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Harbor freight compares their generator to a honda


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First of all this just gave me a laugh in the long run Honda will save u I have no doubt that a 2000w Honda will last a hell of a lot longer my dad still owns three Honda's and they last I would rather break the bank and get the Honda then buy the shitty freight generator.if your out in the middle of nowhere I know that a Honda wouldn't let me down. Actually own the same model of honda what do yalls think

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I have seen that too for some reason they have been really aggressive in marketing.  I just loved the guy that posted the old HF ad with name brands in it from back in the day. He who shall not be named has been shilling for Harbor Freight lately.

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1 hour ago, DR99 said:

I have seen that too for some reason they have been really aggressive in marketing.  I just loved the guy that posted the old HF ad with name brands in it from back in the day. He who shall not be named has been shilling for Harbor Freight lately.

Lol that was me ?

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1 hour ago, Conductor562 said:

Harbor Freight has really went out of character lately and attacked some big time brands by name. Several ad's out there boasting they are better than Snap-On. 

I seen that their impact wrench why compare lol let's see whos tool is for the long run

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It pays to associate yourself with quality people. In this case associating their brand name with reputable brand names will trick stupid people into thinking they are getting a bargain on an equal quality item. This in turn makes HF a pile of money because there is no shortage of stupid people out there looking for a bargain to fill his house with lookalike junk to try to keep up with his neighbor. 

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3 minutes ago, Bremon said:

It pays to associate yourself with quality people. In this case associating their brand name with reputable brand names will trick stupid people into thinking they are getting a bargain on an equal quality item. This in turn makes HF a pile of money because there is no shortage of stupid people out there looking for a bargain to fill his house with lookalike junk to try to keep up with his neighbor. 

Now that you said that it makes sense :)

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You know I used to go in hf and picked random things up here and there but I know there's a couple gems but overall I don't want to deal with shit breaking while I'm trying to do a job, plus the smell in there ha nasty


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I can see how they tried to compare there impact to the snap-on because their customer base believes that the only thing you get with a snap-on over a pittsburgh is the name, but to try and compare yourself to Honda! I don't know if there is a brand out there that has the reputation that Honda does with everything that they do. Cars, motorcycles, lawn equipment, generators, jet engines, the list goes on and they have one of the best reputations in every category. I guess maybe they are just going for brand exposure knowing that people like us will be talking about it.

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Now I will throw monkey wrench in the discussion. The Honda in the comparison looks like it is for $999.99 for a 1600 watt. I offer in comparison for the same price from Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-7-000-Watt-Gasoline-Powered-Electric-Start-Portable-Generator-DXGNR7000/206069299 

With that, it is sporting the same technology that earned Honda generators their reputation 25 or so years ago. Unlike what the add says it sports a big Honda motor. 7000 watt brushless generator versus the 1600 from an inverter and probably 4 times the motor and 6 to 8 times the fuel tank as well as around 4 times the weight.

 

Lower technology, enough power to run a jobsite versus about 12 amps of power for similar money, If it was bout camping I'd be all over the Honda but I would go with the DeWALT on a jobsite in a heartbeat. To give a little perspective I went a Honda generator repair course about 30 years ago because I worked at a dealership that sold the generators, that kind of money would have gotten you about 1000 watt compact (suitcase style) generator of about 35 pounds or maybe a 1400 or 1600 watt bare bones generator with a decent fuel tank and no auto idle, so 30 years later being in the same price range for a similar size with better technology is just amazing.

 

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Realistically, the Honda EU2000 isnt much better than most comparable generators on the market today. The small motor used today has been the same design for the last 20+ years. What you pay for is the inverter. Yes, the Honda has a little bit better inverter, but you are really paying for an overhyped name.

The Ryobi 2000 wattt generator is just as good as the Honda, as is the Generac and other comparable generators. Longevity wise, any of these will last a long time as long as maintenance is performed along with use the proper fuel (ethanol free fuel).

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15 hours ago, Grumpy MSG said:

Now I will throw monkey wrench in the discussion. The Honda in the comparison looks like it is for $999.99 for a 1600 watt. I offer in comparison for the same price from Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-7-000-Watt-Gasoline-Powered-Electric-Start-Portable-Generator-DXGNR7000/206069299 

With that, it is sporting the same technology that earned Honda generators their reputation 25 or so years ago. Unlike what the add says it sports a big Honda motor. 7000 watt brushless generator versus the 1600 from an inverter and probably 4 times the motor and 6 to 8 times the fuel tank as well as around 4 times the weight.

 

Lower technology, enough power to run a jobsite versus about 12 amps of power for similar money, If it was bout camping I'd be all over the Honda but I would go with the DeWALT on a jobsite in a heartbeat. To give a little perspective I went a Honda generator repair course about 30 years ago because I worked at a dealership that sold the generators, that kind of money would have gotten you about 1000 watt compact (suitcase style) generator of about 35 pounds or maybe a 1400 or 1600 watt bare bones generator with a decent fuel tank and no auto idle, so 30 years later being in the same price range for a similar size with better technology is just amazing.

 

Its a 2000watt without any load

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13 hours ago, Wally13 said:

Realistically, the Honda EU2000 isnt much better than most comparable generators on the market today. The small motor used today has been the same design for the last 20+ years. What you pay for is the inverter. Yes, the Honda has a little bit better inverter, but you are really paying for an overhyped name.

The Ryobi 2000 wattt generator is just as good as the Honda, as is the Generac and other comparable generators. Longevity wise, any of these will last a long time as long as maintenance is performed along with use the proper fuel (ethanol free fuel).

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I would have to disagree  it isnt over hyped name they are known for being reliable and that's what they are yes its not the best deal out there bla bla better deals but at the end of the day who cares . the design is good there is nothing wrong with keeping one that has proven its self . 

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I just bought the Harbor Freight in November.My brother has two of the Hondas and I have used one of his many times.He uses his at our family farm that has a cabin.We used the Hondas while building the family cabin and now use them as a power source for the cabin.

 

I hate to borrow things and live 16 miles away from that farm.But really wanted to get one for my self.But already have a 5500 watt Sears Craftsman same as a Briggs from several years back.But wanted a quite more portable generator.Did not want to shell out nearly $1000.00 for a Honda.So when HF had theres on sale for $399.00 I thought why not.

 

So far glad I did.It is quite handles everything my brothers Honda can.Starts on the first or second pull every time.Will is last as long as the Honda?Time will tell but I figure for what I paid if its life is only half of the Honda I will still be ahead of the game.I have other predator engines gas water pump and I put one on a garden tiller.They have been doing  a excellent job for me so I have confidence in this generator also.So much so that I have been considering there 6500peak5500 watt model as well when it goes on a good sale. 

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On 1/6/2017 at 0:26 AM, Bremon said:

It pays to associate yourself with quality people. In this case associating their brand name with reputable brand names will trick stupid people into thinking they are getting a bargain on an equal quality item. This in turn makes HF a pile of money because there is no shortage of stupid people out there looking for a bargain to fill his house with lookalike junk to try to keep up with his neighbor. 

Hmm I guess because someone can not always afford name brand products.It makes him stupid to buy what they can afford.I guess If you shop at HF your just trying to stock items that are decoys to make it look like your trying to keep up with the ''Snobs''.Some.people make me sick and your comments made me want to Puke all over the place.

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@jdlx277 let me grab you some pepto to settle that upset stomach. My opinion is if something is worth owning then it's worth saving for and buying a quality item. I think most people can attest to buying low-cost/low-quality to get them out of a jam and then not far down the road that item ends up in the trash. If I'm only going to use a tool once odds are I know someone who has one and can borrow it. If I can't, I'll think about paying someone else to get the job done. Or I can buy quality and re-sell to recoup much of the cost. The second hand market doesn't pay decent money for low quality. 

 

I have enough experience with cheap tools at work and at home to know that it doesn't make sense to throw money away. Do Canadian Tire and Princess Auto have some gems here and there? (We don't have Harbor Freight and Princess Auto is the most direct comparison I can make). Sure they do. You have to dig. You know what a $500 generator you count on during a storm generally gets you? Up a creek without a paddle.

 

"Can't afford to buy name brand products" generally means you don't need said product in the first place. I read people say they can't afford to buy good stuff and my opinion is I can't afford not to. Again, my opinion.  I would rather have fewer higher quality items than be flush with mediocrity. The rampant consumerism that goes along with buying low-quality garbage is a blight on the first world and the reason more and more jobs go to third world countries. If more people bought quality goods that employ more people with livable wages more people would be able to afford goods of a reasonable quality to begin with.

 

You're reading a forum about power tools; they're generally used by people who get paid to use them or people who see the value in doing things yourself to save yourself money. If your low quality tools fail you or can't otherwise complete a job whether you're being paid to use them or not, they've cost you money.

 

Clearly we have a difference of opinion, I'm sorry mine offends you. You make it sound like I'm advocating every hobby woodworker take a loan out for Festool, Mirka and Mafell. Or every small engine tinkerer finance a garage full of Snap-On and Mac. I'm not. I'm advocating buying brands a professional can make a living off of without selling the farm. Can't afford a Stilleto hammer? Who cares; most can't. You can still buy an Estwing and have a hammer for life rather than bargain store specials. Can't afford a Stabila level? That's fine; buy an Empire and get a level you can trust long term rather than a no-name knockoff. Buy once, cry once. I say it all the time. Buy nice, or buy twice.

 

Reading your post it seems you have a plethora of generators so you've spent the money for reliability on redundancy by having multiple units. That's your prerogative, and just a different outlook on having your backside covered.

 

That said, you mention having multiple generators, being able to drive 15 minutes and borrow another, and are contemplating buying another. I don't think you're advocating from the point of view of people buying low-cost because it's "what they can afford". 

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I'm with Bremon on this one, I can't deal with the overall poor quality of HF products, life time guarantee or not if it fails on the job that negates any guarantee in my eyes, yea there are some gems there no doubt but in the money i have wasted there i can put it towards a tool that my great grand children will be able to use (hand tools anywho)

 

As for the generator, I have used a Honda invertor many many times and will start if you so much as sneeze while holding the pull cord, I own a Honda mower as well and any small engine I'll ever buy again will only be a honda, Maybe I am a snob with my honda mower, and german hand tools, proto ratchets but I have pride in my tools and what I do with them and I know if I need to push said tool a little harder, I don't have to worry about sheering a handle off and driving to the local HF to swap it out.

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Well for the most part I agree with you.I do have a Estwing hammer.I am a farmer and run a small lawn care business.I buy John Deere and Stihl products for my farm and business.In my opinion I am buying the best for my everyday work.But I use my generators very little.The reason I own two and I am considering the third is because I have my 5500 watt at my home place and it is for backup power when the power goes out.To run my sump pump and bed room window AC or Fridge or Freezer things like that.Its served me well for around 10 years now and still performs like new.The HF Predator I will be using it for things like running a shop vac to clean out my corn planter boxes to switch seed.I will carry it in my pickup truck.Or possibly to run electronics like a TV during a power outage.Very light use .The reason for considering the third generator.Is to have back up power at a different farm location where I do not have electricity at a out building.I could use something around 5500 watts at that location several miles away.Easier to have a second unit then to load haul and unload.

 

I buy according to how often or bad I need something.I use my John Deere and Stihl products often.Power tools I own Milwaukee and Dewalt  they get light use.I would not consider HF power tools.Hand tools I have older Craftsman, Channel Lock,and even some Harbor Freight.Never had a need for Snap On or Mac.I support buying USA products as often as I can.But thats getting harder and harder to do.I drive Domestic vehicals and that does not mean a Honda or Toyota just because there made here.I do not buy anything to keep up with my neighbors and I do not borrow anything.Because I hate it when someone borrows something from me.I do not buy anything to impress or keep up with anyone.I keep everything I own locked up out of sight as soon as I am done using it.Better chance no one will want to borrow it. 

 

    

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@Bremon I agree with you man ;) like you said can't afford not to buy quality stuff that's why I personally buy makita I know it will last me and why sit and fumble with Chicken shit tools. I would rather buy a Honda even if ivdidnt much because you know it will always be ready and reliable if in an emergency. Also like you said I was wanting to give advise yo people in the market for a generator  that will last 

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1 hour ago, JimboS1ice said:

I'm with Bremon on this one, I can't deal with the overall poor quality of HF products, life time guarantee or not if it fails on the job that negates any guarantee in my eyes, yea there are some gems there no doubt but in the money i have wasted there i can put it towards a tool that my great grand children will be able to use (hand tools anywho)

 

As for the generator, I have used a Honda invertor many many times and will start if you so much as sneeze while holding the pull cord, I own a Honda mower as well and any small engine I'll ever buy again will only be a honda, Maybe I am a snob with my honda mower, and german hand tools, proto ratchets but I have pride in my tools and what I do with them and I know if I need to push said tool a little harder, I don't have to worry about sheering a handle off and driving to the local HF to swap it out.

Yes I agree with ya life is too short to be fucking around with cheapo tools and u always know that Honda is there and ready to go my family owns quite a lot of Honda motors from fouwheelers to lawnmowers they are built to last and so when you really need it its there

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Yes I agree with ya life is too short to be fucking around with cheapo tools and u always know that Honda is there and ready to go my family owns quite a lot of Honda motors from fouwheelers to lawnmowers they are built to last and so when you really need it its there


You pay for them but I still believe you get what you pay for


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2 hours ago, jdlx277 said:

Hmm I guess because someone can not always afford name brand products.It makes him stupid to buy what they can afford.I guess If you shop at HF your just trying to stock items that are decoys to make it look like your trying to keep up with the ''Snobs''.Some.people make me sick and your comments made me want to Puke all over the place.

Snobs ?? lol look at your comment this post was nothing about that it was about my opinion and the honda will be the wise choice in the long run less down time no doubt it will last longer 

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