Inverter generators: Honda EU2000i vs Yam EF2000is

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I am in the market for a small portable generator for various uses. I have plenty of larger gensets for "real" projects and emergency use.

The Honda 2000 is interesting and generally gets good reviews. It's a 99cc engine with aluminum bore (probably Nikasil) and a single lobe plastic overhead camshaft, with timing belt. It also has a plastic governor gear and splasher assembly. These have been known to fail after many, many hours. There are a few reports of connecting rod stretching too.

The Yamaha 2000 is fairly new. It is slightly smaller, at 79cc's. I "believe" it's conventional construction, with a real metal camshaft, 2 lobes and a cast iron bore.

The Honda has a reputation of long life, with some operators getting 10,000 hours or more. However, there are questions about "hot and high" operation where oil temps skyrocket and plastic parts fail. There are a number of negative reviews. The Yamaha is too new to have many negative reviews.

Honda, Yamaha, or, should I go with a tiny conventional genset? One that is easily repaired and contains no electronics?

Both are quiet, efficient and will make 1800watts without trouble. With the Honda capable of running in "overload" at 2000 watts for 30 mins. The Yamaha will "overload" and shut off the power after about 20 seconds at 2000 watts. Just a difference in the protection circuitry I guess.

Thanks!
 
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I guess if you don't need their low noise output or their partial load fuel efficiency then there's not really a reason to get an inverter generator.
I like my 7 year old EF3000iSE that ran on a few litres of gas the last couple days on my front porch. If I needed a smaller one I'd get the yamaha base on it traditional construction.
 
I can't comment on the Yamaha but I've had my Honda EU200i for over two years now and I am very happy with it.

I have a small barn that does not have power so I use the Honda to provide power to woodworking tools, lights, and a small window shaker (a/c unit) and it has performed flawlessly.

Mine has accumulated approximately 250-300 hours of use and I change the Mobil 1 15w-20 twice a year.

Whatever you decide to do, check out the prices here before you buy:
linky

BTW...I love your old Lister vids. Great stuff.
cheers3.gif
 
It is unlikely the Yamaha is conventional construction. The use of plastic single-lobe camshafts and aluminum bore are ways to keep the weight and cost down.

IndyIan hit the nail on the head - an inverter style generator will be quieter and more fuel efficient than a constant speed generator.

I use a Honda 1000 inverter generator at a remote location where getting equipment and materials is a logistical headache. I used to use a Honda 350 (2-stroke) which was ideal for my needs. However, my wife likes to take her laptop and have the convenience of turning on lights whenever she feels the urge so the 1000 is better for that application. The 1000 is considerably oversized for the load and uses considerably more fuel than the 350.

Ian
 
Either of the two are probably good choices, but if you ever might cut it close on watts (13.5BTU RV AC), the yamaha 2400 is even better. Its a little more $$, and heavier, but sometimes a 2000 just won't do it, and the 2400 will. It won't waste fuel at 1500 watts, but won't make you start a generator collection when you need 2200.
 
We've got 2 EU2000i's at work, the oldest being about 6 years now. They see infrequent use, but when they do get used its heavy and hard for a few days in a row and its usually hot, dusty, dirty field work. No glitches yet, and they're QUIET.

We also tried the EU1000, but weren't as impressed. Yes, its smaller and a good bit lighter lighter, but its actually louder (or at least more annoying since its higher-pitched).

Can't comment on the Yamaha, but I'd bet its every bit as good as the Honda, if not better.
 
I plan on purchasing one of these two units this year. My boat doesnt have a generator and I want AC while rafting up. I was gonna go for the yamaha just because I like the blue color, and to try something new. I have a honda EB3000c that has thousands and thousands of hours on it, and I dont mind giving the yamaha a shot to see if it turns out to be as reliable.
 
Originally Posted By: 951Indy
Either of the two are probably good choices, but if you ever might cut it close on watts (13.5BTU RV AC), the yamaha 2400 is even better. Its a little more $$, and heavier, but sometimes a 2000 just won't do it, and the 2400 will. It won't waste fuel at 1500 watts, but won't make you start a generator collection when you need 2200.


I have the Yamaha ef2400i and I can't be more pleased with it. I have run my RV air conditioner from it for days at a time. It is very quiet. At the time I bought it, it was the smallest generator that could run an RV air conditioner. At the time I bought it, the closest Honda equivalent was the Honda eu3000is.

My FIL has this one and it feels like it weighs twice as much as the Yamaha, barely liftable to the tailgate of a 3/4 ton truck so I bought the Yamaha. That big eu3000is is a really nice unit, beautifully made and quiet, but not great if you need to move it around alot.

But Honda now is offering the eu3000i Handy, which is significantly lighter than the eu3000is and can run an RV AC. They brought this out to compete with the Yamaha ef2400i. I'd definitely now consider the Honda "Handy" as it has wheels built in, which would really make it "handy". Either would be really good though.

ps. I run Esso XD-3 0w-30 HDEO in my yamaha. I thought that was relevant, this being BITOG.
 
I don't have a lot of experience with either of these particular models, but I wouldn't let the plastic parts in the Honda worry you too much. Honda has been using plastic camshafts for years and they just don't seem to be very problematic at all. With proper maintenance and use, the engine should never get hot enough to damage the camshaft. If you're reading reviews where the camshaft melted, it means the engine was overheating for one reason or another, and overheating is generally caused by operator error or neglect.

Finding well stocked Honda dealers and shops is also easy. You are unlikely to run into parts availability issues with them (though it does occasionally happen).

Yamaha also seems to build pretty reliable engines, but their dealer and service provider network is not as large as Honda's. If you need to repair anything, it may be a little more difficult and take a little longer to get the parts compared to Honda.

I think either one will work fine as long as it's not overworked.
 
I can't choose a larger unit, like the Yamaha 2400. The genset must fit in the tiny baggage compartment of my Cessna 177RG. The 2000's are just the right size.

Funny that the poster above likes the blue color! I suppose, they really are that similar.

I'll try to find out for sure about the conventional construction on the Yamaha.
 
The Honda site lists the EU2000i as having the GX100 engine. According to Honda, this is an iron bore, metal cam, commercial engine.

When I was in the market for a 3000 watt inverter I eliminated the Yamaha early because of its smaller engine. The Yamaha was 5.5 hp compared to 6.5 for Honda and 7.0 for Subaru/Robin. I often operate at 5K+ altitude. The Yamaha would be down to 4.4 hp and the Subaru would be at the 5.5 the Yamaha starts at at 6K feet.

Subaru offers a compact model, but it's only 1700/1400 watts, a size down. If that's enough, give it a look. Otherwise, I'd go with the larger engined, proven Honda.

Ed
 
I have a EU2000 ,EU1000 and also two EX350 2 cycle generators. i am sure that either the Yamaha or Hondas will work great for you. The only problem i have had is with the Eu2000 it will freeze up if left running at below zero temps. The crank case vent ices up the carb. Not sure if Yamaha has this problem.
 
That's interesting. Carb ice is a problem in aircraft, but not so much with small engines here in South Florida.

However, I do plan on using this in TN, where the winter temps drop into the 20's. I'd hate to have problems overnight, when I really need this thing running my cabin.
 
As edhackett said, the Honda EU2000i uses the GX100 engine, which is designed for day-in, day-out rugged commercial use. In other words, it will last a long time if properly maintained! I have read on other boards that people have run them for 12000 hours and they are still going strong. Of course, that means careful maintenance (oil changes every 100 hours or more often, air filter changes, etc.). The GX100 engine, according to the Honda weblink below, apparently uses a metal gear driven camshaft, not a plastic belt driven one. I would personally stay away from any Honda engines that have critical engine components made of plastic if they are going to see heavy use. They just won't last as long as those that have metallic parts. For lawn mowers and other occasional use items, they're fine, but I'd stay away from them if you're looking for thousands of hours of reliable service without overhauls. Case in point: a friend of mine got a brand new economy Honda generator to use in the recent tornado-induced power outage here in north AL. The plastic cam failed withn a few hours of use! Fortunately, he was able to find a replacement cam and repair it.

All this is to say that the EU2000i is NOT one of those engines. It sounds like you'll be using this at your cabin for many hours, so get a proven winner in the 2000i. The Honda and the Yamaha seem to be roughly the same price, so I would recommend getting the Honda as it has a more proven track record. Wise and Mayberry have good prices on these; check them out!

Since this is BITOG, I use standard (not Signature series) Amsoil 5W-30 in my EU-2000i.

http://engines.honda.com/models/model-detail/gx100
 
Well folks, I need to correct some of my post above. I dug around and found the parts catalog for the GX100 engine and, according to it, this engine uses a timing belt and the cam gear and shaft don't look like what is shown on the Honda engine website. The parts catalog doesn't say what material the cam gear is made of it, but looking at it it could well be plastic. Any Honda mechanics on here who are familiar with this engine, please let us know for sure! Here's the link to the GX100 parts catalog. The cam parts are in section E9.

http://cssportal.css-club.net/honda/PowerProducts/contents/20091202162641_7376.pdf
 
Oh yeah, they are plastic. And, they do wear substantially. However, the geometry is tolerant of at least 1/8 inch of wear. That's due to the very large size of the lobe.

Here is a u tube video of a EU2000i valve adjustment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GKE_LZWCjA

You can see the plastic single lobe and the timing belt.
 
I've got an Yamaha EF2000is, mostly because Wisesales could not get a Calif approved Honda EU2000ia AND Amazon had a killer deal on the Yamaha.

Some facts:
- Yes, the Yamaha is conventionally built. Flywheel on one side driving the magneto/spark plug, the other side of the crank is the alternator. gear driven steel camshaft. Head comes off the cylinder, and it has a cast iron cylinder.
- The Yamaha does NOT have the surge rating the Honda has. I did a video showing that it can only drive an 1850-1900W load for ~ 20 seconds. Yamaha themselves would not tell me how long it can drive a 2KW load. Honda clearly says 30 mins with no damage.

- Yes, Honda says the EU2000 has a GX100 engine BUT it really does have a plastic single lobe camshaft driven by a cogged belt AND it does not have a cast iron cylinder. There is no removable cylinder head so the crankcase halves are wedge shaped so you can get the piston out from the crankcase side. I like the fact that Honda has the alternator on the same side as the flywheel (the crank does not extend from both sides of the crankcase). Smart design and I feel helps their airflow paths. The Yamaha has to pull air in from the flywheel side to blow over the cylinder and head, but also has to pull air in from the other side of the motor across the alternator.

-Yamaha information and dealer network is really sparse and not up to date. Many online dealers showing parts don't even have the EF2000is listed - it's not that new of a generator. Heck, the owner's manual that came with my unit which was made in late 2010 says the warranty is 2 years and not three! I called Yamaha and they said any unit bought after Jan 2010 has a 3 year warranty and was surprised they were shipping old manuals with their units.

If both generators are in stock, I would have gotten the Honda though I like the Yamaha engine build better. Same price, surge capability, fuel pump so you can easily extend the tank, parts easy to find, very good dealer network, tips me towards Honda.

There are some other 'clones' inverter gens coming out but they have not yet mastered how to handle poor power factor and high surge loads.
 
According to the Honda GX100 engine web link (see my post above in this thread), the GX100 does have a cast iron sleeve. Technically JellyBeanDriver is correct in that the entire cylinder is not cast iron, but the surface that the piston rings run against is made of cast iron. Most of the rest of the engine block is aluminum to save weight.

Interesting info about the Yamaha engine having a metal camshaft. I definitely like that better than Honda's plastic one, especially after my friend had his plastic one (granted, it was in an "economy" Honda engine, not the GX100) fail after only a few hours of use.

It seems that Honda and Yamaha have competing warranties. My EU-2000i (purchased from Mayberry's around May, 2010) manual states only a 2 year warranty but Honda's website says that an EU-2000i purchased Jan. 1, 2010 or after has a 3 year warranty when purchased from American Honda or authorized dealer. The smaller EU-1000i only has the 2 year warranty, though.

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/pdf/warranty/P-PWL50623-P.PE.Dist.Ltd.Warr.pdf
 
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