Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hi folks,

We decided to purchase a portable generator for our home.  We didn't want to spend a huge amount of money, however, high quality and quiet was top on my list, so we had to look beyond what Lowes or Home Depot sells.  Prior to purchasing, I got my hands on one of those, "Kill-A-Watt" meters and I'm sure glad I did.  Most generator websites or dealers all pull out that same wattage chart.  I'm glad I investigated our own appliances for myself because it I hadn't, I would have been forced to purchase much more generator than what was actually required. 

Running our refrigerator, 27" color TV, Microwave, 5,000 BTU A/C unit (summer months), oil furnace and some lights would be great.  I originally had settled on the Honda EU3000ISA, which is an inverter unit, but decided not to purchase it because there were to many extras that would still have to be purchased as options.  The wheel kit and a battery for electric start, just to name two things made me feel I really wasn't getting such a great deal with this brand name for $1,699.00 through an online purchase, $1,799.00 plus tax if through my local dealer.   

I did more research and found the Yamaha EF3000ISEB with it's innovative BOOST technology to be an excellent choice.  It comes with the wheel kit and front and rear grab bars, and the battery if you're too lazy to pull the recoil starter.  It's also the most quiet generator you can buy today.  Although this generator is designed to produce 2,800 watts of continuous power, it has a surge rating of 3000 watts.  However, the BOOST control feature actually makes it equivalent to a 3,500 watt generator because if you turn on an electric motor that requires high amps, this control feature senses additional power is required and diverts power from the onboard battery for up to 10 seconds of extra boost. 

This Yamaha generator has gotten such rave reviews, it seemed like the perfect portable for us at $1,899.00 delivered, which is arriving today through a mail order purchase from Mayberry's.  We could have purchased one of those $700.00 5,500 watt units from Lowes, but the noise would have been unbearable, especially for our neighbors.  Also the fact that the Yamaha is under 150 lbs thanks to the compact inverter technology, was another big selling point.  I'll let you know how the run-in goes.

Richie