. Time will tell. We had no other load on generator at the time. Hope this helps.
This was for our 2018 28FT FC RBQ.

[L8TBIRD]

Trilinks5 .... Yup, started ours also and surprisingly quiet. Thanks for your reply.