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Hello I apologize if this is not posted in the right place, I couldn't find a small engine sub section... Moderator please move if in wrong area.
Anyways, I am in the market for an inverter generator. I was originally going to get another honda eu2000i (had one a few years ago and loved it) but then this Westinghouse inverter generator caught my eye. It is at least $350 cheaper than the honda and I would really like to save some money. I am however concerned about long term reliability and all the reviews online seem to be of a person saying it works great but they've used it on a camping trip or two... I need to know if it's going to start on the first or 2nd pull 5 years from now like a honda will? Anyone have any experience with these generators? Last time I didn't buy a honda I regretted it, should I just pony up the extra $$$ or give the Westinghouse a try? Thanks
Sounds like the "inverter generator" would be "electronics friendly" - you can safely run your electronic gizmos off of that - a LOT of people have been asking for that in a generator.
Many older type generators make "dirty electricity" and can damage electronic things or they will not run properly. If you are just running power tools or electric motors (no electronic controls), then no problem.
FYI - This is what "dirty electricity" looks like...
Inverter generator such as the Honda above produce the cleanest power. Yamaha has some inverter generators that are very similar to the Honda ones, but the price is about the same. For electrical devices, computers, etc., inverter generators are about perfect.
To the OP: the choice is yours. Both inverters generators will be fine, but I would not choose the cheapest of the two based on price alone. Check the features both offer, noise produced, weight, running time/amount of fuel used, and easy starting. Keep in mind that you can pair two Honda generators, and that they have an economy setting where the computer controls the motor's RPM depending on the load. Lets say that you connect a 250-watt coffee maker to the Honda 2,000-Watt generator, then turn the ECO switch to ON, the motor's RPM will drop to the lowest idle possible. As such you can probably keep the generator running around 15-20 hours on a tank full.
Thanks^. After reading more reviews online , I am going to spend the extra $ and go with the honda. I believe it will last twice as long making it cheaper in the long run. The main reason I like inverters is because they are so quiet... Thanks for the replies.
FWIW Westinghouse has well over a century in the power generation business. That being said, that model might be a rebrand.
If you have very important/expensive electronics I would still recommend an isolation transformer. For example I would not run a several $k entertainment system directly off the generator. Just because it is inverted from DC and has a stable frequency there is no guarantee at cleaning up all the harmonics.
^ From my research it appears Westinghouse brand has been sold and converted to a Chinese brand.... I was concerned with long term reliability for this reason and have always had good luck with the honda. It's for charging battery backup and the most expensive electronic equipment it will be running is a $40 TV and charging a circa 2010 laptop that is on it's last leg anyways, probably worth less than the isolation transformer.. Thanks for all the replies .
If powering electronics is not your concern, I would suggest the 900W Stormcat generator from Harbor Freight. This little guy can be bought on sale pretty often at $99--that's right, $99. It's a two-cycle generator, but is really pretty quiet. I carry one on my truck to power tools, etc. and it hasn't ever failed me. It's also pretty economical on fuel. I've started it at temperatures all the way down to 0° F. without problem. It's not an inverter generator and shouldn't be used to power electronics, but for tools, electric motors, etc., it does just fine. And, you can buy about 8 of 'em for what a Honda inverter costs. Put a UPS between it and your laptop charger, and it would likely not hurt it, either.
Wow, that price is definitely in my budget.... It is mainly for charging my batteries for my solar setup when the sun isn't shining bright enough. However, quiet is of utmost importance to me . I wonder if I built some sort of three sided generator box for it I could get quiet enough, while allowing enough airflow.
I had a champion brand generator one time and it was waaayyyy to loud, you could hear it from quite some distance away.
I will also use it to plug in my vehicle sometimes, block heater and 150watt oil pan heater and battery trickle charger. I'll have to look into how many watts my block heater is to see if this will run it.
Edit: nevermind just watched a YouTube video and this thing is going to be too loud for my tastes. Thanks for the suggestion anyways and I'll keep it in mind if I ever have to have a portable cheap one where sound is not an issue.
Last edited by 6.7traveler; 01-24-2015 at 07:40 PM..
Harbor Freight generators are pretty quiet. I have a 4500 watt unit and 10 steps away you can barely hear it. A lot quieter than a lawn mower.
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