Member - Graham H (QLD) replied:

Honda EU20i

Member - Rick P (NT) replied:

Well you came to the right place. The Honda EU10 is regarded as the one of the best on the market. You have pure 50hz of power the same as you get at home, which is a must for your laptop. You will also get about 8hrs out of your 2.4ltr tank of fuel.

DIO replied:

I imagine that you are already aware of the problems generators can cause when used in proximity to other campers. I trust you will be well away from others who head into the bush to enjoy the quietness of nature and not the continual humming of an engine - somewhere in the background. Good luck with whatever you choose, enjoy your trip.

Member - Smiley Bill replied:

Hi lovell21,

Stick to the name brands eg Honda, Yamaha etc. Modern electronic equipment doesn't like the frequency (Hz) supplied by the cheaper generators and you risk your gear not running properly or damage.

Simple conversions for you:-

- the number in the model designation is a rough indication of out-
put eg EU10 is about 1000 watts.

- 1000 w. equals 1 Kw. or 1KVA.

- "VA" is volt-amps, KVA is Kilo volt-amps (volts x Amps)

- 2400 w. at 240 V. is 10 Amps.

- Add up the total wattage of what you want to run off your
generator then add at least 20%. It is not a straight conversion,
appliances will always pull more current than the total wattage
you calculate.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Regards, SB.

Member - Fred B (NT) replied:

I have had several gensets over the years, all different brands, but the best has been the Honda EU20. It is quiet and runs to the load on it, not flat out all the time as most sets do.

ross replied:

One more generator opinion wont hurt, LOL

I like the Yamaha efs1000 but I was at the Perth Caravan and Camping show today and there were some very quiet Chinese gennys operating.
But they may not have sounded so quiet in a tranquil camping area.

If you are patient ,you will get a top quality ,hardly uised Yamaha/Honda at a good price in the classifieds.

You cant beat them for easy starts,low fuel consumption and low dB

ross replied:

Hondas are red ,
yammys are blue
Kipors and Scorpions,
run like poo

_gmd_pps replied:

Yamaha is the best bang for the buck.
I have a Honda 30i and it is "heavy" and expensive.
I had a 20i b4 that and will never buy a Honda again.
The Yamahas are a much better product in my book.
My choice is the 2400is and I already have a box on my
slide-on camper for it. We use the Honda on our property when power fails (like tonight for example) .
In your case a 1kva is enough and the Yamaha is lots cheaper and still as good as the Honda
just my 2c
good luck
gmd

muzzgit replied:

I'll second that. I have a Honda 10i but a mate of mine bought a Yamaha 1000 at about the same time. They will both easily run what you want.

The yammy runs a bit longer on a tank of fuel and has a fuel on/off tap so the carby is not full of fuel for long periods.

Cheers,

Muzz

MEMBER - Darian (SA) replied:

One plan might be a thumper style portable battery (that charges in the car while you are mobile) plus a modest sized genny - you can run everything off the thumper initially - fridge, chargers, lights and the puta (via a dedicated puta transformer)...... then when the battery is down a bit you can run it up again with the genny - that way, the genny won't be on all the time - my guess is (as an example) a Yamaha EF1000iS and a thumper would be no dearer than a quality 2k generator.... the thumper could stay put and when you move the genny around, it won't be a heavy one. Just a thought.

Road Runner replied:

You didn't mention if you intended to use the generator to run power direct or charge a battery. The few items you have would probably cope with around a 100 AH battery and use a generator to keep it charged. You would only need to run the generator a few hours per day with a decent battery charger connected.

I looked at 2KVA and 1KVA some time back and settled on the 1KVA Yamaha as it was lighter and smaller than the 2KVA models. If you are running airconditioning then go for 2KVA minimum.

I'm powering similar equipment to yourself and if I need to, I run the generator for an hour or two each day to charge the batteries through a 25A smart charger.

Axel [ the real one ] replied:

Another + for the Yamaha 1kva , 2/300$ cheaper than the Honda 1kva , slightly quieter , less fuel for same use x hrs run ,, unless your c/trailer has aircon 1 kva is ample ,, usefull round home if/when power outages , will NOT run a full household of white goods but will run fridge/freezer + tv and lights.

garryk replied:

G'day
Can anyone tell me what prices the 1 kva Yamahas or Hondas were going for at recent shows ; or at this weekends Sydney show .
I am thinking of buying one and trying to decide whether to act now or wait for Brisbane caravan show in June

Garry