I'm looking into travelling quite a bit with my wife next year. She likes quite a lot of the modern comforts shall we say, so I've decided one way to hook her into the idea is to get a generator. Evil genius, no?
Anyway, I want a decent one, but I don't want to pay silly money for it because my caravan has already left my wallet bare. I figure 2000w is more than enough, so I've narrowed it down to:
Once you go above these two, prices start to get a little bit more serious. Now the Evopower has good reviews (albeit not that many), but so too does the Hyundai.
In your experience, does brand matter? There are a lot of generators I looked at which were "cheap and nasty" and died quickly, but from what I can tell the Evopower seems to have a decent reputation.
My concern is buying one and having a headache, so maybe it's worth plonking down the extra cash on the Hyundai (which has a lot more positive reviews around the net) for peace of mind?
LPG conversion isn't something I'm currently interested in.
Any and all thoughts are appreciated! The missus and I might even see some of you around the country on our travels :)
Where are you going to park overnight? If on a campsite then there will be electric hookup so you don't need a generator. If you are wildcamping in laybys & carparks then get best genny you can afford, I'd go for Honda, but whatever you get be careful it don't get stolen, so bring it in or lock it in your car when you go to bed.
Quote: Originally posted by Taylor56 on 15/12/2015
You will need to check where and when you can use a generator on site.It certainly won't be next to us,sorry
Hi there, I've got a caravan so plan on spending more time "in the wild" so to speak :)
Quote: Originally posted by Opensauce on 15/12/2015
Where are you going to park overnight? If on a campsite then there will be electric hookup so you don't need a generator. If you are wildcamping in laybys & carparks then get best genny you can afford, I'd go for Honda, but whatever you get be careful it don't get stolen, so bring it in or lock it in your car when you go to bed.
Honda is VERY expensive and more than I would want to pay from what I've seen. You would be paying 3-4x more for the same power output. I understand you pay more for quality, but I'm looking for the best of the budget generators I suppose.
The difference between expensive, well known brand & same spec much cheaper from unknown brand might be longevity & reliability over a long period of time & also service & parts availability. If you are using your caravan off campsite for long periods then you need a genny that will start & run reliably on a daily basis. Cheap works for occasional use, more expensive known brand is invariably the choice of those who want reliability on a daily basis.
Hmm, an interesting point. The retailer I've been speaking with suggested that with proper maintenance you can use them day in, day out without much problem.
I would be revisiting the Wattage rating to see if a smaller unit would "work" for you. It could be potentially less intrusive [that can be a major issue] use less fuel, be lighter to transport [payload etc] and less expensive to purchase allowing the limited funds to buy into something quality-wise decent.
Then I would seek to buy a pre owned Honda EU10i as generators tend to be brought and not used too much. This I suspect is mainly because people find how unwelcomed they are with a generator in most camping situations where others are not involved in generators themselves.
I have a Honda and it is a great machine with very good durability, though it now rarely is taken; I can certainly vouch for the quality. However, living in the sticks I have no intention myself of selling mine because of our iffy overhead mains power supply, though I note these often come up on secondhand sales.
That is a good price, but I would prefer to buy new.
It seems that reliability and parts availability is the main concern, so I will talk to the guys I've been dealing with to see what they can offer me there.
In terms of size, weight and power, it's pretty much bang on what I want.
What generator do tradesmen use? In situations where they need them day in day out and the job depends on them. Honda as a rule.
Certainly any cheap chinese Jenny will be built to work for x hours only. Same as the cheap 2 & 4 stroke tools flooding the market these days.
Some might be built for as little as 15 hours work.
I spoke yet again to thepowersite and they advised that all parts all available from their distributor and it comes with a good warranty, so I placed an order.
I will report back next hopefully on how it performs. Thanks again for the feedback.
Hi, had one of these has been on my shopping list... I reckon it's going to be the Honda 2kw suitcase, however a fiend has a Kipor. Half the price, but louder. He reckons it's a good investment.
However, having recently changing back to a mh, I'd see how you get on wild camping 'off site' in a caravan. Bear in mind that on a campsite (as mentioned above) there are time restraints on when you can use one.
I have a Honda 10i and a Kipor, the Honda is far quieter and starts after a couple of pulls,the Kipor often won't start easily and is a lot noisier.
As far as I'm concerned there is no contest the Honda wins an all counts.
saxo1
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Topic: Best Value For Money Generator
