Best Outdoor Generators
But it can also be used for those times when convient power isn't available. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Only Honda and Yamaha generators have build reputation of quality products there are many outside of Japan companies to enter the market but none of them have consistently good reputation of their products. I did a good research when choosing between the Blue and Red generators so I can share some key points and tips if you considering inverter generator or already narrow down you choice between the honda eu2000i and yamaha ef2000is. Honda is using 98.5 cc engine and Yamaha ef2000is has 79cc engine and thats what makes the main difference between the two - honda is two pounds heavier and can produce 2000W for half an hour (proven) while Yamaha arguably able to provide the claimed 2000W for 30 seconds. If you need more power Yamaha offers more options like 2400W generator and Honda jumps to 3000W or parallel kits. Honda's fuel pump makes it easy to add extended run fuel tank - Yamaha has no fuel pump on the other hand has a fuel gauge - very nice since it's has only 1 gallon tank. If generator with oil but no gas 47.2 pounds with gas 53.4 then if it weights 50.3 pounds you are about half full (or empty). Eu2000i has a "plastic" camshaft and a timing belt and 2000ef is a pushrod - it does not seem to make much difference but it's good to know - yamaha seem to be more reliable by design, while honda have a proven reputable history. Pure sine wave power is also nice (even if most electronics can handle the ugly square AC there is no chance of damaging equipment if governour gets stuck like on conventional 3600RPM generators) also non inverter generator much louder heavier and often consume more gasoline on idle then inverter generator at full load. Tip: you can get a "kill-a-watt" type meter to measure the power consumptions of household items (some items like cable boxes and playstations consume quite a bit when on stand-by while energystar should be less than 1 watt per item when not working but plugged in). Also use kilowatt when running generator it gives you information on how much power is used as well as keeps track on how many hours the generator been working - very important for oil changes and other maintenance (generator does not have factory hour meter but it will blink on a start as many times as hundred hours it was used up to five blinks of 500+ hours - good to know if you looking at used generator with unknown hours). Also as for oil changes I use an empty cocktail long neck plastic bottle that fits perfectly over the drain port and I tip over all oil straight into the bottle without spilling a drop on a drain lip of generator -no mess and easy - some people use short plastic pipe."
"This is my second, added to parallel with my four year old example to run my r/v air conditioner. Super dependable, clean inverter power, lightweight, easy to service, and whisper quiet.... You get what you pay for with these. Details like the carb drain, 12v output, easy parallel operation, and QUIET, make the difference. It takes five seconds and I've used my two examples for hundreds of hours with periods of no-use ranging from a week to 4 months. During the racing season, I use my units 10-12 hours a week and change the oil monthly with Mobil 1 synthetic. Read and follow the manual and this thing will outlast you... My older unit has hundreds of hours of use and runs as well as it did the day I unpacked it."
"I bought a Honda EU2000i in 2004 after a series of hurricanes in Florida left my family without power."
"We lost power for 12 hours and this generator powered my fridge and a stand alone freezer in the garage while also powering my tv, cable box, modem and AT&T power box so we could still use Uverse."
The WEN 2,000 Watt Inverter Generator produces clean energy free of voltage spikes and drops without making all of the noise of a regular generator. Designed to mirror a pure sine wave, this generator limits total harmonic distortion to under 0.3 percent at no load and under 1.2 percent at full load, making it safe enough to run laptops, cellphones, monitors, tablets and other vulnerable electronics. Low-oil and low-fuel automatic shutdown with indication lights along with overload protection safeguard both your generator and your electronics from damage. Produces clean power to safely operate and prevent damage to sensitive electronics such as smart phones, tablets, televisions and computers.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The reason that I purchased the WEN is that the engine is a Yamaha clone, it's very similar inside, and the wiring diagrams are virtually the same so that I believe I can parallel the two generators. The inverter on the Yamaha is cased but the circuit board components are open on the WEN. One thing I like about the Yamaha that's missing on the WEN is the little door that allows you to access the oil fill hole without removing the entire side cover. Update 04/01/2017 - A couple of years ago I gave away my Onan generator in my class C motorhome and replaced it with more batteries, a charger/inverter, and solar panels. I carry the WEN56200 in the coach for when solar isn't enough and I'm not driving enough to charge the battery bank from the vehicle generator. I fire up the WEN and run it at 90% load (I've added a tachometer) for a couple of hours. I never carry extra gas for it as I've never come back from a camping trip where I had used half of it's tank. The max that I could load the paralleled gensets was 3,000 watts before the overload light came on the WEN."
"Thought the unit may be run tested or something similar, still seemed rather odd that residual gasoline would be left in a unit prior to shipment... Took off side panel to look at oil, unit did have some residual oil left, however; this was very clear oil, so I figured it may be a non-issue. While I haven't run tested either at this time, I do have a bit of apprehension about receiving a unit with residual gasoline, barring any safety/shipping concerns, the chance of problems down the line related to gasoline evaporation/deposition is troublesome (Carb failure due to residual gas is major source of failure for all carborated generators). Given that these units do not have hour counters, I am unable to tell if the unit I received was returned, the only saving grace being the aforementioned very clear residual oil. Upon running the units I will update my review based on performance. Initial Performance update: 5/28/2016. Oil - 10w30 Pennzoil Platinum Synthetic, 1 quart = about 3 generator fills so cost is negligible. Aftermarket Yamaha magnetic dipstick installed http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017CXO7AQ?psc=1. Wen parallel kit http://www.amazon.com/WEN-56421-Parallel-Connection-Generators/dp/B0144O1808?psc=1. L5-30P to 2 5-20R Y cable (wanted for full 20 amp down 25 foot 12 gauge extension cord). First unit started was the one with the gas smell, followed instructions, started up second pull. Followed same instructions for second unit, started right up, though there was a significantly different burning smell with the second unit for awhile after start up. Overall I am impressed with the generators (assuming initial burning smell on one unit and residual gasoline in the unit's tank aren't red flags, 2 stars off for that for the time being)."
Its 2200 Starting Watts / 1700 Running Watts paired with a lightweight, easy-to-carry design offers smooth, quiet power great for your camping, tailgating, food truck or residential backup power needs. At 59dB operating volume, it’s quieter than a normal conversation (Sound levels may vary based on proximity and location; measured at ¼ load at 7 meters from control panel side).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Was all set to buy a similar model Honda generator at almost $800.00 more to run my AC on my travel trailer, but I decided to take a chance and try this one. This one is actually slightly smaller and lighter (and you will love the built-in collapsible handle and solid wheels - costs extra on the Honda) but with a bigger fuel capacity and even though it's rated at 58 db and the Honda at 56 db, this one was more quiet and couldn't be heard at all from about 10 feet away."
"JUST WANT TO LET EVERY ONE KNOW MOST THE REVIEWS ON THIS GENERATOR ARE FOR THE 3000 WATT NOT THE 2200W AND IT WILL NOT RUN AN A/C UNIT ON AN RV AND THERE IS NOT A BUILT IN LUGGAGE STYLE HANDLE OR WHEELS."
"Was worried a bit about the sound but on first test it was very quite compared to regular generators I tested and comparable if not quieter than the Honda. TV, 2200 system, satellite swim and direct tv cable box. It powered everthing at 40-80% depending how loud I pushed the system. Sat it right under the TV and none even knew it was there. It handled the 45" TV, the cable box, electric satellite switch, cell phones (at least 4 plugged in all day), and my 2200W Sony Shake system on 1 tank of gas!"
"Powered a could stand up freezers and the TV no problem."
"great product would recommend and buy again."
"Works great!"
"Starts easy!"
"I always thought that I wanted a Honda generator because they have a reputation as the quietest and I love Honda's (have owned a number of Honda motorcycles)."
Best Outdoor Generator Accessories
Make your home smart at saving energy and costs Smart management actually helps eliminate excess consumption of electricity, since household devices can still eat up energy, even when not in use. Streamline home security Moreover, for the extended days you're away, replace old-fashioned timers that are limited in function. This smart outlet can turn on lamps on a set schedule, or at a moment's notice as you're miles away. Specifications: 1.Energy Monitor: Track your power usage by day, week, month and year; 2.Timer Function: Can set over 30 groups of time for your appliances including schedule, action timer and countdown timer; 3.Triggered Actions: You can set a program that it will automatically switch off the outlet if power of device reaches programmed number; 4.Share Function: You can share your outlets with other family account so that your family can control it at the same time. Track power usage for connected devices and figure out which devices use the most energy. Controlled from different devices and manage your home on your smartphone or tablet from anywhere.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"However, you can "skip" the account login part, face some vaguely dire-ish warning for doing so, and get into the app where you can easily register new devices and use them. If you happen to browse the Settings->Feeback section of the app, you will be treated to a few seconds of chinese text before the english version loads. A boot time, the device uses DHCP nicely, then resolves a hostname and proceeds to establish a websocket connection. - it is very likely possible to design a little websocket proxy that would put itself in between the device and its cloud, assuming the DNS server your DHCP server the device talks to is willing to point it at your proxy (custom router software like dd-wrt or tomato would be a great way to do that). - at that point, it's not terribly hard to imagine short-circuiting their cloud service altogether. In short, I strongly suspect this device can be hacked into being part of something greater than itself, although it seems like it may require having a little server sitting somewhere and being able/willing to tweak your LAN DNS configuration in slightly unusual ways."
"Sorry, I wanted to love this, but sadly it is a potential hazard and now I do not recommend this for safety in electronics is of utmost importance! Smart Outlet device is small enough to allow use of second plug on the wall receptacle. Between the safety certification issue & otherwise loving the overall unit & app performance = 3 stars on the fence."
"Description says they work with Alexa, I could not get them to interface."
"I had high hopes for this product but I could not get any of the 4 plugs to connect to my wireless 2.4Ghz network using different security protocols (WPA and WPA 2) and different encryption methods (AES or TKIP)."
Best Power Inverters
BESTEK Power Inverter. Ultimate car power inverter for road trips, vacations, outdoors, emergency kits and more for your vehicle. Please do not leave the power inverter in the ON position while your car is off. Provides 300 Watts continuous DC to AC power and 700 Watts instantaneous power, featuring 2 AC outlets and 2 USB ports for multi-purpose charging. Fast Charging: two 110V AC outlets for charging larger devices such as laptops and tablets, 2 USB charging ports (2.1A & 1A) for powering USB compatible devices.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Other than that the inverter is a great price and was shipped to me in 8 days!"
"I bought this to power up Christmas lights on my Corvette for the Christmas parade in our small town."
"Other than that it works great and is an absolute must have if your car usb doesnt charge your android phone like mine does.."
"We do tons of driving and the kids are always trying to charge their phones and and I Pads and fighting over a plug when their electronics need some juice, this makes all of that possible, even when they need to charge things at the same time!"
"I use this thing all the time in my worktruck for my laptop, phone and power drill batteries and it just works, doesn't get hot or noisy either."
"I have heard of difficulties using inverters that are not pure sine....no problem ever with this unit. Just returned from a 2 month 9,000 mile road trip and it never missed a beat."
"This inverter is simply incredible. Now most cars have USB ports but few have regular outlets still."
"The company is completely unresponsive, will not answer emails or any contact. I put that filter between this Bestek unit and my laptop, and ignored Ultrablok's complaint about the wiring."
Best Solar & Wind Power
Anker PowerPort Solar Charge with the Power of the Sun. Fast Charging Technology Exclusive to Anker, PowerIQ discovers and replicates your device's original charging protocol to provide its fastest possible charging speed up to 2.4 amp per port or 3 amps overall (with enough direct sunlight). Incredibly Durable Industrial-strength PET plastic faced solar panels sewn into high-wear polyester canvas ensure it's able to withstand the trials of your outdoor adventures. What You Get: Anker PowerPort Solar (21W 2-Port USB Solar Charger), 3ft Micro USB cable, welcome guide, our fan-favorite 18-month warranty and friendly customer service.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I wondered why my Anker PowerCore 20100 power bank would never charge from this solar charger, but would charge from a wall charger. I again contacted Anker support and asked for a list of batteries that have been tested with and charge properly from the Anker solar charger. The Anker Astro E7 26800mah Power Bank works perfectly with the Anker solar charger. However if the sunlight drops too low and the charger produces close to 0 ma, but then the sun comes out before the solar charger powers off, the RavPower would not charge anymore."
"My first test of the panels was on a mostly cloudy day when my power brick was charged in the 26-50% range. My pack was drained back down to the 26-50% range and was fully charged after about 4 hours in direct sunlight, using both cables. As expected the angle of the panels affected power output as well, with around 45 degrees to the current sun azimuth producing the highest output."
"Both three panel fold outs were arranged in nearly identical positions on a small table in my back yard. Both units consistently produced sufficient power to cause my 5 inch Android phone to reflect charging. I strongly suspect that both the Anker and Aukey solar chargers would have charged at a much higher rate had something more than a 5" Smart phone been used. That both the solar chargers charged the Smart phone at a greater rate than the regulated power supply would tend to validate the claim of both manufacturers that their solar chargers would charge at the fastest rate safely possible for a given device. My technical video reviews routinely require at least a couple of hours to produce and I would appreciate a helpful rating if you found it so. POSTSCRIPT. Since some of you might be interested in seeing how the Anker Solar Charger did under a greater load, I placed the panels on the same table about 1:15 p.m., again with a nearly cloudless sky; the temperature was again about 50 degrees. With the panels laying flat on the table, the Drok meter registered 4.64 volts at 1.28 amps (5.9392 watts). The Aukey charger was not tested, but since it employs the same brand, quantity and size panels, I have no reason to believe the results under a greater load would have been substantially different. POSTSCRIPT - STATING THE OBVIOUS. While there is no simple answer to realized solar panel efficiency, suffice to say that you are much more likely to achieve good results in Arizona than in New England."