Yamaha & Generac Suitcase Gens

[Blue Crab]

Honda seems the clear choice of posting CFers and I like the brand as well but Yamaha has a great rep too, and the Generac brand at half the price of the two Nippon gens has appeal.

Any owners have comments on their choices?

[ranger58sb]

Not an owner, but there is a company (U.S. Carburetion) that will convert the Yamaha models to run on either propane or gas... if that matters. I have no first-hand experience with that, though, so it's just an observation.

-Chris

[Opie91]

Do not waste your time or money on the Generac suitcase generator.

I had one. It was loud, the eco mode stopped working almost immediately and the fuel needed to be drained out of the carb if you were not going to run it for a while. The fuel shut off and ignition switch were combined into one switch so you could not run it out of gas unless the tank was empty. The pull cord was located in a bad position making it awkward to start.

In addition it was very loud and vibrated badly at a high load.

The best day it had was when I sold it and bought two more solar panels.

[socaldmax]

The Honda EU2000 and EU3000is generators are pretty tough to beat. Quiet, reliable, easy to start. If you only need 1600 w, get the 2000, if you need 2600w and you have the room, get the 3000 (the electric start is great, I installed a remote start key fob on mine and it was fantastic to push a button up to 100' away and hear it fire right up or shut off!) if you don't mind the pull start and want up to 3200w, you can get 2 of the 2000s and parallel them. I have some friends who do that. They run one for TVs and battery charging, and fire up the 2nd one if they need to run the A/C.

I have a friend who has the Yamaha 2400, it seems louder, and was more expensive than the Honda 2000. I've heard the Yamaha isn't as powerful as advertised, but I don't know that for a fact.

[Stumble]

I have two of the Honda's and swear by them. In retrospect I wish I had matches sizes so I could link them, but that ship has sailed.

[michaelmrc]

ive got the yamaha 1000 and i love it. quiet cheap to run charges the batteries easily runs my fridge and computer. yamaha or honda only way to go.

[nhschneider]

I don't own a portable generator and I resent intensely people using them in quiet anchorages, however, I saw one on Harbor Freight's web site that advertised a 2000 watt unit for US$500. The reviews on it were mostly very favorable.

If you buy one though, please don't use it while I'm anchored near by. Thanks.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[letsgetsailing3]

I've got the Yamaha 2000. Works great, quiet, no complaints. I got it based on the reviews on Amazon, and would do it again. I can always get a second one to parallel them and double the power, but haven't needed to do that.

[SailFastTri]

I have the Yamaha ef2000is and consider it an outstanding unit. I've had it since 2009 no failures or issues. It's sat in salt water 4" deep (by accident) and been run for 2 weeks nearly 24/7. All I've had to do is change the oil once in a while.

My top-rated review on Amazon
Amazon.com: trisailor "trisailor"'s review of Yamaha EF2000iS 2,000 Watt 79cc OHV 4-Stro...

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by Stumble

I have two of the Honda's and swear by them. In retrospect I wish I had matches sizes so I could link them, but that ship has sailed.

What sizes are they? You can link the Eu2000 and the Eu3000 together. A friend of mine does it all of the time. Works fine. He made up a cable that plugs into the 15A socket on the Eu2000, the other leg plugs into the twist-lok 30A socket of the Eu3000, and they both go into a small junction box with an RV 30A socket in it.

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by nhschneider

I saw one on Harbor Freight's web site that advertised a 2000 watt unit for US$500. The reviews on it were mostly very favorable.

i saw that one too. it's designed to look similar to the honda 2000. but it's a harbor freight item. i'd personally rather save up for a real honda 2000, or get the honda 1000 if that suits you for maybe $800.

[Stumble]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

What sizes are they? You can link the Eu2000 and the Eu3000 together. A friend of mine does it all of the time. Works fine. He made up a cable that plugs into the 15A socket on the Eu2000, the other leg plugs into the twist-lok 30A socket of the Eu3000, and they both go into a small junction box with an RV 30A socket in it.

I have a 1000 and 2000. The problem is the 1k doesn't have a synchronize function.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by Stumble

I have a 1000 and 2000. The problem is the 1k doesn't have a synchronize function.

Good news. I went to the Honda website, and they show 2 of the 1000s linked together. So you should be able to link a 1000 and a 2000 together. Just make your own cable with 2 male plugs and 1 female 30 amp socket.

Honda EU1000i Super Quiet 1000 Watt Inverter Generator

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Opie91

Do not waste your time or money on the Generac suitcase generator.

I had one. It was loud, the eco mode stopped working almost immediately and the fuel needed to be drained out of the carb if you were not going to run it for a while. The fuel shut off and ignition switch were combined into one switch so you could not run it out of gas unless the tank was empty. The pull cord was located in a bad position making it awkward to start.

...

Thanks. Exactly what I guessed. Only the price is attractive.

I had a pal with a Yamaha back in the 80s. It always worked well. Funny that Honda hasn't added the fuel shutoff in all this time.

[oceannavigator]

This won't be a popular post, but I would never, ever buy another Honda EU2000.

I have gone through 2 of them, both breaking with less than 100 hours on them! Garbage. A rod broke in one of them and rhe other had a cam shaft problem.

I got another, normal 3600RPM generator with a Honda enmgine and have run it 4000 hours or so without incident using the same amount of fuel.