2kva and 1kva Honda generators
Use to take a 2kva Honda genny bush camping found it was to big for our requirements so decided to buy a 1kva Honda genny perfect machine runs a domestic 75ltr upright freezer 2x 40 litre angels 2x led spotlights par 38 a 3 speed floor fan in the roof top tent still with excess power to burn would recommend both gennies to anyone let's face it Honda is the 4stroke masters happy camping
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V8SnailWA, 6230
- 34 reviews
Reliable but Expensive!
My EU10i is around 10 years old and gets used maybe a few times a year for camping and blackouts.
It's reliable, relatively quiet (although the Yamaha EF1000is is noticeably quieter) and withstands short duration overloads quite well when fridges and motors start.
When running at low loads of less than a couple of hundred Watts, it will run for around 8 hours & 20 mins on 2.1lt of fuel.
Things I don't like about it: There is no separate fuel tap to run the carby out. Checking the oil level could be made easier so you don't need a tool to open the side panel. They are expensive to buy and service in Australia compared with overseas counterparts, even after factoring in exchange rate and freight.
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mike
- 3 reviews
EXCELLENT
i have had my honda EU10i now close to 2 years and it hasn't missed a beat i have used premium unleaded fuel in it since day one and the fuel economy is excellent when ever i store the generator i emptied the fuel out and replaced the oil in it every year and i'm on my second spark plug and first dust filter kit. i have only ever run my engel, lights and to charge my deep cycle battery when camping and never really pushed it to the max i would strongly recommend to anyone to spend the extra $ and buy an honda
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KenseiHervey Bay
Honda e 10i
Reliable to start every time but in hotter climates does not produce full1kva output.when were in the top end of Qeensland Australia is when it did not have full output. When we were in NSFW northern rivers area we had no power loss and the same when we were in Robe area of SA
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MikeShepparton
- 9 reviews
- 5 likes
EU10i
Have owned mine for some years now. Looking back at reciepts, it was $1399.00 then. Its been used for camping, for power tool use when a lead isnt long enough, will run a ' Chescold by Electrolux ' 60 lt. fridge/freezer ( 3 way power, gas, 240v, 12 v ) without blowing the notoriously sensitive 240 volt heat element. It will even run our small 4 draw upright, Westinghouse freezer with no problems. It will start and run this freezer in ' eco mode'.
If its not going to be used for a while, the only downside, if you class it as such, is having to ...Read more
1 comment
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RogerBrisbane
- 2 reviews
- 5 likes
Quiet and lightweight
We've gone through a 4 days power outage during the stormy season early 2013, and decided to get a quiet generator as backup. Quietness is the main priority as we live in a suburban area. The unit really surprise me with the its noise level as it is very acceptable with the ECO mode on.
The Honda EU10i managed to power my 400litre Fisher Paykel fridge, and 40 inch LCD TV with ease. I were a bit worry that it will struggle to power my fridge due to the starting power requirement of the fridge compressor (3 to 4 times the listed power), but it does it with ease.
Quietness, lightweight
2 comments
Follow on review on EU10i, we had a power outage yesterday night and the generator was doing well. With a base load around 400watt and 500watt, it was consuming ~~0.5 litre of fuel/hour.
We had a 41... Read more
0 litre fridge (base load 180watt) running along with 4 fans running at full speed, fish tank filter pump and 8 lights. It is possible to turn on the 40 inch LCD TV, but amplifier is no go.James H.Honda
Hi Roger, This is fantastic to hear! We are glad that you can rely on our EU10i can get you through those stormy seasons.
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HogriderAU
- 20 reviews
- Selected Review
Typically Honda
As in the previous review, you could say they are very over priced here in Australia in comparison with certain other brands, but in saying this I can also say Honda - as with all their products, are a long term investment that are definitely in my opinion a cut above the rest. I do believe though that marketing / analysing what a particular market can bare - dollar wise - is well at play in Australia with not only Honda, but every OEM. This being said, given the time frame most people consume this product over, ( a couple / few power outages p...Read more
er year), they are going to be in your possession for a long time to come if looked after so the initial cost softens with time anyhow. I can however understand that there would be many who would go with a cheaper option for the limited times they would use it. Having owned a KG1100B Kawasaki for over 15 years prior to buying this unit, I remember it also was quite expensive at the time but it too served me well as it was for near on 2 years our only power source. I can say the EU10i is a better unit for sure than my old KAWASAKI but given the age difference - so it should be. My old KAWASAKI was very weighty in comparison, and also quite loud in comparison. Now as for the other end of the story and not just the brand name and engine type ect. The alternator (or in an Inverter generators case) - the Generator! I currently work on Multiple 596 KW Caterpillar Generators for a living and for many years built the engines that drive them. At the time I was employed as a Heavy Equipment Engine reconditioner - Assembler and Dynometer operator in a dealership rebuild facility. I am currently working in a couple of remote power generating facilities attached to RADAR and speak here with much experience in the fields of both Engine management and power management and hope people reading this heed my warning. What most people do not realise when they buy a cheap unit is that at the end of the day it is all about the Quality of the power being delivered to an appliance and not the price tag. Power quality and management is far more important than initial cost. What brand of engine is driving it or whether the oils a tad hard to change should be of secondary concern. At the end of the day, poor wave form and power spikes associated with poor voltage regulation and several other conditions associated with cheap units - WILL do long term damage to modern appliances running Electronic boards that are very susceptible to voltage and frequency anomalies. Cheap alternators are very hit and miss when it comes to this department. Sine wave alternators are like the old saying with oil! Oils ain’t oils Sull! The voltage control and wave form on some small engine alternators is horrific, and with this being said it should be mentioned that inverter generators - if manufactured by reputable people such as Honda ect, you are almost guaranteed that the power quality and power management side of the product will be as clean as a whistle. When next your lights go out and the time comes to plug in your $90 Kmart special, just bare these few words in mind. How much did you pay for that Stainless Steel Ice maker fridge and your plasma TV? Beware! you are probably about to shorten their life span considerably by plugging that Bargain in. I would honestly never consider ever buying one for the reasons mentioned above unless the person selling it could convince me for fact that it runs clean power - not dirty power as a lot currently do. For running a light bulb - they are fine - but there is no way I would be plugging my Fridge or Plasma into a cheap one. Back to the Engine department. These are a great little engines and as recently as 2 months ago we were hit by a Tornado - so it was lights out for 4 days, and having numerous other power outages over the last 5 years that I have owned this one, it has never blinked. I do regret now though not getting a 2 - 2.5 kva unit as trying to shuffle this unit between 2 x fridges and 1 x freezer over 4 days ( its inability to run more than 1 of any of the afore mentioned at once due to start up current draw) was painful. Anyhow these smaller units are probably more aimed at the camping / caravan market - not the standby market and for this reason the weight and noise were obvious concerns to HONDA during the development. They are both light, and quite.The oil drain ect is a tad inconvenient but really it is not bad. Spark plugs seem to last forever these days so you will probably never have problems in that department - but if you do they are easy to remove. The most important piece of advise I can give anyone on care is "HORNETS" and Oil quality - it is not the draining of the fuel as mentioned unless you never intend running it before next time the lights go out. Hornets love exhaust pipes and "oils ain’t oils Sull" Keep it in a duffle bag as I do if being left out or in a cabinet in your shed, not just in the open in a corner behind something for the Hornets,spiders and Cockies to pray upon - and give the poor thing a run regularly .Change the oil regularly (they hold near on nothing) and most importantly, fill it with the correct oil. Oils have temperature ratings and specialised Polymers to compensate for the higher cylinder temperatures - and air cooled engines run extreme cylinder temperatures under load compared to your water cooled car engine. Your car oil will not handle it. It will burn so your top Piston ring carbons up and not to mention it partly goes into melt down/sieze mode and your bore will score - so don’t use car oil! Get an approved HONDA oil or High Temperature Briggs and Stratton small engine motor oil or similar of the correct viscosity which have the high temperature polymers in them, and your Aluminium bore is going to outlast the pyramids. Bore scoring normally comes from people problems not product problems as mentioned in the previous article. Clean air - clean fuel - clean oil - clean exhaust pipe and these things will be a "one off" investment with second to none reliability and power management and quality. Now are they really expensive? Do yourself a favour - not a damage! Forget the price tag and do it right - once. Power Qaulity. Noise DB rating and weight.2 comments
James H.Honda
Hi Hogrider,
My name's Dylan and I work in marketing at Honda Power Equipment. Thank you so much for putting together such a detailed review of the EU10. I'm very glad to hear that it has worked as i... Read more
t should for you, and hope that readers and researchers heed your warning re cheap alternatives.Regarding oil and oil-changes, Hogrider...
You might like to check out the beautifully machined accessories that I'm using with my magic EU20i. (I had them shipped to Oz via a US forwarding agent.)... Read more
Just type "Honda Magnetic Dipstick No Mess Oil Filler" into Amazon's search window. I'll also take this opportunity to both congratulate you on your informative review and heartily endorse your comments regarding engine oil. As my Honda EU20i often supplies peak loads during the scorching heat of Aussie summer days (as distinct from most portable generators that largely perform nocturnal campsite duty) I run a top-quality 5W-50 detergent-action synthetic, with changes and maintenance strictly according to the manual, scheduled by my retrofit of a Honda Hour Meter. (Honda Genuine Part No: 08181-ENM-036AH) You're spot on regarding the dismal fate of these engines when they're not properly lubricated. (Various "experts" have told that it's also often the case that we humans may benefit from appropriate lubrication.)Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
PalaeoboySydney
Quality Product, but Overpriced and could be improved.
Its definitely a quality unit that delivers consistent power even under load from 235 to 238 volts and never deviates from 50Hz which means its perfect to power those sensitive devices like laptops and high tech electricals. Lives up to its easy start reputation.
I think however the unit is overpriced and dealers seem opposed to any price reduction as if there is some kind of factory price determination taking place. Given the strong Australian dollar the units should be at comparable prices to the USA but they arent. In fact they are some 7...Read more
0% dearer. It appears we are paying what Honda thinks the market can bare rather than their actual worth. Parts and service are also very very expensive if some major work is needed like the bore is scored the cost of repair is closer to what he Americans pay for a new one. Given this unit has an Aluminium bore this seems to be a common occurrence and a weak point of the unit. There is a recommended procedure to place the unit in storage when not being used for extended periods which involves draining the carby by undoing a drainage screw. This is put in so tight from the factory and its soft brass construction meant that the screw is damaged and cannot be removed so cannot follow through with the storage procedure until i figure out a way to get the screw out and my local dealer gets another screw in which they didnt have in stock. The design is now over 10 years old now and I feel that Honda could have made improvements in that time. A proper fuel tap. A harder material bore and improvements made to oil filler to make it less messy for oil changes. The equivalent Yamaha has all these things. For some strange reason the AU plug units dont have a cover over the outlet to protect from dust and things getting in when not in use. Even the $400 Kipor units have a cover. I use the unit mainly for blackouts and small power tools and find I rarely exceed the need for 500 watts of power. In hindsight I could get three of the 700 watt Kipors for less money so I think although the Honda is better quality than those units the 400 dollar Kipor with 2 years warranty represents much better value if your requirements are modest like mine. When the Honda fails I will probably go down that route than fix the Honda as it would most likely be around the same cost to repair than get getting a new Kipor unit with a warranty. My only objection to the Kipor is that they are unashamedly a Chinese copy of Honda's technology. If Honda however priced the units like they do in the USA then my loyalty to their design would prevail but they squander that by their excessive pricing here in Aus. Quality unit with consistant power output Unit overpriced and same with parts and sevice. Needs small design improvements3 comments
James H.Honda
Hi Palaeoboy, my name is Dylan from Honda Power Equipment head office. Thank you for submitting your thorough and detailed review - obviously a lot of time and thought was put into it. I'm glad to hea... Read more
r that you've had some good experiences with your EU10i. In regards to your recommendations, bear in mind that we do take all suggestions such as this into consideration and pass them along to our research & development team for future product development. It is suggestions such as these, from customers such as yourself, that help shape product improvements.As a follow up, the tiny brass fuel screw only a few millimetres in diameter costing only a few cents to make came across the counter at a whopping fifteen dollars! A screw put in too tight at the f... Read more
actory anyways. Here in Australia Honda is taking us for mugs and charging way over the top. The arguement that you can get parts for the Hondas whereas you cant for the Chinese ones is pointless if the parts are so expensive the units arent worth fixing and the Chinese disposable approach becomes the better option. Recently I have been seeking out a Honda WX10 or 15 to find the same old overcharging of at least 50% from the Americans when out dollar is stronger. I often here the line coined for Honda products "you get what you pay for" but sorry in Australia you dont, other countries get the same product for much less. Sorry Honda but you got too greedy playing us for saps its one of the Chinese models for me at a third of the price from now on.Totally in agreement with you. This issue is much the same for ALL (*) of Honda's products sold to Australians. E.g.: Some of Honda's Marine dealers charge more than Honda's own RRP for 1 litre of the... Read more
ir 'Honda' branded outboard engine oil. And in some cases, the 1 litre bottles are hand-filled in used containers from a much larger drum. ---- More so and in my experience, there has always been an air of arrogance exuded from a lot of Honda sales/service people... that I just don't get with most other Japanese companies.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Rocket23AU
Great product
Trying to charge 2 105ahr deep cycle batteries which run my camp off solar just could not keep up after 3 days of sunny weather. bought the eu10i to run my 25amp charger charged in 3 hrs in a caravan park where generators are not aloud nobody even knew i was running a genny..awesome
Very quiet and efficient
Little expensive
1 comment
James H.Honda
Hi Rocket23, this is Dylan from Honda Power Equipment head office. Glad to hear that you're enjoying the EU10i! Don't forget to keep your generator serviced by an authorised Honda dealer. In fact, if ... Read more
you get your EU10 or EU20 generator serviced by the end of the year you'll receive a Security Cable valued at $45! Happy days!Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
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bozo47casterton
Back up for caravan
I found the 1 kva was all that i required to run the van battery charge the main fridge as well as the waco in the 4x4 it also ran the lights in the van as they are all led and very low wattage,
my stove is all gas and the microwave is not required on overnight roadside stops. the hot water well the kettle will do, the job in a non park situation for the extra money for Honda its well worth it.
Weight, starts first pull, so quiet.
2 comments
James H.Honda
Hey bozo47, glad to hear your EU10i is working well. I'm Dylan from Honda Power Equipment's head office. Was there anything in particular that prevented your review from being 5/5? Of course, don't fo... Read more
rget that in the unlikely event that you ever have an issue with your generator, you can always pop into your closest authorised Honda dealer or call Customer Relations on (03) 9270 1111.yes can give it 5/5 but i need further testing, at this stage it looks great, no fuss, required,
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Questions & Answers
Razu M.asked
Will a eu 10 i run a refrigerator or water pump?
No answers
Davidasked
How much oil does an EU1i take ?
No answers
ralph w.asked
1kva.just serviced gosford tools.starts easy as,20secs./5 mins.then stops repeatedly.runs well till stops.medium use only max.of 500w,except when charging batteries with 16 amp charger.no_one wants to look at it when you mention honda.service people @dibbo 400klm.away.anybody have any advice???thanks ralph
No answers
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James H.Honda
Great to hear Mike!