There is a EU2000 for sale on Craigs List in Yuma for $500 Ad said "like new"
Dont know a thing about it otherwise. Hard to beat Hondas. I have the EU3000 and a EU2000
UncleDonald wrote: Does anyone have a recommendation for a generator that is cheaper than a Honda yet still as quiet?
yamaha offers several that are very good competitors to Honda and just as quite, often slightly lower cost. When I bought my first honda 2000 about 8yrs ago,yamaha didn't have any competative offerings. then I needed to parallel, so it was back to a secod honda. If I didn't have any generator and was looking, I'd be very seriously looking at yamaha.
In campgrounds the yamaha and honda's I hardly notice when running. the champions are better than many but IMHO enough noisier that they bother me if nearby and I wouldn't consider one unless I was really dry camping w/o neighbors.
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To the OP, most of the recommendations you'll get on this forum will be either Honda or Yamaha. For these folks, no expense should be spared and not being able to afford either is no excuse, even if they cost more than your RV. Truthfully, none are as quiet as those two brands and they both cost the same. You won't get that quiet for cheap unless you find a great deal on a used one. As far as I'm concerned, they're all too loud BUT necessary evils for most of us.
Thanks for all replies. More info. Mostly I am looking for a generator to take on Alaska trip this summer. Looking for one to recharge batts and maybe run the tv to watch a movie and make sure I can run the furnace if it turns cold.
Looking at price, easy start and quiet running. So far I am impressed with the Champion at around $550. At about $400 less than the Honda, I can use that money toward some Maxxis for the trailer.
Any thoughts or comments will be appreciated. Don
The truth lies between the generator snobbery and the people who don't care how much racket theirs puts out as long as the price is right.
The issue is you get what you can pay for, and will serve your needs. If one can't afford a red/blue, the Chinese inverters can do a decent job, and they are improving in quality as time goes on.
As for the OP's question, if red/blue are out of budget, there are a number of Chinese inverters that tend to be improved upon constantly for sale. They will be louder than the name brands, but they definitely will be quieter than the Harbor Fright specials. The 3000 watt Boliy Magna with remote start is rated at 54-59 decibels, which is quite good, and runs about $949.
However, sometimes you read about someone quite happy with their brand, then you read about a horror story. So, with the off-brands, you pretty much take your chances.
Of course, there are the dreaded open frame generators which any campers capable of hearing detest. Ones that are so loud that I can be sitting in my pickup truck bed with my generator on (with eco throttle off), and the sound of my generator 4-5 feet away gets completely drowned out by one of the open-frame models that is over 75 feet away. That sort of shows how loud those can get. In the past, generators used four poles so non-inverter models would spin at 1800 RPM. Now, for cheapness sake, almost all open frame models spin at 3600 RPM with two poles.
Call me a generator snob, but if one can afford something, at least get a pair of 2000 watt inverters from Kipor, Magna, CPE, or whomever that can be run in parallel. The open framed models are fine for NASCAR, or construction work, or as power if the lights go out. However, they do ruin other people's camping experience almost anywhere else.
UncleDonald wrote: Does anyone have a recommendation for a generator that is cheaper than a Honda yet still as quiet?
If there was one (there isn't), Honda would be lowering their price.... and that just ain't happening.
Honda has no reason to lower their pricing as long as people continue to buy them. Honda has a plant in China that makes their gennies, so they can enjoy larger profits than the "other Chinese generator" companies. My neighbor works for Honda USA and has toured the plant.
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