You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Anyone with any knowledge? I need to buy 2 for post covid outdoor classrooms (large glorified sheds).
I think 2Kw would be ideal. They only need to power lighting and perhaps a TV or Audio system.I need them to be portable so they don't get left out at night and can be carried easily. I need them to be easier start, so that even the witless degree educated educators can start them. I need them to be quiet, so those learning are not distracted by a loud hum.
I've got a Honda mower which over 15 years of use has been faultless so am drawn to the Honda EU22i which we can get for about £1000 (within budget..just!!) The guys building the sheds recommended a similar sized unit from screwfix which only cost £200 but the one they demo'd struggled to start and then suddenly stopped. It was noisy too!
Do you get what you pay for or is there a must have brand that I'm not aware of but are as good as if not better than Honda.
We borrowed a cheap one it was most definitely noisy and hard to start, but once running was OK. Never tried a fancy one. We used a car battery for portable stuff for quite a while. Just charge it over night. Lights will run from 12v. Some media stuff will too, or add an inverter. Very easy to use and silent but you won't get as much power out so you do need to check the requirements and remember to charge it. If it was just lights then I'd go for this for sure. Maybe too faffy though.
Buy the Honda, they work, they're quiet (as far as a generator can be) and they hold their value.
All the food stalls seem to use the Honda Whisperlite things, so I guess they're a safe bet.
The hondas are the one.
Don't forget your risk assessments for having the fuel around, procedures for refilling etc.
I used to have a sideline in generator fettling - Honda EU series are great gennys.
Try to match the load to the Genny size - an unloaded Genny will lead to bore wear if it isn't working hard enough.
If you dont need sine wave and just want to power lights then the older EX650 gennys are brilliant and the quietest machines made.
Kipor are okay with spares availability - mainly on the inverter side of things and are a lot cheaper than Honda but won't hold its value as well if and when you come to sell them.
Edited to add.
Chain them up well.
We have a 200 quid generator .
We have 2 long extension leads.- at 50m away you still hear it.
But for all we use it that's fine.
For your use it doesn't sound like it would be much use get something descent
If you dont need sine wave
Its hard to know if you don't need Sinewave until you don't have it - buying a non sine wave generator might be an expensive way to find out. Some electronics depend on there being a proper sine wave (like your mains supply) and not a square wave as many (cheaper) generators put out. So things like computers and AV equipment might be fussy - surprisingly my Circular Saw refuses to work on non sine-wave generators.
I think 2Kw would be ideal.
....and can be carried easily
2KW is starting to get pretty heavy - aroind 25kg with fuel it'll be on the limit of what's considered safe for one person to carry in 'Manual Handling' terms but they're a bad shape - its at the heavier end of 'suitcase' style 'quiet' generators. Annoyingly cheaper. clattery, noisy 2K site gererators although the same weight are in a cage you can carry two handed, lift more safely, and also share the carrying with someone else but Honda EU style quite generators have one centre/ top carry handle and are really too heavy and too bulky and broad to lift well or carry comfortably like that fashion- and the curvy cases mean theres not really other options to grip them or share the weight between two people- its not a great design really (although it works fine with the smaller machines)- and its a bit of a recipe for a back injury.
Old school non sine wave/non inverter governer controlled generator = great for filament bulbs and non speed controlled motors although our EX650 ran an outdoor EPOS system and laptop fine
But if the OP is buying new then it'll be an inverter Genny unless its a cheapo Chinese POS
LED lighting and a bit of AV equipment?
Sounds like 2kW is complete overkill. I may be wrong, startup currents can be nasty if you have any motors, welding equipment would be “interesting” and you may have more lighting than I imagine.
Be aware that a lot of generators don’t like being run at too low a load though I’m sure that’s designed out in the good ones.
Don’t over-spec things too much, it’s expensive and doesn’t always work as well.
Actually let me rephrase that - over spec on quality if you can, but less so on size.
I don't know much about these things, but the ones I've seen on peoples boats were small 1kw/emergency/all-round type, very easy to carry home after the weekends sailing.
The 3 or 4 ive seen were the red Honda ones.
Be aware that a lot of generators don’t like being run at too low a load though I’m sure that’s designed out in the good ones.
Nope still an issue - low loads = oil glazing and then increased bore wear.
Better running a small genny at near peak load rather than a bigger genny at low load. Even so they will still do 1000's of hours lightly loaded.
Yamaha gennys are also supposed to be good and continued with steel cylinder liners after Honda went to plated bores but I never had one in bits to tinker with.
A good clean running governor controlled genny with fresh fuel and clean filters will happily run delicate electronic equipment - the issue is when they run out of fuel, the governor over compensates leading to massive voltage and sine wave fluctuations until the genny fully runs out of fuel. An inverter genny will instantly disconnect.
Yamaha gennys are also supposed to be good and continued with steel cylinder liners after Honda went to plated bores but I never had one in bits to tinker with.
Good info that. Was also looking a portable generator a while back ...
Some of the yachties have started looking towards things like this: https://eu.ecoflow.com/?sscid=41k5_bmcp1& for silent, low maintenance off grid power. Depending on your loads and duration it might meet your needs. Isn't it cheaper to run an armoured cable?
How long for? How much lighting and audio. Could you use a couple of large deep cycle batteries and a inverter. Swap at breaks / lunch.
The Honda will work really well and if its important to you will have a decent resale value.
If you are on a budget something like the Kipor IG2000 is worth a look. Its a similar style to the Honda an encased suitcase style. I have had one for about 8yrs that I used with tire warmers and its been faultless. Like the Honda its a sine wave generator which is important for some electronic equipment. My only regret is I didn't buy the IG2600.
I have the 1200w non-honda one, i paid £200-250 for it about a year ago for doing tyre warmers at circuit. It works well, but is way louder than the Honda equivalent. The Honda ones are exceptionally good, but also exceptionally expensive.
It depends on the power draw though really. My one if i only use 1 warmer is half the noise of it when i use full power for the 2 warmers... So it's possible if your power requirements are not high then it may do the job well enough.
https://www.manomano.co.uk/p/autojack-1200w-inverter-generator-8001409