Thanks for all your hard work and great video work. These comparisons help countless consumers and I hope the manufacturers review them as well to help in their improvement processes. Bottom line is whatever suits your needs and fits your budget is your best generator. Thanks

Great stuff, thanks for the tests. I'm searching and this was informative....

thanks for taking the time to keep us informed

Great video! I too am stuck between "wanting" a Honda and being able to "afford" a Champion!

After Hurricane Sandy I checked reviews..Champion did very well. While I have 3 other generators, I purchased a dual-fuel 7kw underlies unit. It has served me very well in home construction. And goes much longer between oil changes.

Honda 2000i : one generator, 18 years of South Florida Hurricanes and miscelanious power outages and still running strong. With Irma last year: it ran continuously for 12 days. No oil consumption; sips gas, unaffected by days of driving rain. I change the oil after each major event and spend about an hour de-gunking the carburetor once a year. For me, it's Honda's aclaimed reliability and service/parts network.

Thank you for the video, and the test between the generators...

Thanks for the time and effort you put into a great comparison video. Great work.

Wow! That’s one heck of a voltage drop!

I've been using a Champion 3550 dual fuel for some time now . Over 1400 hours on it and it just keeps impressing the hell out of me. If you follow the maintenance instructions , it will serve you well. At first I looked down on the brand , but now I RECOMMEND THEM . I bought mine on a clearance sale at Canadian Tire dual fuel 3550 watts with electric start , battery , and a wheel kit for $499. It has the 30 amp RV plug ( something that other manufacturers should put on theirs) 2 120 volt outlets of which 1 is 30 amp and a 120 volt 30 amp locking plug. If been running mine on propane.Cant say enough good about these units. Hope Champion keeps up the good work. 👍👍👍👍 4 THUMBS UP CORRECTION . As of now 2000 hours and still impressing the hell out of me.

Good job! Great side by side test and a straight forward conclusion at the end. Thanks

hey great video! most people run out and buy a gen when a storm is coming. after it's over it's just in the way. if a storm is coming I'm buying the cheapest available.

I have been using a champ 3000 gen in the woods powering my motorhome for 3 years,except for 4 or 5pull cord replacements,not a single problem

I'm sure the owner's manual says not to through a big load on the unit in Econ mode, maybe damages to the coils or electronics have occured on the Honda...

thank you for making this video. It was very helpful to me.

Great video. It sparked great feed back, which educated me greatly. I think the warranty and price and customer service would dictate my purchase. Keep going on videos.

I came to the same conclusion. Super happy with my Champion

3db is not 5%. decibel is a logarithmic scale, and 3db represents doubling of power. However it does not mean doubling of perceived loudness. It takes about 10db for the human ear to perceive doubling of loudness.

I’ve owned a Champian 2000 for several years. Don’t use it much but always starts. Did have a problem (caused by ethanol fuel) . Customer service was great. They walked me through repair.

That's one thing I have not bought yet. thanks for sharing. the one I do have is a giant home one and not very portable.

Great comparison. I believe, from doing these tests in the past, every 3 decibel increase is the apparent doubling of the sound. That's how I got scammed into one of those other no name inverter generators. I have 4 Champion generators, 2 open sync and 2 inverters. My goal is to pick up a larger inverter in the near future. Again, thanks for the work.

A few years ago I scoured the Internet for all the specs I could find to compare the Honda to the Champion. I don’t recall all the details, but do remember that the Champion seems to be built just as well as the Honda (example, bearings). Love Honda’s, but for half the price, I went with the Champion. What a great, reliable generator. I’ve used it for camping trips as well as for hauling through the mud to charge my Caterpillar batteries. 100% reliable and plenty quiet. Just change the oil every so often and clean the spark arrestor and air filter & good to go!

i have a honda since 2008 or 2009 and have used it frequently. with no problems. a friend purchased the 3500 w champion and had to replace the first unit in the first 5 months of usage.

Thanks this really is awesome great job and great information I'm looking right now to buy one

Bought the 3500 Champion dual fuel. Delivery today! Liked the flexibility of two fuel sources. Propane is cleaner burning converting to less maintenances and clean oil. Price was a big factor.

First off, GREAT TEST. Very thorough. One thing about decibel ratings, I'm not exact about this but there is something about for every decibel more sound the loudness increases by a certain factor. Like I say, I can't remember. Maybe somebody and jump in and correct me. Thumb up from me.

Thank you for posting this video , I agree with you.

Appreciate your through work. We're looking at all choices. Thanks.

I have the Champion 3100 and I use it for RVing and I love it. You can't beat the price, value, performance combination of these generators.

i have an eu3000i ...reliable & no electrical issues. I'lm willing to pay more for the quality rather than just a low price.

I think you have to find the side of the unit that is the loudest to point at your db meter..usually side openings are where the most sound is produced... voltage regulator being bad on the Honda makes sense for the low voltage under load...

I bought a Honda EU3000i about 11-12 years back so no wheels on it. I'm something of a survivalist so wanted a generator that doesn't advertise its presence. It went unused for at least nine years but I'll now convert it to run on propane so it doesn't give off detectable exhaust fumes, then will make a more soundproof enclosure for it with ports for exhaust and intake.

Man I’m just a nurse & normally don’t understand about electrical working but you did testing as thoroughly as I’d test our ICU machines-Thoroughly. It’s impressive & even I can see the Champion was better at holding its power level even if the sound level was a bit higher. For the $ it’s the Champion. Thanks for an education on generators & decibels!

I think your test was well designed and fair. You showed the setup and the numbers so everyone can interpret them for themselves. The only thing I thought might skew the numbers is what direction each unit's exhaust was aimed, it is not obvious in the video. I would be interested in knowing how much further away do I need to be to get equal sound levels. I bet it is not very far. Thanks very much for posting the video.

My 2800 Honda gen on Econ has no problem revving up when I turn on a 1500 watt electric heater, so I’m not sure what your issue is.

Great video as I'm purchasing 2 champions this week to run my 50amp RV. I have friends who also power their 50amp RV with 2 champions and they love them. Their experience with champion has been great and half the reason I'm going champion. Also the price.

I have a Champion duel fuel 3400 watt inverter generator. I went with the champion mainly for the fact that I run it on propane. My travel trailer sits in storage a lot and the generator just gets used 4 or 5 times a year. As you know gas sitting in generators causes problems down the road when not used. When I retire and use the generator more, then I will probably start running gas through it. I like the Champion for two reasons, it will run on propane, and it has a built in 30 amp RV plug. No need for any type of adapter that sometimes cause problems. 3400 watts is overkill for my needs, my travel trailer is a very small ultra light weight with a 8000 BTU air conditioner that would run off of a 2000 watt inverter generator, but no one makes one that runs on propane and I did not want to have to do a home conversion.

I bought a champion 3500w remote electric start from cabela's on sale for 899!! Have used it w my RV, runs air and other items, but as all equipment you have to watch what you have running, i.e. Elect water heater, AC coffee pot, micro, charger for batteries,,can't run them all at the same time of course. This generator runs fantastic and the remote start is awesome, it lives in the truck bed under the tonnue cover, partially open to uncover it to run.. AC is 15k no problem, stays in eco mode too. Did break in as recommended, great piece of equipment, a no brainer.

I agree , itcomes down to price for me as well.

I have an old 5500 watt generator which is very loud. When I have to use it, I make a barrier around it and use fiberglass insulation to deaden the sound. Just leave the top open for ventilation. The insulation stays rolled up in my shed. It doesn't take up much room.

Great comparison! I have seen others pointing towards champion as well. I am at a park with no hookups and it’s 90. I have a champion 2800 and it’s running the AC on my 2019 Article Fox 5thwheel, it is loud when I walk away from my spot... but that is why they limit the generator times to two hours twice a day. I only run mine for dinner to cool it down for the wife.

I have a Champion 3100 75537i that I bought last year with the electric start that I got for $590 on Amazon super sale. I measured the sound levels on mine at those distances with similar load/unload, and I am getting 1 dB more than your Honda numbers as measured straight out from the exhaust side. I have run into other campers with the Honda 3000, and I find it to be identical in loudness to the Champion 3100. The pitch is a little different, but the difference in loudness is indiscernible to the human ear. The Honda may be better built. It might not be. It may last you longer. It also might not. For a little over 1/4 of the price, I would pick the Champion every single time. Its all cheap China junk as far as Im concerned. You might get an especially well put together Champion unit and run thousands of hours without a major issue. You might get an especially poor put together Honda and have issues from day 1. No one can predict this, and no brand is immune. Its just the lay of the land now. The best customer service is the one you never have to use. When I hear people say how fantastic customer service is from a company, thats a red flag to me. You wouldnt know if the product was actually good. I have no idea if Champion customer service is good or not. Never needed them.

Thanks for the video. Good test. Very through.

Subbed because 1.)Good review, 2.)Your sub count was 666. Couldn't have that. Have a good day and I look forward to go browsing through your vids!

VERY interesting man! Thanks a bunch. I am a Honda fan. I have yet to find a Honda product that wasn't good quality. But, having said that and having lived many years, I know that money drives the world. It appears that at least in your case, Champion has stepped into the fight to challenge Honda. It is also obvious that Honda got complacent and now finds itself in other than first place. Yours isn't the first review demonstrating the quality of RV based generators by Champion. Great content man, thanks. Now, lets see how they respond. It's great for us consumers!!

Yeah you've got a defective handi there. I went out to do the same test on mine because this video freaked me out, but it stayed between 120-122 with all kinds of loads when both in economy mode and off. Including my 1800 watt heater.

Great review thanks !

Great review ! good work! Great information !Thanks !

Your % calculations are incorrect since the decibel scale is logarithmic.

Well Done, glad you posted this, BTW, 3db is twice as loud, Regards Vancouver BC.

Thanks for the info.👍

Awesome video! Thank you for sharing! I have an 80’s 5500 honda generator and a 7 year old champion 3500 and they both work great. I think I might get a diesel as a third so I can run bio too.

114v is fine. appliances rated at 120v have a voltage tolerance of like +/-10%. 114v is well within spec. In long run i would buy honda. Honda parts are always pretty easy to come by. Good luck finding parts for Champion generator-motor probably made in china just like generac inverter is.

Westinghouse has a generator also.

Voltage regulator on the Honda is going bad or need adjusting if it has that ability..

I purchased the 15k Champion and it runs every time. It's louder than hell but with me being a welder that has no bearing on the fact that I can run hot welds and suffer no loss of power. I paid $2000.00 for mine and the Honda 7000 watt was $4900.00. Plus I have a 2 year warranty with Champion and 4 years with Amazon... That math is easy folks.

Great review but the background music at the end really interfered with your comments

Starting my 2800 Champon from INSIDE my RV and getting good service is greeeeeeat.

thank you for your time

I had my Honda generator for 17 years and it still starts without any problems. I love Honda so much ports Peace of Mind knowing that generator will work no matter what

We have a Champion 10KW Duel Fuel, runs our entire home, love it.

I have the exact champion generator I bought it from Costco online and love it. I couldn't see myself paying for the over priced Honda when the Champion was a good competitor and cost less. Great review.

Hello, thank you for sharing the video. The only question I have is will the Champion 2800 run a 13500 BTU a/c unit on my camper without it overloading?

thanks

l purchased the 2800 champion and am not sorry it runs my air and microwave at the same time in economy mode i was amazed and the noise level is very low costco for 699 or honda for 2000 happy with purchase after 6 months

I am a Champion authorized repair shop. Champion is a Chinese Honda Clone (Honda is still trying to sue over this). Typical hours on a Champion generator are 1000 to 1200 if taken care of very well. Honda has an hour rating of 5000, although I have seen many Honda EU inverter generators with over 10'000 hours. Remember to get your Champion generator jetted for altitude if you use it above 4000 feet otherwise they wont last more than a few hundred hours. Parts are bolt for bolt compatible with Honda since they are an identical clone. Failures on the Champion are both electrical and engine cylinder and the whole unit is typically scrapped when they fail.

The ecos which is only used 2 lower the idle when no current is being pulled from the generator

Not sure if someone has said this, but I believe the voltage drop is from the surge protector. If the heater was plugged right into the generator, I bet the voltage drop would be less or gone. Just my thoughts.

i have owned both Honda and champion generators. i had nothing to complain about as far as reliability of either brand. my problem was that I had trouble finding parts for the champions. i did find good usable carburetors for the champions on Ebay for $23 . a far cry cheaper than the Honda ones.

Something isn't right on the Honda. It should rev up under load in econo-mode. Econo just means it runs at the lowest possible RPM to maintain 120 volts.

Thanks for arranging and shooting the test for us. Sound is only one aspect of machine ownership Check the valve lash interval between the two units and be prepared for a shock. 300 for the honda or 100 for the champion. IF you actually use it this will be a large difference in maintenance over the life of the unit.

FYI a 3db increase is actually a double is sound. An increase of 3dB doubles the sound intensity but a 10dB increase is required before a sound is perceived to be twice as loud. Therefore a small increase in decibels represents a large increase in intensity. For example - 10dB is 10 times more intense than 1dB, while 20dB is 100 times more intense than 1dB.

Good comparison test. But.... Honda quality & reliability is unmatched. Cheaper machines are Chinese copies. Might buy one for third string backup but not for primary or first backup

Nice review. I love my Champion.

Just make sure you use RECREATION FUEL in the generator. And the fuel stabilizer additive. Makes a significant difference. Most marina boat places have this kind of fuel.

Good video. I have a so-called "first generation" Champion gen. that I bought about 9 years ago. It works great except I did have to purchase a new carb. for it on eBay. It ran me about $30.00 or so and brought my gen. back to like-new running condition. Want quite? Try adding a bit of 'tailpipe' to the muffler. Use your imagination as to what type of material and/or pipe you'll need. BTW...it works great.

Eco simply lets the generator idle when there is no load. When under load the eco switch has no impact.

I must say I have had a champion for 2 years. Yes it's a little louder but I love it. Got it on sale for $1000 Less then a Honda. Starts 1 st or 2 Nd pull all the time.

Have 2 Honda Gens. They are fantastic machines. The first one I purchased in 2004. It has been used hard. I maintain it though

Nice test

Considering (but not completely based upon) many of the comments here, I am definitely going with the Honda. My EU2000i and all my other Honda stuff have been working perfectly over the past many years, and that is a formidable consideration. Support when something goes wrong with any Honda product is legendary (in a good way). Thank you for posting this video demonstration.

Also I was told that my 30 amp rv cord my have been defective. So I took the Honda generator home and was able to unplug the microwave cord from the socket. I used a heavy duty 12 gauge cord , 25 feet long and plugged the microwave into the cord and then into the generator. I also used the 20 amp adaptor on the cord. Total failure, could not start a 1100 watt microwave from eco mode. It worked fine in high idle. Never popped a breaker , it would drag the microwave down so much that it would not be able to run or stall the motor. After watching this video I am beginning to believe that there are issues with the Honda that are more than coincidental.

Your Champion 2800w in this test was louder than mine. I got a later model 2800w/3100w with electric start though, so perhaps they made changes, not sure. The sound result for mine are the same as the Honda you tested here. 58 idle /61 under load. My ambient noise level was the same as yours here.

I have a Briggs & Stratton p3000 inverter generator I use it almost every day and have 9200 hours on it and it runs almost like new it has been great

So, what you're saying is the Champion is at least twice as loud as the Honda. 62dB vs 67dB

I just bought a new travel trailer and I am looking for a good generator strong enough to power the AC. Thanks for this review I was set on buying the much more expensive Honda but the Champion looks pretty damn good to me.

Sweet vid bro. Thank you for the info

One thing is that because you had the load like that is that it will drop voltage on the outlet bar but if you check the outlet it most likely will be better

I would like to see some one do a run to failure test, how many hours on both with same load before they are worn out ! If the Honda last 4 or 5 times longer then the price point would be there

Any generator can be quieted with the right enclosure and/or extra exhaust muffler.

Well done video

I strongly suspect the power receptacle on the Honda wasn't a great mate with that power strip, causing the extra low voltage on the first test, and possibly the shutdown; over temperature? - that voltage drop at that load works out to a _lot_ of heat at the point of loss!

Good info-- thank you

I ended up buying the Champion 3500W dual fuel (Gasoline or Propane) Generator from Camping world. It is very quiet and the cost was listed as $1199.00. I run it on propane since I don't have to worry about gasoline gunking up the carburetor. Camping World and Cabellas are the only two outlets that sells the Champion 3500W dual fuel. All other outlets sell the 3400W dual fuel units. I am very pleased with Champion. Great warranty and support. They are competing against Honda and Yamaha.

I bought a Champion 2800 with electric start three years ago for our camper, but it gets a lot of use on our farm. Only complaint I have is the electric choke, it's either on or off, can't push it in half way like a manual choke. I looked at the 3000is honda, very quite, but was to heavy for me to lift into the pickup by myself and the lighter weight Handy didn't seem to be any quieter than the Champion but cost much more.

Thank you

my honda manual says start without eco , put on load, then switch on eco...

One has to understand db. It's a logarithmic (exponential) function. 3 db in real numbers means 100

Very good video 👍

Ok you plugged the Honda on the in the standard 20a plug and you plugged the champion in the 30a rv outlet big difference on a forearm load bank