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Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Honda EU2000i generator
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TomChum
Member
# Posted: 21 Oct 2012 15:29 - Edited by: TomChum
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The website mentioned above says it well:

"In fact, without digging into highly technical details so similar to be of no consequence, the only obvious difference between the two is the color."

One thing I like about the Yamaha is the fuel guage. The Honda has no fuel guage. But if you just fill it up, you know it has up to 10 hours. Anyway, the post from cjdj3 looks like a post from a "forum troll", no cabin interest just trying to direct traffic to their blog.

One thing I really like about the pair of Hondas it's so easy to carry one generator to where you need it. And generator#2 remains in the shed, for whatever tools I have there, compressor, battery charger, for example. I put the chopsaw and a generator in the wheelbarrow, go anywhere, even over rough ground, to where I'm working. I guess I like that better than having a single 100 lb unit on small wheels.

Of course this can be done with a pair of Yamahas too.

aktundra
Member
# Posted: 21 Oct 2012 15:48
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I agree with TomChum and I have used both Yamaha 2000W and Honda 2000W. They are both great little generators that are extremely fuel efficient and can do alot at the cabin.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 22 Oct 2012 00:06 - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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I read the post and it was biased, miss spelled words (not official, look like a spammer from overseas) etc. Had misleading things like the Honda doesnt come with 12V charge cables, mine did and I paid $899 for it shipped to my door. It mentioned the Honda doesnt have a fuel shut off to run the carb dry. Well, it does, its part of the engine shut off so both engine and fuel shut off at the same time. But if you think shutting the fuel off and running the generator till it dies will run the carb dry, you are nuts. The Honda has a nice carb bowl drain that you just stick a screwdriver into it and it runs the fuel out of a nice drain hose till the carb bowl is empty. This is how you do storage. Its right there under the service cover.

Mentioned how the Honda you have to do extensive combustion chamber cleaning, but on the Yamaha, you only have to remove the head to clean. The head is the combustion chamber. I have had mine for years and never had it apart, no do I plan on it. The blog also made it appear as if the color blue was superior over the red.

I see the Honda did have more displacement, which usually means more power. Might explain the slightly shorter run time. Could this be the difference on start up power with a table saw?

I have never dipped my finger into the fuel tank, pulling out the filter to see fuel level., Its just a matter of just opening the cap and looking in. A sight glass is nice, but it could be an leak potential.

Air filter service./ I have had mine is real dusty environment, the filter is a 3 stage, you are lucky to find anything past stage 2. Very minimal service needed.

I suspect the low oil light will prevent the engine from starting or stop it from running. But not certain of this.

Both are great generators. I'm fond of Honda, it has a much bigger network of dealers, parts are easy to obtain and Honda parts are actually low cost.

TomChum
Member
# Posted: 22 Oct 2012 11:31 - Edited by: TomChum
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Yes TMT one thing not mentioned is the Yamaha has a 30% smaller engine yet weighs only 4% less.

Reviews like that appear because the author researched Google query frequency of Honda2000 .vs. Yamaha2000, noticed that a lot of people are interested, and wrote it up. It has "some" credibility, and is a good candidate to get high Google ranking thus a good avenue to harvest Google $$ from clicks.

This doesn't mean its simply BS although it could definitely include some BS, but success of what he's doing is in gathering credibility, and it's an easy case because the two generators are excellent. I suppose as people write in he will continue to refine it, in the interest of high Google credibility. He will retain the silly "personal" phrases that Google likes, for example: "[u].... is better for several reasons, beyond the striking aesthetic quality and blue color that trumps Honda. [/i]"

There are specific reasons for why it was written as it was. Some assertions seem a little silly but their purpose is to insert phrases that fit the Google robots (not a real generator user) formulas as "credible" and "personal" as opposed to just "specifications". Google likes specifications too, but ranks them farther down the list than informed, personal observations. Farther down means less click, less $$ for the author. And then some of the statements are to get your attention,, try to get you to link it on a permanent, public forum, or put it on facebook (= more click$$ for author).

Anyway this is what is happening to Google and the internet as an information source. Google pays money for clicks, so smart people are out there creating ways to get Google $$, and they look for popular internet issues. With every click on a link in that ....yamahageneratoref2000is.com blog, the author gets money. I think a lot of people are interested because the Yam is truly a contender, so this is a good infomercial for someone to harvest Google$$. It's a lot more difficult these days to determine what internet info is true and what is 'paid'. There are a LOT of marketing organizations paid well to post BS on the internet, to make it hard for you to find the truth (a method called obfuscation). I try to use common sense, but haven't had much of that lately so I try to remember the "Follow the money" test.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 22 Oct 2012 21:48
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Great info Tom, never knew that about google. I have always avoided google anyway. (its too left for me)

Monte
Member
# Posted: 7 Nov 2012 10:29
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I have TWO 2000i Honda generators that I want to link together to run our 24' by 24' cabin plus the well. But the well needs 240 volts of power. Does anyone know if linking those two together will give this?

Monte
Member
# Posted: 7 Nov 2012 10:31
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Also, I'm curious how far from your cabins you have your generators. Am planning on making a soundproof box to house them.

GomerPile
Member
# Posted: 7 Nov 2012 10:49
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You need a step up transformer similar to this one:

http://www.amazon.com/5000-Watt-Voltage-Converter-Transformer/dp/B002DRG9US/ref=sr_1_ 2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352303312&sr=8-2&keywords=5000+watt+step+up+transformer

You will lose a bit of power since there are losses in the transformer.

Quoting: Monte
I have TWO 2000i Honda generators that I want to link together to run our 24' by 24' cabin plus the well. But the well needs 240 volts of power. Does anyone know if linking those two together will give this?


TomChum
Member
# Posted: 7 Nov 2012 11:24 - Edited by: TomChum
Reply 


Quoting: Monte
I have TWO 2000i Honda generators that I want to link together to run our 24' by 24' cabin plus the well. But the well needs 240 volts of power.


I like the two hondas because I can have one at the cabin, and one at the shed. The beauty of the EU2000i is it packs a lot of power in a small, portable size. And it's so quiet, you can have it running fairly closeby when you need it.

If you tie them together, you lose that portability. You will quickly conclude that you have too many pull-ropes, too many on/off switches and too many gas caps and not enough voltage. A single 240v would be far better for the more 'permanent' task you describe. Also consider one that has a remote electric starter. Build a quiet enclosure away from the cabin. It could even be concrete, secure in ground, or camoflaged under an easily moved brushpile.

Monte
Member
# Posted: 7 Nov 2012 15:39
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Thank you. Upon investigating, I'm thinking it would be far better to get a single generator/welder which would run both our 300 ft well and our small ranchhouse. I saw a 11,000 watt Hobart for $3199. But what would I need to hook it up to both the well and house?

Monte
Member
# Posted: 7 Nov 2012 17:39
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You know, I decided to go with a portable model rather than the more expensive Hobart I mention above.

I found out that Northern Tool has a brand, North Star, that uses Honda engines, and at first I was looking at the 11,000 (9500 rated), then wonder if I can get by with the 8000 (6500 rated) ?http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200464517_200464517

This would be for a 300 ft well and a 24' by 24" cabin with refrigerator, ceiling fans, window AC in the summer, stove, and my wife's laptop and satellite connection.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 7 Nov 2012 18:00 - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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For $3125 OTD shipped to my work, I bought a Honda EU6500is, got mine from bigskypower.com but you can get the best prices from wisesales.com. It runs my entire house, just not at the same time, ie electric water heater, electric oven cooktop, electric dryer. And does it all on eco throttle without even working up a sweat.

The kicker is, the noise rating is identical to the litle Honda EU2000i. which even at full load is only 59db, but it never hits that, more loke 50 and under. Quiet as a mouse.

Its rated fior 6500, suspect its the continous, surge should be more.

I might add, it had the wheels anf fold up handlebars already on it, so it rolls around real nicely.

HandyMan
Member
# Posted: 3 Jan 2013 18:35 - Edited by: HandyMan
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Quoting: aktundra
I agree with TomChum and I have used both Yamaha 2000W and Honda 2000W. They are both great little generators that are extremely fuel efficient and can do alot at the cabin.


Well lets just analyze both of them, shall we.

Who has the longest warranty? Honda has 24 months, and Yamaha offers up to 6 years.
Better reputation? Honda. Im guessing it's because of their trustworthy brand, and other products that they offer that it most people's first choice. And they also have alot more dealers in the US.
Yamaha does have a pretty good reputation on amazon.

To analyze other differences. Yamaha has a fuel gauge, Honda doesn't (gas on your hands). Honda has a plastic camshaft, Yamaha has a metal. I'm not choosing sides, but it seems that Yamaha has an advantage. View the full comparison here.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 3 Jan 2013 21:07 - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Quoting: HandyMan
To analyze other differences. Yamaha has a fuel gauge, Honda doesn't (gas on your hands). Honda has a plastic camshaft, Yamaha has a metal. I'm not choosing sides, but it seems that Yamaha has an advantage. View the full comparison here.



I have the Honda EU2000i and if you remove the cap, you can look way down through the fuel filter (which is just a screen over the inlet fill, do not remove this filter with your finger like the comparison shows, just look down its center) but I just top mine off in the morning, it runs all day with power tools and the evening when the sun sets till I turn it off to go to sleep.

I have been looking into this, I cant confirm this, I have seen reports it is not plastic. I do not know for certain. Mine has never been an issue.

I wouldnt trust a comparison from a site domain "yamahgeneratoref2000is.com, its not going to be unbiased. Try a consumer report or something.

TomChum
Member
# Posted: 5 Jan 2013 00:55 - Edited by: TomChum
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The guy from yam gen store gets paid by google for every click when any viewer clicks a link at his site. So to make money, he wants his site discussed in forums, in hopes of drawing forum members to his website. He makes money like this, trolling for clicks.

The valve springs on the EU2000i are fairly soft. If the camshaft is a composite, that's OK, as long as it works. All the hotdog vendors in New York have a Honda generator on their carts, running all day, every day. Those guys are in a position to find out what generator lasts, and I suspect they found out already, several years ago, and voted "Honda". I have no worries about longevity of either brand but I've seen the Hondas out there en masse.

A gas gage would be a nice feature, often I wonder; can I just start the dang thing or do I have to open the cap and look in the hole. If you let it run out of gas it's a bunch of rope pulls to get it primed again. A gas gage would be a timesaver when you only have to run it for a short time, and that happens often.

MJW
Member
# Posted: 5 Jan 2013 10:08 - Edited by: MJW
Reply 


Quoting: TomChum
The guy from yam gen store gets paid by google for every click when any viewer clicks a link at his site. So to make money, he wants his site discussed in forums, in hopes of drawing forum members to his website. He makes money like this, trolling for clicks.


wow...that is one of the worst Amazon sites I have ever seen. I would be surprised if he makes any money off of it.

He needs to buy a course on putting together an effective Amazon site.

Add some clickable pictures and a few more links, fella!

Better still, make it a true comparison site with links to both Honda and Yamaha and get a commish on whichever the visitor buys.

HandyMan
Member
# Posted: 5 Jan 2013 17:59
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 5 Jan 2013 18:02 - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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I checked the warranty on Honda, it does in fact read 3 yrs, poster mentioned only 2 yrs, so he was misleading there. He also said Yamaha is "up to" 6 yrs. But its just a 3 yr warranty like Honda, more misleading info. I suspect the "up to" part means you can waste some extra money and buy an extended warranty. I am certain Honda sells and extended warranty also, everyone does now days. Honda and Yamaha p roducts are so reliable, extended warranty is a waste of money.

Prior poster says Hondas low oil alert just turns on a red light to alert you while the Yamahas shuts the engine down. Misleading or a lie? The Honda system low oil alert DOES shut the engine down according to their website.

The Honda is rated as quieter. Also, the Hondas fuel and engine shut off are the same knob. I see Yamaha has them as separate, its not an advantage, its a disadvantage, but they are making it appear as if its a superior trait IE run the fuel out of the carb for storage. It will only run about 25% of what is in the carb, it needs to be emptied.

Honda, open the easy one screw service panel, open bowl drain on carb which has a hose to exit it outside of the cover to a drain cup for long term storage. This leave the carb empty of all fuel, not leaving 75% of it in the carb. This easy to access service panel is also where you service the air filter and change the oil too.

With fuel and engine off as one knob in the Honda, you will not shut it off with the fuel on, (this can create a leak or gas smell and could contaminate the crankcase oil with gasoline) nor will you start the engine with the fuel in the off position, IE start it to run an appliance, few minutes later, it shuts off, you forgot to turn the fuel on. Impossible in a Honda.

I did not see a small service panel on the Yamaha. It appears several screws, the entire back comes off???

Honda has 19cc larger displacement too.
Yammie does run .9 of an hour longer on same amount of fuel. Probably because of the smaller displacement. Will power be less on those larger start up loads? Its rated the same as Honda as far as wattage, max and start up. I mean identical!

Yammie cost less, looks like about $100.

Honda website for E2000i
http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/models/eu2000i

Yamaha website for EF2000is
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/products/modelspecs/626/0/specs.aspx

In the end, both are premo units. Almost identical is many ways.
You cant go wrong with either.

HandyMan
Member
# Posted: 15 Jan 2013 16:50
Reply 


Excuse me sir, but Honda offers a 2 year warranty on some of their generators, and 3 years on the others. Yamaha also offers a 3 year standard warranty. "But" for a small fee Yamaha also offers an extended warranty that goes all the way up to 6 years.

Please do your research. I am not promoting false information.

HandyMan
Member
# Posted: 15 Jan 2013 16:52
Reply 


They are both great generators, please choose at will.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 15 Jan 2013 23:00 - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Quoting: HandyMan
Excuse me sir, but Honda offers a 2 year warranty on some of their generators, and 3 years on the others. Yamaha also offers a 3 year standard warranty. "But" for a small fee Yamaha also offers an extended warranty that goes all the way up to 6 years.

Please do your research. I am not promoting false information.


No, it was true, just misleading. Just like your statement in quote. You mention (your words) "Excuse me sir, but Honda offers a 2 year warranty on some of their generators, and 3 years on the others" and you "might" be right, but you are comparing the Honda EU2000i which has a 3 yrs warranty. I looked it up on their website. All the info I obtained in on their website. And both brands, you can buy an extended warranty. I suppose those Hondas that do have the 2 yrs is probably their commercial versions made for jobsites (but I have not found a 2 yrs warranty Honda, just 3 yrs). But the Honda EU2000i is 3 yrs, for both residential and/or commercial use. That IS standard. Go ahead, look for yourself:
http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/models/eu2000i

Do you want to debate the other misinformation like the low oil shut down? Or pulling the fuel filter out to see the fuel level? Or how about the fuel shut off system made to sound superior on the Yamaha, but it actually inferior.

If Yamaha is as good as you say it is compared to the Honda, why would you have to lie or mislead?

I agree, they are both great units and you cant go wrong with either. But splitting hairs over the tiny details then being misleading about it is strange, then coming in here and defending the lies.

rayyy
Member
# Posted: 16 Jan 2013 08:25
Reply 


Here is a pretty good video on this generator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vICSXGR17-o

HandyMan
Member
# Posted: 16 Jan 2013 19:29 - Edited by: HandyMan
Reply 




http://powerequipment.honda.com/pdf/warranty/p-pwl50623-q.pdf

http://www.yamaha-propane-natural-gas-generators.com/warranty.htm

I'm sorry if you felt mislead. The name of the thread is "Honda EU2000i generator". So I was assuming everyone knew the details of the generator. And no I do not want to debate on such a childish topic. I just feel like Yamaha generator don't get enough credit.

Here is a good video that talks about the details of Yamaha generators engineering.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGUCSPpp4rs

Please watch this video and see the benefits that Yamaha's generators have to offer compared to Honda.

aktundra
Member
# Posted: 16 Jan 2013 23:50
Reply 


I have a 1000W Honda and 2000W Yamaha. Love them both. Why two brands? Two great deals! I bought the Yamaha first, and traded some things for the Honda. One for home and one for the cabin now!

Yamaha or Honda are great brands. They both will do what you need, start up when it's cold (-40F), don't use much fuel, and are very quiet.

I think anyone looking for a great generator will not be disappointed in either brand! Now time to get to work!

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 17 Jan 2013 00:07
Reply 


Quoting: HandyMan
I just feel like Yamaha generator don't get enough credit.



Handyman, all is good. I did mention they are both superior generators. I even mentioned the Yammie will run a little longer too. The fuel sight glass is handy. And it cost about $100 less. I came close to buying one. But have a Honda self propelled walk behind mower I bought back in 97 and is the finest piece of power equipment I have ever owned. Well, until I got the Honda EU6500is. But I was sold on Honda power Equipment. I bought the EU6500is after I got the EU2000i.

But you are right. Yamaha is a fine product too. And I see it even comes in Cammo like the Honda now. Just be careful, they are so quiet, you can lose them if they blend in with the brush. I think the cammo tacks on another $200 from the cammo mfg, i e mossy oak or who ever it is.

TomChum
Member
# Posted: 20 Jan 2013 16:12
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Here we go, EU2000i in New York city. These are everywhere you look. Have not seen a Yamaha yet, only Honda. (But that could be because somebody jacked up a containerload at the dock and haven't yet run across a container of Yamahas)
Honda #1
Honda #1
Honda #2
Honda #2
Honda #3
Honda #3


aktundra
Member
# Posted: 20 Jan 2013 17:18
Reply 


TomChum-

Did you ever run your welder off you generators?

Thanks!
AKTundra

TomChum
Member
# Posted: 20 Jan 2013 18:11
Reply 


Not yet. My welder (120v Miller 135) will go for a short time then pop a cheap 15A "extension cord breaker". It has never popped a 20A breaker, and has been used extensively over 8 years. I used a Hobart Handler 120 for 10 years prior on a 15 or 20A circuit, never popped a breaker.

The Hondas paired, are rated at 26.6A continuous - so I have high confidence it will work. Does this help? It will be a few months until I have opportunity for a genuine test.

aktundra
Member
# Posted: 22 Jan 2013 17:34
Reply 


Thanks Tom. I have the Hobart 140 so I was just curious. Nothing I need to know too soon.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 23 Jan 2013 00:41
Reply 


AK Tundra, for a 110v welder to do 140 amps, you will find you will have to get a 30 amp 110V outlet. Its a special type. Then duty cycle will be real short.

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