What generator to get?

And it seems that some people use arguments like the above to justify their being cheapskates willing to settle. I said I need it to WORK, I did not say "run". Educate yourself a little....it's not ONLY the motors that make the difference, it's the sine wave generated by a QUALITY unit. Any motor can start/run, it's the quality of the electronics and the power delivered by these electronics that varies. There's a very good reason pros and government agencies don't run clones.

Jesus, Its just like the Norinco crowd spouting off against Colt and springfield owners....or the "Mastercraft Maximum" guys talking about Milwaukee/Hilti/Snap-On.

The OP *clearly* asked what the *BEST* names were....nobody on the planet will name any of your beloved Chinese clones as "best"...so I can't even figure out why you'd chime in....?

Look: If you can't afford it or can't justify it...or simply don't want it, that's fine....but those of us who buy and appreciate quality tools don't need your judgment, and definitely aren't seeking your approval.

Has nothing to do with being cheap. The difference between top quality clones and a Yamaha/Honda has been shrinking every year. You simply chose to ignore that fact. 20 years ago, there was a huge difference, no more. Just like Hyundai 20 or 30 years ago, they were a POS, but today? huge difference, they are inching closer to the Japanese, and way ahead of North American.

I posted earlier that even Honda is manufacturing in China and Thailand. It's no longer brand or where they are made. You justify it to yourself any way you want, but the difference in quality of construction and output waveform these days is trivial, and the biggest difference is price.

I also mentioned noise from inductive loads. Do you carefully select your appliances an chose the ones with power factors closest to 1.0? Do you screen every electric motor you have so that it's "clean" with low harmonics? How about lighting, meaning no florescent, or anything with electronic ballasts. How about battery chargers? Even the tiny ones for phones have terrible power factors. What does this all mean? Everything you plug into a generator injects back into the system dozens of times dirtier power than even the worst generator itself outputs.

I never said to get the absolute cheapest one out there, but one of the couple top clones.

Since you enjoy spending 2 to 3 times as much for the big name, go for it.
 
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Has nothing to do with being cheap. The difference between top quality clones and a Yamaha/Honda has been shrinking every year.
So true.

I own the Honda EU2000, a Champion 73552i (2000 watt inverter model) and a 4000 watt Champion to run power tools. When I bought the Honda in 2003 it was, hands down, the best generator on the market in that class. If you're going to run a generator hard, get a Honda or Yamaha, period. But if it is for occasional use, maybe a few hundred hours a year or even standby, the Champion models deserve a hard look. I've put more than a thousand hours on my Champion inverter model and a few hundred real hard hours on my 4000 watter and have never once second guessed the purchase.

Picking out the 'right' generator is always a compromise. Wattage, weight, noise, fuel consumption, fuel type, inverter, storage, lots of factors to consider.
 
Wireless remote start would be a nice feature as shutting down the genny at 1 in the morning is generally chilly; I can't for the life of me find one in the 4000 watt range in Canada.

Champion makes one but sold in the states and no shipping to Canada. Anyone see any ads for a Canadian company?
 
My cousin had the wireless remote started installed on his Yamaha this summer, its a great feature, especially in the winter.The dealer charged him $650.00 for the starter& installation.
 
I own a champion but it runs on propane, I specifically bought it because it is propane. No worrying about gerry cans and spilling
 
I have a EU2000i and happy with it. I would like it to have a remote and a fuel shut off so I could run the carb out of fuel for storage.

Adding some Seafoam to the tank a couple times a season really helps a lot preventing the carb from gumming up, when you forget to run it dry.
 
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