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write your own review of the Honda EU2000i.
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W7YES
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 16, 2006 20:47
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follow up review
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is a follow up to a review I wrote in September 2005 -- In the first review I commented on a serious gas leak and the poor way Honda addressed the problem. Since then I've used the EU2000i on several “field day” style outings. The generator has always preformed perfectly, although there is some question as to whether it's completely electrically quiet. (Some radios appear to be more sensitive to noise created by the generator than others). A couple days ago, we had a pretty strong windstorm come through and as usual we lost power. I got out the generator, filled the tank, pulled the starter cord a few times and it starts right up. It's quiet and does a great job of supplying power when and where you need it. Whether it's for the XYL's hair dryer or keeping the ice cream in the freezer from melting, it's very convenient and it's a well designed product.
So in fairness, I'd give the EU2000i a 5/5 rating... and I still give Honda a ZERO for the way they stand behind their products.
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K6SDW
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 16, 2006 16:43
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Runs hair dryer!!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Believe it or not, spent the $1,000 buying this unit so xyl could run her 1500-watt hair dryer whilst RV camping!! Really....
Anyway, enuff whinning.....outstanding gas generator, works as advertised and always easy starting!!
Cheers All....
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NA6DF
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 16, 2006 16:28
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love 'em!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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We have had 2 of the EU2000i's at work here at a radio station cluster that I engineer for. I send them out with promotions people and DJ's for radio station appearances and remote broadcasts who use and abuse them, week after week. After having the 2 for several years, we have had zero issues. Great easy to start and reliable Honda engines cannot be beat. We have not seen any fuel leakage issues, or anything else wrong, for that matter.
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WI7B
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 16, 2006 14:24
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Great with no RFI
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've had the EU2000i for over a year. I use it for Field Day, portable communnications, and as a standby power. It stays in the SUV. In 'econo mode" it appears extremely efficint AND quiet. It's inverter has never created any form of hash or other RFI, even when sitting with a couple yards of the transceiver/antenna system.
If you keep it in reserve, as I do, its important to add a small amount of stabilizer to the 1 gallon of gas in its tank to avoid sludge build-up. Sweet piece of machinery!
73,
---* Ken
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KG6JBL
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 8, 2006 16:48
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Couldn't ask more of a 1600W genny
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought one of these four or five years ago, soon after that my friend's parents moved to a house miles from the grid and needed some power to get them going until they could get mains electricity. Eighteen months later they moved on. During that time they ran the EU2000i every day for at least eight hours. After a year it failed to start and a first read of the manual revealed that cleaning the spark arrestor might be a good idea. While he was working on it he also changed the spark plug. Other than oil changes, which sadly were not performed at anything like the required interval, that's all the tender love and care it ever got.
When they bought my first one, with under 20 hours on it, I bought another one immediately and have been using it about ten weekends a year ever since. It runs my TMD700A, the laptop, tv, stereo, lights, dishwasher, washing machine and even the swamp cooler, as necessary. Typically I run it from dusk until mid morning on under little more than a gallin of gas, I just refill it before bed and leave it on all night and it isn't dry by 10am when I shut it off to go out and do something more interesting.
I've never had an issue with RFI, mains borne interference, fuel leakage or anything else. The only tiny issue is that if it runs dry it takes a few pulls to get it going again. In the winter it requires the choke to start from cold, but only for a few seconds.
I check once in a while and so far there's no better option for me.
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N1JDU
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 25, 2006 10:20
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Nice unit
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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If had mine for a few years and don't regret buying it (at full list price too)
RE: radio interference problem
Some folks have had it, others have not. I am in the postion of both those folks. I tried it once for an emergency test event where someone had a Yaesu 817, and they were getting serious interference until I shut down the generator.
BUT, I also used it this past Field Day with a Icom 706 and received no complaints (even after I mentioned it's previous problem to the operator)
Supposedly the interference comes from the inverter electronics, but apparently it is not a constant problem. I found a website that suggests the interference is transmitted directly thru the power cord (not on RF) and made a choke with a couple of large ferrite cores .. but even before I put them on at FD the operator noticed no problem.
You can get more powerful generators for less money, but you wouldn't be able to carry them in the passenger seat of your vehicle OR carry them around your home / worksite / campsite with just one hand. The gas consumption is *great* and the noise (audible) is really, really low.
Using the Econo-Throttle the noise is even less and, at idle, it puts out about 300 watts. It's maximum rated capacity is 1600 watts. If that's enough for you .. go for it.
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N0OQA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 6, 2006 18:24
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Good design concept with clean power
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I recently purchased the EU2000I for emergency power. Seems like every other year someone hit a power pole in the winter knocking out the furnace. Seems like to always in January and in Minnesota it gets cold fast.
My plan is to eventually get 2 units and run them parallel. A single unit can run the furnace and two units can keep other important systems on-line.
I really like the design of the EU2000i. It is quite, starts easy, and has clean output.
I also had the gas leak problem. Honda indicated the the cause is carburetor contamination. Future units will receive an improved cleaning at the factory. They covered a carburetor cleaning by the local dealer under warranty. I think this will solve the problem.
The gas leak should have knocked down my rating, but I really do like to unit and its performance.
After I field test it some more, and gain confidence I will purchase a second unit.
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KA4AXS
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 18, 2005 15:26
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Great for home use or field day
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Bought mine online from Mayberrys.com for $874 including shipping with no tax. It arrived via FedEx ground. I'm impressed so far. It runs my ham station equipment and computer with no problems or noise. I'm using a Kenwood TS520SE and a Heathkit SB-100 with a G5RV. I also tested it with a small refrigerator, a few lights and a small TV/VCR. I plan to use it to power a small window A/C. You can use up to 1600 watts continious or 2000 watts for 30 minutes. It uses high octane gas and sips it very nicely without a lot of noise. I live in Florida and bought it to power the essentials after the next hurricane (s). I measured the voltage at a steady 126 volts. The DC output is for charging car type batteries only and it puts out a little over 18 volts with a fluc of .3 volts--I guess that is the reason not to power your 13.8 volt radio because it would probably fry it. I plan to use it to power my Yaesu FT897D during field day. Everyone in my neigborhood has the 5000 watt + type generators and they put out too much noise and burn a lot of gas plus their voltage is not perfect. After a hurricane, the gas stations are closed and who wants to store a ton of fuel. This generator is the perfect choice for any ham who wants a well made, fuel conserving, low noise generator.
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W7WV
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Rating: 5/5
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May 11, 2005 07:45
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Clean output and quiet
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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My wife and I have done a lot of travel in RVs in the past. We just purchased another and I am taking a portable HF station with us to travel in retirement.
We have owned many types and brands of gensets over the years and have had the best overall luck with Honda powered equipment so we decided on the EU2000i for our needs.
Operation is very quiet with 53 dB at 7 meters at idle (minimum out put and battery charging) and 59 dB at full output. They say that is equivalent to a human voice at the same distance. The specifications do not state how many amps it will run at minimum or economy throttle. For my application of charging batteries in the RV this may not matter. I am going to try running an AC charger rated at a 10 amp charge with the DC output charge on a dual battery bank and see if I can do that in the economy mode of operation.
It will run some 15 hours on the 1.1 gallon tank of fuel at minimum output and over 4 hours at full output. Pretty cheap power for 13 amps sustained power. It will maintain my batteries in my RV quite nicely. You can also charge the batteries direct via a separate charging cord which does not come with it. Make your own and save money. It will supply 8 amps of charge at idle, not too bad.
It’s a very light at some 50 pounds wet and ready to run. Who cares about dry weight of 46#? You can also hook two of these together should you need more power with a parallel cable that you can make. The ones they sell are very expensive. So if you put two together you only have to handle 50# at a time, can you can run only one if that is all you need. And many 4kw gensets are well into the 130# or better class and are a real hassle to move around. These are inverter type gensets so the output is very clean for electronics.
Now add the reliability of Honda and the ease of starting and it makes this little package a nice value for portable operations
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KD5PDN
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Rating: 4/5
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May 10, 2005 15:52
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Quiet, Dependable, Clean, and porable if not a bit pricey.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Honda builds good reliable equipment. They start easily but I did have to warm it up one morning when I had trouble starting it on a 3 degree F morning.
Four features really stand out:
1. It's remarkably quiet.
2. It's really portable.
3. It supplies very clean electrical current.
4. It is pricey if you compare it's cost per watt to other generators.
The econ mode throttles down automatically to decrease noise and fuel use when the load is low.
The output of this generator is 1600 W (13.3 Amps) continuous and 2000 W (16.7 Amps)for short terms. The unit will shut down if overloaded. It will shut down if the oil is too low.
I like this generator. I use it sometimes in my scout troop for HAM stations or outdoor movie / powerpoint presentations.
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