Generator questions from a complete novice (1 Viewer)

GJH

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As the header says I basically know next to nowt about generators other than you stick petrol in them, start them and you get 230v & 12v output.

Seeing the various threads over the past few days got me thinking about what are the real differences between the three oft-mentioned makes of Honda, Kipor and Clarke?

So, looking on the web I put together the attached comparison table and it seems to me that the only significant differences between the three models are "the cheaper the noisier" and that the Honda has a much longer warranty.

This is a serious enquiry, seeking knowledge and certainly not wanting to start any wars but, leaving aside any personal preferences/prejudices which anyone might have, are there technically and practically any advantages in paying the higher prices for the more expensive models?
 

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chatter

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errr i for one dont think so as long as its inverter technology (sine wave) and weight.
I had a honda and 2 probs with it were, it quickly waxed up for some reason if fuel was left in it , and it weighed a ton
I now have a cheapie which is a little bit more vocal but in the last three years has never waxed up on me and its lighter so i can at least lift it in and out of its storage spot (couldnt do that with the honda), and i mean a cheapie its a Pro-user from Makro but has been reliable and performed when needed - and i imagine that if i added a little exhaust extension it would make it as quiet as a honda
 
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My first one was a Honda EU2.0 2Kw. I had money to burn back in those days and got the best of everything.

I now have the cheapest. A Clarke 1Kw Digi jobby.

All I can say about it is it works and is reliable. I can't say anymore because you won't be able to hear me over the noise.:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

PS: If it gets nicked I have lost less than half the money......

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Road Runner

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Well the Kipor will run more economically on 1/4 load to.............

My Kipor was stolen yet still in pocket against Honda when replace.

I think you have a tough decision to be made between Kipor value and Honda precision.....both are Honda's ones a copy of slightly old one though from China.

Don't knock China's precision any more as everywhere now just badged the best makes..
 

Jaws

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Had a 2kva Honda on loan for a while and it worked well and without issue ( apart from the bloody weight )

Had three Kipors... Every one performed as well as the Honda but weighed considerably less

Had a Clarke ( small one ) for a while and it too worked well and was sold at a profit !

I regret flogging the big Kipor I had ( was absolutely paralytic at a bike bash and sold it in a moment of drunken madness !! )
I will be replacing it soon with one from another member who I am having a deal with at the moment.
Honda's are great bits of kit but really are sold on their name.. Take the name away and they would be half the price they are

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Jaws

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Indeed, the Hyundai models are fairly new kids on the block but are really excellent bits of kit and very well priced for what they are
 

scotjimland

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You forgot this one , excellent piece of kit, equal to honda in my opinion.
I have the 3000si, its big brother no problems at all over 3 years now.

http://www.genpoweruk.co.uk/Hyundai..._The_ideal_lightweight_camping_generator.html

Regards
Steve:thumb:

beat me too it.. :thumb:

I would also add, don't get bogged down with the Honda / Kipor debate.. it's like PC versus Mac.. there are no winners.

plus, there are a lot of other good gennies on the market , several are Honda powered ..

http://www.justgenerators.co.uk/index.php
 

chrisgreen

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wish i could help graham! but like you i know nothing about generators:Sad:

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JJ

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I don't agree with Jim's analogy re the passion between Mac and Pc fans being the same as Kipor and Honda ones...

A Kipor is much cheaper than a Honda.

The perception is that a Honda is better built and will last longer... I have no evidence of this...

My belief is that if you don't use your genny that often why have all that extra money sitting in your garage? Get a Kipor...

If you are planning to sell ice cream all day from the back of your new van then get a Honda to run the freezer (claim the genny cost back on your tax return).

JJ :Cool:
 

chatter

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My first one was a Honda EU2.0 2Kw. I had money to burn back in those days and got the best of everything.

I now have the cheapest. A Clarke 1Kw Digi jobby.

All I can say about it is it works and is reliable. I can't say anymore because you won't be able to hear me over the noise.:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

PS: If it gets nicked I have lost less than half the money......

we also have a clarke 1.5 jobbie, runs ok infact too well as it keeps trying to hop off and goes walkies as far as its lead will let it unless we stake it down but it is noisy so not used with the van :roflmto: which i found quite funny when we were doing a repair to one of the horse trailers and had to keep bringing it back only for it to try and escape again, have since got a stake to put in the ground to tie it to
 

bmb1uk

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most noise comes from the exhaust, either make a sound proof box , or as we did in the military dig a hole put exhaust under ground if possible

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pappajohn

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i was a Kipor owner until it broke :Sad: and couldnt warrent the cost of a Honda but i now know why they cost more..... component and build quality are far superior to the chinese copies and the price reflects this.:thumb:

a replacement inverter card (the bit which broke) for my kipor woukld have been around £300.....the genny was £425 new, so not worth the cost of replacing the inverter as no warranty if offered on the inverter card at this price on ebay.
 

pappajohn

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most noise comes from the exhaust, either make a sound proof box , or as we did in the military dig a hole put exhaust under ground if possible
been milling this around in my mind for a while now.....

when i worked underground (potash mine) all the internal combustion engines had a water trap spark arrester....the exhaust went into a water container, below water level, to stop any sparks.

this must reduce exhaust noise and could be utilised on site with a length of silicon (heat resistant) pipe from the exhaust and a bucket or better still, a watering can (stick the hose on the spout) of H2O.

any thoughts ?

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Most people who post on here only actually use their generators once in a blue moon, so I would go for the cheapest inverter one you can find.:thumb:
 
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Well that`s our 13th year & still loving it.
kipor

Most people who post on here only actually use their generators once in a blue moon, so I would go for the cheapest inverter one you can find.:thumb:

Which is exactly why we bought our Kipor, big enough to run the cnertal heating and freezer if we have a power cut at home and plenty of power if we need it for the motorhome.
As said many times half the price of the honda. :thumb:
 

scotjimland

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I don't agree with Jim's analogy re the passion between Mac and Pc fans being the same as Kipor and Honda ones...

A Kipor is much cheaper than a Honda.

The perception is that a Honda is better built and will last longer... I have no evidence of this...

a PC is much cheaper than a Mac .. like for like, about 1/3 the cost

The perception is that a Mac is better built and will last longer ... I have no evidence of this.. in fact my experience is the contrary ..

so where is my analogy wrong ?

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JJ

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a PC is much cheaper than a Mac .. like for like, about 1/3 the cost

The perception is that a Mac is better built and will last longer ... I have no evidence of this.. in fact my experience is the contrary ..

so where is my analogy wrong ?

Not wrong Jim... heaven forbid I would never say such a thing!!!

I don't agree with the analogy because IMVHO many Apple Mac fans have a religious like fanaticism regarding their worship of Apple products leading to such behaviour as sleeping on pavements (the more nights the more dedicated you are) to be the first to buy the latest super hyped gizmo...

Never known such emotions re Honda and Kipor generators :ROFLMAO:... (just a sense of occasional slight, ever so slight feeling of superiority amongst the Honda gang because they sometimes seem to believe that the extra money they spent was A) something they can afford when maybe others can't and B) a wise move on the basis of quality...)

JJ :Cool:
 

carry on then

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working from the info sheet you provided
the honda runs longer on a smaller tank of fuel
the honda is lighter
the honda is quieter
the honda is smaller
the honda warranty is 5 times better

Now to reality , they all do the same thing in different ways and to different degrees.
Clarke products are ok, but dont usually like long term use ( more than 12 months) , thats why there priced as they are . Machine mart are pretty good at exchanging faulty items, but after a few times they start questioning how you used it and get a bit snotty.
Kipor , I dont know anything about them, except they suddenly appeared on the market and i guess there chinese.
Favourite problems with chinese generators is the avr board, which as someone mentioned previously , are not cheap.
Honda is a well known name and as with cars and bikes there quality is very good , but you pay a premium for that.

Its the old adage I'm afraid, you pays your money you takes your choice.
Personally i would go for the Honda. My ex1000 is 20 odd years old now and works perfect still...............and yes, it has had some abuse in its time

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Road Runner

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me and as with cars and bikes there quality is very good , but you pay a premium for that.

Its the old adage I'm afraid, you pays your money you takes your choice.
Personally i would go for the Honda. My ex1000 is 20 odd years old now and works perfect still...............and yes, it has had some abuse in its time


Well all I can say is my first Kipor was doing well till it was stolen:winky:
 

Madmark62

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I know trhat I am going a bit off tanget , but Kipor make all the STERLING invertor/ chargers, they are exactly the same, but if you buy one branded by Sterling you will pay approx 35% more, than if you buy one with Kipor branding.
So what I am saying is I suppose, is that the Kipor Generators are very good things, make sure you get the invertor ones and you will be good for years to come.
The Honda genny we had on the other boat was a pain in the arris, rep[laced 4 times under warranty and still we ended up changing.
 

darklord

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Long long ago, in a galaxy far far away, a B&Q manager put 1kva gennies made by Rockfield up for sale at the wrong price. He was pestered, stalked, ear bashed, and finally forced into selling one at the cheapo price, by a mh owner from essex::bigsmile:, it is 4 stroke and works perfectly, the exhast wil get an add on when i can be bothered.
We are off to the Excell MH show in the morning,.........but Honda will not be tempting us,...............:roflmto:

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icantremember

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One option not raised so far is a lpg conversion. We have a Honda EU10 second hand off flebay which we dont use very often but is great when we do need it. No petrol cans to carry, no petrol fumes, no petrol to deteriorate through age.......always got lpg on board:thumb:
 

Heyupluv

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I don't agree with Jim's analogy re the passion between Mac and Pc fans being the same as Kipor and Honda ones...

A Kipor is much cheaper than a Honda.

The perception is that a Honda is better built and will last longer... I have no evidence of this...

My belief is that if you don't use your genny that often why have all that extra money sitting in your garage? Get a Kipor...

If you are planning to sell ice cream all day from the back of your new van then get a Honda to run the freezer (claim the genny cost back on your tax return).

JJ :Cool:

I have both...one Honda 10i silent 1kw.....also a 2kw Kipor....I find them both very good so I go along with Jj....if you want to sell ice cream buy a ex-Whippy van:winky::ROFLMAO:

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carry on then

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I guess the real question has to be 'do i really need a generator'

If the answer is yes, then it comes down to budget , but if you can honestly answer 'no' its easy to work out.
Its probably an interesting exercise to work out if we actually 'need' one , I bet most of us dont.

Like everything in life, most people have a budget for certain things, however , we all go over budget.............. specially when buying an MH:RollEyes:.
I reckon that the majority of generator owners ( if they were honest with themselves) would admit that they hardly use or need their generator . There will be a few who really make use of one but in general i think a generator is a ' we must have one just in case' item, therefore an expensive item even if you buy the cheapest one going.
 
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GJH

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I guess the real question has to be 'do i really need a generator'

If the answer is yes, then it comes down to budget , but if you can honestly answer 'no' its easy to work out.
Its probably an interesting exercise to work out if we actually 'need' one , I bet most of us dont.

Like everything in life, most people have a budget for certain things, however , we all go over budget.............. specially when buying an MH:RollEyes:.
I reckon that the majority of generator owners ( if they were honest with themselves) would admit that they hardly use or need their generator . There will be a few who really make use of one but in general i think a generator is a ' we must have one just in case' item, therefore an expensive item even if you buy the cheapest one going.

Agreed - and one of the reasons I asked.

Our other van had no room to transport a generator and fuel but the one we have now does. We never needed a generator with the other van but will we now? Too early to say.

I certainly won't buy one in the short term as a "just in case" but it is an option for the future - as is a nice quiet eFoy system ::bigsmile: - so I was curious as to whether spending more really gets you more.

Many thanks to all who have replied.

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