Why Honda Generators so $; they worth it
jarcolio
| Posted in General Discussion on
I need a genrator as a back up when the power goes off — 4-5KW – I don’t mind paying the bucks because when I need it, I need it, and do not want to be fooling around trying different things to get it going plus want something that once going will not fry the appliances.
Than being said – I will pay the $1500-2000 for a Honda generator but will alwaqys look back at the $5-600 models thinking may be I was not a wise purchaser.
Any thoghts experieces — all/any would be apprecaited as I would like to ask Santa for one under the tree. — All the Best — Dudley
Replies
You're paying for the Honda engine and Honda quality. My 1981 Honda lawnmower still starts on the first pull.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Phill - I suspected that and I have no problem paying for it - thanks for the confirmation -- All the Best -- Dudley
I dont have a Honda , but Ive got an Onan which is a commercial generator . 1800 and change for a 4000kw. Its built to run all the time for its the same one on boats and motor homes . That type is very heavy and cheap ones that sell for 500 are very light. I would not pay that kind of money for anyones light weight . Ive saw several cheap ones burn up in the summer with builders using them .
Tim Mooney
I bought a Honda EG3500 in 1986, and used it as a carpenter and builder through 1996, then again while building my current house in '98 and '99. I fire it up maybe once a year now to run my boiler and freezer if we lose power for an extended period. I don't think it's ever failed to start by the second pull, and usually on the first. I've replaced the oil, the spark plug and the gas tank. Yes, I got my money's worth.
Dudley,
I've got an '89 Honda 3500 ex. Taken a beatin' and still running strong. Had to change the plug this winter.
Brudoggie
One word- reliability. Used to help out at a power equipment dealership and most of service needed on Honda products was just routine maintainance. I only recall one serious problem that was on a very old Honda generator, the motor was rapping. Turns out it was just carbon buildup in the head. Cleaned up the head and it's still running fine. Keep good fuel in it, use fuel stabilizer, and a little routine maintainance and you'll get years of good service from it.
The two I consistently see on jobs and for homes here are honda and Onan. Mine is Onan, but I have used some Hondas, enough to have full confidence
Excellence is its own reward!
I have a Yamaha 5200 that is the equal of any Honda. Same prices though.
The cheap ones are cheap for a reason, but if you're only going to use it for back up you may not need something that can run 24/7 for a month.
Joe H
I've owned a Generac, Homelite and a Tecumseh before I bought my Honda 5000. I'll never look back. It runs quieter and far longer on a tank of gas. My Tecumseh was 6500 watts and it blew the breaker every time my compressor kicks on, never happened once on the Honda and it puts out less wattage. Bottom line is it's worth the money.
its nice to have a balanced and well muffled engine like the HOnda.
seems the other mfgs would catch on
Honda is one of the best engine engineering companies in the world. They are free thinking, fastidious and quality driven. They use quality materials, and often choose lighter materials. It's easly to make some huge heavy lump that's strong. Any buffoon can do that, but it takes a shrewd designer to make a lithe, responsive, powerful and reliable engine. Hondas cost more because they cost more to build. Better materials, better results. Quieter, lighter, (which is GOOD!) and powerful.
The overall product is better, athough it can be hard to recognize the subtleties.
That said, there is another player in town. Yamaha makes some great products, and their generators are no exception. The Yamis use a different type of generation, and the output voltage is extremely stable. Again, light weight and quiet. Worth a look. But don't expect them to be cheap!
Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
Edited 12/17/2003 7:47:57 PM ET by LATEAPEX911
There are some small engines that are built to be used and be reliable; Honda, Kawasaki, Kohler and Onan are all good motors....and then there are the others!: Briggs and Stratton (big seller, but POS IMO), Clinton, et al.
Avoid the others if you want reliability and longevity and easy starting and low maintenance.
The small rental generators around the motion picture industry are pretty much all Honda.
-- J.S.
A lot of my work seems to be in semi-remote spots where we need reliable portable power. I recently replaced an ancient Honda 3500 with a new 6500. The price is a killer, but after all those years of reliable service I never considered another brand. Honda generators are most definitely worth the money.
i don't care what equipment it is... for all the reasons listed hondas always seem to run...
that being said I have a Kubota 5000 that i've run for 14days nonstop except to ck the oil and add fuel that i've had for 15 yrs and has never let me down (with a 220 welder pluged in it welds all day)
but have to love honda anything
cant add anything else about the reliabilty of honda generator's there simply the best in my opinion. buying the 6000 for my home in febuary. you cant go wrong with them.......b"expectations are premeditated resentments"
Hey guys,
Any disadvantage to running on natural gas? I'm thinking about a fixed installation for my house when it gets close to being done (in 2009.... oh yea the technology will probably be different then... maybe I should hold this question until then).
Rob Kress
"Any disadvantage to running on natural gas?" You might be bumping into building codes if you attach it permenantly to the house, electrically and for NG. Not that it is necesasarily a bad thing, but if you only want to keep the furnce going and the fridge plugged in, running heavy extension cord would be quicker and cheaper.
Of course, you can't use an NG generator anywhere else: construction site, camping trip, the far end of your property, etc.
NG will be cheaper as a fuel and you don't have to ferry jerry cans from the gas station. If it is a widespread outage, service station won't be pumping gas, so you need the gasoline storage (on therefore rotating of that stock) in place before the power goes out. But how long an outage are you pre-paring for?
Hondas: Yes. Duh. Everywhere I've worked, techs used generators a few times a week and the first techs in always took the Hondas. The latecomers got the Colemans. A reason to get up early.
David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
I'm convinced -- I'll get the Honda because I want one to start wehn I need it and not have to fool around doing things to get it going and just praying that it'll keep going --------------- the peace of mind is worth the extra $1,000 -- all of you have really provided a valuable service ----------- All the Best this Holiday -- Dudley
The Hondas, Yamahas, Kubotas, Generacs, etc. are probably worth the extra money if you're going to use them day in and day out like a lot of people here. However, your post sounded more like you need emergency power on limited occasions. I've got a 4-5 kw, 30 yr old Homelite that weighs as much as a loaded dump truck, and cost more than $ 1k when I bought it, and a 4.5 kw Coleman bought a few years ago for around $400. Each of them have been used for emergency power for 5 to 6 day stretches running almost 24 hours a day during those times, or for intermittent power when working at locations with no service. For that kind of service there's nothing wrong w/ the cheaper models. Just don't expect to get them fixed if anything goes wrong in the generator section. They're throwaways.
Honda generators have voltage regulated output.
They also have low-oil shutdown.
They are very quiet compared to others.
I understand Yamahas are similar in features and quality.
Both are familiar brands in third-world countries.
Do some generators use 2-cycle engines ?
I believe all Honda generators are 4-cycle.
For a semi-permanent standy powerplant for a home, conventional wisdom is to go with a diesel unit, but they need to be 'exercised' periodically.
I've been interested in a generator that can be belt-driven by various engines, whether it's diesel, natural gas, etc.
Could even hook up to an old mercedes diesel crankshaft if it became necessary.
Probably more for tinkering then being a practical solution.
Do some generators use 2-cycle engines ? I believe all Honda generators are 4-cycle.
Yes to both questions. Here's an example of a 2-stroke. I defintely wouldn't recommend it for jobsite use:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2365680861&category=46412
Couple years ago I was seeing a bunch of 2-stroke 1000 watt generators on ebay. The cool thing was that they gave the full 1000 watts on the 12-volt side as well as 120 AC. (often 12 volts is only 15 amps). An 80-amp battery charger!
I saw a backhoe operator with one bungee-corded onto his Case 580. First he'd start the little 2-stroke and then, with the backhoe battery topped off and 80 more amps coming from the 2-stroke, he'd hit the glow plugs and starter. Apparently it helped a lot in getting the diesel going at 10F.David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
Oh, boy, the diesels in the winter.
We're sortof familiar with the routine with our mercedes diesel.
The engine itself will end up serving other duties after it outlives the chassis - maybe for a generator !
Ive heard when its -60 you dont start anything there . Would you like to elaborate on it ?
I could act like a kid and ask you a "bunch of questions", but I wont.
Tim Mooney
You can tell where cars are from by looking at their front grill. Cars from Anchorage have 1 plug (battery blanket or engine block heater) for -20F nights. Kenai has both for -30 to -40F nights. Cars from Fairbanks (-45 and -50F) have 3 plugs. The above plus an antifreeze heater/pump. Total of about 1,200 watts that you leave plugged in all night.
About -55F people stop doing most things (shopping, working outside, dog sledding) it just gets too painful and dangerous. And wierd. Jump in your car quickly and the vinyl seats will shatter. Turn the wheel into the turn and then again turn it back outof the turn. It won't return on its own as the power steering fluid is too viscous. If you get your car going, you leave it going. Cars will idle for 2 hours while someone shops or visits. It would cool too quickly otherwise. And you'd be going outside to restart it 40 minutes before you leave, anyway. And you leave your keys in your car even during mild weather (-20 to +10F) so a spouse or co-worker can start your car on their way out.
A lot of interior Alaska stores, houses, businesses have plug-ins for customers and employees. It plays to ask when selecting housings and jobs.
-30F to -40F grounds even prep'd prop planes. Pity, because horsepower and take-off distances are great in such dense air. -50F grounds the jets. The engines see those temps at 41,000 feet so I assume it is related to tires and such.
But the Canadians have two DHC-6 Twin Otters they've set up for -100F. They used them to retrieve that woman doc in Antarcticia with breast cancer.
Oh yeah, car tires don't bend. So there is a flat spot for the first miles from when you parked.
And don't say "plus or "minus" unless it is in the single digits. "minus 18" is redundant. Everyone knows it wasn't +18 at your house that morning. -13 maybe or -24, but not 36 degrees warmer than their place.David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
One thing I remember from Montana; somewhere around -25F, snowpack gets a lot less slippery to drive on. Not like dry pavement, but a lot more friction than you get at 0F.
"Not like dry pavement, but a lot more friction than you get at 0F."
It is like dry pavement at -40. You can't ice skate - you might as well be on carpet.David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska