Honda vs Duramax

[rlf0000]

I know Honda and Yamaha have been leaders in portable generators for a while. For $1000 for 2000 watt is kinda expensive.

Been seeing 2000 watt Duramax that can be paralleled like the Honda's for $400 vs. $1000

Has anyone had any experience with the Duramax 2000

Thanks in advance!

Oldazcoach

PS How long for a 2000 watt to charge a single 12v deep cycle on my old Yukon 5'er

[pasdad1]

Originally Posted by rlf0000

PS How long for a 2000 watt to charge a single 12v deep cycle on my old Yukon 5'er

Depends upon how big your battery charger is.....don't use the 12volt output on the generator if there is one...only puts out about 8 amps or less. If you use your normal converter/charger or a separate automotive style charger...depends upon how many amps it puts out. A 10 amp charger could take between 4-10 hours depending upon how much charge the battery requires.

[twinboat]

No experience, but some data.

The Honda noise level is 59 db@ 7 feet from the control end at full load. 53 db at 1/4 load

The Duramax noise level is 61 db @ 21 feet from some part of it, at 50% load. No data for full or light load.

So to sound close to the same, you need to load up the Honda to full power and move the Duramax 14 more feet away from you and use half its capacity.

If you find that aceptable, than the price is great.

[cb1000rider]

Having just been giving a 4000 watt Duramax generator from a friend, it wouldn't start.
Tinkering with it, wasn't the carb, went to check the valves. One of the valve spring retainers was thrown. Very difficult to find parts.. Very difficult to find support. For most valve issues - recommendation was to replace the entire head.

$400 is a lot cheaper, so possible to come out ahead..

[rlf0000]

Thanks for your replies,

All I reviews I have seen have Honda leading the pack!

I'll spend extra for Honda but if something new is on market that will perform like Honda for 1/2 price. I'd like to save some $ if possible!

This will be first generator to recharge battery, keep laptop running, etc. for boon docking.

Hope to get 2nd in future to parallel, when I get a little bigger rig.

How long of life for Honda?

Thx again

Oldazcoach

[pasdad1]

If I didn't want to spend the money for Honda, Champion would be my second choice.

[twinboat]

Champion's seem to be popular units.

Again the published noise rating is at 23 feet but at Zero (0) load.

The 2000 unit is 53 db and the 3100 is 58 db.

If I couldn't afford a Honda or Yamaha, a Champion 2000 would be my choice.

I have had a Honda eu2000i on the upper deck of my live aboard, boat since 2009. If I need it, it runs rain or shine.

It is my backup power for running my chargers when the sun don't do it. My two chargers draw 13 amps, just under its max of 13.4 amps.

I'v cleaned the main jet a few times, changed the oil 4 times and put 1 spark plug in it.

It always starts on 1 pull as long as it has gas in it.

If it ran out of gas, it takes 5 pulls to pump the gas to the carb.

It has a fuel pump so you can buy a different cap and run it off a 3 or 6 gallon boat tank. I'v had it run for 24 hours once, running a 8000 BTU air conditioner.

If it's low on oil, it starts and dies. That tells me it needs some.

Very dependable, so far.

[1bigmess]

Originally Posted by rlf0000

I'll spend extra for Honda but if something new is on market that will perform like Honda for 1/2 price. I'd like to save some $ if possible!

We'd all like to save some money on most things, but my priority is to be a good neighbor if I am gonna be running my gennie near other folks trying to enjoy their camping experience the same as I am. I believe in the Golden Rule.

How long of life for Honda?

How long do you think is *reasonable*? I haven't seen any reports of them dieing after a season or ten, but I haven't been looking, either. Come to think of it, the only time I've heard about them needing to be replaced is if they've been stolen. Chain 'em up!

[FunGus]

A few years ago I saw comparisons on the engineered life expectancy of Honda and Yamaha generators, and while I don't remember the exact model I believe it was somewhere between 2000 and 400 watts. The Honda had a life expectancy of 5500 hours, but the Yamaha was 9000 hours! I was surprised to say the least, the Yamaha had a 63% longer life expectancy than the Honda. Not looking to start a fight, just an FYI.


.

[1bigmess]

If I remember correctly, the Yamaha has a cast iron cylinder sleeve, the Honda does not.

I mainly bought the Honda due to its fuel pump making an external tank very easy to do. The Yamaha was a very close second, and would need gravity feed for an external fuel tank, along with other modifications for that purpose.