Generic generators

[RV Sailor]

Did you actually read what I wrote? If not, I would suggest you read my post again. Here is a refresher:

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I was NOT bashing products made in China! I'm not sure where you got that idea. I was simply pointing out that ONE company is making generators and selling them under multiple brand names. And by the way, I don't own a Honda generator. One final thing - the company that is making these generic portable generators has not been making them a long time. Honda has made them since the early 1960's.

Yes Brian I read it. No need for the condescention

So why weren’t you balanced and point out Honda’s were also assembled in China and elsewhere. Westinghouse has been a power generation company for over 100 years and was purchased by Tosiba recently. It has a history of power generation from nuclear reactors to now inverter/ generators.

https://global.honda/products/power/generator.html

I’m not the only one who detected the anti - Chinese sentiment attached to your post.
You inferred because it was produced in China it was inferior. I’m not saying you are prejudiced against Chinese , but that you are biased against products made in China. You are the one who drew us to that reference. There is no need to reference where a product is made as you did in terms of why no be careful buying it. It really is not a true indicator of quality. It’s not a disqualifier if a Westinghouse designed product was assembled in a Chinese factory with parts made all over the world ( BTW Honda are too) Again the I phone was assembled in China , designed in the US..and is .a well made product.

Products are products whether made in China, the USA or Australia. One has to do research to see if the company making them is exercising quality control. Just because they are assembled outside the US and in China doesn’t automatically mean they are inferior and disqualify them.

The economy is now global not like back in the 1950s. Technology is also global. The ISS is made up of component modules from MANY countries.

Honda generators though good in the early 2000s are antiquated.

Here is a great article I used to give my managers about how to stay competitive by adapting. Adapting didn’t mean sacrificing the core goals or quality.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbos...h=48dbe7267e6f

[Txfivver]

~sigh~ enjoy your purchase and safe travels to you.

[RV Sailor]

Hmmmmm.... Is it a Cummins or a Westinghouse?

Attachment 31827 Attachment 31828

They are identical ....made in the same factory....kind of like Toyota and Lexus, Nissan and Infinity, Honda and Acura
Progreso and Kirchland ( Costco), Macy’s and Boscovs and on and on. Not sure what the point was here with them being identical. You see this a lot in today’s global economy. Sometime name recognition in a particular country is important as that’s what that country is familiar with. It’s not meant as deception.

In one of my early posts when I talked about looking at the Westinghouse generator I referenced it as Westinghouse/ Cummins.

I think we’ve beaten this horse to dead. Just wondering out loud why you are so invested in this topic thread, when you don’t even have or have had experience with any of these generators and clearly are not looking to doing research but have declarative statements. I will repeat I have both a Honda and a Westinghouse. I was very happy with my Honda. I needed something to run a 15000 air conditioner easily without modification. I saw all the great additional technology and advancement Westinghouse/ Cummins has made since my Hond was produced while the Honda’s stood still. The 3000 Honda was 3X more expensive and maintained the dinosaur technology. Even if I trashed the generator every 3 years I could afford the Westinghouse. BTW my ANECDOTAL observation is that the Westinghouse is quiet well built. Also has incredible soundproofing that the Honda doesn’t have, that’s why it’s quieter. But don’t take it from me, Others who have them I think will report similarly. Horse is dead

[Stealth13777]

So, ignoring the troll to all generator threads and getting back on track.

I had no idea all the brands were being made in seemingly one factory. For example, with Craftsman now a Stanley-Black&Decker product I figured they would make their own product in one of their numerous factories.. Same with Generac. Do any of the Champions match up with these, or does that company have their own manufacturing facilities?

I think the two real questions are: who own the facilities and does the QA, and who backs up the product.

To the OP, thanks for the post.

[bertschb]

Do any of the Champions match up with these, or does that company have their own manufacturing facilities? I think the two real questions are: who own the facilities and does the QA, and who backs up the product.

I'm not sure where the Champions are built. From the outside, they don't appear to be clones with all the others. The Champions get great reviews and seem to be well built. Plus, they have dual fuel models which is very attractive. Your point about support for the clones is well founded.

[RV Sailor]

Champion = built in China
Westinghouse = built in China/ Vietnam
Honda= built in China
Predator= built in China

These generators can run 15,000 air conditioner , Honda may need a kit for 15000 but can run 13500

Champion- 4500 dual fuel- 192 cc- 97 lbs- 62 decibels- $1200
Westinghouse / Cummins 4500 dual fuel - 224 cc- 98 lbs- 52 decibels $1200
Predator - 3500- gas only- 212 cc - 100 lbs - 57 decibels - $850
Honda - 3000 gas only - 196 cc- 132 lbs - 57 decibels - $2420

[mdwilliams44]

I'm not sure where the Champions are built. From the outside, they don't appear to be clones with all the others. The Champions get great reviews and seem to be well built. Plus, they have dual fuel models which is very attractive. Your point about support for the clones is well founded.

Love my Champion Inverter model. Don't care where it was made. While some folks have a definite bent toward either American Made, or perhaps the inferiority of Chinese made products, many of the clarifying statements made on this thread are very well said. Q/A is everything. Production facilities are not national in nature, there are plenty of good facilities on all continents (and yes I have anecdotal experience on 5 of seven continents assessing manufacturing facilities).

Yes different brand names are made in the same facilities. STAR, DeWALT and Black and Decker are all made on the same assembly lines (I have personally witnessed this).

With outsourcing, you have very little control on where something is made, and can only hope that engineering design, and Q/A are righteous.

As a last comment. In the early 60s we snubbed our noses at things made in Japan, including cars. Today they are undeniably the "quality" producers in may items.

In fact, W. Edwards Demming, the father of Six Sigma was laughed out of the States after world war 2 and found acceptance for his theories on driving out defects, in war torn Japan. Toyota, TQM, Quality Circles, Kai-ZEN, all of these are offspring from his seminal work.

The point is, regardless of who makes something, it is possible to have a quality product. Quality knows no nationality. The only true differentiator it seems, is relentlessly driving for six SIGMA or, 1 defect per million units. It took Japan some years to get there, but now they are known as quality manufacturers. YMMV

[Hitsman3]

Wow, that's a lot to follow! Back on the tracks here, anyone have any experience with the Firman generators that Costco is selling? Seems like a pretty good value for the price but i don't know anyone that has one. Any thoughts good or bad are appreciated. Looked at them a couple times but have yet to pull the trigger.

[Stealth13777]

Love my Champion Inverter model. The point is, regardless of who makes something, it is possible to have a quality product. Quality knows no nationality.

From the owner of a Champion, which is made in China but supported from the USA and Canada, I was curious if they used the same manufacturing facilities as the others. More research indicates they likely own their facility.

On the USA vs Other argument. Most of us aren’t disparaging other production locations. However, given a choice between equivalent products, I will personally pay (a little) more for one from this country with the intent of supporting American labor. This is part of a personal choice, and is why options are great - we can each make our own decisions as to what is important to us. The location a product is made, and thus the jobs it supports, is a factor to a lot of people and nothing is wrong with that.


@Hitsman3
To the poster asking about the Firman gensets, they appear to be following Champion’s business model. They have a good warranty with US based parts and customer service, on an overseas product. Reviews are generally solid. I can’t speak more than that as I don’t have experience with them. They don’t look like the other clones so curious if they make their own product.

Edit: Research indicates Firman is the house brand of a Chinese company that has produced generators under other brand names for a long time. They do have US based support, and seem to have a good reputation. The parent company does not release who else they make products for, so can’t tell you that for comparison. Costco also tends to carry reputable stuff in my experience.

[BubbaChris]

I live in the desert and all summer we try to camp at 6,000'-10,000' elevations to escape the heat. I remember walking a campground loop with my wife when a handful of fellow campers were running generators. IIRC they were thankfully all inverter models, but they were all audibly surging because the fuel/air mixture was wrong for that altitude.

That was after I bought my Honda EU2000i and installed the high altitude jet. So I stopped and asked my wife to take notice, she agreed that it added an annoying aspect to the normal drone. Ours doesn't do that. It's a small thing, but the right choice for us.

Best regards,
Chris