2000kw “tailgating” inverter generators

Honda makes a nice quiet and expensive (~$1100) generator. 

The hammer store sells a very similar spec Predator brand generator for half that price.

I’m shopping for one. Does anyone have one of these.. and what should I know?   

Inverter generators. Pretty sure there is a few action packed threads on here about them. 

Pretty much Honda enjoyed owning the small inverter generator market. Then a whole load of factories in china started knocking them off. I bough one from Aldi for 350$. 

Nice thing is being an inverter, you can pair 2 of them together for more power. 

Nice and quiet too which is the main attraction for me. 

What i dislike is they are marketed by their PEAK output, not their lower continuous wattage like gas generators. So make sure it will really supply enough wattage for you. 

Can get em on amazon too. 

The one i got from aldi is a re-sticker of this pulsar one.  The instruction book is all pulsar. I havent used it yet past testing and break-in, but it should work fine for the rare times i need a small quiet gen. 

Pulsar gen

I've had a HF Predator for two years now.  Love it.  2way switch for max power or quiet.  Runs laptop charger, inkjet printer, cellphone charger, wifi charger and 2 fans in quiet mode.  Put it 30 feet away and have a normal conversation and forget it's there.

Moderators: please edit my subject to say 2000 watts...not KW

thanks for the info so far. We shop Aldi every week for food- never imagined buying a generator from them!

In reply to OHSCrifle :

The random seasonal stuff at aldi is the best. Ive walked in to get chicken and left with chicken and a chainsaw. 

I've heard pretty much exclusively good things about the HF predator. Plus if you get the warranty plan it's no questions asked exchange for a new one for two years or however long. Now that we've transitioned from hotels to trailer camping at events we may end up with one eventually.

I have 4 Hondas that we use on the work trucks. They are flawless, but for the price they should be. 

I have a Chinese brand from Northern Tool at home, Power House I think. It works fairly well. Not as quiet or refined as the Honda and harder to start, but for dollars spent it gets the job done. 

I recently purchased a no name Chinese 4000 watt from Ollies Bargains for $500. Again, not as refined as the Hondas, but quiet, runs well and powers my RV without issue.

My only concern with the Chinese brands is parts availability. 10 years from now, I can probably walk into a Honda dealer and buy any part on the Honda. I doubt the off brands will have that support so you might end up with a anchor at some point. 

For 2000 kW, I recommend an EMD. You can get it as a GP or SD, depending on the allowable axle loading of your railroad...

OHSCrifle said:

Moderators: please edit my subject to say 2000 watts...not KW

thanks for the info so far. We shop Aldi every week for food- never imagined buying a generator from them!

Came in here to see why people are using 2MW generators for "tailgating," leaving disappointed

HA! Doing my usual lunchtime aldi shopping and see this. Same one i got, slightly more $ but still cheap. 369$

I just wish there would be a reasonably priced 5000 - 6000 watt sustained output inverter type generator out there.  The Honda and Yamaha offerings in that output range both look pretty nice, but jeepers, they cost a fortune.

Use would be to replace my el-cheap-o non-inverter model that powers most of the stuff in our house when the power is out.  I bring that power in to a switch panel mounted adjacent to the main AC panel.  Current simple type generator is loud plus it sucks fuel, as it has to run at 3600 RPM to output 60 Hz power, and is supposedly not friendly to downstream electronic devices due to frequency variation.

Suggestions ?

I have a Yamaha 2000w inverter, it has a little more output than the Honda and a slightly lower price, same quiet quality.  It was pricey but I expect to have it for a very long time if treated well. 

In reply to TJL :

My aldi is still sitting on one of these. Its marked down to $299!

I'm still trying to figure out why a grocery store is selling generators.

Hurricane prep? They're in the plywood and sandbag aisle.

In reply to stuart in mn :

same weirdo german family that owns trader joes....

Just as a datapoint, I bought they Ryobi version and used it at the track for a couple of years.  Mine is a few years older and doesn't have bluetooh. Quiet and handled my small compressor and various tools during the day and 8000 BTU window A/C, a small TV and various LED lights at night without issue.  It would last the 7-8 hours if I kept it on economy.

They're about halfway between the Honda and the knockoffs in price, but I liked that I could get parts through HD, not that it ever needed them.

-Rob

stuart in mn said:

I'm still trying to figure out why a grocery store is selling generators.

ALDI always has something weird on special. This week it's Singer sewing machines. I think they have someone in their buying department assigned to find the best deal on one item that makes absolutely no sense per week.

In reply to MadScientistMatt :

Hit aldi again on monday, this time its a few groceries and why the hell not, an electric chainsaw. 

Best part, this is the 2nd time i walked into aldi for a few groceries and left with groceries and a chainsaw. 

25$ for a new chainsaw that i will stick in the dirt for stump clearing. Use it till it dies, which actually takes a while, toss it, enjoy knowing i didnt stick my good chainsaws in the dirt.