kenn_chan

summary:

I need to order a portable generator for standbye use at my house.

having been stationed overseas at various instalations for so long I have no clue as to what manufactures are good and which are garbage anymore.

I am trying to order from northern tool as they will ship to a military base overseas.

In the power rating I am looking at they offer the following manufactures:

northstar
generac
briggs and stratton
pramac
all power america
winco
imperial industrial
and category 5

they unfortunately do not offer honda which I understand has a very good rep.

which of the above would you consider. Please do not state that this make or that make is junk unless you have direct experience with it and had problems that you can describe to me. I don't want internet wisdom, I want real experience please.

thanks

Kenn

KansasCityREPU

iTrader: (9)

Generac is a very good brand. They also make the very large whole home units that are sold at the big box stores.

83Limited

Only one I have experience with is Generac....I have had one for about 6 years and use it to power my hunting camp on weekends everyyear from October to the end of December. It has been basically flawless, the only problem it has had was one i caused....it also serves as standby power at my house and is used as needed. Its not the quietest unit made, but very dependable.

elwood

iTrader: (1)

I did have a Generac that went bad on me during a power outage (voltage regulator), but you know that the sample size you'll get on any one brand from this group will be very small and therefore next to meaningless. I'm sure there are some good websites with reviews and real data (Consumer Reports?).

After owning three of those things -- Sears (very old, almost antique), Generac, Mitsubishi -- I have a few pointers:
1. Get one with a good muffler -- a really loud generator is annoying.
2. Get one with a tank large enough to run a long time. The required tank size will vary based on the engine size, load, etc, but filling it every three or four hours isn't fun.
3. You probably need less power than you think. I ran meters on my gas-heated house, and typical steady-state usage only passed 4kW when the microwave or stove were on.
4. Once you buy a generator, you won't ever lose power again, so consider the car parts you could buy instead that have guaranteed future usage.

steve84GS TII

4-5K can run a home with conservative electrical needs.....6-7K if you have a lot of fridges,AC or high draw 120V stuff.
Your right,Hondas are very nice, especially the EU series 2000,3000,6000. I use a 2000 when I go shark fishing at night,you can almost sit on it and have a conversation,and you can carry it with one hand!

I rent them at my shop,many guys run their entire RV with A/C off of one EU3000. They are quiet and electrically clean,so DJ equip and PC's are safe.They can also be paralleled together,although one EU6000 is slightly cheaper to operate and buy than two 3000's.

Generac is good,as is Multiquip and Wacker, (which we carry w/Honda engines) albeit they are most construction oriented. Most small engines are decent these days,many are actually giving Honda some competition in the quality/dependability department (like Subaru/Robin) Honda has gotten stagnent and big headed after 20 years of the same GX series engines with little evolution.
The most mportant part is the gen-pack itself.
You dont want some cheap perm magnet setup with a regulator.Make sure its an excitation powered rotor so load is always tailored to need, rather than strangled down into heat energy when power consumption is less.The only perm magnet should be in the small excitation coil on the engine which powers up the coils in the rotor.That way there are no brushes and no magnets to fail in the main gen set itself.Some of the cheaper stuff is still made this way ,and they suck.A good unit should have accessible/replaceable diodes, and couplers on the main wiring for easy service/repair.Many cheap units have fully potted electrical control systems which cannot be repaired,only replaced as a whole.
Our Hondas last for 10 years in rental,and thats a LOT of usage.We still are able to sell them after 10 years,generating power fine,just a little more clattery from the engine itself.

roondawg

iTrader: (1)

I actually work for Yamaha which sells models very similar to Honda.. we have a EF3000ISEB which will power everything the Honda EU3000 will do, but we have a boost option for the extra power needed for startup of A/C. I'm not sure if cabella's will ship over seas, but the products are really quiet and low maitenance. I have a 3000 now and low it. I use it for all of my electronics when we lose power.

Good luck!