portable generators?

Been looking at a few,cant afford honda,yamaha.any recommedions on cheaper models..how loud are the 2-stroke generators?thanks..

I have a 1000w Briggs generator that isn’t too bad. It is not as quiet as a Honda or Yammy, but pretty darn quiet at about half the money. I think it was like 400 bucks, that was 3-4 years ago though.

Just make sure you size it correctly to your needs. Most guys that get a generator for home use, only use it a couple of times. I have Honda and generac. The Gen’s have all gone back for warranty on various issues, but they also get used hard. A mistake that I had made was running them at near max draw. Calculate what ever your going to use as AMPs x Volts = Watts. So a 8 amp saw on 110 volts needs 880 watts to run. Plus you need the peak for start-up which could bring your saw up to 11 amps to start up then drops to the 8 amp, which would require 1210 watts peak. For longevity, you want to have more than enough peak power.

I run a Honeywell 2000I. Little heaver and little louder then the honda 2000 but Alot cheaper and as long as it stays in the fish house to keep it warm while not using it, it fires right up on the first pull. Also use a 1200 watt 2 stroke which is actually pretty quite for a 2 stroke and starts easy when cold being no crank case oil got this one for 90 bucks on black friday at menards.

I bought my 4000w Generac over 11 years ago using it for my household back up.

Certainly not as quiet as a Honda, but what is. Much quieter than a Coleman.

One of the problems with buying a generator is once there’s oil and gas in them they can’t be returned….and that’s when you’ll find out if they are too loud or not. Checking the db ratings will help here.

Good luck!

I bought the champion 3500 at Cabelas for 299 with wheels and cover. I love it it has more than enough power and gets good mileage because it runs on idle most of the time. It says its a 68 decibel muffler and a honda 3000 is a 67 decibel so point is its quiet. Hope this helps.

2X the champion For the money can’t go wrong. I mainly use a cheap 2 stroke for the fish shack. Light and not to loud, I put it under the truck topper with windows open to vent. Most of the 2 stokes are around 1000 watt and cost around $150-$160. Powers antenna, 19″ flat screen, fan and two lights no problem.

My dad bought a Generac 1000 in the mid Eighty’s, and I’m still using it. I would not hesitate to own another.
Be sure to use some Sea-foam on any of these, because most of us use them sparingly and seasonally, and you can get carb problems.Sea-foam…

This might help on decibels fwiw

Threshold of hearing…………………0 dB
Outdoors, no people or traffic……….20 dB
Background noise in a library………..40 dB
Ordinary speaking voice……………..60 dB
Heavy traffic………………………85 dB
Power lawnmower up close…………….90 dB
Motorcycle (rider)………………….90 dB
Chainsaw………………………….100 dB
Rock music at concert………………110 dB
Jet plane takeoff at 100 yards………120 dB
Threshold of pain………………….140 dB

All the camper and RV dealerships in my area sell a Boliy. It is a chinese brand knock-off of a honda. Doesn’t look the same… but… it is just as quiet. I bought one 3 years ago. After the 2 year mark… the Economy switch went out (low power for less draw and automatically kicks up when larger draw). For the most part… I was satisfied considering I only use it for camping at the county fair and deer hunting. It was parked outside the camper 4 feet away and couldn’t hear it inside the camper at all. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out that the econ switch went out until 2 days before county fair this year… and we NEEDED air conditioning. So, I bought a new gen at farm and tractory supply. All in all… the Boliy is just fine. They are about $1000 for the 3600.

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All the camper and RV dealerships in my area sell a Boliy. It is a chinese brand knock-off of a honda. Doesn’t look the same… but… it is just as quiet. I bought one 3 years ago. After the 2 year mark… the Economy switch went out (low power for less draw and automatically kicks up when larger draw). For the most part… I was satisfied considering I only use it for camping at the county fair and deer hunting. It was parked outside the camper 4 feet away and couldn’t hear it inside the camper at all. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out that the econ switch went out until 2 days before county fair this year… and we NEEDED air conditioning. So, I bought a new gen at farm and tractory supply. All in all… the Boliy is just fine. They are about $1000 for the 3600.

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Which might make parts availability part of the requirements.
Al