Honda EU Series Generator - 2000 Watt, CARB-Compliant, Model# EU2000I1A1
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Honda EU 2000 i
I am completely satisfied with my purchase. I have only used this product a few times to gig fish at night. It never let me down. It is quiet, starts easy, and doesn't take up a lot of space in the boat. I am running four 250 watt lights with this unit. I would recommend this generator and Northern Tool to my friends.
April 28, 2013
Surviving Sandy
I used the eu2000i and eu2000 companion during 9 day sandy blackout. The generators performed perfectly and since they have inverter technology the engine speed would lower when the electrical demand wasn't there. Due to this I didn't have to stand in gas lines for hours to refill my gas cans. Just sips fuel and you could have a normal conversation while both a running only a few feet away. I actually bought these units to use with my RV but when the time came, it powered the essentials in our house!
April 23, 2013
Excellent "mileage", quiet, reliable, forgiving
I've owned and used two of these for about 4 or 5 years. I lent them out to family/friends when they lost power and used them for myself as well (including a few week long outages). Because they're quiet we ran them 24/7 - I think one of them ran for 20-odd full days at my dad's, so about 480 hours total just for that.
I also use them 5-10 days a year, from about 8 AM to about 4 PM (40-80 hours), powering a computer, sometimes printer, camera, etc at events or when I'm working on stuff at a storage unit (that has no power).
They're so quiet that we can run one 24/7 10 feet away from the house and you can't tell it's on (except the lights are on). Using one we had our fridge or (not and - it was one or the other) microwave, a small pellet stove, and lights - it maxed out the unit but it worked and our appliances are fine.
They also get great mileage. 1 gallon and the thing runs for an 8 hour shift. This was a huge advantage when most of CT had no power for a week or two - two 5 gallon cans kept us with power for most of 5 days (apparently we were on idle much of the time). I have a "regular" generator and it uses 5 gallons in less than 8 hours.
Put it on Eco so it does a low idle when not supplying power. Just remember to move the choke to run, else a laser printer won't work.
Any problems I've had are mine:
I sometimes forgot to turn the vent (on the fill cap) to On. This means the engine stalls after a while because it can't draw gas from the tank (because there's no way for air to enter the tank to replace the displaced fuel).
I used to forget to turn the choke off. This means that some more sensitive things don't work, like a laser printer.
Here's the kicker. I haven't touched them maintenance wise yet since 2008 or so (it's now 2013). I checked the oil level but have not done the recommended hourly maintenance. I'll be servicing them all later this spring, but this means the machines have run something like 500-600 hours minimum without any maintenance.
Because of my experience with the two units I own I'm probably going to get rid of my regular/loud home generator (wired for a transfer switch) and use two of these in parallel. Quiet, fuel efficient, and enough to power our house for days without having to stock up on gasoline.
April 23, 2013
unbelievable go
I wouldn't buy anything else. We have our generator running almost 24/7. It holds about a gallon of gas and it lasts 6 hrs. It's amazing how much abuse this little generator can take, ours has to power our home and it runs our huge refrigerater, plus all the other lights, laptops, even runs our dishwasher and dryer. well lets just say ours is a yr old and it never gets a break. I've never seen any other compare to the top quality of honda 2000 w generators. It was well worth the price. Amazing. Ihow much we've saved since we got ours.
March 26, 2013
Performed flawlessly for 13 days
I used the EU2000i for over 300 hours during our outage from hurricane Sandy. Using a 4 circuit transfer switch I was able to run furnace (gas), sump pump (1/4 hp), refrigerator and some lights for the 13 days we were without power. And all at the same time (the sump didn't really go off much). Ran it in ECO mode the entire time.
It was so quiet you could barely hear it from inside the house.
Gas usage was fantastic. 9+ hours on a gallon of gas. All of my neigbors couldn't believe how this generator performed. I can't say enough good things about this generator.
November 14, 2012
Perfect Choice for Backup Power
I bought the Honda EU2000i shortly after 9/11/01. I have gotten a lot of use from it over the last 10+ years and I am extremely satisfied with the unit. Highly recommended!
You don't need a large generator in an emergency situation. Too large a unit will burn fuel at a rapid pace (look at the problems people had obtaining gas after Sandy). Determine what your base needs are and pass on the luxuries. I run a fridge, separate full size freezer, gas/hot water heat, lights and 60" lcd tv with dvd player on this easily. 7 gallons of gas lasts me 2 full days.
This unit is very quiet. It won't bother you at all, and it won't attract unwanted attention from the street (although I do lock it up just in case).
I use it during blackouts and also when kart racing at the track. It is lightweight, well made and extremely quiet compared to most other generators. It starts easily and has never given me any trouble. I use synthetic oil in the motor, stabilizer in the gas and start it up for a few minutes at least every 3 months.
I have had no issues using the Honda to power sensitive electronics - computers, stereos, lcd tvs, cable boxes, medical equipment.
I had an electrician wire a transfer switch next to my circuit breaker panel. I can run anything in my house with a single wire from the generator to the switch panel. I just have to make sure I don't use more amperage than the capacity of the generator. From the time power goes out until I am fully up and running is no more than 10 minutes.
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATION: Combine this with an IPI Industries Breeze extended fuel tank and this unit will run for 2 days without needing to be refueled. It works perfectly (make sure to open the vent valve in the middle of the gas refill cap) and eliminates generator running dry in the middle of the night! The IPI tank is also sold by Northern: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200402013_200402013
November 7, 2012
clean computer ready power
During Sandy I was able to power my freezer, my refrigerator, as well as a flat screen TV. I am preparing to purchase a second unit to power my natural gas heater/blower. While the Honda is a bit more expensive, I am concerned about the electronics that now reside in even the simplest household item. To me it is not worth getting a cheaper generator only to end up blowing out the electronics and then having to replace expensive components.
This generator is easy to start and operate.
November 2, 2012