5 Comments

1. Electronics Geek says:

   July 31, 2008 at 10:27 pm

   Review by Electronics Geek for Honeywell HW2000i 2,100 Watt 125cc 4-Stroke Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator (CARB Compliant)
   Rating:
   Anyone reading this will probably want to compare the Hw2000i to the Honda EU2000i, as I did. At my time of purchase there was not much info out there. I decided to give it a try!

   First of all the Honda is the king. Lighter and quieter. But at $499.00 delivered… one must put some thought into this decision.

   My generator came delivered on time , no damage. But, the “priming bulb” was lying at the bottom of the box! No big deal after I realized that it was assembled incorrectly. I unscrewed the retainer ring, put the bulb in first and THEN screwed the retainer on…. all is well!!

   The HW2000i runs well, so far! I have 2 hours on it. The efficiency mode does work, cutting the rpm and noise down by a third. I believe that the output specs are in line. Don’t plan on running many power tools. It will barely run my 10amp skill saw. I tried my small table saw, the breaker kicked off. 8amp shop vac - OK! Anything that makes heat, no problem up to the rating output. It doesn’t like any surges from induction motors.

   I plan on using the generator for power outages and I installed a transfer switch. The hw2000i will run my Ref., tv, lights, and computers. The sine wave output looked pretty clean on my oscilloscope.

   No battery charging cable and the output is unregulated on the 12 volt output. I made my own cable with a 2 prong extension cable and battery clamps. I put the charger on a car battery the output dropped to 15 volts.

   I don’t think that it was made to charge car batteries….. It will work, but do it at your own risk! Better monitor the charger!

   I hope this helps! Good deal if it keeps running. A little heavy, I can deal with the noise, especially pulling only a few amps on the efficiency setting.
2. Old Retainer says:

   July 31, 2008 at 10:55 pm

   Review by Old Retainer for Honeywell HW2000i 2,100 Watt 125cc 4-Stroke Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator (CARB Compliant)
   Rating:
   Doing my usual exhaustive research for, well, anything I am going to pay a large price, I decided to give this Honeywell generator a try. The cost factor was a large part of the decision as the generator would have limited use throughout my camping year. There was no need for a more expensive units (Honda/Yamaha) as my normal camping events are around 4 or 5 week-ends a year. I figured: “Save the more expensive units for when I become a full-time ‘road gypsy.’”

   Received the generator from Amazon in their usual quick time. This was good. Took the generator to the 5th wheel along with a quart of oil and a couple of gallons of gasoline. This was good. Read the instruction manual on starting up the unit. Very clear instructions. This was good. After a few more tries to get the unit going it finally started up. This was good. Waited for the unit to warm up and come up to speed. This was good. Plugged the unit into the 5th wheel AC, went inside to try the low-wattage microwave and … nothing. This was not good. Tried the lights … nothing. This was not good. Checked the generator for connections, etc. and all appeared as it should be. The unit was purring along fine, but it was not producing any electricity. This was very bad.

   Of course, Amazon was not going to accept a return on this unit because of gasoline issues. Amazon advised contacting the company. Called Honeywell Customer Support. Was told it might be a circuit board problem, but couldn’t say as it would have to be serviced at an authorized Honeywell repair center. I live in the second largest city in Nevada. The nearest authorized Honeywell repair center was a hundred miles away. This would involve taking the unit physically to the center as getting it there by the usual shipping venues would not be tolerated because of the gasoline concerns. Even though the unit had been drained of all gasoline and oil.

   Called our local RV center and explained the problem. They would look at it. There could be no guaranty to repair the problem as there was so little information about this Honeywell product. Received a call from the RV center and was told that it was the circuit board. Also, the repair tech found that the AC circuit breaker was broken (inside the unit casing) and would have to be modified in order for it to be functional. The parts, if they could be found, and the labor costs at $105.00 per hour, had to be considered if repair on this unit was to proceed.

   So, this “cheaper” alternative to the comparable Honda/Yamaha units so far cost me the initial $499.00 from Amazon and $298.00 from the RV center. Went to pick up the Honeywell unit and saw that the RV center had the Honda EU2000i and the Yamaha EF2000iS inverter generators set up for demonstration purposes. For $150.00 more than the combined costs of the Honeywell and it’s repair, I purchased the Yamaha as it was actually quieter than the Honda in side-by-side comparisons and very much quieter than the Honeywell. Where noise issues in a campground are always a concern, the Honeywell unit could not measure up to the Honda/Yamaha units. The Honeywell unit will be put up for sale in the local newpaper. I’ll be lucky to realize half my expense.

   The Honeywell HW2000i? It came from the shipping box not working and with broken parts. Quality control from Honeywell’s out-sourced China operations? Not too reassuring that this unit was going to last for even a few times camping. Less reassuring if this unit would need to be depended upon in an emergency. Given the generally good name of Honeywell, this product was an eye-opening experience that all is not well with some American brand products manufactured overseas. If the Honeywell Customer Support Tech suggested that the problem might be the circuit board, and the local RV Service Center Tech (who had no knowledge of this unit) came to the same conclusion, then I suspect that Honeywell is already aware it must have a circuit board problem with this generator. What other problems might they be aware of is anyone’s guess. I didn’t want to find out by keeping this unit.

   Would I recommend this product to a friend? No. As trite as the phrase may be, you still get what you pay for. Are the Honda/Yamaha products overpriced? Yes. But, because of their historically solid performance, they can maintain their market pricing until someone - like Honeywell - can prove themselves as worthy contenders.
   
3. javajunki says:

   July 31, 2008 at 11:21 pm

   Review by javajunki for Honeywell HW2000i 2,100 Watt 125cc 4-Stroke Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator (CARB Compliant)
   Rating:
   Living in Florida means power outages. If it’s not a hurricane passing through, it’s the afternoon thunderstorms that blow down branches or just an unlucky squirrel…somehow there always seems to be a power outage. Having pushed an old Coleman Powermate generator to it’s limit, we decided it was time to start searching for a replacement. Originally wanted a nice Honda inverter generator but wasnt able to locate them - and the price was pretty high. Because we live in a residential area, noise levels are a factor and want/need something that can run a few electronics including a small room A/C without major incident. Saw this and decided to give it a try.

   One of the previous reviewers claims to have found this unit for $300 at Home Depot - they do indeed carry it but in my area it was $700 plus tax…nearly 50 percent more than this one which was delivered to my door with free shipping. There is also a 1,000 watt unit which is less expensive but only 1/2 the wattage - less wattage is less useful. 2,000 watts isn’t much but it runs a small room AC that we keep on hand for power outages plus a few lights etc without incident making it the perfect size.

   Now, about the unit itself. It’s roughly the size of a small suitcase - larger than expected since I thought it would approximate the Honda. It’s also louder than the Honda although quieter than the old Coleman Powermate. Has a tough orange/red plastic casing that requires a screwdriver to open in order to access many of the controls (screwdriver is included) however, they do not appear to be weather sealed despite fitting fairly securely in place. Unit is hefty but convenient to carry with built-in handle, stabilized footings etc…

   Pulls start - not instant - a bit disappointing but started up quickly (2ned pull). 2 regular outlets and one 12v with easy access fuse areas. Level indicators and efficiency settings all conveniently located. Fuel pours into top and could splash onto control panel if you were sleepy or sloopy - however, the actual fuel opening is large and very easy to access with a funnel. Ditto for oil which also comes with a funnel..in fact, all the little extras you will need are included except for the oil itself (which would have been nice).

   This is CARB compliant, fairly quiet especially on efficiency setting, able to run more delicate electronics etc…supposedly you can plus in refrigerator/stove but since mine are on the more expensive side and we have other cooking arrangements during an outage - I’ve not tested that setting yet.

   Will try to update after some use to determine reliability and durability. Right off - seems like a nice little unit for decent price. Versatile, fairly quiet…it’s not a Honda but also cost a lot less. Satisfied with purchase to date.
4. Don L. Young says:

   July 31, 2008 at 11:38 pm

   Review by Don L. Young for Honeywell HW2000i 2,100 Watt 125cc 4-Stroke Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator (CARB Compliant)
   Rating:
   Could not start the unit till after 2 hours of checking, found that the fule filter hose was to short and bent the inlet over to stop gas flow. Replaced it from a Napa unit $6 and now runs fine.. China quality control ??? don
5. Sierracamper says:

   August 1, 2008 at 12:29 am

   Review by Sierracamper for Honeywell HW2000i 2,100 Watt 125cc 4-Stroke Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator (CARB Compliant)
   Rating:
   I received the Honeywell portable generator HW2000i yesterday. After filling with oil and fuel I attempted to start it. Very hard. I primed it 20 times, set the choke halfway, and pulled the starter cord 10 times - nothing. Primed another 10 times and pulled 10 times - nothing. I worked my way up to 60 primes and 6 pulls before it started.
   
   This thing is noisy. I must be spoiled by my old generator. They claim a db rating of 62, I don’t believe it. And there is a continuous ringing in the background. I am not going to be comfortable running this in a quiet campground.
   
   Generator for sale - only run one time.